Advice on selling a million dollar .com

[brendan52190]

I've been approached by a friend of a friend who has been sitting on a premium dictionary one-word .com for many years and is now looking to sell for a few million. Without revealing too much, the domain has a high commercial value, with potential applications in banking, real estate, commerce, etc.

What would be the best route to take in an attempt to find a buyer at that price? Contact corporations that may have a potential use for the domain? And what is the best way to approach them -- email, phone, etc., and who in the organization is best to initiate contact with?

Or what other proactive marketing techniques should I consider?

I will be honest, brokering a domain of this caliber is way out of my league, but it's not everyday such an opportunity presents itself!

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Traveler]

A few (3 or more) million would put that name in the top 20 for the most expensive domain names ever sold.

http://www.domaining.com/topsales/

So first, unless the name is really that good, let him know it probably won't go that high. The way you describe the name, he should have had many offers over the years. Hopefully he kept some records of those so you can see where they came from.

I've never dealt with a name worth anywhere near that price so I really can't offer much in the way of experience. But I do think you are right in thinking to contact any and all corporations that may have an interest in the name.

 

[hawkeye]

If you're not experienced in selling high dollar 'anythings', especially domains; and if that domain 'is' a million dollar name, you'd be better off to take the smart route and use a broker that knows how to sell high dollar domains. I'd reach out to Andrew at Media Options, as he's one of the best.

 

[urlurl]

If he's looking at selling the name relatively quickly he wont get top dollar ($mil) as the most likely buyers would be investors who would need to turn it around for a profit. best advice would be sit on it and let the buyers come to him. If its a premium name people will come. If you wanted to PM me the name for my opinion you can.

 

[johname]

True "million dollar domains" get people and corporations begging and making offers to purchase them. Phone calls and trying to knock on your door lol. Especially if you own awesome domain and your doing something non awesome with it. They also get broker inquiries! Start off by asking your friend what's his highest offer in the last 12 months. If the amount doesn't impress you then start looking for a 2nd opinion on the million dollar value.

 

[alien51]

I will be honest, brokering a domain of this caliber is way out of my league, but it's not everyday such an opportunity presents itself!

Just split the commission fee between you, and a professional domain broker expert. And don't tell your friend, and your friend's friend, about it. Otherwise, you'll just be a redundant middleman expense.

 

[brendan52190]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll ask a few more questions and further evaluate the domain's worth. Then do some research into prospective end users to contact and/or partner up with an experienced broker. Hoping for the best! :wave:

 

[DU]

premium dictionary one-word .com

Lots of domains are called Premium here. We also have had reference to super duper and super duper primo. It's a term that means very little - if not nothing.

Plenty of one-word .com in the world. The dictionary is a very big thick book now.

high commercial value, with potential applications in banking, real estate, commerce, etc.

Often a name that has that many applications has less commercial value than one that doesn't.

Given that mediocre names get offers I'd be surprised that a premium one-word didn't (as others say) get many many offers. Going to a site like germany.com, corp.com show this. Actually corp.com has toned down his "your admin is a moron" pages but he's selling grill.com now.

Sending random emails could do more damage than good if not done well, imho.

 

[Kate]

If the domain is really that good, and assuming it has not been in use for business, the owner must have received a couple unsolicited offers already.

 

[Larry Fling]

A million dollar domain to you might be worth regfee to me.
Without knowing the domain I can really say much,
And like the others have said. If it were really that good you'd have people knocking on your door. literally.

 

[verbster]

If your friend knew enough to buy the domain on the cheap, he should also know enough to at least have it in a place that has good stats. A "premium" domain worth seven figures should have huge traffic.

 

[brendan52190]

A million dollar domain to you might be worth regfee to me.
Without knowing the domain I can really say much,
And like the others have said. If it were really that good you'd have people knocking on your door. literally.

If your friend knew enough to buy the domain on the cheap, he should also know enough to at least have it in a place that has good stats. A "premium" domain worth seven figures should have huge traffic.

I have yet to hear back from him on recent offers he has received, but I'm almost positive there has been many. This domain was not, by any stretch of the imagination, bought by him on the cheap. It was a very large investment made a decade or so ago that he is looking to see a nice return on now. He's not really a "domain investor" though. Nor does he have the time to actively market the domain. Hence, I was referred to him by a friend to see if I could help sell it.

 

[meursault]

I have yet to hear back from him on recent offers he has received, but I'm almost positive there has been many. This domain was not, by any stretch of the imagination, bought by him on the cheap. It was a very large investment made a decade or so ago that he is looking to see a nice return on now. He's not really a "domain investor" though. Nor does he have the time to actively market the domain. Hence, I was referred to him by a friend to see if I could help sell it.

Not a domain investor but made a 'very large investment' in a domain!

If I had anything that was really worth a lot of money, I'm sure I'd make time to actively market it. This whole thing doesn't sound at all right.