I don’t like to share my domain name sales. Strategically, I think it’s unwise to report what I am selling and for how much. I’d rather use this confidential information to buy domain names at prices that make sense. Beyond the strategic reasons, I don’t think it’s right to share sales without permission from the buyer.
I regularly see sales reported on NamePros, Twitter, and other venues. People have different motivations for sharing sales. It can help raise awareness of domain name values. It can help drive up the profile of domain investors looking for positive feedback from peers. It can act as a motivational tool. There are many reasons for why people share their sales.
One thing that is pretty clear is that many of these sales reports aren’t done with the permission of the buyer. At Dan.com, once a price is agreed upon, the Dan.com transfer agent becomes the intermediary. There isn’t really an opportunity to ask the buyer about sharing the sale publicly. At Sedo and GoDaddy, there isn’t much interaction between parties at all. This indicates that getting consent to share sale data is not something many people do.
When a buyer purchases a domain name at Dan.com, they are given the option to keep the sale private or have Dan.com report the sale publicly. For whatever reason, Dan.com does not tell the seller which option was chosen. A seller reporting a Dan.com sale could be explicitly violating the buyer’s request. At least with a sale on GoDaddy or Sedo, I don’t think the buyer is asked about confidentiality.
As a domain name buyer, I don’t want the seller to reveal the price I paid to privately buy a domain name. If I saw someone report a sale and price without asking, I would be upset. I have a confidentiality clause built into my purchase agreements. I don’t always include one in my sales agreements, but I make it a point of not sharing sales unless the buyer specifically asks for the sale to be reported.
I like reading about domain name sales, but I think sellers should understand that buyers may not want their acquisitions to be shared publicly.
All it takes is a small checkbox which a buyer can check to exclude the name and price to be shared publicly. Not sure if marketplaces are willing to implement this.
I think privacy is GoDaddy’s default and public is Sedo’s default. Dan asks but doesn’t tell the seller which option the buyer chose. That would be helpful and add clarity.
I like working with Dan, and I understand their desire to publish as many domain sales and prices as possible in order to attract new investors to add their inventory. However I believe BOTH seller and buyer should have the right to “check the box” and agree or not agree that the sale be made public. The seller should have the exact same right as the buyer. If one refuses, while Dan can announce the sale, it should not be allowed to release the price.
In their control panel, sellers have the option to keep their sales private across their portfolio.
Yes, Dan does have a sales privacy option, it’s under “Settings”
Thanks Elliot and Mark. I had already had my “Do Not Share” box checked….forgot they had this. But just saw the option under “Privacy.” Thanks again.
The whole industry thrives on domain sales reports, if there’s no agreement to conceal a sales price then it’s fair game to report it. There is no big competitive advantage to hiding your sales or buying prices forever, unless there is a certain keyword or trend you’re trying to take advantage of in a certain timeframe. A lot of the biggest domainers share and post a lot of their sales and it doesn’t seem to hurt them. If nobody shared any sales prices that wouldn’t be much fun would it?
“A lot of the biggest domainers share and post a lot of their sales ”
I can only think of one top tier domain investor who shares what seems like a lot of his sales, although I do not know what percentage of sales Braden shares.
You said “a lot” but I think you would have a hard time naming even 10 top tier investors who share and post a lot of their sales with prices.
Rick Schwarz shares and posts his too.
Yes, Rick has reported a few sales. One of those is Property.com, which he reported last year at $36m. Whois still lists his name and the name is parked with his message, “This GREAT Domain Name May be Available for Joint Ventures, Licensing, Lease or Sale. Click here to inquire.” I believe Rick previously reported a deal for that name but the price wasn’t reported: https://domaingang.com/domain-news/how-much-did-rick-schwartz-sell-the-domain-name-property-com-for/
It is all about the display of $$$$$ money–the transparency of the housing prices.
If there are no display of the house prices, there won’t be any zilliow or redfin
That what drives up the demands.
SHOW THEM ALL!! NOTHING TO HIDE!!
nice to know which registrars have the most sales
I don’t like sharing my domain sales publicly. The whole World does not need to know my business. I have no problem telling some people privately within the domain industry though.
Dan does have a “Keep My Sales Private” option under “Settings”.
I have a publicity provision in my brokerage and purchase agreements that clearly covers this issue. The client/parties can opt in or out. Also, if it’s mutually agreed by all parties to keep the transaction private, I have a strict confidentiality provision for this as well.