Need Advise Thanks ... I was offered over $20K for my domain

[maurixius]

Hi all

I appreciate any advise in regards to my situation. I approached a company who has the exact domain name as mine; except with a different extension. They offered me 20K for it; knowing that I declined 1K offer less than 7 years ago. I would say they are fairly funded and open for negotiation.

So my question is if they offered 20K; what should my counter be?


Note:
I can't disclose the domain name at the moment as long as the deal is up in the air, but I will disclose it here if the buyer has no objections


Thanks,

 

[KhaledA]

Thanks EZPZYO !
A very nice story about content !

 

[Bob Hawkes]

As others have said, it is a good problem to have.

It is of course difficult to offer good advice on the amount that we all know. To me the key four questions are..
(1) How much do you think they need/ REALLY strongly want this domain. If you feel confident that the desire is super strong (and the $20k offer suggests that) then some form of counter offer makes sense.
(2) Should they walk, and never come back, how likely do you think anyone else is to offer you any $$$$ to $$$$$ for the name? That depends mainly on how generic or specific it is.
(3) How much do you need to make a big sale soon? Whether full time or part time I think we all sometimes are in positions that we need some cash coming in, and at other times we can wait. Also, psychologically how could you handle it if they walk away and you never get another offer.
(4) You feel absolutely secure they won't/can't consider a UDRP to get it if they feel that you are too greedy? Even if you feel they have no case, we all know that some strange decisions have come down, and it would be a headache.

As I get older, I become more conservative, and personally I would worry how I would feel to miss out on that much of an offer, and probably accept it or offer a very small increase in counter. But that is me.

I agree with the advice you were given to engage, not just through out another figure. This is a major sale and requires strong personal negotiation skills.

The very best of luck! I would happily sell my whole portfolio for less than that!

Bob

 

[jideofor]

<<Engaging via email is mission impossible.>>

Nowadays, people converse with email as if they were talking to each other in the same room, so I'd definitely say that that is not my experience. Engagement is engagement. And it's good, whether the ring is 3 carats or just 1.

Yup...

 

[TheConqueror]

Hi all

I appreciate any advise in regards to my situation. I approached a company who has the exact domain name as mine; except with a different extension. They offered me 20K for it; knowing that I declined 1K offer less than 7 years ago. I would say they are fairly funded and open for negotiation.

So my question is if they offered 20K; what should my counter be?


Note:
I can't disclose the domain name at the moment as long as the deal is up in the air, but I will disclose it here if the buyer has no objections


Thanks,

Take it!!!! I rejected 2 domains at that level and they went away! It does not always work like Rick style. Of course your financial position is also a factor. Generally 20K is a great return for %90 of domains out there.

 

[Dynadot]

Congrats.

Though my advice would be to transfer the domain to me, I'll even pay the transfer fee. I'll take care of the rest from there.

Samuel L Dotson

(ps, I'd take it. I hate negotiation and there is also the risk that you counter and as a few people have pointed out, sometimes it backfires and the buyer goes into Witness Relocation)

 

[wwwweb]

Take it!!!! I rejected 2 domains at that level and they went away! It does not always work like Rick style. Of course your financial position is also a factor. Generally 20K is a great return for %90 of domains out there.

Yes, good point when you have had names like candy.com, property.com etc... you can afford to counter around a bit, because there is no better scenario out there.

 

[Domainstore]

It's not because it's a big corporation that they want to give much much more.

You can try the following =>
"You offer is interesting, but my goal with this domain was more then this 20K.
Can you give your highest offer you can (or are prepared or wiling to) give for this domain ?"

If they say that they don't want to give more, you still are pretty sure of the 20.000 USD, and there's the possibility you get more, without you exactly have to give a specific counteroffer..
(In this case : I don't think they'll say "lost intrest") .

Whatever they reply, then approve their higher offer.(highest offer), (unless they say 20.250 USD f.i., then I would put a counteroffer that's a bit higher then that 20.250).

Kind regards

 

[xynames]

You can try the following =>
"You offer is interesting, but my goal with this domain was more then this 20K.
Can you give your highest offer you can (or are prepared or wiling to) give for this domain ?"

I would be shocked if they responded to that verbiage with any response other than affirming that $20k is their offer. Does anyone here see it differently?

To me, it sounds very hesitant and weak and practically confessing that you’d be willing to take $20k if they won’t go higher, and are afraid to commit to a specific counter for fear of losing them.

I think you’d be better off with a response that merely engages them for further conversation without talking price, rather than this particular verbiage.

 

[Domainstore]

I would be shocked if they responded to that verbiage with any response other than affirming that $20k is their offer. Does anyone here see it differently?

To me, it sounds very hesitant and weak and practically confessing that you’d be willing to take $20k if they won’t go higher, and are afraid to commit to a specific counter for fear of losing them.

I think you’d be better off with a response that merely engages them for further conversation without talking price, rather than this particular verbiage.

Another possibility could be :
"My goal with this domain is higher then 20K. Give the highest offer you are prepared to give for this domain. When it's above or near what I intended for it we have a deal, otherwise, no deal."

 

[karmaco]

Not sure what there is to engage about after an offer has been given. If there are points to be made why the domain is valuable beyond what they have offered I can see including that if you intend to counter more. They got right to the point. You should do the same in a very nice way.

The fact that they threw a higher amount right out the gate on an outbound means they do value it. Only you know if you have anyone else who would likely pay more if they refuse to.

This amount they have offered is more than the majority of domains sell for.

Keep us posted on how this concludes.

 

[poweredbyme]

I would ask for $75k. It's worth to lose $20k to get extra $55k.

 

[hawkeye]

You can try the following =>
"You offer is interesting, but my goal with this domain was more then this 20K.
Can you give your highest offer you can (or are prepared or wiling to) give for this domain ?"

I would be shocked if they responded to that verbiage with any response other than affirming that $20k is their offer. Does anyone here see it differently?

Yeah, I could see it differently. I would reply -

"Thank you for your intriguing offer, however this somewhat below our target market price for this domain.
If you would submit what would be your best offer for this asset, we'll assess it and make a decision accordingly."

Now if they came back and said 20K was it, I'd take it, of course based on the name in question.

 

[Smiles76]

I would ask for $75k. It's worth to lose $20k to get extra $55k.

Except when they walk away and you get nothing. Never assume yours is the only domain a buyer is considering.

 

[poweredbyme]

Except when they walk away and you get nothing. Never assume yours is the only domain a buyer is considering.

It was what I mean. If they walked away I wouldn't be sad. Nothing would change in my life. But if I lost a $20k deal for extra $5-10k I would be sad. I would accept $20k or would ask for $75. When I take a risk to lose $20k, it must be worth. As the OP is unsure, he wants to counter, meaning he wants to take risk. I am saying if you take a risk, it must be worth. In the end, nobody knows the max amount. Maybe the company is ready to pay $150k. Who knows?

 

[jideofor]

I don't know why I have a feeling he might blow this thing up...

 

[mike17son]

is the domain a .net?

 

[Mifuru]

Send for 20K and close auction. Best variant

 

[WatchDogue]

lets say the $20k they offered is a needle in a haystack

In my experience people and companies acquire big " haystacks " by being careful with their " needles ".

Is it possible the company is offering it's max as their corporate year ends on 12/31 and want to have this expenditure / acquisition on their 2017 books?

Twenty/K is a seemingly healthy offer ( for an undisclosed domain ) and why not counter just a small bit above - nothing too greedy nor insulting.

Overall as described sounds like a reasonable offer to purchase unless other companies' offers are coming into your email box.

 

[Silentptnr]

In escrow? Any updates?

 

[Haykay2005]

Except for premium one word and 2L, $20k is a lot of money

 

[Dondomainer]

Then the epik moment :

To continue with the negotiation apraiser the domain.

 

[Joshua Harding]

As outlined in one of the most respected books on the topic of negotiation (Getting to Yes, by Fisher and Ury), negotiation is best when it fundamentally rests on fairness. If you have valued the site at $20k (or lower), you've already made the decision that $20k is a more than fair offer. If you're happy with it, take it!

Otherwise, respect the risk associated with inflating the price beyond what has been offered to you. The choice ultimately rests with you!

Best wishes to you

 

[Dave]

A few words of advice, don't get greedy. Be realistic and value your domain fairly. If it isn't a genuine premium, 3 letter, popular dictionary word in .com then chances are that the $20,000 offer is very fair. You just need to ask yourself how much do you want then?

 

[stewmath]

20k is enough to get me debt free so for me personally id snap it up as its a life changing amount of money for me

 

[slimjim270]

@maurixius -

I have to ask the obvious...

1) Does the potential buyer own an existing Trademark that (coincidentally) matches your domain?

2) What have you been doing with the domain for past 7 years? parking? Developed site? Other?

3) Have you used the domain in commerce?

Yes, I recognize I am one for asking "risk management" type questions, but to provide you any suggestion without ANY insight to the dynamics of the name or the current use by either you (or a potential buyer) is simply pissing vinegar in a cat's eye!!

Best of luck with your transaction. The worse case is not a low ball offer... it could be a UDRP and legal fees?