Safeset way to sell domain name

TRUST is the ZERO cost solution.
If you are planning for big deals, go secured with Escrow.

If the domain is not worth much, you don't have much to lose. The simple thing is for the buyer to pay you and for you to be SURE you have the money before giving them the domain. If they don't trust you, let me use Escrow.com or another method that you can agree to. You can also both split the fees for Escrow.

Right now you have no trader rating here at Namepros. This may make it harder for people to trust you will give them the domain after you sell it, but if the domain is not expensive, most people may trust that you will do this. If you don't, you may have a lot of trouble in the future. If your seller does have trader rating, then you may be able to trust them to pay you without much worry, since they will not want to risk losing their trust with other members.

One way to get people to trust you is to offer to change the nameservers for the domain to what they want before you get the payment. This shows you trust them and that you really do own the domain, and it has no risk to you in case they change their mind or do not pay you.

Lets say the buyer trusts me but I am a little concerned of him. The domain wont sell high enough for Escrow. What service can I use to make sure I get paid before I transfer the domain? I heard PayPal is definitely not the way to go because of charge backs and what not.

I have sold a number of domains using PayPal and never had a charge back. I know it happens from time to time, but I think that is when the buyer uses a stolen credit card or something like that. They payment goes through at first, but a few days letter the credit card owner complains about a bogus charge and then PayPal takes the money back.

The way to avoid this is to wait for some time after getting paid. You can also contact PayPal and tell them you are worried and see what they say. Get as much information from your buyer as possible including their phone and IP address if you can.

If the buyer doesn't want to wait, offer to chance the name servers to what they want. That way the can use the domain and don't have to wait, while you will be protected if they are a crook. If they insist that you give them the domain and not just change the name servers, that is an indication you are dealing with someone that is not honest. But they may also just be worried that you will take the money and then keep the domain.

Again, get as much information about the buyer as possible including their full name, address, and phone number. Ask them what other domains they have and then check the WHOIS information to see if the information is the same information they gave you.

Use Google to search for their name, email address, and phone number. See if you find messages or posts from others that have had problems with the buyer. And never pay for an appraisal or other service that the buyer asks for or insists on. Good Luck!!!

I've never had a problem with Paypal either. I agree with credit card statement. It happened to me once however paypal did help me to get my money back.

We (F5 Domains) have a procedure in place where the end user/buyer does not want to use Escrow.com, has problems "trusting" us etc. We have never had a charge back or lost a payment dispute.

For PayPal payments above a certain threshold we use a domain name purchase agreement and that includes a field for full name and ID number (Drivers License, Passport) and we require a scan of that ID document.

If they're paying via Visa, MasterCard using our own merchant facilities, we have a CC Auth form, which basically they say "I authorize this transaction in the amount of $xxxx and guarantee that this transaction will not be reversed, disputed, or charged back" or something to that effect, and we require a scan of the back and front of their credit card (with the number except for the last 4 digits blacked out) and drivers license/passport. We do this for transactions in the $1000+ range.

If they're paying by Cheque/Check/Money Order/Cashiers/Bank Cheque/Check we never transfer the domain until the funds are confirmed clear by our financial institution. This is non-negotiable and no exceptions are made.

If they do pay by Escrow, we accept this under all circumstances however the buyer pays all fees. We'll also accept EscrowDNS, Sedo Escrow, or Afternic Escrow. We don't accept any other escrow companies due to the vast amount of fake escrow companies out there.

We have a simple rule on domain forums (like here), and that is payments must be made within 24 hours no questions asked, no exceptions. If they can't get that right, then more issues are possible/more likely we've found. We don't ask for anything extra if their feedback is 10+ and the amount is under $1500. If it was to be more than $1500 we might require a personal reference/vouch from another esteemed member or something - it's never had to happen before though.

Escrow.com is as cheap as it gets. If you need cheaper, then, might as well use Paypal, however, Escrow is always safer.

Escrow.com is NOT safe enough for highend domain transaction.
You need escrow services that hold both end, payment and domain.
EscrowDNS, Sedo and Moniker offer such service.

paypal is my favorite and Escrow is definately recommended for higher value transactions.
If the domain is very high cost you might also consider offering to meet the buyer or a rep, where you can make the transfer in person. This isn't such an unreasonable idea considering if a person is willing to pay thousands for your domain, I am sure they can spend a little more to secure a transaction.

A good option is to better know your buyer.

Most of my sales are to business owners with websites supporting existing businesses. It is probably unlikely they are going to ruin a good business reputation for a few hundred / thousand dollars.

Usually to conclude a deal, I will talk to them over the phone - they are probably more worried about me than I am about them! Chatting to them establishes a rapport and they can see I am real and know what I am doing when selling names.

For higher value names I use Escrow.com or Sedo and to date have had good experiences.

How about sedo escrow service 3%, who do you get into contact with there, if you just want to transact, and not solicit the business?

I have never used their escrow service as a standalone service without the name also being parked there and paying the higher fee.

From Sedo website:

External Domain Escrow

If you are a domain buyer or seller, you can secure your domain transfers using Sedo's Domain Escrow service even if the transaction was not conducted through Sedo. To get started with the External Domain Escrow service, please send an Email with the following information:

* Domain name
* Agreed Price (USD/EUR/GBP)*
* Seller's full name and Email
* Buyer's full name and Email
* Seller's Sedo Login Name
* Buyer's Sedo Login Name
* Which party has agreed to pay the Sedo commission fee
(3% of the sales price - see minimum comission)

Please be advised that if you reach an agreement outside of the Sedo Marketplace but you want to use the Sedo Escrow Service to conduct the transfer, and the domain is listed for sale on the Sedo website, the commission fee is still 10% ( see minimum comission).

To get started with the External Domain Escrow service or to submit a question please contact our Domain Escrow team.