On occasion, I will get a phone call from someone who wants to buy a domain name I own. While I do think making a phone call is far better for domain buyers to get in touch with a domain owner, I would recommend that domain owners work out their deals online in emails rather than over the phone.
The primary reason is that you can respond to the inquiry on your own time, allowing you to research the value of your domain name and do some research on the buyer. Additionally, you don’t have to make a snap decision over the phone if you hadn’t intended to sell the domain name.
The secondary reason is that your emails are all trackable. You can easily archive offers for domain names, allowing you to remember what offers came in the past. Additionally, if you have no intentions of selling the domain name now, you can have the person’s email and email address readily accessible when the time to sell comes. It’s much easier to lose a phone number and/or forget who a person in your phone book is after a period of time.
It’s in the best interest of a domain owner to work out a deal online.
must be a slow blogging day – so, your advice is to properly document a critical transaction.
possible future topics-
1. don’t feed poison to your child
2. invest in stocks that go up
3. open eyes when driving
@Michael Carter
Must be a slow work day for you if you’re wasting your time with a comment. As always, thanks for your insight.
never a slow work day – someone has to make coffee – i always make time for your blog.
I thought you work in accounting for a financial firm – not on the coffee production side…
BTW, it is a slow day here, and I’m going for a run in Central Park.
What’s a phone?
Seriously, I think this is a fine topic Elliot.
As a domain buyer broker, I like to pick up the phone and talk with the owner because you are right, it is in the best interest of a domain owner to work out the deal online.
When I have a client who wants to buy a domain, I already have a contract and a maximum budget set. If I am looking to buy a domain, I like to pick up the phone as well.
So, I like to talk to the domain owner on the phone to make an offer right then and there.
There is real truth hearing someone react to a $2k or more offer.
If I send an email I have no “feel” for their immediate reaction so, it’s in the best interest of the domain BUYER to pick up the phone and talk with the domain owner.
The worst is getting a phone call from a person who doesn’t even have a ball park offer in mind.
I can easily delete e-mails with stupid offers/lack of offers, but trying not to be rude on the phone is a bit harder to do when someone is just wasting your time. Received two calls in the last 3 weeks that have just been ridiculously stupid. As always, my reply? “E-mail me. Use the same e-mail that’s listed with this number”.
Speaking of domian values and ball parks. I own ParkHollywood.com and I’m considering selling it.
Your experience w/phone offers is interesting, Sammy.
My best, highest sales have been to entities that called me; while my silliest “offers” have always come in by e-mail.