Sincerity vs Seriousness

Many prospective domain name buyers confuse sincerity with seriousness.

A buyer can be completely sincere about their interest in buying a domain name. They may really like a domain name and understand how it would help their business. They may even picture how they will display it in their marketing materials and use it to drive revenue to their business. That interest and excitement is absolutely sincere.

On many occasions, I have been told by prospective buyers how serious they are about their interest in one of my domain names. They are all ready to buy it but there’s just one issue – the budget. Sincerity is not the same thing as seriousness.

A serious buyer is ready and able to pay a price commensurate with the value of the domain name. The buyer may wish to pay less or disagree with the valuation to a point, but they understand what it will take to buy the domain name.

I receive inquiries from many people who seem sincere in their interest in one of my domain names. They write thoughtful inquiry emails. Some even explain their plans and why they want to buy a domain name. Unfortunately, their budget isn’t close to the value of the domain name, and they are not serious buyers. They may be sincere, but they aren’t serious.

There is nothing wrong with being sincere. If a buyer can’t pay what a domain name is worth, sincerity alone does not make that buyer serious.