Getting the best price for a domain

[jay131]

Hey All,

I am looking to buy 40 or 50 specific domains that I have selected out. That said, I want to know how I should go about getting the best price for these selected domains. Many of them don't have whois info, and so I can't directly contact the seller. Instead they post the info of a middleman service like buydomains.com who does the selling on behalf of the seller.

So my questions are:

1. I want to stay away from middleman companies because I know I won't be able to get the best price due to high commissions, etc. Is there a way to get the direct contact info of the seller? What other strategies might you suggest here to avoid the middleman in this kind of a case where I want a specific domain?

2. If it is the case that I do have to deal with a middleman company like buydomains, what are your suggestions for getting the best possible price? are there any negotiation tactics that might work? How much room for negotiation typically is there? any other ways I can get a good price with those companies?

3. When searching out a specific domain to buy, are there any other general recommendations that you have?

Your answers and suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Sincerely,
Jay

 

[Spade]

Jay,

If the whois lists BuyDomains - that is actually a domain owned by them. They are one of the largest domain holders with more than 800,000 (if memory serves) and you will be at their mercy in terms of price. They do tend to negotiate and will come down about 25%-30% of their asking price, but not much more than that. Good luck!

Justin

 

[accent]

I would suggest you expand your want list. Many domain owners are only willing to sell if the price offered is very high (i.e. BuyDomains, so I have heard), some are not interested at all in selling. So if price is a consideration then you need to work a number of prospects. Understand the owners' point of view - would you want to sell an asset that is growing in value so rapidly?

Then again, with recession looming, there will be owners who need to convert part of their holdings to cash. Those domains will show up in the forums and auctions. You would need to be somewhat flexible in what you were interested in rather than going after specific domains, but you would do better on price with those domains.

And the most important advice - read as much as you can about domains before you start spending money. Value in this business is subtle and only recognisable after long experience.

 

[Prof. Goldbloom]

I wouldn't be too afraid of middlemen. A good broker will (if they're good at their jobs) be able to negotiate for you.) They could very well bring the price down far enough to make their services pay for themselves.

I would try negotiating one or two on your own, and then go annonomously through a good broker. See if the percentages drop at all.