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buying a domain name: use an broker or DIY?
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robot prom
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Join Date: May 2002
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Oct 17, 2015, 11:45 AM
 
I'm setting up a domain (actually the big 3 TLDs) for a upcoming side business. As is usual, the .com domain I want is taken, this time by a guy in India from the whois results. .net and .org are available.

I'm curious if anyone has used an broker to do this, or should I go it alone? I've sold a few domains before, and in each case I was approached by a broker or lawyer hired by the buyer.

Anyone have an broker service they'd recommend? Namecheap, GoDaddy, etc each have their own brokers they push, but I don't necessarily trust a service a company sends me to by default.
     
Waragainstsleep
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Oct 18, 2015, 05:30 PM
 
I would think some service that offers escrow would be a wise move when buying internationally. Unless its dirt cheap.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
starman
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Oct 26, 2015, 05:42 PM
 
So, I just got off the phone w/a domain broker. Biggest asshole I've spoken to in a while.

About two weeks ago I had the idea for a site, but it was taken. That's fine because rather than wrangling it from somewhere, it was up for sale for $300. Worth it? Kinda.

The problem is, I've been very, very busy at work. I didn't have the time to really process whether or not the $300 would be worth it but I got a break and decided that yes, I could do something with it.

So I go to buy it, except now it's $700. It was for sale for a year for $300 and now that it has activity (mine), the prick jacked up the price.

Minimum bid is $250, so I put my bid in.

I get this phone call from a broker shaming me for putting in less than half of what the guy wants for it. I explain to him that it was $300 just twelve hours ago, and I would have bought it for $300 but I've been busy. If he wants to sell it for $300 I'll do that right now.

Nope - broker says that the owner upped the price based on activity. I said "yeah, that was me and probably only me if nobody bought it for $300 in a year. Do you think someone's going to drop $700 now?"

But here's the funny part. I told the guy it only has one meaning. Like Star Trek and Star Wars. He said "well, star wars (lower case) can mean wars in the stars".

I laughed my ass off at the guy. I asked him if he knew of any extraterrestrials.

It was obvious we were getting nowhere and logic was either lost on the guy or he was trying to milk me for $700. "Are you sure you want to pass up this opportunity to get this name?", he asked. I said "There are plenty of letters in the alphabet. I'll think of another". It wasn't intentional but I was really downplaying how much I cared about it.

The site is still $700 and the owner hasn't made a decision yet. This means that nobody's going to buy it for $700 and he has no other offers (and hasn't in a year).

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starman
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Oct 27, 2015, 04:46 PM
 
Heh. I got the domain.

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andi*pandi
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Oct 27, 2015, 04:46 PM
 
Did you drop your offer to $200?
     
starman
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Oct 27, 2015, 05:42 PM
 
No. The broker called back and said it took "a lot of shoving and pushing" but the owner took my $300 offer. I'm fine with that.

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