I am interested in buying a domain name registered under Whois privacy proxy at Namecheap. I visited the Whois lookup page on Namecheap to see if I could send a message to the registrant via the Namecheap system (like the GoDaddy Whois contact form), but it doesn’t look like there’s a contact form. Instead, there is a “Make Offer” button above the Whois information:
Clicking the button opens an interstitial banner with an offer form powered by DomainAgents. I can enter an offer amount, and I am taken to a second banner explaining how the DomainAgents platform works to contact the domain registrant and help negotiate a deal to buy the domain name.
I am uncertain if DomainAgents is given access to the registrant email address, but I would imagine that is the case. The email address wouldn’t be shared with the buyer, but it would ensure deliverability to the registrant.
Because there is a small fee (~$20) for DomainAgents to contact the domain registrant, the amount of spam email generated from these Whois contacts is likely reduced by a considerable amount. In addition, the payment offers helps qualify the buyer a bit more than a free inquiry and gives them a bit more of a vested interest in following through with the purchase. A DomainAgents offer also offers a small financial incentive for the domain registrant to respond.
I recently completed a deal via DomainAgents, and it went smoothly. I was the seller and worked out a deal to sell a domain name, and I appreciate the ease of using the platform.
Elliot, at the bottom of the whois output on the Namecheap website that should be a link to contact the domain holder.