Advice

If you’re doing outbound marketing to try and sell a domain name, you might want to remove its buy it now landing page first. If you don’t, closing a sale could cost you quite a bit of money.

If you’ve targeted the right prospective buyer(s) for your good domain name, you will generate interest in the domain name. The first thing a buyer might do is visit the domain name to see what’s there. If you have a BIN landing page showing, the buyer might proceed with the purchase without even responding to your email. While this is an okay problem to have, you’ll still end up paying more in commission for this deal.

Rick Swindell posted a screenshot of an offer he received via Afternic and asked for advice about how to proceed. He tagged TonyNames, asking if he should accept or counter the offer:

Domainer community:

Hold time: 12 years, seems like 1 million lol.
Maybe 3 offers over the years for $1000-$3000
Registered in over 10 other extensions.
Purchase price: $69
BIN price $9995
Accept or counter and at what price?@TonyNames what do the pro do haha? pic.twitter.com/OneW3gt18y

— Rick Swindell (@RickSwindell) May 1, 2024

This question is similar to questions I have been asked by others countless times. I don’t think it’s really possible to give good advice with the information shared in the post.

I’ve had many agreed upon deals die at the finish line. The buyer agreed to purchase a domain name – sometimes after a lengthy discussion – and then poof – they ghosted. Multiple reminder emails go unanswered, and the domain name is back on the market for sale.

One thing you can do – which I have done – is ask a representative from the marketplace / platform to personally connect with the buyer after the deal failed to try and get the deal closed. I am sure platforms like Dan and Sedo make multiple outreach efforts to close a deal shortly after it has been agreed upon, but following-up at a later date is also a good idea.

Successfully negotiating a deal is something I enjoy. The negotiation is an important aspect of why I find domain investing to be exhilarating. It can also be a source of great frustration. Some people are good at negotiating deals and others aren’t as good. When it comes to negotiating a very large deal – one that could substantially impact your business, it may be wise to hand-off the lead to a domain broker who can expertly negotiate on your behalf.

Some of the top domain brokers are willing to take an inbound lead and help an investor close a deal. These brokers would work on a one-off basis, meaning they’re given a specific inbound lead and have autonomy to use their tools to close a deal with that prospect. Doing this would allow the domain investor to stay out of his or her own way.