Know Competing Prices

Elliot Silver
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14

When you are setting buy it now prices on your domain names, or when you are responding to a purchase inquiry, it’s important to know prices for comparable and similar domain names. It’s easy to find these similar domain names, and taking the time to look can keep a prospect interested.

For many of the inbound inquiries I receive, the prospect is also looking at other domain names. For instance, if someone inquired about BreastLift.com (a domain name my company owns), they might also be looking at BreastLifts.com, BreastEnhancement.com, BreastAugmentation.com, and perhaps BreastLift in other domain extensions. If I reply that my price is $100,000, and one or more comparable domain names is much less expensive, they may cross my domain name off their list.

Some people don’t care about losing a prospect when it comes to their premium domain name. As a domain seller though, I would rather sell a name for less than the ideal price rather than lose a great offer. For instance, if the prospect could buy an alternative domain name for $65,000, it might behove me to lower my asking price to come more in line with a comparable. There may not be a lot of people willing to pay that much for a particular domain name, and pricing a domain name more competitively might be helpful in closing a deal.

A secondary reason for knowing comparable prices is

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5 Exterior Factors I Consider When Valuing a Domain Name

Elliot Silver
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16

I buy and sell all types of domain names related to various trades and industries. One day I might be negotiating to buy a real estate domain name and the next day I might be trying to sell a domain name related to cosmetic surgery.

There are certain standard domain name factors I generally consider when I am trying to place a value on domain names, and I think other domain investors look at these as well. I use the Keyword Planner tool to see search numbers, and I find the Adwords CPC to see how much advertisers are paying for clicks. I also look at the age of the domain name and number of extensions registered (and by whom). Comparable sales and prices for similar domain names are also standard factors.

There are other general domain name factors I also consider, but for the sake of this post, I’d like to discuss five of the exterior factors I consider to place a value on a domain name I am trying to acquire or sell. I welcome your feedback, and I invite you to

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Why I Don’t Want to Contact a Hosting Company

Elliot Silver
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18

My article yesterday morning about finding a domain owner begs the question, “why don’t you contact the hosting company and ask them to put you in touch with the domain owner?” Nobody asked this question, but I’ll address it because it covers an interesting topic.

When I am trying to buy or sell a domain owner (buy in this case), I don’t want an intermediary unless I select the intermediary, such as a domain buyer broker. I want to

There are three important reasons why I don’t want to engage a hosting company, web developer, or someone else whose name is listed as the Whois contact but is not the owner:

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Get Contact Info via Screenshots.com or Archive.org

Elliot Silver
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6

This morning, I was looking to find the email address of a domain owner, and I had no luck. I want to share a method of finding a domain name if you run into the same issue. It won’t work every time, but if the domain name was ever developed, there is a good chance you’ll find the contact info you want.

The domain name I was searching is registered to a doctor, but the email address and other administrative contact information is associated with a hosting company. A Whois history search revealed that this has been the case for over 10 years, and there are no Whois records with the doctor’s email address or contact information. The domain name is currently parked, making it more difficult to find the owner.

If a domain name is registered in the name of a

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Legal Risk Part of Domain Investing

Elliot Silver
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8

When buying a domain name, there are many aspects of the purchase you need to consider. You may think about resale possibility, development potential, traffic and revenue, brandability, and other aspects related to the value of the domain name. Legal risk should also be a consideration that should be priced into your purchase.

For the sake of this discussion, I am going to assume most of you avoid obvious trademark domain names that can lead to UDRP filings and lawsuits. I assume the majority of people who read this blog are wise enough to not buy names with famous trademarks, such as Facebook.Club, MicrosoftsOffice2014.com, or something else along those lines.

Even when you are buying “safe” domain names,

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Today’s Offer Could Be Gone Tomorrow

Elliot Silver
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23

A little over a year ago, I had a $50,000 cash + small equity offer for one of my domain names. I turned it down because I thought it was worth more and had recently closed a couple of large deals. I still think the domain name is worth more, but I am more inclined to sell it now since I haven’t received any other substantial offers since then. Unfortunately, the prospect seems to have disappeared along with the offer, despite a couple of emails and phone calls.

When you are considering an offer on a domain name, you need to realize that the offer may not be there tomorrow if you turn it down today. Business and personal situations change, and even if the company still wants a particular domain name, they may not be able to honor their offer at a later date. It also could put the buyer in a better negotiating position knowing that the seller has come back looking to make a deal.

When an inquiry on one of my domain names is made, I often hear

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