What is the quickest way of securing that should the current owner forget to renew.
many thanks for feedback
if the current registrar offers backorders, start there.
don't know of a guaranteed way, though.
I have not had any luck previously with back ordering.
Any other suggestions?
I have not had any luck previously with back ordering.Any other suggestions?
Contact the current owner and see if they would consider selling you the domain name before it expires.
The expiration date is in no way the end of the span of control for the registrant. You do not want to let it go into drop, because then it goes into auction and the price goes up. Go in now with a low price anonymously and then be ready to pony up more, if need be. Don’t forget to change the registration info once you’ve made the purchase.
[edited by: Luftmenschen at 6:54 pm (utc) on Sep. 3, 2008]
Only contact the current owner if you are ready for trouble.
Can you elaborate on why you think they would have trouble?
Case in point, I overprice domains by at least double at their initial listing, so after a day or two I have to go back and cut the price in half or more.
Professional domain negotiators, like good low-end investment bankers, are usually accustomed to dealing with the psychological issues that sellers have and can gently pry sellers away from confusing the value of the asset with the seller’s own self worth.
If an amateur like me were to try this, I’d quickly tell a seller that they were full of ____ and that their assets were worthless, just like the seller. At the same time, I’d probably convey a sense of desperation that the seller could clue into and that would cause the seller to become intransigent.
Someone who successfully brokers domains every day is going to be worth every penny of their commission. Brokers will also be able to advise you on appropriate bid amounts.
The attorney analogy is that only a foolish lawyer would have themselves for a client.
Someone who successfully brokers domains every day is going to be worth every penny of their commission.
Almost sounds like a sales pitch itself. :-/ Anything that even hints at "sales pitch" tends to evoke my "pick this pitch apart" instincts. So, nothing personal, here goes.
Is someone who "brokers domains every day going to be worth every penny of their commission"?
From my own years of experience in the domain aftermarket - now approaching 10 years - I cannot confirm what you are saying, at least not without a great deal of discernment. In my experience, involving anyone in one's domain transactions is a caveat emptor - "let the buyer/seller beware" - engagement.
First, let's define "broker domains". If you mean "pro-actively reach out to likely endusers who reasonably can be expected to be in the market for a better domain" then I might agree that "they're worth every penny". I've only met one - 1 - such person and, by personal admission, it wasn't a very successful venture. It wasn't that he wasn't qualified, nor was it that he wasn't "doing the job right".
So, what does "broker domains" mean - realistically?
Mostly "broker domains" means either posting domains in forums or sending email lists of domains, with prices, to people known to routinely buy domains. But, here's the rub: The email recipients represent the "liquidity market", not the enduser market. It's the domainer market, where the guys/gals who receive such lists are prepared to pay 2-5-10% of a likely enduser price. As liquidity market brokers (contacting frequent domainer buyers) they could be viewed as removing value - enduser value - which isn't bad IF you are primarily interested in raising some fast cash.
Then there's the in-house (Sedo, Afternic, etc.) "domain brokers". Most in-house "domain brokers" (Sedo, Afternic, etc) are just folks who handle phone calls that arrive through the in-house system. Nothing pro-active.
So, do in-house domain brokers add value?
When it comes to "individual in-house brokers" setting asking prices I'll guess that most of the in-house brokers (Sedo, Afternic, whereever) were never domainers, themselves, at least not of any success. The guys/gals who really know the business don't work for anyone but themselves. So, where do the "brokers" - the ones who "get top value" - get their domain values/prices from? In most cases, from in-house automated systems. Sorry, but I've never been very impressed with the values cranked out by automated systems. That's not to say that aggregate sales data can't offer "some help or guidance".
So, what's the value added by brokers? Their sales skills? Their negotiation skills?
Sorry, but when the only material issue being negotiated is "price", particularly in the context of "domain price", I'm not convinced that the price of the broker - their % percentage - is worth the commission. Why?
The foremost reason is that in the vast vast vast majority of cases domains are not sold based upon a sales pitch. One need only look at all the "sales pitches" in the various domain forums that go nowhere to grasp the reality that it's not the pitch but the domain itself that matters.
Sedo lists 11 million+ domains. Sedo sells what? Less than .01% of the listed domains in any year? Why is that? Because their broker's sales pitches don't work? Because their brokers are ineffective? Probably not. The real reason that they sell ~.01% of those 11+ million domains is that the VAST vast majority of domains that sell are domains that sell themselves. The remainder are marginal speculative junk.
The domains that sell represent the right domain at the right time. No broker - no intermediary - needed. Most domains that sell are what I call "commercial grade" (generic product category, etc) and then there's the rare "catchy domain".
So, the value that the broker adds is "pricing"?
When it comes to price you can do a pretty good job of getting a feel for value by posting domains for ad hoc appraisals in many domain forums. If you're in doubt you can even get free automated or paid appraisals, of varying degrees of utility. Still, the cost of the appraisals are a small percentage of what a broker would charge - so you get all the "value" (whatever the value might be in one's eyes) without the added cost of the broker's percentage. IF you believe in the value of the valuing systems then, as a seller, it gets down to do you believe it? If so, that's your sales price or price range. They are the price points you negotiate around.
IF you can't handle that then pay somone. Anyone. Even your brother or cousin - anyone - who can read the value and say "no" or "yes".
Bottom line: In-house "brokers" (not my word) can bring some experience to the table and for some people - anxious folks, folks who just don't have a clue and don't want to do a little background reading - brokers may make sense.
For most folks, of at least average intelligence, a domain broker is surplusage. The domain sells itself. All we have to agree on is the price. There's a dozen ways to arrive at a reasoned and reasonable asking price. No courage to negotiate - i.e., stick to your price? Ask your brother who sells cars or furniture or houses to "work the sales lead". Buy him a steak dinner and a beer. Chances are he'll be happy and you'll save 15%+/- on the sale.
[edited by: Webwork at 2:24 pm (utc) on Sep. 4, 2008]
As you can see there is a great deal of variation in the "right way to handle things". As the above-linked thread shows, any issue of importance benefits from a thorough examination of all sides of the issue by people of all manner of experience.
So - Luftmenschen - welcome to WebmasterWorld. Having just dropped my version of an "issue cluster bomb" I invite you to counter my arguments and demonstrate how your experience varies from mine.
When is a domain broker actually worth their commission?
When is a domain broker actually worth their commission?
I have no problem paying a commision to a domain "seller's" broker when they sell a domain for me. However, I see no need to pay a domain "buyer's" broker a fee to buy a domain name.
edit/clarify statement
there are alot of people who would love this domain and pay alot of money for it.
I don't care to get into an auction bid on these, at least not for more than say $25 or perhaps $40 including a backorder. Both domains appear to have been owned by someone, and probably re-registered, for years, with no history on the websites or traffic records that indicate they're of significant value. It seems that the auction route routinely winds up with bids, perhaps shilled.
So I guess, I'm happy to watch the domains and get them if I get them, but not willing to spend what seems to be the routine amount to pick up an expired domain of any sort through an auction process.
Any suggestions on what I can do? Can I do whois "invisibly" or does that poke up the value of the domain? What about trying to register the domains, does a failed registration attempt give the domain pros knowledge the domain has someone interested?
Thanks much.
BH
