offers Google just offered me $300K! ?

[EbookLover]

Hi,

Now, before you start thinking "GREAT!!!!", not so fast.

Here is my dilemma.

I regged an AdSense-related .COM domain about 6 months ago. I am not willing to divulge the domain right now, but it's a pretty damn good one.

I bought it and parked it at Fabulous in my account.

About 2 months ago, I got an offer through Fabulous for $100 by some random person named Mike (no last name given) who had a Gmail email account. I refused the offer as it is worth more than that to me, even though it's undeveloped. I'd rather just keep it an never get an offer for it to be honest with you rather than let it go for that little.

So anyway, tonight I got home and checked my email. Fabulous sent me notice that I go another offer for the domain. This is the info they gave me...

Offer Details
Domain: XXXXXXXX.com
Name: Rose Hagan
Email: [email protected]
Offering Price: $300000.00
Additional Comments: Google Inc.

Now at first, I thought, hey, it's obviously a bogus offer. I mean, not only is the price way too high but it seems odd that Google would want to buy a domain for so much money and contact me through Fabulous instead of by a more legit means like US mail.

But I thought that maybe Google did make me an offer for it but added too many zeros by accident. Maybe they meant to input 3000 or 300.

I checked out the email address ([email protected]) and it is the email address that Google uses in their whois for some domains they own. So it is in fact a Google email address.

My newest thought, though, is that some wise-a$$ decided to cause some trouble hoping that I would contact Google at the email address and then possibly get into legal trouble with them for attempting to accept an offer for an AdSense domain. Who knows? Could be. I did a search for Rose Hagan and found that she is the senior trademark counsel at Google.

As you may or may not know, Google owns the SM for AdSense but I don't think that they own full SM or TM for it since Adsense.com (an advertising agency) has been around way before Google AdSense was even publicly released. Whether I am right or wrong, I have no clue, just my speculation. If I am right, then they cannot easily bully the domain away from me as I could have registered it in relation to AdSense.com advertising agency, not Google's AdSense. I could be sorely mistaken, though.

So, if this were you, what would you do? Would you ignore it? Why?

Would you follow through and send the email to Rose Hagan at [email protected] even though it i smost likely not her direct email address? Why?

I just don't know what to do. While I know the price is unbelievable, something is telling me that I'd be a fool to follow through. However, the other part of me is saying I'd be a fool to NOT follow through. Hoping that some here might be able to help me figure out what I should do. The more I think about it, the more confused I get as what to do.

The more I think about it now, the more I think FOGEDDABOUDIT! but I would still like to hear from others on this for some good conversation if for nothing else.

Thanks.

 

[EbookLover]

haha. well. how about free dinner by you to the whole forum member ?
haha

Sounds good. If I understand you correctly, you're buying, right? LOL. I'll have a fillet mignon, thank you!!!

 

[wot]

Accept the offer via Fabulous and see what happens. Ask Mike at Fab to act as intermediary - what have you got to lose?

 

[AHA7]

Well, I'd say just give it a try and reply to the offer. Nothing to lose!

 

[jmweb]

The more I think about it the more I think, why would Google send me an email through Fabulous on a Sunday night to buy a domain for $300K?

I mean, surely someone who has the authority to make offers on domains on Google Inc.'s behalf is not foced to work on a Sunday night.

Who said anything about being "forced" to work?

Reply to the email please.

 

[EbookLover]

Well, that's funny that you mention that. I did not know that Fabulous did this. Furthermore, the email does not state anything about it. Heck, I don;t even know what Fabulous's commission is on sold domains. Maybe I will contat them to see what they can do for me, if anything.

 

[jmweb]

Let us know how it goes.

 

[EbookLover]

Well, I'd say just give it a try and reply to the offer. Nothing to lose!

Well. I could lose my domain and I could also lose my financial health if I was sued by google. Sounds like a lot to lose if you ask me. Can you say "garnished wages"?

 

[rome2ng]

Yea, i agree.

just try it. and make it as if you are the domain owner.

and , if you have refrain from gettting tm issue domain, or else you gotta show us the domain, then we can tell you , u got nth to fear.

beer ? haha sure.

 

[EbookLover]

What?

 

[AHA7]

Well. I could lose my domain (not too worried about that) and I could also lose my financial health if I was sued by google. Sounds like a lot to lose if you ask me. Can you say "garnished wages"?

1- You will not lose the domain because you will have to do the transaction throw some Escrow service.

2- Just reply to the offer and if you agree on the sale, then contact Google and ask them if they have any problem with that before finishing the sale process.

 

[rome2ng]

nono, i don't know why you post was posted before mind. haha when i actually, don't see any post below jmweb.

i mean to say, you won't lose anything mr ebooklover. You don't have to give them any particulars, unless you already do with your domain Whois Report. So they can't really prosecute you. Or maybe, you should try and contact them and ask them with simple question. "Are you gonna sued me ?"

haha, i mean, ya, who knows right ? maybe it's fortune waiting for it.

 

[EbookLover]

Well, if I do decide to find out more on this I will most likely contact Fabulous first and see if they will be a mediator for me.

As far as giving particlulars in my whois, well, I do. I mean, afterall, it is against ICANN rules to use bogus whois info and since I bought it at fabulous I do not have whois protection for it.

I never put fake info in my whois lsitings. From what I understand, you can have your domains taken from you if you are caught doing this. Why risk it? I jsut put my real info on my whois info and not worry about it. It seems silly to me to do otherwise given the penalty if caught.

 

[rome2ng]

true.

you do have your point

maybe it's good to wait and see.

hope it's not some scams or tm issue in disguised.

so good luck, mr ebooklover.

 

[EbookLover]

I'm going to bed. LOL!

 

[FedPrimeRate.com]

Even if the offer were real, G would offer you no more than $100 for the domain name.

AmCy

 

[kslup_k]

IMHO, beyond all, it is not legit.

BUT, again.....
Reply to the email, and hope for that miracle.

You have got nothing to lose. Go for it!
You will never know if you never try.

Try it and face it! really... you have got nothing to lose.!

 

[Monolith]

Even if the offer were real, G would offer you no more than $100 for the domain name.

AmCy

what he said

 

[EbookLover]

you have got nothing to lose.!

I don't think you read most of this thread, with all due respect. I DO in fact have a lot I could possibly lose if in fact this is a hoax (or even if it isn't) and I contact Google about it.

Thanks for your post, though.

 

[rome2ng]

man, i am surprise you all are still talking.

haha, ok mr ebooklover, you need a break. time for you to go to sleep and dream about what's the next move you are gonna take.

 

[budgetname]

Maybe a frustrated executive at google, who was tired of filing trademark challenges, did it for a joke.

If your going to play with trademark issue domains you should seek some legal advice. I use to do this, but found it more legitimate to deal in generic domains. Anyway, what I did was contact my local law association, and found there was a guy who specialised in computer trademarks. I did this a couple of times and found it cheaper to deal in domains without trademark issues. It may be money well invested, at least you'll have a better idea.