[mattkime]

i just posted this on the dealmac forums, but then realized that you might be a more helpful bunch...

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does anyone have experience buying domain names? i have completed the legwork and have come up with a few domain names i would like to use for my site. but they're owned. but they don't have websites. i'm going to call up and offer a generous return on their investment. (but not too generous....i just don't have the cash)

one of the names is owned by a company in latvia. think they are likely to speak english? i suspect that they'll be easier to bribe. networksolutions seems like they have a method of facilitating the transaction.

[Scifience]

Originally posted by mattkime:
networksolutions seems like they have a method of facilitating the transaction.

The only real advice I can give you here is to stay far, far away from Network Solutions. They are a total rip-off when it comes to pricing, and their service is not exactly great either.

[Big Mac]

Negative things are said about Network Solutions, but it remains far and away the largest domain registrar; it is especially entrenched in the corporate world. The domain resale market is a shady one, matt. If you show interest in a domain, you'll probably get quoted at least three figures. The Latvian contact you reach may not speak English, but at least their top level domain site is in English, so you may find something informative there.

[Macola]

Your domain name is probably owned by a bulk reseller. These are very shady outfits concentrated mostly in Asia and Eastern Europe, and they buy domains in bulk with the intent of selling them at huge profits.

If you confirm that it's a reseller, don't even bother with it. It's almost as bad as buying from a spammer.