Introducing the GoDaddy Auctions API

Have you ever had your eye on a domain name for your brand or as an investment? Perhaps one that you’d been monitoring for years. Finally, the domain name goes into an auction or closeout listing, only for you to miss the opportunity to acquire the domain because you were busy with other things.

Does that sound familiar? It hurts, doesn’t it? Especially when you see the domain being resold months later for a healthy return.

With good domain names coming up for sale in Closeout listings every day, anything you can do to be at the front of the queue to buy the domain is beneficial. Better yet, what if you could automate the purchase process to stop life getting in the way of a great domain acquisition?

One of the most requested GoDaddy Auctions features is a publicly-available GoDaddy Auctions API, which will automate the process of purchasing a domain name for you.

Thanks to the hard work of the GoDaddy Auctions team, you can use GoDaddy Auctions API to purchase Closeout domain names.

Closeouts, expired domain names that you can buy immediately, start at $50 and reduce in price over the course of 5 days to $5 if no one purchases them.

These domain names are popular with domain investors in particular, providing a healthy return on investment thanks to the relatively low acquisition cost.

However, there’s plenty of work involved with tracking and purchasing Closeout listings, especially if you’re looking to grab a Closeout domain at a specific price.

Fortunately, GoDaddy Auctions API can automate much of this.

Benefits of an API

How could you benefit from using GoDaddy Auctions API to buy Closeout listings?

Whether you’re a prolific buyer or the occasional purchaser, using the API can save you a significant amount of time, especially when it comes to manually checking Closeout prices.

Let’s say you have identified a domain name you’d like to buy, but it only makes sense for your business model to acquire the domain name at $11 rather than the $50 starting price of a Closeout listing.

With the API, you can set your system to automatically check to see whether the price does fall to $11 on the fourth day of the Closeout listing. If the domain name is available for $11, your API access will automatically purchase the domain using your express checkout payment method.

Using the API can also bring more focus to your investment activities. Firstly, utilizing the API means you have more time to search for domains to acquire rather than routinely checking on Closeout prices.

Secondly, the API challenges you to objectively consider every domain name’s value since you’ll input your proposed purchase price upfront.

If you want to try the API to purchase Closeout listings, follow the instructions below.

How to use GoDaddy Auctions API for closeout purchases

To make the API work for you, we recommend developing your own script and following the instructions below.

Getting your API key

You’ll need to get an API key to begin using the API.

1. Go to https://developer.godaddy.com/keys
2. Click on “Create New API Key”
   
3. A box will appear. Optionally give your API key a name. Ensure that “Production” is the checkbox selected, and click “Next.” (If you want to test your API first, use an “ote” key. Once you’re ready to use the API, you’ll need a Production API key.)
4. Your API key and your Secret key will be displayed. Make a note of your keys.

Using GoDaddy Auctions API

The two API calls you need in order to purchase Closeout domain names are EstimateCloseoutDomainPrice and InstantPurchaseCloseoutDomain. These are the only two API calls that are publicly available for now.

For more information and in-depth documentation about using GoDaddy Auctions API, visit our developer portal.

If you’re unsure how to use GoDaddy Auctions API, you could consult a third-party developer. However, it’s important to note that you should never share sensitive information with them, such as your GoDaddy account username, customer ID, or password.

Update your payment information

Before you use the GoDaddy Auctions API, you’ll also need to ensure that you have a default payment method stored so that Closeout auction purchases can be completed. Here’s how to check that you have a default payment method stored.

1. Visit this link to take you to the Payment Methods page
2. Sign in to your GoDaddy account if prompted
3. Click on “Edit” next to your preferred payment method (if you haven’t added a payment method yet, click “Add Payment Method.”
4. Under “Express Checkout default,” toggle the switch on.

At the moment, GoDaddy Auctions API is publicly available for Closeout listings. The development team is actively working on providing broader access to all GoDaddy Auctions listings via API.