discuss Confidentiality SUCKS

[MapleDots]

Confidentiality Sucks

I have had 3 big sales at 75k each and in each case I signed a confidentiality clause which prohibited me from talking about the domain.

In retrospect I find this really hampers my domaining business because I cannot give examples of my big sales to prospective client. Since I specialize in a unique targeted part of the market I rely on sales statistics to justify prices.

So here is my dilema...

I am in the midst of closing my biggest sale to date and it is well over the 200k mark. The problem is they want me to sign a confidentiality clause. I swore I would never sign another one and I am sticking to my guns. I turned them down flat and said no deal.

Now I know you are all thinking that was pretty stupid but I don't think so. First off, I don't think I will lose the deal and secondly I need my sales stats to target other sales.

The biggest players in the business regularly publish their sales statistics and they become like gods in the industry. They sell a domain based on the fact they got huge money for previous sales.

Looking for some feedback here from anyone who has had some larger sales.

 

[MapleDots]

Now being back on topic let me state a real scenario so it is understood.

Hypethetical

I sell MapleOne.com for 10k
I also own MapleOne.net and MapleOne.ca

Next buyer comes along and offers me 1k for the .net
I would like to give him details about who I sold MapleOne.com to and at what price. That would justify me getting closer to say 8k for it instead of the 1k.

Now take that one step forward and say I owned Maple1.com, Maple1.net and Maple1.ca (which I do)
Now I can also use the 10k sale of MapleOne.com to try and increase prices on those domains.

So some of you still think I am talking about reputation when what I am really talking about is the value of my remaining domains. If I can show sales with cold hard facts I can probably get more money for similar domains.

When I said the big players were revered like gods I was talking about what I have observed on namepros. Because they had the million dollar sales they automatically command bigger sale prices for their other domains. People figure they must have the magic touch and really know what they are talking about. The previously published sales are helping them get bigger paydays.

How the heck are they getting big guys around the non disclosure contracts?
Everyone is insisting on non disclosure when they buy a domain. Don't know, maybe its because I deal with companies instead of individuals.

A lot of my domains are so similar that if I can openly post my sales history I might be able to get a higher price on some of my other domains.

Example.... I have the matching .ca of the .com I am in the midst of selling. The company said I had to throw that in and I said no because they are not from Canada. I insisted they give me a release on the .ca and that they would not come after me if they trademark the .com. All of this is at the lawyer along with the fact that I do not wish to sign a non-disclosure agreement. It is self preservation, it increases the value of my domains and probably a ton of similar ones sitting at huge domains. As soon as the data is published people will go out looking for similar names. That is good for me because I already own the similar names.

 

[Ategy]

... what I am really talking about is the value of my remaining domains. If I can show sales with cold hard facts I can probably get more money for similar domains.
A lot of my domains are so similar that if I can openly post my sales history I might be able to get a higher price on some of my other domains.

When I said the big players were revered like gods I was talking about what I have observed on namepros. Because they had the million dollar sales they automatically command bigger sale prices for their other domains ...

Yeah .. these are two completely different things .. the similar domains part certainly would have an effect whether or not you were able to show similar prices.

That being said .. if you sold a .com for $10k .. then generally speaking the .net would be valued at $500 to $1000. Although today in 2017 from what I've got from my research, is that .net's are soft even at 5%-10% of .com prices.


How do you find .ca's compare to .com? About the same as .net?

 

[MapleDots]

How do you find .ca's compare to .com? About the same as .net?

I find in a lot of cases businesses will forward the .com to the .ca

Virtually all U.S. businesses in Canada use a .ca extension. So do a lot of the banks Amazon.ca etc etc

So .ca is hit and miss, the right name can have great value, especially if the .com is taken. I love when someone owns the .com and it is actually in use. It makes the .ca much more desireable. Its hard to get over 5k for a .ca but its been done quite a few times. My big sales have all been .coms but I have had enough smaller sales of .ca's to make a good chunk of change.

Example
BestBuy.ca - Was bought for a small fortune from a car parts company
Walmart.ca
Yahoo.ca
Amazon.ca
Staples.ca
The list goes on and on

 

[Ategy]

... but I have had enough smaller sales of .ca's to make a good chunk of change.

Example
BestBuy.ca - Was bought for a small fortune from a car parts company
Walmart.ca
Yahoo.ca
Amazon.ca
Staples.ca
The list goes on and on

Are those actual examples of YOUR sales? Or were you just speaking generally? lol

I'm up the road from you in Montreal ... so I'm seeing the same thing.

.ca is used by the biggest players online when they need multiple sites for multiple countries because of inventory/shipping/content etc. Think like what you said with amazon.ca or google.ca

But I'm also seeing a lot of the smaller businesses going with .ca because the .com is gone or too expensive.

Local market is really different here because Montreal is more French than English (and the rest of Quebec is 90% French). So for those businesses that are Quebec specific without aspirations of selling outside Quebec, then it's MUCH easier for them to find a good domain (both .com or .ca) in French than in English.

There's a pretty big renovation store chain that has a TV commercial ending with a 3L .CO (bmr.com I think).

I've grabbed a few really good French domains .. but I'm trying to avoid very local because the French/English dynamic is really a mess when you're in a French market but a good portion of those people with websites aspire to have a reach far greater than just Quebec.

 

[MapleDots]

Are those actual examples of YOUR sales? Or were you just speaking generally? lol

HeHe, I wish, those were just examples.

I have two businesses where I own the .com and the .ca and in both cases I use the .ca because that is where the bulk of my business is. Even if you look at my MapleDots.com page you will notice the MapleDots.ca address is the one I use. Any click on the .com takes you to the .ca. I target Canadian Business names so that makes sense for me.

I am just now commissioning the logo for RoyalMaple.com and RoyalMaple.ca
Again it is important when one sells that I can use the other to negotiate price. In sooo many cases I own the .com and the .ca or something similar. A confidentiality agreement stifles my ability to cross market sales data.

Montreal is not too far from me, if you're ever in Ontario let me know, maybe we can meet up.

PS. Be careful of the French names, it's a very small target audience for those. Only used in quebec and if the company does business outside quebec they will automatically need something different. (may I suggest the maple for instance)

 

[imadoer]

@MapleDots I'm starting to question your credibility. You say you just sold 3 domains under nda. Very large sales. And basically you want to be known for your sales. But when I asked you for your largest sale that you can disclose you have dodged the question. Twice. And you don't have five figure domains in your port. You keep rambling nonsense. I call things as I see it. And until you show us something. You will look like a liar imo

 

[Ram G.]

..

 

[campout]

@MapleDots I'm also curious what is your biggest sale you've ever made that you didn't sign a NDA on.

 

[MapleDots]

I did not say I just sold 3 under nda, I said I sold 3 under nda but that was over a number of years.

The others were nothing huge, I generally try to hold out for around 5k if I can. I sold MBCanada.ca to someone who sold car parts but he lost the domain to Mercedes Benz Canada because they threatened him.

I continue to own MBCanada*com and hope to sell it to them but am holding out for 75k. I have been threatened on that over the years but I am not intimidated. They use MBUSA in the states and I figure with all the similarities I have value there.

I bought hundreds of LLCanada.com & .ca combinations and sold them over years before I did maples.

 

[Ram G.]

Its inspirational to see someone selling handregs for $75K

 

[MapleDots]

Its inspirational to see someone selling handregs for $75K

Everything was a hand reg at some time. I have hand regs from 2002 in my portfolio, I cannot bear to part with because they are great names.

My biggest one to date was a hand reg that made sense to me, it was calculated and I got lucky.

 

[imadoer]

no one is selling handregs they regged this year for 75k...

again @MapleDots you avoided my question. whats your biggest sale you can disclose.

 

[MapleDots]

OMG I just disclosed, what do you want blood?

Why can't you just wait until I can release the information and just chill until then.

 

[imadoer]

OMG I just disclosed, what do you want blood?

No i want the truth

 

[imadoer]

you said you sold MBCanada.ca but didnt say how much you just said you try to hold out for 5k.

I'm calling bullshit about this thread

 

[MapleDots]

Yes 5k,

 

[imadoer]

ok so you sold one domain for 5k and 1 for 75k then another for 75k and your negotiating for 200k as we speak.. this is a huge jump. from 5k. and looking at your names unless your brokering something i don't belive you

 

[MapleDots]

OMG, yes it's being brokered its a Maple domain - I own 300 maple domains, I got lucky with one really big one, I knew eventually I would. It's our National symbol and it has big demand.

Edit: Actually lucky is not the word..... calculated, it was a calculated gamble.

 

[MapleDots]

Anyways, its 2am, I am going to bed, the third degree is wearing me out.

 

[Ategy]

PS. Be careful of the French names, it's a very small target audience for those. Only used in quebec and if the company does business outside quebec they will automatically need something different. (may I suggest the maple for instance)

Yeah .. but there are other French speaking countries .. .that being said I think under 3% of my portfolio is non-english .. and for those they are very strong keywords .. I have the French equivalent of mortgage, health, work, broker, english, dance, green, bet, sold, links, retirement in .co .. so despite being both French and .co they are extremely strong keywords ... also a few in .com (collectionduchef, mesrabais, plainairs) . I actually have a couple German and Spanish as well in similar quality. But aside from those over 97% are English.

 

[Giode]

I would say that unless you're a well-known person in the industry, it's probably better to not say anything unless you can divulge details. There's no point.

I don't like NDA's either. You know why? Because they are too often used as an excuse for not revealing details. Lots of folks in this business do it. Too convenient. I would never trust a so-called broker who couldn't provide actual data. I am surprised at how many actually do!

I have sales under NDA. I have many that aren't as well. Most of the biggest sales go unreported industry wide, and that is not only because of an NDA. It is because many prefer to keep this information private. Keep the cards close to their chest.

I had a large sale reported once when the buyer put out a press release. Big mistake! That buyer/company was inundated with emails from low-level domainers trying to sell their domains for months. Not at all uncommon with reported sales.

The bottom line: If you're making big sales and enjoying what you're doing, who cares who knows?

 

[MapleDots]

I would say that unless you're a well-known person in the industry, it's probably better to not say anything unless you can divulge details. There's no point.

Yup, I figured that out. Got up this morning to make my list of 5k sales but figured there will be no end so I used the ignore button instead. Damn handy that thing, I should have used it before.

Assuming I can get past the non disclosure agreement I will post back here with great joy when my sale completes.

 

[.NJ]

Yup, I figured that out. Got up this morning to make my list of 5k sales but figured there will be no end so I used the ignore button instead

I think you should still ahead and list these sales.

There recently has been many false prophets, misleading info, and just straight delusional $hit going on.

I'm not calling bullshit on you yet, but if your going to talk the talk, you need to walk the walk.

Your starting to throw around the .ca scene and so called past great sales with a personal portfolio of over 300 for sale.

Do you see the connection?

Not trying to rain on your parade, but I like to try and keep the scene real.

I hope you understand my point of view.

 

[promo]

I can only agree with the OP...

This so much reminds me of the time when I banged 10 super top world class models at once.. They made me promise not to tell anyone of their names. But they were the most beautiful women in the world and they all told me I was the best lover they ever had.

Its really annoying. I do bang super models each day of course, but if I could just tell people about those 10 I am certain I would bang like 4 a day instead of just 1. Ahh so tedious with confidentiality.

Did I tell you I am the worlds greatest lover? Everyone knows that if you really say it alot its true.

Ohh and I also started doing day trading last month. Actually I only started March 3rd. So not quite a month yet. I already made a couple of millions by mistake. Cant tell you how though. I can tell you I own more than 300 different stocks on long holds though. Tomorrow I think I will make my first billion. If I care to I might be busy banging super models. We will see.

EDIT
Ohh and I forgot to say... "Doers do, BSers talk.. A lot"...

 

[main]

Just visited your site out of curiosity. Literally ~95% of your domains have been registered in the last 8 months. And you say you've had 3 sales of $75,000 (at least one of them a hand-reg) and a sale in the works for well over $200,000. Sounds right to me!