In this week's Top Topics, we take a look at the case of an investor who may need to use a wire transfer in order to keep a domain deal alive, and we discuss the subject of domain appraisals. Are they really necessary?
Elsewhere, domain marketplace DomainAgents shares a list of American vs British spelling as a reference for domain acquisitions and we discuss unreported domain sales.
Selling a Domain Without Escrow
In domaining, it's generally advisable to use an escrow service for domain name sales, but there are often circumstances where a transaction can be successful without using a third party. Here, an investor has a potential buyer that refuses to use an escrow service.
According to the discussion, the potential buyer is the CEO of a large travel company, so should the investor accept a wire transfer, direct to their bank account to avoid the possibility of the deal falling through?
Topic by: @JB Lions
Are Appraisals Really Necessary?
Domainer Richard Dynas (@uglydork) and broker @Darryl Lopes recently had a Twitter discussion on the merits of domain name appraisals, which has resulted in one of this week's most popular industry-wide discussions.
The use of domain name appraisals, paid or automated in particular, has been contentious for many investors, so are appraisals truly necessary? They may have their place for parsing extensive lists, but should they be trusted as a part of the negotiation?
Topic by: @uglydork
Don't Forget the "U" - American vs British Spelling
Last Monday, it was Labor Day in the USA and Labour Day in Canada. The spelling of some words in American vs British English has been an issue for some brands, which has caused some companies to acquire domains in both American and British English. Brands such as Color (color.com and colour.com) and Harbor (harbor.com and harbour.com) have smartly purchased both variations.
In this discussion, @DomainAgents has shared some advice for domain investors with a list of American vs British spelling variations to watch out for when considering purchasing a domain.
Topic by: @DomainAgents
I Turned Down a €950 offer on a €0.99 Domain
Around a month ago, this domainer registered a country-code domain name for just €0.99, which equates to around $1.09. This week, they turned down an offer of €950 via Sedo. With a potential return on investment of over 95,000%, was this investor right to decline the offer?
This discussion, asking for business model advice, has feedback from other domainers who were quick to say that the investor should have accepted the deal.
Topic by: @envos
What Percentage of Domain Sales Go Unreported?
The domain industry is fortunate to have resources such as NameBio, DNPric.es, and DNJournal that track hundreds of millions of dollars worth of publicly disclosed domain sales, but it is widely accepted that a large proportion of sales go unreported.
This could be due to NDAs (non-disclosure agreements), company policy or simply that the parties weren't interested in sharing details. Some previously unreported sales, such as the $2 million sale of Vivo.com, have been uncovered in SEC filings, with hundreds of similar sales potentially still out there, undiscovered in company filings.
This week's featured poll asks investors to estimate the percentage of domain name sales that go unreported. As of writing, the vast majority think that over 50% of sales go unreported. Do you agree?
Topic by: @Mary Muse
Top Topics of the Week is a blog series featuring the most popular discussions and content within the domain community. Tune in weekly to see what’s trending
Elsewhere, domain marketplace DomainAgents shares a list of American vs British spelling as a reference for domain acquisitions and we discuss unreported domain sales.
Selling a Domain Without Escrow
In domaining, it's generally advisable to use an escrow service for domain name sales, but there are often circumstances where a transaction can be successful without using a third party. Here, an investor has a potential buyer that refuses to use an escrow service.
According to the discussion, the potential buyer is the CEO of a large travel company, so should the investor accept a wire transfer, direct to their bank account to avoid the possibility of the deal falling through?
Topic by: @JB Lions
Are Appraisals Really Necessary?
Domainer Richard Dynas (@uglydork) and broker @Darryl Lopes recently had a Twitter discussion on the merits of domain name appraisals, which has resulted in one of this week's most popular industry-wide discussions.
The use of domain name appraisals, paid or automated in particular, has been contentious for many investors, so are appraisals truly necessary? They may have their place for parsing extensive lists, but should they be trusted as a part of the negotiation?
Topic by: @uglydork
Don't Forget the "U" - American vs British Spelling
Last Monday, it was Labor Day in the USA and Labour Day in Canada. The spelling of some words in American vs British English has been an issue for some brands, which has caused some companies to acquire domains in both American and British English. Brands such as Color (color.com and colour.com) and Harbor (harbor.com and harbour.com) have smartly purchased both variations.
In this discussion, @DomainAgents has shared some advice for domain investors with a list of American vs British spelling variations to watch out for when considering purchasing a domain.
Topic by: @DomainAgents
I Turned Down a €950 offer on a €0.99 Domain
Around a month ago, this domainer registered a country-code domain name for just €0.99, which equates to around $1.09. This week, they turned down an offer of €950 via Sedo. With a potential return on investment of over 95,000%, was this investor right to decline the offer?
This discussion, asking for business model advice, has feedback from other domainers who were quick to say that the investor should have accepted the deal.
Topic by: @envos
What Percentage of Domain Sales Go Unreported?
The domain industry is fortunate to have resources such as NameBio, DNPric.es, and DNJournal that track hundreds of millions of dollars worth of publicly disclosed domain sales, but it is widely accepted that a large proportion of sales go unreported.
This could be due to NDAs (non-disclosure agreements), company policy or simply that the parties weren't interested in sharing details. Some previously unreported sales, such as the $2 million sale of Vivo.com, have been uncovered in SEC filings, with hundreds of similar sales potentially still out there, undiscovered in company filings.
This week's featured poll asks investors to estimate the percentage of domain name sales that go unreported. As of writing, the vast majority think that over 50% of sales go unreported. Do you agree?
Topic by: @Mary Muse
Top Topics of the Week is a blog series featuring the most popular discussions and content within the domain community. Tune in weekly to see what’s trending
