I have never really enjoyed chatting on the phone. This sometimes goes for chatting with friends, but it almost always pertains to domain name negotiations. There are some times when a phone conversation can be fruitful though, and I thought I would share some thoughts on phone negotiations.

When I want to inquire about a domain name as a buyer, I will usually send an email and follow up with a phone call if it could be fruitful. For instance, if the domain owner seems willing to sell the domain name and we need to come to terms on the price, I might give a phone call. Some people will brush off my call and stick to email, but others are more chatty, and we can finalize a deal quickly. I like the fact the I can speed up a discussion rather than extend it hours or days with email.

When someone randomly calls me to discuss a domain name,

Many of the top domain name brokers and domain brokerages have weekly or monthly domain sales newsletters. Typically, these newsletters have lists of domain names that are available for sale exclusively through the broker or brokerage. Some of the also include market commentary, which I think is particularly interesting given a domain broker’s position in the resale market.

Some of the best domain purchase opportunities can be found in these newsletters because many aren’t shared publicly, and the prices don’t necessarily reflect actual market value. For example, I saw a broker list a domain name for sale a couple of months ago with a $12,000 purchase price and it recently sold on a public venue almost double. This indicates that there may be better deals available in private than if there was a public auction.

I thought it would be a good idea to compile a list of the current domain broker and brokerage email newsletters. There may be others that I don’t know about or accidentally omitted, so feel free to post a comment if you know of another newsletter. I would prefer to only list third party brokers as opposed to individuals who sell their own domain names because that’s a different type of newsletter.

I recommend using a third party escrow service (I personally use Escrow.com) or a trusted attorney that has an escrow account when dealing with a broker, even if the company is willing to provide escrow services. It’s also important to do your standard due diligence to make sure the listing is legit. I trust most of the professional domain brokers, but I trust my own due diligence above all.

Domain name sale broker newsletters (in alphabetical order):