I was doing some research on a domain name I am interested in buying, and I saw that it was listed for sale on the domain owner’s website for $2,500. I continued my searching, and I noticed that it was also listed for sale on Sedo with a buy it now price of $6,000. To get the best deal on a domain name, you should check all aftermarket websites for that domain name listing.
I don’t have the best system of tracking domain names and prices. I might list names for sale on one aftermarket and then go back a few weeks or months later to list them for sale elsewhere. Usually, I look up the price at one venue to price a domain name the same at another venue. Sometimes I don’t always do this, and the pricing is different. Sometimes I will also update a price at one venue and not another. As a result, the price of a domain name may be different depending on the aftermarket.
When you are buying a domain name, I recommend looking up the listing at different aftermarket websites, even if the acquisition is being made in private. If you see a better price for the domain name, you may be able to purchase it cheaper elsewhere. If you are dealing directly with the owner, make sure you reference the lower price.
The domain market is dynamic. There are a number of factors that contribute to the price of a domain name. Sometimes domain owners are forgetful or neglectful, and their prices aren’t updated across the board. When you are buying a domain name, you should see if you can find the name listed for sale for less because you may score yourself a better deal. At the very least, you’ll learn the domain owner’s previous price expectations, and that information may help you negotiate a better deal.
As a domain owner, you should keep your prices updated across the board to prevent this from happening. Backing out of a deal because the buyer saw it priced less elsewhere might end up being harmful to your reputation.
Been noticing on sedo, and afternic, the ownership is not always current. Sometimes the domain has dropped, or changed hands, and the owner has not removed the old listing, and you might see a $2,500 price with a non current owner, which makes it meaningless. I am guilty of not removing all my past sold domains quickly sometimes, something we all need to work on.
Same here. I try my best to do it, but there have been times I’ve forgotten to update listings.
I generally list on only 4 marketplaces. I maintain a spreadsheet of all of my domains and their prices in order to avoid the problem you describe.
Interestingly, I am pretty sure that Adam Dicker generally recommends different prices on different marketplaces – take each one’s commission rate and adjust your price so that you always walk away with your pre-determined price.
I always check all the aftermarkets, but have been stung by a seller not honouring an agreement (buy now on Sedo). The seller was NoktaDomains and I’ll never deal with them again
To give a bit more context, I was buying a lot of domains in a particular area at the time and was looking at half a dozen or more domains owned by NoktaDomains.
Not honouring a business agreement cost them more than they probably realised. I immediately cancelled negotiations on another of their domains through Sedo and effectively blacklisted any domains owned by them.
The broken agreement cost me some time and money (logo design, supporting domains purchased etc), but the sales they lost has cost them a lot more. Plus, their reputation has been tainted.
They had a keen buyer on their doorstep ready to spend money in a niche that can be difficult to find buyers for …and they absolutely blew it. I took my wallet elsewhere and spent thousands buying domains from people that conduct themselves professionally.
Hey Elliot,
There is actually a little known feature on DomainTools that checks all the major markeplaces for you. Check out https://marketplace.domaintools.com/. Unfortunately, it doesn’t tell you the prices on each of the marketplaces but hopefully this will save you the time of going to each one separately.
Kaman