question Domain Broker Questions

[Maggie Mae]

I purchased a small portfolio of similar domains that have at least four (4) strong industry possibilities in terms of buyers including both small businesses and larger corporations.

When I first started buying these domains, my intent was to market each individually via outbound sales.

But, I also see an opportunity to sell them as a portfolio bundle to a couple of big corporations.

NOTE: these are not IP infringement; they're just relative to the industries identified.

I'm comfortable writing the pitch, have prospective buyers/industries identified including contact names/contact info, but am limited in time for follow-up.

Is it better to find a broker to work with and share a percentage of the sales?

I know there are domain brokers known in the industry; how do you vet them?

I've not sold a domain portfolio/bundle before, so not sure of the technical steps.

Would you try the bundle approach to a big business first? It's definitely faster and easier, but takes the domains away from smaller businesses that could also benefit from them.

Thoughts?
TIA!

 

[Maggie Mae]

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[LoveCatchyDomains]

Your question is a good one.

Is it better to find a broker to work with and share a percentage of the sales?

You can certainly consider checking with the major ones, and seengi if the have any interest. For example, with Sedo, they have an application for a domain to go through their brokerage.

I know there are domain brokers known in the industry; how do you vet them?

That's a challenge, as there appears to be indepedent data lacking on this. There are certain brokers that get listed on the web when they have the big sales. You could consider checking those reports.

I've not sold a domain portfolio/bundle before, so not sure of the technical steps.

Would you try the bundle approach to a big business first? It's definitely faster and easier, but takes the domains away from smaller businesses that could also benefit from them.

That's where an experienced domain broker could be helpful. Occasionally, when newbies had questions about their portfolio up front, we have had some very experienced members offer to review the domains via PM (private messaging).

Some caution with approaching brokerages is merited. There was a recent discussion on Namepros about some unscrupulous behaviors associated with brokers. In the hands a of a great broker, though, you may get the deal done at a much better price than you could do.

So, hopefully others on the forum will have some ideas to share.

 

[Maggie Mae]

Your question is a good one.

You can certainly consider checking with the major ones, and seengi if the have any interest. For example, with Sedo, they have an application for a domain to go through their brokerage.

That's a challenge, as there appears to be indepedent data lacking on this. There are certain brokers that get listed on the web when they have the big sales. You could consider checking those reports.

That's where an experienced domain broker could be helpful. Occasionally, when newbies had questions about their portfolio up front, we have had some very experienced members offer to review the domains via PM (private messaging).

Some caution with approaching brokerages is merited. There was a recent discussion on Namepros about some unscrupulous behaviors associated with brokers. In the hands a of a great broker, though, you may get the deal done at a much better price than you could do.

So, hopefully others on the forum will have some ideas to share.

Thank you so much for a thoughtful reply!

 

[Maggie Mae]

Your question is a good one.

You can certainly consider checking with the major ones, and seengi if the have any interest. For example, with Sedo, they have an application for a domain to go through their brokerage.

That's a challenge, as there appears to be indepedent data lacking on this. There are certain brokers that get listed on the web when they have the big sales. You could consider checking those reports.

That's where an experienced domain broker could be helpful. Occasionally, when newbies had questions about their portfolio up front, we have had some very experienced members offer to review the domains via PM (private messaging).

Some caution with approaching brokerages is merited. There was a recent discussion on Namepros about some unscrupulous behaviors associated with brokers. In the hands a of a great broker, though, you may get the deal done at a much better price than you could do.

So, hopefully others on the forum will have some ideas to share.

You said
"Some caution with approaching brokerages is merited. There was a recent discussion on Namepros about some unscrupulous behaviors associated with brokers. In the hands a of a great broker, though, you may get the deal done at a much better price than you could do."

I saw a top domain broker going after someone on Twitter this week; I don't know the back story, but the venom they used in their comment was shocking and disappointing to see in a professional.

 

[LoveCatchyDomains]

And the point here is that there is really no global "vetting" for domain brokers. The Escrow.com full transparency mode, for brokered transactions, at least gives reassurance that the price the buyer is paying is the price that you are receiving, minus whatever commissions have been agreed upon.

Even then, there is no guaranteee that a broker couldn't have some "buddy" acting as the buyer, with the intent of an immediate flip to a much higher payout for them and their buddy. That's where the integrity factor matters.

 

[Maggie Mae]

And the point here is that there is really no global "vetting" for domain brokers. The Escrow.com full transparency mode, for brokered transactions, at least gives reassurance that the price the buyer is paying is the price that you are receiving, minus whatever commissions have been agreed upon.

Even then, there is no guaranteee that a broker couldn't have some "buddy" acting as the buyer, with the intent of an immediate flip to a much higher payout for them and their buddy. That's where the integrity factor matters.

I've wondered if that is a possibility.
I just need to get my business structured properly for selling domains and make my own pitches, I guess. I don't mind sharing a % for commission if I could find a trustworthy broker to work with, b/c I could move them faster. But in a forum on another domain site, I had someone offer to broker. I asked if the person had a website and more info about their work; they gave me a well-known site that I later realized was actually a well-known site they had nothing to do with ... no integrity

 

[LoveCatchyDomains]

I just need to get my business structured properly for selling domains and make my own pitches,

There is quite a bit of information available on Namepros about outbounding. Some can be found through searches on here, and other listings from farther back are available through Google searches.

Sure, it would be great if there was a way to have a certified domain broker with integrity at the helm. That individual would likely have the connections and the savvy to seal the deal with an optimal price. But even if the broker is a well-known, trusted expert in the field, the likelihood is that they would only want to deal with very high-value domains.

If you have the patience and savvy to do your own outbounding and negotiating, it may be worth a try, at least for now. Perhaps, though, others on this forum can chime in, and offer their suggestions with brokers that they felt were very trustworthy and very effective in producing some great sales.

 

[Maggie Mae]

There is quite a bit of information available on Namepros about outbounding. Some can be found through searches on here, and other listings from farther back are available through Google searches.

Sure, it would be great if there was a way to have a certified domain broker with integrity at the helm. That individual would likely have the connections and the savvy to seal the deal with an optimal price. But even if the broker is a well-known, trusted expert in the field, the likelihood is that they would only want to deal with very high-value domains.

If you have the patience and savvy to do your own outbounding and negotiating, it may be worth a try, at least for now. Perhaps, though, others on this forum can chime in, and offer their suggestions with brokers that they felt were very trustworthy and very effective in producing some great sales.

Thank you, LCD; you've been very helpful! I hope your kindness is returned

 

[Namey123]

I've privately messaged you Maggie,

Namey123

 

[LoveCatchyDomains]

Note that there was some sense of excitement when the "brokered" NS3, NS4 Afternic landers were announced. If there is access to a very talented brokerage team using those landers, that would be great.

However, it seems that the verdict is not in yet about how successful these are. The idea was that the Afternic team takes the leads and tries to convert them to sales. Perhaps others on the forum could weigh in on any progress using these landers?

 

[biggie]

small portfolio of similar domains that have at least four (4) strong industry possibilities

Hi

if the portfolio size is greater than the (4) possibilities,
then mathematically, it's not worth a real brokers effort.

however, if the value of the portfolio is assessed high enough, for a transaction to be worthy of that effort...
then a real broker might get involved.

we don't know any of the domains or if you solicited them or received any offers for them in the past.
so, as always, it depends on the quality of each domain in question.

imo...

 

[Maggie Mae]

I've privately messaged you Maggie,

Namey123

TY, I replied

 

[Maggie Mae]

Hi

if the portfolio size is greater than the (4) possibilities,
then mathematically, it's not worth a real brokers effort.

however, if the value of the portfolio is assessed high enough, for a transaction to be worthy of that effort...
then a real broker might get involved.

we don't know any of the domains or if you solicited them or received any offers for them in the past.
so, as always, it depends on the quality of each domain in question.

imo...

Thank you, Biggie. I understand those points.

Do you have any suggestions for how to vet a broker?

Or where I can learn about selling more than one domain to the same buyer? Would it just be manually having them pay via escrow, then transferring the domains one-by-one? Or, is there a market for processing bundle sales?

TIA

 

[Namey123]

TY, I replied

Thanks, Maggie,

I've responded.

Namey123

 

[biggie]

Do you have any suggestions for how to vet a broker?

Hi

sure i do

but i think, since you're not sharing any insight, then a real broker would probably be vetting you, first.


imo...

 

[karmaco]

You can submit for consideration to several top brokers to see if the names are broker worthy. Your kind of putting the cart before the horse. Most brokers only accept the very best single popular dictionary words.

Selling on your own individually will garner the greater return unless you are cash strapped and just wanting to cash out quickly. Even so I have heard of very few 4 domain deals beyond wholesale pricing.

 

[Maggie Mae]

Hi

sure i do

but i think, since you're not sharing any insight, then a real broker would probably be vetting you, first.


imo...

Yes, of course it would be a mutual vetting process; that's the basis for any business transaction. And one reason I'm seeking advice about the process of selling more than one domain. It doesn't seem there is a bundle option on any of the domain marketplaces, unless you use something a platform like Flippa or eBay.

I'm not asking for opinions/valuations on any particular domain, so have not posted them in the discussion which could distract from the questions I've asked.

 

[Maggie Mae]

You can submit for consideration to several top brokers to see if the names are broker worthy. Your kind of putting the cart before the horse. Most brokers only accept the very best single popular dictionary words.

Selling on your own individually will garner the greater return unless you are cash strapped and just wanting to cash out quickly. Even so I have heard of very few 4 domain deals beyond wholesale pricing.

Thank you, Karmaco; I'm not the typical domainer. I'm not in this to sit on a domain for decades shooting for the top dollar. I've no interest in the highly competitive one-word dictionary domain market.

But, even one of the top domain brokers has longer 2 and 3 word domains listed on the website.
IMO the only wholesale price is hand-reg. Everything else is retail mark-up for profit. If others are involved in a sale, I don't mind sharing the profit. And I don't need to set a super high price if I direct sell.
I think there is a balance that feels like a win-win for buyer and seller.

Right now, I'm just trying to determine the proper steps so I can provide excellence in the sales/transfer process if I pursue the bundle approach.

 

[Maggie Mae]

Example of a bundle (not the one I'm currently pursuing):

AIWord.com
WordAI.com
GPTWord.com
WordGPT.com

Would a buyer not want to buy several similar domains as protection from competitors?
As a business owner, I have purchased similar domains to my primary; it was never more obvious than when I had a multimillion company try to steal my trademark. Small guy won (common law trademark use trumps million$ snakes), but it happens. And I know I'm not the only business to protect by buying the digital RE block.

So, if there are ways to sell more than one domain other than transferring individually, or listing on platforms like eBay or Flippa, please share. TIA!

 

[biggie]

Would a buyer not want to buy several similar domains as protection from competitors?

Hi

if... that was only value factor you could present, then i'd say no.

why?
because their "brand", is their protection.

the practice of trying to sell domains under the guise of "protecting your brand from competition" either by offering similar names or offering the same domains in various extensions, is an old strategy.

i have personally fielded these types of email/phone call pitches for a past employer.

still, there are ways to sell more than one domain to the same buyer.

i have done it and probably others have too.
but you have to establish some relationships and most importantly, have domains that buyers want.

since 4 letter.com are in demand, now i'm starting to get more "bulk offers" for them and occasionally past buyers may reach out to see "what you got" or "if you got something similar to last purchase."

maybe just try to sell one of the most appealing names, and then add the others as a package deal.
that may help > if/when you're asked to "justify" asking price.

imo...

 

[Maggie Mae]

Hi

if... that was only value factor you could present, then i'd say no.

why?
because their "brand", is their protection.

the practice of trying to sell domains under the guise of "protecting your brand from competition" either by offering similar names or offering the same domains in various extensions, is an old strategy.

i have personally fielded these types of email/phone call pitches for a past employer.

still, there are ways to sell more than one domain to the same buyer.

i have done it and probably others have too.
but you have to establish some relationships and most importantly, have domains that buyers want.

since 4 letter.com are in demand, now i'm starting to get more "bulk offers" for them and occasionally past buyers may reach out to see "what you got" or "if you got something similar to last purchase."

maybe just try to sell one of the most appealing names, and then add the others as a package deal.
that may help > if/when you're asked to "justify" asking price.

imo...

True, primary domain is always primary.

In the example bundle, I meant, if a buyer is interested in WordAI, for whatever use reason, the other options would make a nice bundle b/c it provides protection and decreases confusion in the marketplace by eliminating the option of someone else using AIWord domain.

Thank you, Biggie