Just wondering if this actually happens. There is one particular domain that I would like but does not appear to have been actually used since it was registered over a year ago.
Any other questions?
But I've still bought and sold many, and domains aren't really my business. I mean, I don't buy them to resell them, I don't broker them. I buy them with a plan in mind.
I sell them when I get an offer and my plans have changed over time. Same thing with fully functional websites.
I will sometimes buy a domain with plans for it, and hold onto it for years. 3 or 4 years sometimes, because I still plan to use it at some point, or it's a back-up plan in case the projects ahead of it become dead, unfeasable, or decimated somehow.
Ask them. See what they say.
Also, what are the legalities of doing this sort of trade?
this is the question that comes up here all the time, despite what the consensus here is on what is a reasonable offer, it all depends on the seller.
i've been offered what some would consider a vey reassonable offer for a domain name i have (that isn't being used) - but i declined and i would have declined twice that, fact is, although the domain is unused i'm planning to use it and unless i was offered very silly money it isn't for sale... i'm sure i'm not the only one.
if the domain is owned by a domain name dealer (for want of a better term) then buying the domain should be straightforward at a sensible price
-george
If you look into the various domain forums you will get an idea about reseller value OR traffic value.
If you look into the domain sales archives of DNJournal you'll also get an idea of values.
Reseller value, seen at domain forums, tends to run about 1/10th of the purchaser's expectation of end user value. Even lower than 10% if it can be managed.
I track the other domain forums and lately the aftermarket offerings are pretty sad stuff. Not unexpected. We went from the heydays of 1999, to the severe slump of 2001-2003, to the recovery of 2004 and now the market for actual value domains is a bit more established. This includes the validation of the "domain traffic model" of valuation, supported by the increasing experience with PPC backed domain parking pages that are lately far better optimized then they have ever been.
The truth is that the vast majority of domain speculation has been a bust. For years I watched as people collected 100s if not 1000s of domains in the hopes of hitting the domain lottery: Acquiring "the one" that would pay for them all and then some.
Here's the bottom line: IF you are going to play in this market then you would be better to 1) do your research; 2) make lots of contacts/calls; and, 3) buy 1 or a few domains - for significant money - that even at "that price" are still undervalued.
That is where the real action has always been, but where it especially has been for the last 18 months.
Spend $3,000 for a domain that's likely worth $5-10,000 rather than spend $3,000 for 300 domains that aren't likely worth the registration fee you paid.
Ebay, for the most part, is the "domain dump" and, by reputation amongst serious domainers, is not a place to do business (for a variety of reasons). What you see for sale at Ebay is mostly domain detritus.
eBay buyer beware, there are way too many people trying to peddle worthless domains using "1" for "I" or lowercase "L". Then there are the sellers trying to con unsuspecting people with the rare one letter .com In the fine print, the description says that it is an IDN. There are plenty of other questionable sales tactics for obviously worthless domains.
IDN [google.com]
Internationalized Domain Name Also known as multilingual domain names. It gives the possibility to use more characters in domains names, besides letters and numbers, and specifically characters available in other alphabets, like accents. A standard is being developed by the IETF.
HTH,
-George
Vivendi had built a whole subdivison around the name before they thought to see if it was available ..
then it was too late ..so they made him an offer ..
Non English domain names are a long term investment ..
I suspose I'll be eating my own words in a few years thinking why didn't I but something like that.
Sedo is good in my experience as people tend to price fairly.
In answer to your question, a domain name is only worth what a seller will pay. If you're only thinking of reselling, then price is more relevant - obviously.
<snip>
[edited by: Webwork at 4:43 pm (utc) on Oct. 4, 2005]
[edit reason] Off topic service provider drop [/edit]
However when I run into a good one I pick it up.
I have around quite awhile, and know what domain names might turn because of who I know (buyers).
If I feel I can sell a name at least for $250.00, I will pick it up. I sell 25% of the names I purchase.
