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Leaves.com Launched with Help from Claude

Elliot Silver
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I bought Leaves.com in 2019. Shortly thereafter, I received and declined a $100,000 offer for the domain name. Depending on who you ask, perhaps I should have taken the offer. I’ve had numerous inquiries and offers since then, but $100k was the highest offer.

Last week, I received an offer for Leaves.com, but it wasn’t enough to get a deal done. The offer put the domain name at the top of my mind, and I thought it could be a great platform for a website that tracks fall foliage across the US. Living in New England, I have always loved the fall season as the leaves slowly change color before eventually falling as winter hits.

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Domain Investing Tools I Use Daily

Elliot Silver
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I use a handful of domain investing tools on a daily basis. The primary purpose is evaluating domain names I want to buy in auction, but I also use some of these tools to price my own domain names and submit educated offers on domain names I want to buy. I also use some of these tools to do background research for domain name related articles on my blog.

About half of the tools I use every day are available for anyone to use for free. Some offer paid account options as well, but have free versions that come with limits on searches and functionality. Other tools are paid and have different fee structures, primarily based on usage and the tools that are used on the platform. One tool I use is paid, but I have been given a journalist account that allows me to use it for research at no cost.

Here is a list of the domain tools I use just about every day:

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‘Look for a less valuable domain name’

Elliot Silver
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I receive many lowball offers. I’ve done some things on my landing pages and inquiry forms to try and reduce the tire kickers and silly offers, but I still get them on a regular basis. These days, my standard response to someone who submitted a lowball offers is along these lines:

“You should look for a less valuable domain name.”

Succinct and to the point without the “thanks for your interest” niceties that sort of run counter to my abridged reply.

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SoldNames.com Launched by Estibot

Elliot Silver
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Estibot launched SoldNames.com, a new platform that tracks and reports domain name sales and live auctions. SoldNames.com is free to use, and visitors do not need to create an account or log in to access its data and track live domain name auctions. The platform reportedly has hundreds of thousands of domain name sales at the $250 price point and above.

Estibot shared the launch news on its blog, along with more information about SoldNames.com and the tools available on the platform. I also understand there is an API available for people who want to use it for larger searches or to integrate its results within other platforms.

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Fractionalizing a Domain Name is an “Encumbrance”

Elliot Silver
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A couple of years ago, the valuable MJ.com domain name was offered up in fractionalized shares on the Rally platform. People could buy shares of the domain name at a $950,000 market cap via Rally in the hopes the domain name would one day be sold profitably.

Apparently, that day has come. According to Andrew Rosener, who helped bring domain names to the Rally platform, people who invested in MJ.com at the start made a little more than 40% return on their investment. I understand that Andrew agreed to sell MJ.com for the $1.4 million price because over 70% of investors (not including Andrew) voted to sell.

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Every Sales Negotiation is Different

Elliot Silver
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Someone asked me for advice about negotiating the sale of a domain name he owns. I shared a few thoughts based on what I could quickly see, but one thing I think is important to remember is that every negotiation is different.

Buyers come from all over the world. They have different personalities, different business customs, and unique communication styles and tones. Some people are friendly and conversational, while others are short and to the point. Some are founders who are personally invested in the name, while others work for or on behalf of the other party and don’t have a personal stake in the outcome.

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