Getting a domain whose owner has passed away

[NetworkPearl]

Hi,

I'm interested in a domain name who's owner has passed away in a few months. The registrar is GodDadd y and the owner is still the registrant and admin whereas the technical contact is a web design company.

I tried to call the owner, number is not active anymore and neither are the emails.

So I got in touch with the technical contact and told them about this. They stated that they don't have a contact with the owner for years now.

What can be done? Expiry date is quite far.

 

[NetworkPearl]

Again.

You know the name worths $30k . And you know the legit owner has been passed away.

Then you're going to offer to unaware relatives $2k for that name.

I'd start the offer with a $2k offer and then probably till $6k max.

Plus this name sold for around $5k in an auction 2 years ago and there's a whole lot of difference between retailer pricing and reselling.

 

[Billy Wagner]

The ethical correct coarse of action would have been to broker the domain name for them. You won't make as much money but you can rest better knowing that you're not a sleaze ball.

Took the words right out of my mouth. If someone doesn't know the value of an item, instead of trying to jump at the opportunity to take advantage of them, why not try to help them? They make money, you make money, everybody wins.

Everyone should remember what goes around comes around, so if you get accustomed to taking advantage of people, it's only a matter of time before you're in the same situation.

 

[NetworkPearl]

Took the words right out of my mouth. If someone doesn't know the value of an item, instead of trying to jump at the opportunity to take advantage of them, why not try to help them? They make money, you make money, everybody wins.

Everyone should remember what goes around comes around, so if you get accustomed to taking advantage of people, it's only a matter of time before you're in the same situation.

I agree to not taking advantage of people.But when a domain is worth around 4-5k at whole sale I can pay the same amount to them swiftly and without any troubles.

Besides I called the IT women who was in charge of the domain. She left this IT company( who I contacted initially as stated in the first post) a year ago and I was able to get phone number from them.

She is in fact well aware of the potential of this domain name and told me she will approach the relatives if my offer is fair.

I now quoted $8K for this domain.

Let's see how it turns out.

 

[Billy Wagner]

I agree to not taking advantage of people.But when a domain is worth around 4-5k at whole sale I can pay the same amount to them swiftly and without and troubles.

Besides I called the IT women who was in charge of the domain. She left this IT company( who I contacted initially as stated in the first post) a year ago and I was able to get phone number from them.

She is in fact well aware of the potential of this domain name and told me she will approach the relatives if my offer is fair.

I quoted $8K for this domain.

Let's see how it turns out.

I agree. I was referencing paying someone $10K for a domain worth $100K, which was posted earlier. If you're paying them fair reseller prices, that's completely different.

 

[NetworkPearl]

Cool I'll try to do the same.

Also by this I meant trying to approach them via Facebook.

 

[wwwweb]

What does estibot value your domain at?

 

[NetworkPearl]

What does estibot value your domain at?

$11,000 , is a plural and receives 3,500 exact searches a month.

 

[Jasonn]

Took the words right out of my mouth. If someone doesn't know the value of an item, instead of trying to jump at the opportunity to take advantage of them, why not try to help them? They make money, you make money, everybody wins.

Everyone should remember what goes around comes around, so if you get accustomed to taking advantage of people, it's only a matter of time before you're in the same situation.

sorry to tell you but every big domainer has bought domains from those who don't know the true value and in your opinion, taken advantage of them.

 

[platey]

As lotg as the domain is purchased for a fair reasonable price close to market value it should be a win win for all concerned eg the seller as nd the buyer a.d. the estate

As more and more domain names are purchased etc and domains being left in trust etc and wills etc this scenario will become more common to other domainers

 

[Billy Wagner]

sorry to tell you but every big domainer has bought domains from those who don't know the true value and in your opinion, taken advantage of them.

I don't doubt that. But their time will come eventually.

 

[Jasonn]

I don't doubt that. But their time will come eventually.

Yeah, in getting multi million dollar payouts.

 

[Billy Wagner]

Yeah, in getting multi million dollar payouts.

lol Yeah, I don't doubt that either. But there's more to life than money. At least to me there's more to life than money.

 

[ch_dom]

I've helped friends do this twice. The first time, we had to get in touch with the lady's son (required social media stalking) who then represented the family and negotiated the price, splitting the proceeds with his family. The second time, we had to get in touch with the guy's lawyer who became the beneficiary of the domain due to legal fees associated with disposition of the guy's assets.

My friends were able to get domains easily worth $50-100k for $15k and 20k respectively. It was exciting playing PI to hunt down these people ((to give them money)).

Well? did you resell those domains ?

 

[DU]

My friends were able to get domains easily worth $50-100k for $15k and 20k respectively. It was exciting playing PI to hunt down these people ((to give them money)).

Taking advantage of people who lost a loved one is really a lot of fun. I have to admit that I like threads like this as it demonstrates why people that think domainers are scumbags (despite the positive stance of some).

I've had this discussion before and got the "business is business" line and I think it's disappointing.

It's the same when you watch antique shows and someone says "I bought this mobile from a garage sale for $10 because I knew it was Calder". It's not theft but it's something.... I always hope for the reverse.. I spent $100 because I thought it was a Calder but it ended up just being a bent coathanger...

But their time will come eventually.

Often it doesn't and that's what makes it so easy for people to do.

 

[tonecas]

everyday we go to domain name auctions that should not be placed on auction but instead be released to the public. we are all contributing to this unethical *and illegal* behavior of registrars. many domains were even snatched from passed away persons who had wives and kids that could inherit the domains. but registrars took them and then wait for some years to sell them at profit to all of us, honest persons.

don't be naive. this is business. the widow would not get *anything* for the domain if you do not reach her. you should buy low and not offer fair market values. the notion of fair market value is even amusing. a domain today is valued at 30k and next year it could be valued at 5k. you're a speculator. you take risk and you profit from information.

 

[DU]

everyday we go to domain name auctions that should not be placed on auction but instead be released to the public. we are all contributing to this unethical *and illegal* behavior of registrars. many domains were even snatched from passed away persons who had wives and kids that could inherit the domains. but registrars took them and then wait for some years to sell them at profit to all of us, honest persons.

You're talking about passive vs active ethics. There's no moral equivalence, for example, between letting someone die and killing someone.

 

[urlurl]

better to have some (even if very little) money going to the family and heirs - then nothing and having it expire, where the registers and drop catchers make money.

 

[Sam Roy]

I don't think it is wrong to contact the relatives of dead person. If @Insha010 or someone does not contact eventually the domain will be dropped and will be up for backordering. The family of deceased won't get a penny. At least now they are getting something. Further, I find Insha's offer to deceased family member is fair.

 

[NetworkPearl]

Taking advantage of people who lost a loved one is really a lot of fun. I have to admit that I like threads like this as it demonstrates why people that think domainers are scumbags (despite the positive stance of some).

I've had this discussion before and got the "business is business" line and I think it's disappointing.

It's the same when you watch antique shows and someone says "I bought this mobile from a garage sale for $10 because I knew it was Calder". It's not theft but it's something.... I always hope for the reverse.. I spent $100 because I thought it was a Calder but it ended up just being a bent coathanger...


Often it doesn't and that's what makes it so easy for people to do.

I'm not Lowballing but paying reseller prices or even more.

 

[Serengeti]

Yea better some proceed goes to the family then the name drop and they wont get anything because either they didnt know the deceased had some domains or they knew he had some domains but didn't know about the validity/expiry of names, and/or the value and/or how to sale the given names. Then its a conscious call how much of a fair value to buy. Insh.. you could even go further.. buy it a fair value... keep in touch with the family..and when you sale at a good price give then another fair % of the sale profit and maybe teach them to come on namepros and learn some' about this business. Bottom line its you and your conscious...you and the guy in the mirror.

 

[DU]

I'm not Lowballing but paying reseller prices or even more.

"Reseller pricing" is a concept made up to justify low-balling on a high quality name or avoid paying too much on a low quality name.

This domain is probably worth around $30k I'd start the offer with a $2k offer.

That's not reseller pricing, that's being an asshole.

 

[urlurl]

so its better to have $30k go to go daddy or another drop catcher than to have $2k go to the estate?

 

[DU]

so its better to have $30k go to go daddy or another drop catcher than to have $2k go to the estate?

If you want to talk in terms of disconnected hypothetical arguments -

Is it better for $2K to go to the estate or $30K?
Is it better for a low-balling domainer to get it for $2K and overprice it or a productive small business?
Maybe it's better for $500 to go to the estate?

Whatever gets you through the day.

 

[BrandChimp]

Again.

You know the name worths $30k . And you know the legit owner has been passed away.

Then you're going to offer to unaware relatives $2k for that name.

Unfortunately, Who makes money are the ones who buy low and sell high.

 

[urlurl]

if you ever have pick up expiring/expired names from the auction there is a good chance some of those were dropped due to the owner dying.

And...

If you bought a name from someone for $100 and sold it a while later for $10,000 - wouldn't it be ethical to go back to the original seller and give him half?