When Selling Domain Names to End User, Use the Whois Email Address

Elliot Silver
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I’ve written extensively about selling domain names to end users, and one thing I want to recommend is that you use the registrant email (or phone number) found in a Whois lookup as a means of getting in touch with the proper person.

Oftentimes, a business website only offers a contact form to contact them. If the company is larger or if it’s a company that would need a customer service contact (ie an ecommerce company where most people are writing to check on orders), your email may be lost in the process or reviewed by someone who doesn’t know how to handle your request.

Instead of taking a chance and sending the email via form that may not be read by a decision maker (or calling the wrong department), use a Whois service like Domaintools and find the email address on record. Chances are good that it’s a person in the executive offices or possibly the actual business owner.

I’ve also found the History tool to be helpful, since many companies change the Registrant email once they grow sufficiently enough that the owner/founder is more hands off. The History tool costs $15/month as part of the Silver membership, and if you are serious about buying domain names and need to check on a domain name’s history, it’s an essential tool.

Estibot Begins Listing Domains for Sale

Elliot Silver
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I am not a fan of domain appraisals. I don’t believe in them at all, especially automated domain appraisals that really can’t have a “gut feel” about the value, which is often the most important thing for me when considering a domain name.

In fact, I actually have a template I use when I am trying to buy a domain name and the owner mentions or suggests an appraisal.

Ok, now that this caveat is out of the way, I will admit that I checked out an appraisal on Estibot the other day, and I noticed they now seem to list domain names that are for sale in a manner similar to DomainTools.

The name in the graphic above is owned by iReit, and is currently listed for sale at DomainMarketplace.com.  I am not sure what sales platforms are integrated with Estibot, but I checked a Buy Domains-owned name and it had a sales link, but a Sedo listed name did not have the for sale listing.

Facebook Introduces “Social Inbox” & SocialInbox.com Recently Sold to HubSpot

Elliot Silver
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Facebook.Mark Zuckerberg is currently discussing the new Facebook email system, and although he mentioned that everyone will receive @Facebook.com email addresses, it seems that the FB.com domain name which was recently acquired by Facebook, will be used for internal emails.

One very interesting tidbit that Zuckerberg just announced is the introduction of the Social Inbox for “filtering exactly the messages that you want to see.” I was curious to see if Facebook had acquired the matching SocialInbox.com domain name.

According to a Whois lookup, SocialInbox.com is currently registered to the Escrow Transfer department at Sedo, meaning it was sold very recently. DN Journal reported that SocialInbox.com sold for $4,970 at the end of September.

Interestingly, it looks like a company called HubSpot has launched a new service on SocialInbox.com, which is in Beta. According to the meta description for the site, “Social Inbox is a simple tool for professionals to more effectively use social sites like twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to find and nurture prospects and leads.”

If Facebook ends up branding this new “Social Inbox,” did they just get preempted by another company by just a couple of months?

Domain Names Provide Better Value

Elliot Silver
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If a local business is interested in buying one of your domain names, and you are trying to hash out a price for the domain name, here’s something you can use to make your case to the potential buyer and show them just how much value a domain name has compared to other means of advertising / marketing.

A lighted pole sign that many businesses use to attract the traffic that drives by their business can cost upwards of $5,000 or more, and that’s for an ugly, static sign. Of course, this sign can only be used to give a small amount of information about the company, can’t really be drastically changed, and it doesn’t say much about the company. It also can only be seen by a limited number of local people who drive directly past it, slow enough and close enough to read it.

On the other hand, a generic domain name can be the foundation for a beautiful website that can describe a business, offer special discounts, sell products, and can attract a targeted, worldwide audience. The domain name can be seen by millions of people, costs very little to maintain, and it can be used in many different ways.

Finally, when a company has a sign made and installed, the actual resale value of the sign is probably around zero. In fact, it would cost the owner money to remove and/or replace it. On the other hand, a used generic domain name will increase in value with age and usage, and it can be easily sold or converted into cash.

SchoolPsychologist.com: Domain for Sale

Elliot Silver
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3

I am looking to sell SchoolPsychologist.com, and the asking price is $8,800. The domain name has a registration date of September 1997, and it is currently registered at Network Solutions.

Although my wife is in the Psychology field, she is not going to become a school psychologist. This is a fairly popular profession, and there is an organization for school psychologists: National Association of School Psychologists.

According to US News, a School Psychologist was one of the Best Careers in 2009. I would imagine this domain name could be used as a site to give information about the profession and provide information about how to become a school psychologist (ie lead generation for schools and grad school prep courses). It could also be used as a resource for school psychologists to find jobs and career information.

First to post “sold” will get the domain name.

Since this is a sales post, I am not permitting comments (good or bad).

Breaking Report: Sex.com To Sell for $13 Million – Pending Court Approval

Elliot Silver
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4

An article in the Register this morning is reporting that Sex.com has been sold by Sedo for $13 million. According to the article, the buyer is Clover Holdings LTD, and there were 12 companies that placed bids on the domain name. The article cited California Bankruptcy Court documents, and court approval is needed for this sale to be transacted.

I’ve reached out to Sedo and a few other parties who are familiar with the domain sale for comment, and I will post more information as it comes.

More to come…

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