$200,000 Offer - Sell or Develop?

[DomainAuction]

I was offered $200,000 for a domain name that I own by a company that is worth billions of dollars.

This figure was expected for this particular domain name however I am in need of some advice in regards to possibly developing a company/website out of this opportunity instead.

My domain is an exact-phrase match for technology that is going to be around for the next decade (guaranteed) and this particular phrase will be on over 100 million consumer electronic products, their commercials, packaging and even brochures - you can't miss it. Average price of these consumer products (as of now) is $10,000.

So, do I develop/drop-ship (e.g. 5-7% commission for 10 years) with an exact-phrase domain and stellar SEO/Development skills OR do I take my $200,000 and buy champagne.

All feedback is appreciated ahead of time! Thank you

 

[Edward Smeu]

It makes the most sense if your reasoning is accurate.

It's easier when the domains and the amounts are a lot less.

 

[Cyphix]

This is not legal advice as I'm not a TM lawyer but AFAIK companies cannot register trademarks on a term after the fact and then cry foul about a certain domain someone has - this I believe is referred to as reverse domain hi-jacking; although I did notice that link regarding Ovation.com and I shake my head at that.

Additionally as has been pointed out by the OP he has been told that the term is illegible to be TM'ed as it must be a generic term.

I say you have a tough decision, but if it's as great a domain as you say it is then I'm sure you could probably get even more than 200k (considering several big parties may be interested in it), so may be best to negotiate with them.

Good Luck!

 

[DomainAuction]

@Cyphix thanks for that!

I have confirmed several brands tried to file a Trademark but were denied as it's "too generic" which helps my case in the future if they decide to cry =)

Also, their filings were in 2013...

My ownership, concept and intentions date back to 2007 (public).

I found this out and confirmed it with 3 different agencies as I was trying to file a Trademark myself.

I thank all of you who have replied, I am very appreciate - for everything.

 

[Jasonn]

take the money and run. spend 10k buyying another good domain in that same field and with proper development you can still make a bunch of money with it.

 

[DomainAuction]

@Jasonn - I totally would but I have 20+ domains in the same field that are even better! =)

I pretty much invested everything i had in these domain names (since early 2008) rather than stocks because the phrase was not only predicted but also very appealing to me - and the product(s) were not in existence yet.

For example, lets say the phrase is "Games" and you invested everything you had in 100+ domain names involving "Games" - like Board Games, Computer Games etc. and then 6 years later you find out the phrase "Games" was also appealing to companies/the public.

It's what I am dealing with. I monopolized all of the best possibilities hoping one day it would arrive and get picked up - and it did.

The trademark information I found out was awesome,
but regardless of what I was told... the personal information I just shared with you all is why I would not back down 1 bit if any one were to cry =)

It's literally, mine.

 

[urlurl]

Take the money,

As google's algorithms have changed, you don't need exact words or phrases to get ranked or found these days, just good content, links, seo, etc.

 

[NameAgency]

It is not a matter of positioning on Google. Exact words work in users minds in an authority-leadership-trust manner. That's the real value of these domains.

 

[cdboard]

do you have experience developing a site and making a lot of money from operating that single website?

 

[DomainAuction]

@Primerlloc I totally agree with you, I have also owned the Vanity URLs for this particular phrase on the top 10 social media websites since 2008.

@cdboard Yes, I was an in-house SEO specialist for a company for several years and they were ranked #2 in the entire world within the matter of 3 months because of my work. The website consisted of only 48 pages where as rank #1 had/has over 250,000 pages and #3-8 had 50,000 pages on average. Their traffic increased by over 20,000% (within 90 days) - but this is not the only website I have done this for. When I realized what I am capable of, and how I made a TON of money for others (while getting hourly pay) I left the company and formed my own company.

 

[godolphin]

Why don't you call up Rick Schwartz, Frank Shilling... they might give you the right advice.

Good luck!

 

[DomainAuction]

@godolphin I wish I had those opportunities! My last domain sale was for $3,500 to a company that I later found out charges $3,500 for their smallest advertising slot PER DAY. It's frustrating working hard for a gem that others get to polish.

 

[urlurl]

It is not a matter of positioning on Google. Exact words work in users minds in an authority-leadership-trust manner. That's the real value of these domains.

just tried googling candy... i'm on the 5th page and I still can't find candy . com

 

[DomainAuction]

@urlurl You are comparing Candy that's $1 to the successor of a product that sold over 200 million units which (now) has a $1,000 on average price tag for over the past 10 years. Also in regards to Candy - the .com is weak in my opinion, but their Alexa Ranking proves they own A LOT more than .001% of the Candy pie. See where I am coming from?

 

[sofiapartner]

I would take the money and run. But thats me. Maybe you are smarter or not. Future will tell.

Do what you feel you should do. That way you wont regret later.

Good Luck.

 

[lincolndsp]

negotiate

 

[ipodxpert]

I was offered $200,000 for a domain name that I own by a company that is worth billions of dollars.

This figure was expected for this particular domain name however I am in need of some advice in regards to possibly developing a company/website out of this opportunity instead.

My domain is an exact-phrase match for technology that is going to be around for the next decade (guaranteed) and this particular phrase will be on over 100 million consumer electronic products, their commercials, packaging and even brochures - you can't miss it. Average price of these consumer products (as of now) is $10,000.

So, do I develop/drop-ship (e.g. 5-7% commission for 10 years) with an exact-phrase domain and stellar SEO/Development skills OR do I take my $200,000 and buy champagne.

All feedback is appreciated ahead of time! Thank you

Congrats on getting an offer of $200k. Considering other facts you provided about the potential buyer and the products, it shows that you are really good at finding/picking a gem of a domain name.

Based on your other comments/opnion, it seems either you have already made up your mind or have a strong inclination towards waiting, holding and developing the domain name.

I'm sure you may have already done the research of that particular technology either getting outdated in next few months to few years. In technology world, things change really fast.

Secondly, what is the possibility of that particular company going for other ext? Is there a possiblity that someone has already applied or may apply for a new domain name extension with that particular phrase? Reason, I'm asking this is because you have mentioned that it will become a very popular phrase on commercial products...etc. What if that company or some other company in that niche applies for a new domain name extension with that exact phrase? Have you considered that?

Go with your guts and research because it has already worked in your favor when you got the offer of $200k.

Good luck!

 

[urlurl]

@urlurl You are comparing Candy that's $1 to the successor of a product that sold over 200 million units which (now) has a $1,000 on average price tag for over the past 10 years. Also in regards to Candy - the .com is weak in my opinion, but their Alexa Ranking proves they own A LOT more than .001% of the Candy pie. See where I am coming from?

i'm not comparing products, just domains. having a perfect match name these days does not guarantee top position.

Take the money

And if you are looking a building an affiliate site, buy a nice brandable, build a superior site, add some seo and now you are in business.

my 2 cents

 

[lennco]

The $200k is great up front cash, but you want some kind of ownership to go with that cash.

3% to 7% ownership is what you really want that way they do all the work and you sit back and collect money for the rest of your life, plus you would have some great equity.

Even if you have to drop the cash price a little it will be well worth it in the long run.

Good luck :tu:

 

[DomainAuction]

@ipodxpert interesting point but I do not see it as an issue what so ever and I thank the social media Vanity URL pages for that. They will be promoting and contain the link to the best domain name I own for this technology (which isn't the one with the $200K offer) so that will help out a lot with other extensions swarming the scene. Tagging/Mentions/Shoutouts etc

@urlurl don't get me wrong, I appreciate every feedback but I am not seeking top position, I am seeking at least .001% of the pie. You Candy example was great, especially stating they are nowhere to be found as you were on Page #5 - well, as I stated... they have a lot more than .001% of the pie and that's without being ranked well

---------- Post added at 01:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:05 PM ----------

@lennco 100% agree with you on this, I have no experience in that department but a good friend of mine does and he said something very similar. Thanks

 

[gmd]

Few things needs to be considered:
1. Are you financially stable right now? or in 2-3 years to come? if yes
then keep it and develop it and make its value much higher. (long and stable investment)

2. If your not financially stable, the better option is sell it now. sometimes countering their offer leads to a non sale.