advice Buying LLL.com directly from owner instead of broker?

[Joe70]

Let’s say there’s a LLL.com I’d like to buy, as an end user. The domain has been owned by the same guy or company for at least a decade and it has never hosted an actual web site. Just when I was ready to make an offer, the owner started listing it at a broker’s web site, but without a price. (This broker has hundreds of domains listed.)

Obviously, the seller is going to consider the broker’s fees when selling, and just as obviously, I wouldn’t want to pay more than necessary.

What’s the usual broker fee range? Are such broker arrangements typically exclusive, or only for sales actually closed by the broker? How do the vets here recommend I proceed? Thanks very much.

 

[anon22339]

Just email the owner directly using WHOIS information. Remind him that if you and him come to an agreement together without the broker he can keep more of his sale proceeds than if he used the broker (he pays the broker, not you). If he has an exclusivity agreement with the broker, then it may be tricky but you could also wait until that agreement expires and deal directly again.

 

[anantj]

A professional broker would require exclusitivity. And a scrupulous domain owner would redirect your inquiry to a broker. I have an exact opposite opinion to @anon22339. While you can and should reach out directly to the owner (no harm in this), you should not try to suggest what the previous comment does as it is ethical

 

[Kuffy]

It may be that he doesn't want to get involved in the negotiations, and that is why he is using a broker.

 

[FPForum]

I would have to agree with anatj here. With some names you may have a decent chance just going straight to the owner via whois. Still worth a shot in this instance as well. However, being that you said its an LLL.com and has been undeveloped for a while now (supposedly under the same owner?) I would say we're talking about a seasoned domainer here. If he has 1 LLL.com in his portfolio he likely has at least a couple other good names which makes me think he's using a seasoned broker. I would expect there is likely some sort of exclusivity there and you're only going to get pointed to the broker if you get any reply at all.

 

[Joe70]

Thanks for the replies.

The domain owner in question owns a lot of domains, including a lot of LLL, while the broker seems to specialize in the Asian market.

Since WHOIS tells me who the owner is, it seems like the broker shouldn’t get paid unless he actually finds a buyer. This doesn’t seem analogous to, e.g., real estate, where the buyer probably wouldn’t know the property was for sale if the broker hadn’t listed and advertised it.

 

[bmugford]

Thanks for the replies.

The domain owner in question owns a lot of domains, including a lot of LLL, while the broker seems to specialize in the Asian market.

Since WHOIS tells me who the owner is, it seems like the broker shouldn’t get paid unless he actually finds a buyer. This doesn’t seem analogous to, e.g., real estate, where the buyer probably wouldn’t know the property was for sale if the broker hadn’t listed and advertised it.

I don't think it is really that unique for someone who has a high quality portfolio and gets inbound offers to use a broker. Often they are better with sales, or the owner just could not be bothered with the process of weeding through endless tire kickers.

I have used brokers before on inbound offers for various reasons.

Brad