Best Domain Sales Platform for Facilitating a Private Domain Acquisition From a Non-Domainer Seller?

[Arca]

I've bought domains privately before but I always find it very difficult to strike a balance between security and "ease" of selling for the seller when it comes to carrying out the actual transaction (payment + domain transfer). The seller will often be quite apprehensive (is this person trying to scam me?) and often not all that eager to part with their domain, so they are also not willing to jump through too many hoops that are needed to create a more secure transaction at certain platforms (account certification, identity verification, domain ownership verification, etc.) to get the sale done.

Which sales platform provides the easiest sign-up and sales process for a brand new one-time seller? I can't recall what process most platforms required when signing up, so it would be good if some members here could chime in. I'm looking for platforms where the seller can simply sign-up and list the name for sale without any verification process, and have me pay for it and get paid, without having to print out any documents to sign or scan and send in sensitive person identity documents, such as a passport scan. Basically, which platform presents a seller with the least obstacles and reasons to back out of a sale due to troublesome requirements?

Based on these criteria, Escrow.com, Payoneer escrow, and a regular sedo.com seller account are not options.

I haven't tried Sedo's external domain sales escrow before, but that might be an option - for those who use it, what's the process like for sellers? Afternic.com lets you sign-up and list names for sale without any kind of account certification or domain ownership verification, but their new transaction system is incredibly buggy, slow, and their escrow agents do not reply to messages a lot of the time, so it's a less than ideal option but it could work if their platform performs smoothly (unlikely at present, hopefully will get better in the future). If the domain is registered at GoDaddy, the seller could create a premium listing for the domain (I would cover the 20% commission fee). Probably the easiest option for the seller, because they already know and trust GoDaddy, setting up a premium listing only takes a few clicks, and the subsequent ownership transfer is automated, so once the name is listed by seller the sale should go through without any hiccups.

Which platform do you think would be best suited for private acquisition purchases?

 

[Arca]

Any input from NPers more experienced in making private domain acquisitions would be appreciated.

 

[biggie]

despite the verification process, "escrow" is a known word, so using the escrow.com platform eases some inhibition.

the issue sometimes with buying from non-domainer is, they may own the name, but it could be managed by a in-house tech or a hosting service.

if they have never transferred a domain before and have no knowledge of the process, then choosing a platform that "explains" the steps in the process and one that they feel most comfortable with using, is recommended.

imo...

 

[Arca]

despite the verification process, "escrow" is a known word, so using the escrow.com platform eases some inhibition.

the issue sometimes with buying from non-domainer is, they may own the name, but it could be managed by a in-house tech or a hosting service.

if they have never transferred a domain before and have no knowledge of the process, then choosing a platform that "explains" the steps in the process and one that they feel most comfortable with using, is recommended.

imo...

Thanks, but I’m specifically looking for options besides escrow.com. I think escrow.com’s intrusive identity verification process, payment delay issues, lack of customer support responsiveness, and a range of other complaints that frequently are posted here on NP (where in some cases, the escrow.com process makes the buyer back out), make it unsuited for transactions with reluctant non-domainer sellers.

I do agree that while an escrow service can help the buyer feel less wary of being scammed, the "escrow.com" platform doesn’t exactly have glowing reviews (which somebody who has never might used the platform would probably search for), so not sure their brand name would build a lot of trust with somebody unfamiliar with them:

Ideally looking to find out which platform(s) facilitate the selling process more smoothly and present less obstacles and challenges during the transaction than escrow.com.

 

[Arca]

Would PayPal's buyer protection cover me if I transfer funds to seller but don't receive the domain?

Anyone had this experience and successfully gotten a refund from paypal?

 

[biggie]

don't think pp protection plan covers domains

but if the sale in under $3k, only minimum verification is necessary at escrow.com

otherwise, you can try sedo escrow

or get the seller to transfer first, and pay via paypal, after


imo...

 

[comati]

I haven't tried Sedo's external domain sales escrow before, but that might be an option - for those who use it, what's the process like for sellers?

it's the same process as for internal sales after you start the escrow.

 

[Kuffy]

PayPal has been the scammers friend for more than a score of years, so I would avoid them.

I'm starting to think that the best option is via a registrar push, as long as it is with a reputable registrar of course. Registrars like Name Silo will undertake a guaranteed transfer between accounts once payment has been made. As they have control of the name throughout the process, this looks to be the safest option. Once you have control of the name, and have waited out the new restriction period, you are able to transfer the name to wherever you want to.

 

[Arca]

I did some reading about this, and PayPal Seller Protection explicitly does not cover "digital goods".

PayPal's Buyer Protection does not cover the following items:
Items like real estate, motorised vehicles (of any kind), custom-made items, industrial machinery (for manufacturing), prepaid cards, or items that violate our policies, anything you buy in person, or money transfers to friends or family.

"Digital goods" are not mentioned.

This press release was sent out by PayPal in mid-2015:
Effective July 1, 2015, we will be extending Purchase Protection to cover intangible goods. This includes services, and digital goods, like online music, e-books, games, travel tickets, and software downloads.

As of this date, if a customer pays for a service or digital product using PayPal, and it’s not received or is significantly different from how it was described, they can file a purchase protection claim.

Why are we changing it?
PayPal’s Purchase Protection globally has covered physical goods for many years, and this update brings PayPal in line with the coverage that some card providers already offer.
PayPal can now be seen by your customers as an even safer way to pay. For businesses like yours, it has the potential to help improve sales, because it can give consumers more confidence when making purchases for digital goods and services.

How does this affect you?
As a business that sells intangible goods, you’ll need to respond to buyer claims for intangible goods, with ‘compelling evidence’ of the transaction. This compelling evidence could vary depending on the type of goods or services provided. Please refer to the User Agreement for more information.

Although the expanded Purchase Protection extends coverage to buyers for intangible items, Seller Protection does not apply to intangible items. However, having proper Proof of Delivery can help a seller win a buyer’s Item Not Received Purchase Protection Claim.

It seems that buyers are covered, and sellers are not. Anyone have any experience with this as a buyer?

 

[GoKaizen]

Registrar marketplace, Epik or Namesilo.

Which sales platform provides the easiest sign-up and sales process for a brand new one-time seller?

 

[Arca]

Registrar marketplace, Epik or Namesilo.

I'm not sure these would be ideal in this situation. I'm specifically looking for ways to buy unused domains from non-domainer buyers, that make the process simple and easy for the seller.

Do you have any experience with getting a non-domainer seller to to sign up for an account with either of those registrars, transfer their domain to them, and then selling the name to you via their marketplace?

In my experience, people outside the industry are usually not domain-savvy at all, and may never have transferred a domain between registrars before. To ask them to transfer their domain to another registrar (that they have probably not heard of before) just to be able to sell it to me, when I contacted them first and asked them to sell it to me, not the other way around, seems to be a lot to demand of them. It also creates an additional obstacle for them to sell the name, if they are not familiar with how the process of domain transfer between registrars works.

 

[Kuffy]

You sign up with his registrar and accept a push. This is why many domainers have accounts with a variety of registrars. I've got accounts with 3, and I'm a very small player.

 

[Name Trader]

I agree with @Kuffy. In fact he beat me to it. The seller is mostly going to prefer a platform he already uses, and favors. Such as GoDaddy. Let him sell on the platform he already trusts. Sign up at that registrar and accept a push of the domain, after you have paid the registrar for the domain.