Another Non-Paying Sedo Buyer

[Neophyte]

I am SICK and TIRED of these Sedo deadbeat buyers thinking they can get away with their foolishness with impunity. Here is my latest Sedo deadbeat buyer story:

Read the series of communication between this deadbeat and I and let me know what you think. Feel free to add this "buyer's" information to your blogs/threads.

Here is the first email I sent after getting the buyer's contact information from Sedo aver waiting several weeks for payment that was never made:

Dear Mr. XXXX:

My name is xxxx, and I am the owner of xxxx. Sedo forwarded your contact information to me because you agreed in a legally binding contract to buy xxxx.com through Sedo, and you failed to pay for the domain name. While Sedo referred you to me for potential legal action for breach of contract, it is my hope that we can come to a resolution where both parties can be happy--you get the domain name, and I will receive payment as promised.

While looking at your website, it is evident that you could benefit from my domain name. The hyphen in your current domain is really dragging down your site's value, not to mention the lost traffic from people who forget to type that hyphen into their browsers. I am confident that you will recoup the cost of my domain name easily just from the new traffic you will receive. And you don't have to build another site. Just forward this domain to your existing site to capture that traffic.

So I am convinced that you NEED this domain, and not purchasing it would be a mistake. I will work with you, as long as you pay as agreed. I can also lease the domain to you (you make monthly installment payments) if price is an issue.

I need to hear from you ASAP so we can settle this matter. Thank you for your time and attention.

XXXX response:

I think money must be the issue on your end. I have never had anyone pursue $497.00 like it was the lotto prize before. I have many customers who are used to finding me with the hyphen. I simply changed my mind on this matter. There is nothing legally binding here so I would appreciate it if you and Sedo would quit harassing me.

Mr. XXXX

My response to this, with comments:

Dear Mr. XXXX:

My position on this matter is clear. The amount of money involved is not the issue. There is a principle here, and it is unfortunate that you as a business owner do not understand this. You made a commitment to buy the domain through the Sedo marketplace. Sedo lets buyers know that any offer made on their platform is legally binding, and you should not click "buy it now" if you are not in agreement with that. There is no "I changed my mind." That is not acceptable.

You can either pay what is owed willingly, or you will be forced to pay legally. That is up to you. I will give you 24 hours from the timestamp on this email to contact me to make payment arrangements and to submit payment to me. If payment is not made within the time period specified, the next communication you will receive will be a Summons for you to appear in small claims court concerning this matter.

Please keep in mind that amount I will be seeking from the Court will be far more than $497, and will include court costs, my travel expenses to your county in NC, and other remedies allowed by law. I also reserve the right to post your name, website, and contact information identifying you as a deadbeat Sedo buyer online until payment is made. My comments regarding the email you sent me are in bold, below.


I think money must be the issue on your end. (Why wouldn't money be an issue on my end? I am in business to make money, just as you are). I have never had anyone pursue $497.00 like it was the lotto prize before. (The amount really doesn't matter. The issue is that you made a commitment to buy through Sedo and reneged on that commitment. The same thing would happen if the purchase price was $60. I have had collection agencies come after me for $25 medical bills!) I have many customers who are used to finding me with the hyphen. (This may be true, but you, not I, went on Sedo to buy xxxx.com.) I simply changed my mind on this matter. (So commitment means nothing to you? I wonder if you are so generous as you expect me to be if a buyer makes a commitment via contract to pay for furniture and then decides to change his or her mind and not pay what is owed). There is nothing legally binding here (I would suggest reading your contract again) so I would appreciate it if you and Sedo would quit harassing me.(You are responsible for paying Sedo's commission, so they may continue to contact you or take whatever action they deem necessary to collect...I have no control over this.)


Final response from XXXX:

Do what you gotta do.

These deadbeats think they can get away with this because of the cost and inconvenience involved with pursuing them through the legal system.

 

[equity78]

Harassing Danny ? So you were not aware you entered into an agreement to buy the name, which is a legal contract ?

 

[Dave_Z]

2. I don't personally see how any domainer could possibly side with this deadbeat bidder, but some did. I am convinced that some of you would side with the devil himself, just to be confrontational...LOL

Not necessarily side with the bidder, albeit one may feel that way. Rather, some people (including me, believe it or not) understand why Keck reacted that way to how your communication was worded.

OTOH, I also understand it sucks when someone doesn't fulfill his/her part of the contract.

Yes I did back out because I made it plain to Sedo who was sending me 2-3 emails a day harrasing me to buy. When I thought the situation over I decided that since everyone was used to typing my domain in a certain way it might actually hurt sales. You guys make a big deal over someone changing their mind and try to defame their character. What has the world come to. Nobody would you like a $50.00 peace offering? That seems to be what this is all about. What a bunch of immature losers.

Danny Keck

---------- Post added at 11:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:23 PM ----------

What a prick

It's okay if you don't respond: think of what's discussed here as Newton's Third Law of Physics. Probably not equal and/or opposite, but you're guaranteed a reaction nonetheless.

It's up to each person to decide whether or not a contract is worth pursuing. One thing you probably don't want to do, though, is give someone a reason (material or otherwise) to do something against you later on.

Another lesson, perhaps, is the importance of knowing - and much more understanding - what one's possibly getting into.

 

[wot]

Yes I did back out because I made it plain to Sedo who was sending me 2-3 emails a day harrasing me to buy. When I thought the situation over I decided that since everyone was used to typing my domain in a certain way it might actually hurt sales. You guys make a big deal over someone changing their mind and try to defame their character. What has the world come to. Nobody would you like a $50.00 peace offering? That seems to be what this is all about. What a bunch of immature losers.

Danny Keck

---------- Post added at 11:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:23 PM ----------

What a prick

Where they harassing you to buy or simply remit the funds to meet a contract that you had entered in to and subsequently reneaged on?

 

[Neophyte]

Yes I did back out because I made it plain to Sedo who was sending me 2-3 emails a day harrasing me to buy. When I thought the situation over I decided that since everyone was used to typing my domain in a certain way it might actually hurt sales. You guys make a big deal over someone changing their mind and try to defame their character. What has the world come to. Nobody would you like a $50.00 peace offering? That seems to be what this is all about. What a bunch of immature losers.

Danny Keck

---------- Post added at 11:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:23 PM ----------

What a prick

Mr. xxxxx, I actually have some respect for you for coming on here to address this issue, but let's set the record straight. First of all, you were the one to click on the "buy it now" button. As a businessman, it would seem that you would have done your due diligence before agreeing to buy a domain name. As for Sedo sending 2-3 emails a day, I have been with Sedo a long time, and I have never known them to send ANYONE 2-3 emails a day trying to get someone to pay for a domain. (If you are exaggerating the truth here, you'd better correct that because Sedo employees are on this forum and they might take you to task for lying), There is no way that you would have lost sales from buying my domain. As I pointed out in my email to you, you could have forwarded my domain to yours. Having a hyphen in a domain is not known to help sales. Your business practices, both with your own customers as documented by complaints against you and how you handled the Sedo transaction, is hurting your reputation, not Sedo, me or this community.

As for what I want, I am angry that you can commit to buy something, back out of that commitment, and walk scot free. You depend on your buyers honoring their commitments and actually paying you to make money and run your business. I depend on buyers like you honoring their commitments and paying for domains that they have chose to purchase. If the emails I sent to you were harsh, disrespectful, whatever, then I apologize. But that does not excuse you from failing to honor your commitment. I was willing to work with you, you chose to blow me off. It may not be prudent to sue you (which you probably know), but I can post what you wrote to me, which reveals your character as well. You can contact me directly if you want to settle this matter. But the day of buyers buying and not paying and thinking that that is okay is over, and I hope that every domainer on here will expose their deadbeat bidders and buyers to the world until they make good on their commitments.

You called us a bunch of immature losers. Wow! There were people on here who actually supported your right to walk without paying anything.

 

[Domainace]

I'm not at all impressed by the buyer here, but many people are overreacting. Deadbeat "buyers" are a fact of life. Comparisons being made here (such as buying a sofa on credit and not paying) are irrelevant here. Nothing has been received by the deadbeat buyer, he simply agreed to buy and then backed out. The seller is out nothing, as far as I can see.

This is not an internet thing either. Many states have 3-day cancellation clause requirements for contracts, for example, allowing a buyer 3 days to change their mind after signing a contract.
Buyers cancel all the time. They're flakes, and the world is filled with flakes. People make idle promises all the time. Any professional seller understands that and moves on. If this were an auction, I might have more sympathy for the seller, because there is a loss in the item not being sold to a serious bidder.

This is business. Get over it. There is no obvious financial loss here to anyone. At this point, I wouldn't want to deal with either the buyer or the seller.

 

[Neophyte]

I'm not at all impressed by the buyer here, but many people are overreacting. Deadbeat "buyers" are a fact of life. Comparisons being made here (such as buying a sofa on credit and not paying) are irrelevant here. Nothing has been received by the deadbeat buyer, he simply agreed to buy and then backed out. The seller is out nothing, as far as I can see.

This is not an internet thing either. Many states have 3-day cancellation clause requirements for contracts, for example, allowing a buyer 3 days to change their mind after signing a contract.
Buyers cancel all the time. They're flakes, and the world is filled with flakes. People make idle promises all the time. Any professional seller understands that and moves on. If this were an auction, I might have more sympathy for the seller, because there is a loss in the item not being sold to a serious bidder.

This is business. Get over it. There is no obvious financial loss here to anyone. At this point, I wouldn't want to deal with either the buyer or the seller.

You choose to accept the deadbeats, I am tired of doing that. If the buyer had cancelled within 3 days, I probably wouldn't have made much of it, and this thread woudn't be here, so that is irrelevant. A period of weeks went by before Sedo finally cancelled the transaction (probably because of not hearing from the buyer until weeks later...if at all). Also, please keep in mind that I could not sell the domain to someone else during those weeks that Sedo tried to collect payment from the buyer.

As for the assertion that I incurred no loss, I would like to quote what Gifted Domains said:

"Some people just don't realise that they cause damage to sellers when they back out of legally binding contracts. (and yes, when this xxxxx dude did bid at sedo, he signed a LEGALLY BINDING CONTRACT and accepted the terms and conditions at sedo).

Its the same with some of these ebay deadbeat buyers. They think its just a game and they can click whereever they want like they are playing an online browser game.

As a seller, you have to pay ebay the fees. You lose the opportunity to sell to others since often times the second or third highest bidder change their mind when you offer them the item later. You have to relist the item. You lose time because of all the reminders and emails, etc. etc..."

How you and some others can choose to defend what cannot be defended is beyond me.

 

[GiftedDomains]

Speaking of Sofas: Domain Names are intangible digital goods and they can't be compared to sofas where you can simply give it back (because of possible legal issues, possible technical issues, etc.). Even though some few sellers offer this option, most don't (because of understandable reasons). People can misuse a domain name for a scam then give it back to the seller, etc.They can't do that with a sofa (well unless they rape somebody on that sofa or something). Even bad history from long time ago can have negative consequences for a domain. Its all in the net. Domains can't be simply transfered back because of 60 days lock (unless internal push), etc. etc.....So Domains can't be compared to most other goods like Sofas.

 

[WGS_Thunder]

Making a mountain out of a molehill is an idiom referring to over-reactive, histrionic behaviour where a person makes too much of a minor issue. It seems to have come into existence in the 16th century.
[emphasis added]
source wikipedia


Histrionic personality disorder (HPD) is defined by the American Psychiatric Association as a personality disorder characterized by a pattern of excessive emotionality and attention-seeking, including an excessive need for approval and inappropriately seductive behavior, usually beginning in early adulthood.
[emphasis added]
source wikipedia

I'm guessing you are young..

 

[Bannen]

Yes I did back out because I made it plain to Sedo who was sending me 2-3 emails a day harrasing me

Funny (tragic) how so many people start misusing terms in order to make it sound like something it isn't, to try get your way. Sedo isn't 'harassing' you; you signed up for their service, you made an offer for a domain, you accepted the electronic contract to pay for it, then you didn't pay. Sedo, as any company would, sent you reminder letters to nudge you into paying, or to find out why you weren't paying. 'Harassing'? Get over your own rhetoric.

to buy.

Again with the misinformation; they weren't emailing you to buy the domain, they were emailing you to PAY for the domain. You already bought it when you clicked the accept button to accept the transaction.

When I thought the situation over

Um... why didn't you think the situation over before hitting the buy now button? This is part of what we're on your case about. In the non-electronic world you don't meet with someone, work out a contract, SIGN the contract, and when it comes to pay then say 'Oh, I just thought about this. Changed my mind'. You, um, think about it before you sign the contract.

I decided that since everyone was used to typing my domain in a certain way it might actually hurt sales.

No problem; you simply keep your old domain also, and redirect it to the new one. When people type in your old hyphenated domain it will still go to your new address, you won't lose any visitors.

You guys make a big deal over someone changing their mind

We're not making a big deal over changing your mind; we're making a big deal out of WHEN you changed your mind, and why you allowed the transaction to get that far, instead of thinking things out before you clicked the buy now button.
And remember: we aren't just ragging on you for fun, we're not making this stuff up; Sedo's terms of service, and even when you actually click on the accept button for a domain you buy there, give you the clear notice that your offer is LEGALLY BINDING. It tells you clearly that you have entered into a legal agreement to buy (meaning pay for, not just 'think about') the domain. It states that message right near that little button that you click on to accept the deal.
In other words, you're telling us that you entering a legal agreement to buy a domain means nothing to you, and that it should mean nothing to us, too, and that you think we're idiots because we're actually saying you did something wrong.

and try to defame their character

More rhetorical misdirection; you should enter politics, because when you do something clearly wrong, you try to twist that around to make it look like you're the man and that those who you screwed are actually the ones doing something wrong. Brilliant.
Truth, and defamation of character, are two different things. You signed a contract electronically, you lazily changed your mind when it came time to pay, you were rude and dissed those people who honestly tried to get you to keep your end of the deal, then in a classic political move you try to turn it around and make like a whole bunch of petty delusional idiots are hounding you, when they should really be doing something better with their lives.
Classic. Beautiful.

What a bunch of immature losers.

Classic. Beautiful. The 6th grade math student tells the calculus professors they don't know how to add.

What a prick

Danny Keck, in his own words.

 

[Kate]

Yes I did back out because I made it plain to Sedo who was sending me 2-3 emails a day harrasing me to buy. When I thought the situation over I decided that since everyone was used to typing my domain in a certain way it might actually hurt sales.

Please clarify this.
Were the E-mails reminders to pay the domain you agreed to buy, or were you spammed and compelled to buy the domain.
Sedo do send payment reminders, but I have never heard about people getting 2-3 E-mails per day.
You're probably exaggerating things, aren't you ?

You guys make a big deal over someone changing their mind and try to defame their character. What has the world come to. Nobody would you like a $50.00 peace offering? That seems to be what this is all about.

You entered into a legally binding contract.
You just can't back out of the deal because you feel like it, unless and where permitted by law.
It's not like making an informal inquiry, saying that you might be remotely interested in a domain... you made a formal commitment to buy at the price listed.

If the facts posted by the OP are true and accurate, then it's not defamation.

If you think it's all a game, then consider this thread is a game too... no big deal.

What a bunch of immature losers.

The OP did nothing wrong, immature is not behaving like an adult, and not fulfilling your commitments.

What you posted indicates that you are being unprofessional and immature: backing out a legally binding purchase, insulting the other party when they complain about your failure to pay. And now you just care about your reputation, but you still don't care about doing the right thing.

Perhaps you had a genuine intention to buy, then you realized your little business is so thriving that it doesn't have $497 in the bank

Try to work out something with the OP, it doesn't have to end like this.

 

[Ms Domainer]

I would never buy a domain from you !!

I think what you've done here is disgusting, people change there minds all the time ... Instead of moving on you post his name and business, this guy just changed his mind and you couldn't let it go ...


Pretty sad !!!

---------- Post added at 11:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:59 PM ----------




You've had your 1 day fame get the thread deleted -
and apologize to this buyer.


Only then have you moved on....


Btw / with a username like your's I think u need to get out and get laid.

laters.

*

Apologize to a deadbeat buyer?

Or deadbeat seller, for that matter?

NEVER!!!

OP has nothing to be ashamed of.

He may have been overly strong in his warnings to the buyer, BUT naming and shaming seems a great idea for deadbeat buyers. I like his website idea a lot, as long as he doesn't try to monetize it.

Why should we roll over and simply "accept" someone breaking a contract?

Buyers/sellers need to change their minds BEFORE entering a contract, not after.

In OP's case, suing might not be a viable option, but naming and shaming can be a powerful tool.

BTW, The "buyer's" attitude reveals a lot about his business practices--would you buy a sofa from this man?

I would not.

*

 

[JB Lions]

Making a mountain out of a molehill is an idiom referring to over-reactive, histrionic behaviour where a person makes too much of a minor issue. It seems to have come into existence in the 16th century.
[emphasis added]
source wikipedia


Histrionic personality disorder (HPD) is defined by the American Psychiatric Association as a personality disorder characterized by a pattern of excessive emotionality and attention-seeking, including an excessive need for approval and inappropriately seductive behavior, usually beginning in early adulthood.
[emphasis added]
source wikipedia

I'm guessing you are young..

I'm guessing you're a pushover? The behavior is there. Really interesting to see other domainers, getting on a domainer for something like this, instead of supporting them.

It's good to get it out there. Based on this guy's response here and on those Yelp reviews, you can tell he's an a-hole, which usually isn't good for business. And that's one of the great things about the internet, word gets out, threads like this rank in the SERPS. Yes, most of the time taking the legal route isn't worth the time, but this is something you can do.

 

[discobull]

You choose to accept the deadbeats, I am tired of doing that. If the buyer had cancelled within 3 days, I probably wouldn't have made much of it, and this thread woudn't be here, so that is irrelevant. A period of weeks went by before Sedo finally cancelled the transaction (probably because of not hearing from the buyer until weeks later...if at all). Also, please keep in mind that I could not sell the domain to someone else during those weeks that Sedo tried to collect payment from the buyer.

For the record, you don't have to wait for Sedo to cancel the transaction. According to the terms of the sale, the seller is supposed to make good on payment within 5 days. Once the 5 days are up, I think Sedo sends 2 additional payment demands. After that, you can ask Sedo to put your domain back up for sale and they'll cancel the transaction and forward the buyer's contact info. Barring any extenuating circumstances, if payment doesn't happen within 5 days, you can assume the deal is dead and kill the transaction.

 

[Kate]

The furniture he sells on his website isn't cheap.
I don't know about the margins he makes, but one sale might very well offset the purchase of the domain.
Why should I trust him over the purchase of a $2,495 dining room if he can't be trusted to honor a $497 purchase ? That is a very valid question that any potential client of his should have in mind.

 

[johname]

a) I wouldn't want the sale if the buyer wasn't happy with their purchase.

b) Sedo's contract really just written to protect them (Shocker)

c) The attorney fees eat up more than the cost of all but the most elite domains.

d) Sedo's contract does not support attorney fee protection to you because your not Sedo.

e) If this is a case of the two party's talking through emails and then deciding on the purchase, then the seller didn't do quite good enough job selling the domain names assets. (an answer Danny said is a clue to this, but cant make that conclusion as we don't know the name)

f) If the buyer just found the name on sedo.com and liked it enough to purchase it (never comunicating to the buyer beyond offer price) then its lame of the buyer.

g) This amount of being upset tells me its probably at or close to a regfee name.

h) Its ugly but nice to see both party's present in a thread. Hope you both just move on from this.

 

[Neophyte]

a) I wouldn't want the sale if the buyer wasn't happy with their purchase.

b) Sedo's contract really just written to protect them (Shocker)

c) The attorney fees eat up more than the cost of all but the most elite domains.

d) Sedo's contract does not support attorney fee protection to you because your not Sedo.

e) If this is a case of the two party's talking through emails and then deciding on the purchase, then the seller didn't do quite good enough job selling the domain names assets. (an answer XXXXX said is a clue to this, but cant make that conclusion as we don't know the name)

f) If the buyer just found the name on sedo.com and liked it enough to purchase it (never comunicating to the buyer beyond offer price) then its lame of the buyer.

g) This amount of being upset tells me its probably at or close to a regfee name.

h) Its ugly but nice to see both party's present in a thread. Hope you both just move on from this.

I regged the domain in question and parked it on Sedo, as I do with other domain names that I own. He found the name on Sedo and decided to buy it, then backed out. I did not email him about the domain until after I received his contact information from Sedo.

 

[FX]

so you own the non hypen domain? and regged it in feb 2013 in hope that danny buys it?

priced at $497 on sedo. your domain has one enduser and he's the only enduser for a reg fee domain....I've had buyers back out at eye watering deals before on sedo / just recently at escrow..but life goes on...If it was me I would've asked danny to take it at a reduced price..and tried to seal a deal instead of killing all hope of a domain that has no real buyers out there.

just my two cents

FX

 

[Neophyte]

so you own the non hypen domain? and regged it in feb 2013 in hope that danny buys it?

priced at $497 on sedo. your domain has one enduser and he's the only enduser for a reg fee domain....I've had buyers back out at eye watering deals before on sedo / just recently at escrow..but life goes on...If it was me I would've asked danny to take it at a reduced price..and tried to seal a deal instead of killing all hope of a domain that has no real buyers out there.

just my two cents

FX

Some of you still don't get it! No matter how hard I try to fight for what's right in this case, which, ultimately, will help anyone who sells domains on Sedo, some of you are determined to give this guy an out, some justification to screw sellers who have done nothing wrong other than sell domains on Sedo. First there was the criticism about the emails I wrote to Mr.XXXXX, which I acknowledged and apologized for their harshness in this very forum. But my sending the emails were not the cause of him not honoring the Sedo contract. He made that decision on his own.

Next, some others felt that he was justified in backing out, and that I was everything from overreacting to immature for holding him accountable. Now the next tactic is to say that it was a reg fee name and I squatted on the name just so he could come to me and buy it and my pricing was not fair.

I said this before and I will say this again: I regged the name because I noticed that there are several companies listed in Google under the keywords, "C....." I did not say to myself, "Wow! xxxx owns the hyphenated version, let me see if I can get $497 out of him!" I parked the name, left it alone, and regged other names. When Sedo notified me that I had a buyer for the domain, not one time did I think. "That's xxxxx!" He's the secret buyer. Now I can rip him off! I had no idea who the buyer was. If I did, it would have been easy for me to negotiate with him directly to avoid paying Sedo's commission, but everything went through Sedo. I did not learn that Mr. xxxxx was the deadbeat buyer until after Sedo cancelled the transaction.

It is more accurate to say that there was only one clearly obvious end user for my domain. There are many other potential end users that are not so obvious. When I Google "C....," I see several companies advertising and listed for those keywords. Are you saying that another furniture company in NC or SC couldn't possibly be a good end user for this domain?

A reader on a blog had the audacity to say that I was giving domainers a bad name because the name was registered this year and implied that I was trying to make more money off of it than he thought I should have, in addition to my emails being too harsh No one should be bringing up whether the domain was reg fee or not. It is totally irrelevant to the reason why the buyer did not pay. At some point he felt that the $497 was a fair price, or he wouldn't have opted to buy it. Are some of you trying to say that a domain should not be sold for more than what the domainer paid for it? You know that that bird won't fly. You are in business to make money, just like anyone else who is in business.

If you are ok with deadbeat buyers walking, that is fine, but don't get in the way of the effort to actually address the problem, by saying or implying that the sellers are wrong. Some people are as upset about these deadbeats as I am.

 

[FX]

Yup your right it suxs when a deal doesn't happen - I know that it suxs....you'll feel better once you sell another domain in your portfolio

you win some and lose some ...it's called domaining.

Good Luck Michael.

FX

 

[discobull]

Some of you still don't get it! No matter how hard I try to fight for what's right in this case, which, ultimately, will help anyone who sells domains on Sedo, some of you are determined to give this guy an out, some justification to screw sellers who have done nothing wrong other than sell domains on Sedo. First there was the criticism about the emails I wrote to Mr. Keck, which I acknowledged and apologized for their harshness in this very forum. But my sending the emails were not the cause of him not honoring the Sedo contract. He made that decision on his own.

Next, some others felt that he was justified in backing out, and that I was everything from overreacting to immature for holding him accountable. Now the next tactic is to say that it was a reg fee name and I squatted on the name just so he could come to me and buy it and my pricing was not fair.

I said this before and I will say this again: I regged the name because I noticed that there are several companies listed in Google under the keywords, "Carolina Discount Furniture." I did not say to myself, "Wow! Danny Keck owns the hyphenated version, let me see if I can get $497 out of him!" I parked the name, left it alone, and regged other names. When Sedo notified me that I had a buyer for the domain, not one time did I think. "That's Danny Keck!" He's the secret buyer. Now I can rip him off! I had no idea who the buyer was. If I did, it would have been easy for me to negotiate with him directly to avoid paying Sedo's commission, but everything went through Sedo. I did not learn that Mr. Keck was the deadbeat buyer until after Sedo cancelled the transaction.

It is more accurate to say that there was only one clearly obvious end user for my domain. There are many other potential end users that are not so obvious. When I Google "Carolina Discount Furniture," I see several companies advertising and listed for those keywords. Are you saying that another furniture company in NC or SC couldn't possibly be a good end user for this domain?

A reader on a blog had the audacity to say that I was giving domainers a bad name because the name was registered this year and implied that I was trying to make more money off of it than he thought I should have, in addition to my emails being too harsh No one should be bringing up whether the domain was reg fee or not. It is totally irrelevant to the reason why the buyer did not pay. At some point he felt that the $497 was a fair price, or he wouldn't have opted to buy it. Are some of you trying to say that a domain should not be sold for more than what the domainer paid for it? You know that that bird won't fly. You are in business to make money, just like anyone else who is in business.

If you are ok with deadbeat buyers walking, that is fine, but don't get in the way of the effort to actually address the problem, by saying or implying that the sellers are wrong. Some people are as upset about these deadbeats as I am.

I completely get your frustration, and I agree that what the guy did was wrong, but I think that maybe your focus on that aspect of things is preventing you from handling the situation in the best possible way. IMO, the question you should be asking isn't about how to deal with "deadbeats". The question you should be asking is how to salvage a sale that went south. You can't sell effectively if you're not being respectful to your client, and you can't be respectful if you're angry and thinking of him as a deadbeat. I'm not arguing about whether or not he is a deadbeat, I'm saying you have to let go of that and think of him purely as lead. You have to keep your cool.

You also have to be clear to yourself about whether your top priority is to obtain emotional satisfaction or to get money, because pursuing the former will often prevent you from obtaining the latter.

You attempted one approach. I think it's fair to say that it didn't work out so well. Do you think you could have handled it better, and if so, how? If you come up with an answer to that you will have gained something valuable from this experience that is worth more than the $497 you lost.

I want to be clear that I'm not writing any of this with the intention of putting you down. I'm hoping you will read this as constructive input which is how it is meant. I wish you better luck with your next deal.

 

[johname]

If Danny is making money at his business he should be very happy to buy this name for $497. If your living month by month off of one couch sale and laying off employees, well...

Danny you changed your mind, but a lot of us know $497 for your perfect dot com name something we would never say no too.

Danny don't think you have to change your site to the new name to get benefits from ownership. (but at some time you should be excited to finally dump that hyphen). Its very good to have this in your pocket and redirect traffic and emails to your present site.

The key here is stick this name in your back pocket because its worth it to you as long as your moving furniture into customers hands.

Goodluck guys.

 

[umask077]

...

 

[Neophyte]

I completely get your frustration, and I agree that what the guy did was wrong, but I think that maybe your focus on that aspect of things is preventing you from handling the situation in the best possible way. IMO, the question you should be asking isn't about how to deal with "deadbeats". The question you should be asking is how to salvage a sale that went south. You can't sell effectively if you're not being respectful to your client, and you can't be respectful if you're angry and thinking of him as a deadbeat. I'm not arguing about whether or not he is a deadbeat, I'm saying you have to let go of that and think of him purely as lead. You have to keep your cool.

You also have to be clear to yourself about whether your top priority is to obtain emotional satisfaction or to get money, because pursuing the former will often prevent you from obtaining the latter.

You attempted one approach. I think it's fair to say that it didn't work out so well. Do you think you could have handled it better, and if so, how? If you come up with an answer to that you will have gained something valuable from this experience that is worth more than the $497 you lost.

I want to be clear that I'm not writing any of this with the intention of putting you down. I'm hoping you will read this as constructive input which is how it is meant. I wish you better luck with your next deal.

You are right. I could have done a better job of handling this deal. I have had numerous non-paying buyers and bidders of Sedo sales in the past, and like a lot of domainers, just brushed it off as a part of doing business on their marketplace, though I was seething inside.

With this lost sale, I decided to take a different approach, and maybe it was not the best approach. I will try to be more considerate should I have to email a "deadbeat buyer" again. That I can improve. I just want to make it clear that it was not my harsh or rude emails that turned him into a non-paying buyer.

I believe it is not too late to make this right. Mr. XXXXX, my goal is not to hurt you. I do not know you. My purpose for selling domains is to get paid, not to hurt you. You can make this right. Honor your commitment and buy the domain, or contact me if you need to make some other arrangements. Let's resolve our differences and get back to the business of making money. Thank you.

 

[umask077]

I believe it is not too late to make this right. Mr. Keck, my goal is not to hurt you. I do not know you. My purpose for selling domains is to get paid, not to hurt you. You can make this right. Honor your commitment and buy the domain, or contact me if you need to make some other arrangements. Let's resolve our differences and get back to the business of making money. Thank you.

You said this was not the first time you have dealt with a deadbeat buyer but it's hard for me to believe so.You're acting like this was the first time you come through something like this.
Danny Keck is not going to buy anything from you,that's not gonna happen.I'm sure he's laughing his ass off at this thread.So please,move on with your life.

 

[discobull]

You are right. I could have done a better job of handling this deal. I have had numerous non-paying buyers and bidders of Sedo sales in the past, and like a lot of domainers, just brushed it off as a part of doing business on their marketplace, though I was seething inside.

With this lost sale, I decided to take a different approach, and maybe it was not the best approach. I will try to be more considerate should I have to email a "deadbeat buyer" again. That I can improve. I just want to make it clear that it was not my harsh or rude emails that turned him into a non-paying buyer.

I believe it is not too late to make this right. Mr. Keck, my goal is not to hurt you. I do not know you. My purpose for selling domains is to get paid, not to hurt you. You can make this right. Honor your commitment and buy the domain, or contact me if you need to make some other arrangements. Let's resolve our differences and get back to the business of making money. Thank you.

I realize that your email was not what turned him into a non-paying buyer, but I think it might have stood in the way of your possibly working something out with him and getting the sale. I also think, based on what you wrote at the end of this post, that you're still not coming at this in the most effective way. You're approaching this like a collection agent trying to collect on a done deal, when you should be thinking about this like a salesman trying to put the finishing touches on a deal that hasn't yet been closed. Doing the latter means thinking about what to say to make him WANT to do business with you. The first step towards achieving that goal is to drop any mention of "obligations", or "commitments", or "contracts", because these are words that will make him more likely to want to avoid you. The only way those words could be effective is if he takes seriously the possibility that there are legal ramifications for not paying which is not very likely unless you're local to him or the amount is sizable.

I mentioned in another post one approach I took towards closing a deal under similar circumstances, but there are other ways to attack this. For example, I might have sent him an email along the following lines:

"Dear Mr Keck,

My name is ___ and I am the owner of the domain CarolinaDiscountFurniture.com. Sedo gave me your contact information because you had previously made on offer to buy my domain. Now that I know you own Carolina-DiscountFurniture,com, I understand your interest, Clearly my domain is a great fit for your business, so I'm wondering what prevented us from completing the transaction and what adjustments we could make to help you move forward with this purchase.

Sincerely,

____

PS As I'm not sure Sedo provided me with the best email address for you, I will follow up with a phone call in a couple of days in the event I don't hear from you." [ The point of this PS is to discourage him from simply ignoring your letter ]


The goal of this email is to find out why he backed out. Once you know the reason, you'll be in a better position to overcome the problem. Most likely it will be an issue of money ( even if he tells you it's something else ). Bear in mind that since you're no longer going through Sedo, you don't have to pay a commission which means you can drop the price by 10 to 15 percent and still come out in the same place. You may decide it makes sense to drop the price even further if it seems like that will make the difference or you might offer him the option of making 2 or more payments over a couple of months. Ask questions, gather information, and figure out how to turn the situation into a win-win for the both of you. Above all, drop the attitude that he owes you money ( even if it's true ) because that will get you nowhere.

Hope this helps.