OnlineDomain.com Domain Name News & Opinions
I am getting my fair share of time wasting inquiries. Inquiries that usually makes me not want to even spend time replying with a simple “no”.
Yesterday I got 3 offers for 3 different domain names within a 1-hour time frame: $20, $25 and $50. (and another $10 offer today!)
I didn’t mind those too much other than I got them back to back. People just offer what they want. I don’t have to reply. They have a mobile phone, usually don’t even know what a domain name is or what a google search really does and they make an offer. Or I can tell them to go away…
But I see something else missing except for computer/internet/business knowledge or the willingness to research what they trying to purchase.
What I see missing is simple common sense.
I got an inquiry about an aged 1-word .com and quoted a $60,000 price. This is the reply I got:
“hello sir! The amount which you are offering is way too higher than I expected. I am a student and I cannot afford to buy this address at $60,000. I cannot pay more than $100 for this address. If the price is negotiable on your side, please revert back.”
The buyer said he could only afford $100. OK. But how are we supposed to negotiate from $60,000? A little common sense will not hurt you people.
You can lie about being a student (or not), or having a $100 budget but you don’t get to have negotiations after that.
I replied just for fun:
“Yes, price is negotiable. Price is now $59,999.”
He seemed to enjoy my sense of humor and said that he will not purchase the domain name. Yeah, no kidding…
Is it just me or has the “Student on a tight budget” or “Non-Profit on a tight budget” buying pitch been used more frequently in the last few years? The humor sets in when 3 or 4 in a row use the same opening line. lol
Were these direct to email or thru the marketplaces, GoDaddy, Sedo etc. Reminds me I need to up my minimums at those places to filter out those type of lowball offers.
They were at domainnamesales using the lander.
Thanks for sharing!
I too recently started receiving inquiries wanting domain for student projects/non-profit. If this has overall increased for many of us, then it’s sure this trick is working for at least some of them and is being tried again and again.
I am so tired of wasting my time answering buyer inquiries, not just through email but also by phone as well as meeting in person.
If its a small business and Im not going to use the domain I try to help them. Will give a lower price, offer payment over time, etc. And they almost always flake out and end up wasting my time.
Think I’m just going to say “make offer”, “yes”, or “no” going forward.
I am trying to help to and make some more sales. I end up with expired escrow transactions.
“Make offer” will just waste your time more unless when they reply again “how much?” you tell them to go away.
I don’t even bother replying to 99% of inquiries. If they really want the name, they will email a second time. Most of these inquirers are just throwing crap against a wall and seeing what sticks hoping an owner is desperate or ignorant enough to sell to them.
I got an inquiry today asking: “What are your plans for this domain?” No offer, just that question. I think they got the roles reversed.
None of your business…
It never ends but we can adapt. No reference to me by name? Fishing. Generic email body? Fishing. Nothing bearing any semblance to a professional reaching out? Ignore. Typos, poorly crafted inquiry? Ignore. Subject line “generic”? Ignore.
Ignore. Ignore. Ignore.
If someone / some company REALLY is interested, informed (as to values and procedures for “getting through”), AND financially able . . they will eventually penetrate the . . force fields intended to thwart and repel.
Hahaha… Ignore!!! 🙂
What is worst is a well known scam domain broker, who lies and says he is brokering your domain but he is the buyer of your domain and never discloses it than flips it to the seller so instead of making 15% commission, he might make up to 100% on the deal. In real estate they through your in jail if you do that, they should do that in domaining as well.
Pretty bad. Name of broker?
You should really release the name of the broker because if he scammed you, then he is scamming or has scammed others so Konstantinos could do a post about it to warn others.
I won’t mention the name of the broker on this Forum yet, as advice from an attorney. Hopefully soon, I will able to disclose who this broker is. I heard he has been doing it for years with other’s as well.
Please contact me using the contact form if you want.
Thats the difference between having your own marketplace and just having a lander. when you have your own domain marketplace you can educate people to an extent about the value of a domain name. It will not stop lowball offers but it will cut down the number
How dare you treat us domain seeking poor students so unfairly!
i will never take a guy that calls homself Little Robbie’s Blog seriously. that guy is an Asshole. he posts i”i want to buy one word domains for 200 bucks or some stupid shit like that. that dumb fuck is going to post ” I Want To Buy Porn.com for 5k one day Watch .
Lowball offers aren’t restricted to $20 – $50 dollars, they are dependent on the value of the domain. For example, an offer of $10k for a LLL .com is still a lowball offer.
I agree, not every inquiry is worthy of a response. Sometimes they come back with an actual offer.
I think many get those, I know I have. I personally hate the ones that never reply back at all worse, after asking for a price. Work up a quote, research the potential buyer, send a price etc. and it’s crickets. Never hear back from them, nothing.
Why even contact me?
I’ll buy that for a dollar.