Using LinkedIn for Bounced Email Contacts

Elliot Silver
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2

It can be a bit frustrating to receive an immediate response to an email from the “Mail Delivery Subsystem” email letting me know that the email I just sent bounced. These undeliverable emails can prevent me from contacting a domain registrant when I want to buy or sell a particular domain name.

This is a regular occurence in the domain business – and other businesses as well. Although it may be frustrating to not be able to get in touch with someone, it can be a good sign because others probably had the same result when they emailed the same email address.

In some cases, I have found that using LinkedIn can be a good way to contact a person whose email bounces back as undeliverable. For whatever reason, some people keep their LinkedIn contact information more updated than their Whois information. It’s a bit peculiar since a domain name may have substantial value, but when an email bounces and/or a phone number doesn’t work, I have found LinkedIn to be a good resource.

One thing I do when I use LinkedIn is

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Beware of Domain Registrar “Ghost Records”

Elliot Silver
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2

I received an email from Network Solutions last week to remind me about renewing a domain name. They even offered me a special discount code for renewing this domain name, which I previously won on NameJet:

The only problem with this email is that the domain name was transferred to GoDaddy back in March. A Whois search confirms that the domain name is no longer registered at Network Solutions.

It would appear that the UsedAgain.com record in my Network Solutions account is known as a “ghost record.” This means that it would appear to exist within my Network Solutions account, but it is really at GoDaddy. I would not be able to modify nameservers, set up forwarding, or do anything else with the domain name from within Network Solutions.

The big question I have is whether

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Domain Buying Tip: Make a Realistic Offer

Elliot Silver
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9

It’s 2018, and virtually all domain names that have substantial value have been registered for many years. The best way to buy these domain names is either via broker or through private acquisitions. If you want to achieve greater success acquiring exceptional domain names, you need to make realistic offers commensurate with their values.

People and companies that own exceptional domain names have either owned them for many years or they acquired the domain names in the aftermarket. If a domain name has been owned by an entity for many years and it has substantial value, it is very likely the owner has turned down many great offers. If a domain name was acquired in the aftermarket, it is equally likely that a lot of money was spent to acquire the domain name.

Whatever the case may be, a domain name owner is going to need a significant offer in order to be enticed to

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Look at the Other Extensions

Elliot Silver
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2

When I receive an offer or inquiry, I tend to do a little research before replying. I want to see who is interested in acquiring my domain name, and I also want to see why they might be interested in buying the domain name.

To do this cursory research, Google, LinkedIn, and even Facebook are the primary tools I use. Typically, I can find out all I need to know within a few minutes of searching.

One of the best tools that can be used though, is one I use every day: Whois searches. Despite GDPR being in effect rendering this tool less useful, it can still be helpful.

A Whois search is helpful because it

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Summer Fridays: Not Great for Outbound Emails

Elliot Silver
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6

When I worked in the corporate world (Wunderman and AIG), Summer Fridays were great. It was the day to dress down, sometimes enjoy a free bagel breakfast, leave work early, and usually have a bit of quiet time in the office while the management teams were out in the Hamptons or elsewhere. It’s been well over 10 years, but Fridays in the Summer were typically low key.

I should have remembered this yesterday when I sent several outbound emails aimed to sell a couple of domain names. Using my LinkedIn account, I sent a couple of messages to executives about an exact match domain name I think they would use well. I sent a few additional emails to other people as well. No responses. Nada. This is abnormal for me.

A Summer Friday, especially in August, is probably the worse time to send emails to corporate executives to sell a domain name. Many aren’t working, and those who are working, are probably trying to finish up so they can close down for the week and get out of the office. Even if an email gets through and there is interest in a domain name, it will take a while for the decision makers to discuss, negotiate, and approve a deal – let alone bring in the legal team to hammer out the purchase agreement and the finance team to deal with the payment.

In the corporate world,

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Make Sure the I is Not an l

Elliot Silver
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4

Depending on the font in an email or a website, a lowercase “L” can look an awful lot like an uppercase I. Someone could try and fool a buyer into thinking that they are selling a valuable domain name that begins with the letter “I,” but in reality, it is really a lowercase “l.” They may look the same in some formats, but obviously one would be a word and the other would not spell anything.

It seems like most domain name marketplaces and auction platforms make an effort to ensure there is little confusion when it comes to the letters in a particular domain name. Listing the domain name in all lowercase letters is helpful, and having the option to view the uppercase version is helpful as well. I think most of the major platforms and marketplaces don’t allow sellers to interchange upper and lower case letters. This isn’t foolproof because some people may not think the l is a L even though the letters are lowercase.

When it comes to email negotiations though, it is possible these two letters could be interchanged

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