I don’t know the exact details about the Autism.Rocks sale aside from the seller’s comments, but  I want to discuss why a buyer / seller would choose to use a more expensive service when there are reputable, less expensive options available.

I have had situations where a buyer or seller would only use Sedo to transact, even though it might be cheaper elsewhere. Late last year, I had privately agreed to buy a domain name. The seller’s one  term was that we needed to use Sedo or Afternic to transact, despite the fact that the domain name was not listed on either platform and the deal was struck in private. It was strange, but I agreed to pay the higher escrow cost simply  to get the deal done. Unfortunately, the buyer ended up getting cold feet and didn’t close.

There are several reasons why a buyer or a seller would want to use Sedo or Afternic to transact on deals struck in private, even at a higher cost than a straight up escrow service like Escrow.com. I have dealt with a few of these situations over the years, and I want to share some of the reasons I have encountered or assume would be a reason:

I am organizing a Boston domain investor meetup on July 15th at Bill’s Bar in Boston, and it is open to people in the domain investment space who want to get together to talk about domain investing. The meet up will be held from 5-8pm.

Sedo is generously sponsoring an open bar for the event, which will also serve as a fundraiser for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute via my Pan-Mass Challenge fundraiser. Bill’s Bar is generously providing the space for the meet up and will also be providing light appetizers for us at no cost since this is a fundraiser for Dana-Farber.

Bill’s Bar is located right behind Fenway Park at 5 Lansdowne St. It’s my goto place for dinner before Red Sox games, and it’s a perfect spot to host a get together.

I am asking people to make a $25 donation to my Pan-Mass Challenge fundraiser prior to attending. At the last Boston meet up a couple of years ago, there were about 50 people who attended. It would be great if 50+ people came and helped raise over $1,000 for Dana-Farber. People who have already made a donation are invited without having to make another donation.

Please RSVP to me via email so I can get an accurate headcount.

Thank you to Sedo, to Bill’s Bar, and to those who attend. Looking forward to seeing you there.