It is arguably more difficult than ever to privately acquire a great .com domain names. The majority of investment quality, long registered, domain names are either in the hands of end users or registrants who will not sell cheap. Quite a few are held by investors who are rightfully seeking end user pricing to sell their assets. Put simply, there is a dearth of investment quality .com domain names available to purchase for investment-level pricing.
Off the top of my head, I can think of 15 people I know to be well funded who are regularly chasing after the remaining high quality .com domain names. Many of these investors are friends, and all of them are competitors. When I come across a domain name that is available for sale and the registrant indicates other offers on the table, chances are very good an investor (or multiple investors) I know is on the other end of the offer, biting at the bit to secure a deal.