A couple of months ago, I struck a deal to sell a .AI domain name for just shy of $15,000 paid over 36 months. Wisely, the first payment and downpayment totaled a little more than $2,300 before the commission fee. Unfortunately, the buyer opted to not continue with the payment plan after the first month, and the domain name was returned to me.
Having a downpayment was helpful to me because Atom.com required that I add years to the renewal to ensure it won’t expire or need to be renewed during the term. The additional renewal fee at Namecheap cost me nearly $300.
If it weren’t for the downpayment, I would have come close to not making anything on the first payment due to the required renewal. Had the price been lower or the deal term been longer, I could have lost money on that deal. Yes, I would have received the name back with more time before the next renewal bill, but I would have paid more than I made.
When you’re pricing your .AI domain names and enabling lease to own deals, remember the platform will likely require you to renew the domain name for the entirety of the deal term. If the price is too low and you don’t have a downpayment requirement, it might end up costing you money in the first couple of months.
