How do I buy a website

when it is currently held by a proxy?

[George]

Hi,
When buying a live website, I know you need to look out for all the usual things, just like buying a car.

Is it owned by the person who is selling it?
Has it been sold already?
Will i get control of the DNS not just the wedsite?

Simple, done it before. And in the end there is a small leap of faith as there is in any business deal, do you trust them.

However, this one is owned by a proxy.
So the whois reads something like this:

Registrant:
Domains by Proxy, Inc.
15111 N Hayden Rd., Suite 160
PMB353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States

Registered through: GoDaddy.com
Domain name. DOMAIN.COM

etc.

Infact, the only way I have to know that the person selling it is the owner, is the contact email on the site is the one he has contacted me with.

I have tried to contact domainsbyproxy.com...no answer, no surprise really.
He says he has contacted Godaddy, and got this response:

Thank you for contacting customer support. Since the domain is privately registered they will not be able to perform a 'WHOIS' lookup. Unfortunately, there is not much of a way for you to prove that you own the domain. We are sorry for any inconvenience you are having in this matter.

Anyone live in Scottsdale and mind dropping in to ask :)?
Or any better suggestions?

[PatrickDeese]

> Anyone live in Scottsdale

It looks like that is just a PO Box for Domains by Proxy.

Have you asked him to make a modification on the site, or perhaps something like a subdirectory? IE - www.example.com/george/

"Hello George, I really own this site".

That would be a start at any rate.

[George]

Thanks Patrick
Good idea, it would prove he has access, but then his Yahoo address is on the site too, and that is the one I contact him on so he has had access in the past.
My real concern is he is a rogue web designer, or is that an oxymoron?
The site has not been touched for some time, and so the real owner could be unaware this Guy has sold it to several people.

The price has dropped to 1/10th of the origonal asking price. Before it was over priced, but now it is cheap.

I thought proxy was a good idea, with few pitfalls ... until this.

[Mr Bo Jangles]

I thought the way these proxies worked was that they were duty bound to pass on to the actual owner any communication received for the actual owner - isn't that so?
I hope so, I've got a few of them and someone might offer me a $Million for one - sure want to get that offer via GoDaddy *_*

[twoline]

What about an escrow service? For a small percentage of the transaction value, they'll ensure that payment is withheld until the name is actually transferred to you. The transaction fees vary by the size of the deal, but one provider charges no more than 6% for their "premium" service and as little as 1% for a high value transaction.

[pmac]

George,

Ask the seller to change the privacy options within his godaddy account. He can turn off the private registration for the purpose of selling the domain to you. If he is serious about selling, this shouldn't pose a problem for him.

Good luck.

[George]

Thanks Guys,
If I get this one Pmac, I will be along for some more advice from you, I think this is down your street.