Got a "F*ck You" response from a domainer

[MapleDots]

I made a number of inquiries on domain names lately and am still shocked how many domainers do not respond to an inquiry. Granted I did not open with a price, I always ask what are you looking to get for the domain. I end by saying I am very interested and please do not ignore my inquiry.

In the last month I have sent 6 inquiries and received only two responses and one response ended in a sale. So from 6 domains one was what I would call a great transaction and the other one at least an attempt for a sale.

That said, I have a tendency to send the inquiry at least twice and this month I send the following to 4 of my inquiries. that failed to respond.

Hello. I made several attempts to start dialogue to purchase domain.com and have received no response from you. I stated both times that I was very interested in the domain and would appreciate either a call or email back. At this point I will terminate any negotiation on this domain and wish you well in your endeavors. That said, I was very interested in your domain and it is your loss not to have responded. As a domainer myself I feel this is very poor business management on your behalf.

Got one response back from a domainer

Was two words

Guess what they were?

"F*ck You"

Wow.... just wow

 

[Chris Hydrick]

Also don't forget

I did purchase one of the domains so he was dealing with a REAL buyer.

Define REAL buyer...?

Is the requirement of a REAL buyer somebody who have bought a domain before? If so, there are millions of real buyers. Why SHOULD he have to deal with you?

As a domainer myself

As others pointed out, you don't know he is a domainer. Not everybody who sells domains, identify themselves as a domainer. Some who sell domains refuse to sell to a domain another domainer, simply because when they put in time to acquire a domain, they hold, and deal only with endusers. Who are you to fault one of these domain sellers because they didn't want to waste their time with you, a domainer?

I own a few domains were I don't plan on selling to another domainer. I don't want to leave meat on the bone for domains that will sell eventually sell themselves for more than I could get at market value simply by #HODL'ing. However, if a strong offer came in from a domainer, how would I know they were a domainer, or if they were the REAL buyer I was holding out for?

[Last year, I had received a few text messages from a domainer interested in wanting to buy one of my domains. I thought, "Great, spam is now finding its way into my text messages...." given all the WHOIS spam I receive.

Anyways, I had really liked the name, and didn't bat an eye to a $100 offer. I didn't respond, and the next day I received a $250 offer. At this point, I don't know if the buyer is a domainer or not, but I was in no mood to sell what I felt was a valuable domain, for $XXX. So I told the buyer the domain was not for sale at this time, however, if they had dev plans, that we may be able to work something out, because the domain (if developed) could bring a cool new service to the world wide web.

The buyer then capitalizes on my domainer mistake by purchasing it for $999 via AfterNic. I had messed up the upload for some of my listings, duplicating make offer of $999 with the same $999 BIN. The buyer and I talk on the phone shortly after, one of the first questions is, "Are you on NamePros", and we recognized each others usernames. I obviously honored the sale, but the point is, domainers receive a lot of time wasting spam already, some don't want to waste their time if they don't feel it will be worth their time. The funny thing is, if the buyer would have said he was on NP before purchasing it, he probably could have got the domain from me for at least 50% less then he paid -- if at a future time when I needed cashflow, I might have contacted him on NP with a reseller offer. I mean, would the domain (a hand reg) have reached anywhere close to $500 on NP auction? Doubtful. Therefore no quick reseller outlet.]

Point of the story, if you say you are a domainer, that doesn't mean you are a real buyer. If you offer what he feels is REAL buyer kind of offers, then he will prob engage. But if you planned on wasting his time with domainer offers that he considers (not real) as in not enough of an offer for him to bat an eye to, then can you blame him by protecting his investment (and time) by not considering low ball offers? And I am not saying you were going to low ball him, simply saying, generally when domainers try to buy a domain from another domainer, and they tell the seller they are also a domainer, a lot of the time the domainer buyer is trying to get reseller prices from the seller.

Out of curiousity, what is the highest offer you would have paid for the domain in question?

 

[MapleDots]

You dislike my comment then proceed to make fun....makes no sense!

Humor is the best response sometimes, it keeps one out of trouble.

Besides, you are entitled, you have given thousands of great responses, how could I possibly feel offended by that?

 

[Kate]

If you are going to bother to reply, of course you don't reply in such a rude manner. It's burning bridges for nothing.

Now I have to say I hate fishing expeditions from domainers, especially when they can't even spam right ie inquiring on multiple LLL.com that are all registered to the same E-mail address, and sending the same boilerplate mail multiple times.
Like GeorgeK says, when you own a certain class of domains you can see those fishing expeditions in real time.
They may be real buyers but in all reality they are looking for a steal.

If you don't get a reply first, your next step may be to pick up the phone and leave a message if you don't get through to a live person.
Sending E-mail is cheap and easy and bestows little credibility.

Also, there is no need to mention you are a domainer, this is counterproductive. The other party will figure out if you use your real name (if you don't - expect that they will take you even less seriously). Saying you are a domainer suggests you were not looking to pay retail price in the first place, even though a domainer can also buy domains in end user capacity.

 

[MapleDots]

As others pointed out, you don't know he is a domainer.

Yup, I can count on you to look at all sides grilled

I used the online response for and assumed I was dealing with someone who had the knowledge to park the domain and ask for a sales inquiry. It stated clearly "This domain is for sale"

One assumes that is a wholesaler one is dealing with.

PS. I stated on 2 responses I was very interested and please do not ignore my inquiry. To him I was a retail buyer.

 

[platey]

Why not put your np username in email etc just a thought

As it carries some weight etc as you come across as a genuine buyer as you do try to buy domains etc

 

[Chris Hydrick]

To him I was a retail buyer.

Don't assume this unless you covered all your basis.

Did you use an email connected to your name, or any other registrations?

Some sellers research their inquiries before responding... Not saying he even did that. Just learning not to assume anything.

Didn't FB send a $20k offer to a recent hand reg. and the domainer (@omelet) accepted? That is a REAL buyer.

 

[GeorgeK]

Sending E-mail is cheap and easy and bestows little credibility.

(emphasis added)

Re-read that sentence by Kate 20 times. That's gold right there!

 

[MapleDots]

RESTATE

I did not say I was a domainer and a point that we as domainers must understand is that the general public is not educated enough about domains to know how to respond. Real world though, the end user is just trying to make contact and ignoring them can mean the loss of a sale. Hell a lot of end users don't even know about whois (or our protocols) and are just following the form to inquire about a purchase. Imagine going to a store with no prices, the first thing a client would ask is WHAT IS THE PRICE. Let us not forget we are dealing with the public, we cannot expect them to know our lingo or procedures.

 

[strugar]

As a domainer myself I feel this is very poor business management on your behalf.

If you indeed contacted someone who didn't show interest in contacting you back, and you wrote this sentence in your mail, then the answer was mild, you deserved much harsher.

 

[MapleDots]

Don't assume this unless you covered all your basis.

Did you use an email connected to your name, or any other registrations?

Some sellers research their inquiries before responding... Not saying he even did that. Just learning not to assume anything.

Didn't FB send a $20k offer to a recent hand reg. and the domainer (@omelet) accepted? That is a REAL buyer.

I responded with a full non generic email address, gave my real (full) name and supplied my phone number and both times begged not to be ignored.

 

[DomainGist]

Sending E-mail is cheap and easy and bestows little credibility.

When I did outbound (I quit domaining for 2 years, just now returning so building up a portfolio slowly over 2018...)...

... but when I was domaining properly, I would do one outbound email, and then I'd follow up with a phone call about 3 days later (no more than 7 days).

And that was hugely successful for me. Email planted the seed into the buyers head, telephone call sealed the deal.

And people are scared of using the telephone these days, in the whats app age, but I can promise you I got told to "F off" more over email than I did on the telephone.

In fact the "F off" email reply = obviously this saves me a phone call

 

[GeorgeK]

If you are going to bother to reply, of course you don't reply in such a rude manner. It's burning bridges for nothing.

If the domain owner wanted felt they were being "spammed" (remember, this is the 3rd email from the same person, about the same domain name without an offer), perhaps the "rude" response was intended to burn bridges, to stop getting spammed?

NB: That wasn't me in this case, but you can understand that sometimes it might be appropriate to burn bridges (e.g. when the other side is simply wasting time, being insulting themselves, etc.). I've blocked entire domains from contacting me, e.g. :

https://support.google.com/a/answer/2364632?hl=en

and that can help reduce the spam.

 

[Chris Hydrick]

I did not say I was a domainer

You didn't have to. Your email obviously told the domain owner you weren't a real buyer. And even if you believe you were (or are), you failed to convey that message to the domain owner(s) standard of real buyer.

Did your come from a generic gmail?

 

[MapleDots]

You didn't have to. Your email obviously told the domain owner you weren't a real buyer. And even if you believe you were, you failed to convey that message to the domain owner.

Did it come from a generic gmail?

Nope, used his form 3 times, until the 3rd contact I would have been a retail client.

 

[MapleDots]

Seriously though guys

We are professionals, we can NEVER assume when dealing with the public. We can try to put our procedures and protocols toward each other but I made the inquiry as a retail client following his procedure. He asked for contact information, there was no field for an offer to be made. There was simply a text field and to the general public that means they get to ask and inquire.

 

[platey]

So am I to understand that you are the ultimate judge as to what is or is not "poor business management"???

There are many reasons someone might not reply. Maybe the person recently experienced a personal tragedy. Maybe they were on an extended holiday. Maybe they blah, blah, blah...

Whatever the reason, it's not someone else's right to pass judgment on them or the way they operate. Notice in my initial reply I did not say you and you're email demonstrated a poor understanding of business communication practices. I said "personally I..."

I suggest you pick up a copy of "How to win friends and influence people" by Dale Carnegie. It has been around for decades but the general ideas in it are still relevant today.

I saw that book back in the day and touched it lol but never read it tho lol

I did buy a similar book

The secrets to my success? I by? I can't remember now

And the lazy man's way to riches etc which if you accelerate the years to today I suppose could be classed as domain name investing etc

Eg 4 mins to handreg a quality two word dot com and sit on it lol

 

[Chris Hydrick]

Nope, used his form 3 times, until the 3rd contact I would have been a retail client.

Did you give an email for him to respond to?

If so, was it a gmail?

And regardless if it was gmail or not, did you give any information which the buyer could have used to identify you prior to ignoring your request?

 

[MapleDots]

Did you give an email for him to respond to?

If so, was it a gmail?

And regardless if it was gmail or not, did you give any information which the buyer could have used to identify you prior to ignoring your request?

I responded with a full non generic email address, gave my real (full) name and supplied my phone number and both times begged not to be ignored.

 

[GeorgeK]

and it is your loss not to have responded. As a domainer myself I feel this is very poor business management on your behalf.

(emphasis added)

Actually, going back to the exact text you used in the first email, I can fully understand why you got the response you did:

1. "it is your loss"
2. "I feel this is very poor business management on your behalf."

Both are insults. What do you expect them to come back with, when you gave unsolicited advice like that?

Suppose you're a man, and ask a woman to go out on a date (2 times). To then follow that up with "It's your loss" and "I feel this is very poor dating management" would probably earn a slap in the face.

 

[TestCase]

Communication of an idea is a two part process: 1) the sender's "encoding" of the message and 2) the receiver's "decoding" of the message.

Both parts are dependent on each individual's point of view, personal experiences, emotional status at any given moment, personal situation, reading comprehension, and a ton of additional subjective factors. No two people are the same and not all messages will be interpreted the same way by everyone..

Always try to put yourself in the other person's shoes and work from there. If someone starts off by questioning my business skills/management style, I'm not going to give them the time of day.

I would never try to initiate/instigate a dialogue by criticizing them or their business. In my day job, I make every effort I can NOT to do business with people that rub me the wrong way. And yes I've turned away a bunch of business over the years as a result. To paraphrase someone from this thread. "it is their loss..." - but I never admonished them for their business style or interaction with me -- though God knows I would have liked to!.

Fortunately I do business on my terms 100% in my "Domainer Life™".

 

[Silentptnr]

Was the domain publicly for sale?

 

[Chris Hydrick]

gave my real (full) name and supplied my phone number

Depending on what type of domainer you are, and how your WHOIS info is stored, this is more than enough info to identify you as a domainer.

both times begged not to be ignored.

Yet, if he deemed you were a domainer, and were not (Facebook) or some other buyer he's holding out for with deep pockets. And as such, didn't want to waste time negotiating.

Maybe he will only sell for $XX,XXX.

If you offer $5,000, then maybe he will consider your offer (even if too low), and you will receive a response.

But if you are not prepared to pay, or even offer $1,000, then why would he want to waste his time by beginning a negotiation where you are so far off? He may have a standing $2,000 offer, so your max $1,000 offer may in fact be a waste of time.

Point being, if you would have sent your max offer for him to consider, you might have received a response if that max offer sparked a level of his interest. But again, if your max is $1,000, and he already received $2,000. Then, he will not bat an eye to your max offer. Maybe then, he will respond, and say you are off, but without the seller knowing what ballpark of a buyer you are, he is just left to assume you as another domainer (if this was identified or assumed based off what can be found with the info you provided)

 

[MapleDots]

BY the way guys....

I gave my full business email address from my other

Depending on what type of domainer you are, and how your WHOIS info is stored, this is more than enough info to identify you as a domainer.



Yet, if he deemed you were a domainer, and were not (Facebook) or some other buyer he's holding out for with deep pockets. And as such, didn't want to waste time negotiating.

Maybe he will only sell for $XX,XXX.

If you offer $5,000, then maybe he will consider your offer (even if too low), and you will receive a response.

But if you are not prepared to pay, or even offer $1,000, then why would he want to waste his time by beginning a negotiation where you are so far off? He may have a standing $2,000 offer, so your max $1,000 offer may in fact be a waste of time.

Point being, if you would have sent your max offer for him to consider, you might have received a response if that max offer sparked a level of his interest. But again, if your max is $1,000, and he already received $2,000. Then, he will not bat an eye to your max offer. Maybe then, he will respond, and say you are off, but without the seller knowing what ballpark of a buyer you are, he is just left to assume you as another domainer (if this was identified or assumed based off what can be found with the info you provided)

Question is

An inquiry via the form supplied

Do we assume it to be from a domainer or a retail client?

 

[DomainGist]

I responded with a full non generic email address, gave my real (full) name and supplied my phone number and both times begged not to be ignored.

'Begging' probably isn't the best way to find a domain at a good price by the way, makes you sound too keen. That's why namepros 'make offer' threads are good, you know the seller is motivated to sell and you can make yourself sound reluctant to buy (Shane Bellone ITmagazine negotiation is a good example of this, even if he was a one hit wonder)/.

The domainers may have been trying to entice you into making an opening offer, especially when you sound very keen on the domain. Its a well known negotiating tactic to never be the first to mention price. I've read an entire article on that methodology.

So their thinking may have been "I'll ignore him, see if he emails again with a firm financial offer".

Lots of people have different ways of doing things, and usually its based on things they've read or their experience. That's why they don't like being told how to do things.

Some people don't put the number 7 in any of their prices, because they think the two syllables makes the price sound bigger to the buyer. Meanwhile federer is happy to use sevens and is successful with it.

... different people have different methods, based on their own perceived wisdom, so its easy to image why people don't appreciate being told how they should conduct business by a peer.

If I had a domain priced at one-eight-eight-eight and you told me I should price at one-seven-seven-seven, I would disagree because I subscribe to that 'no sevens' thing.

Its difficult to tell whether these domainers have not replied to your messages because they are sloppy / unorganised / haven't woken up from the holiday season yet, or whether there were signals which set off something in their brain which instinctively told them that you weren't a lead worth chasing.

They may not have liked your enquiry for one reason or another, possibly felt a bit too obvious that you were a domainer even though you didn't identify yourself as one. Or they did due diligence and found your domain portfolio (with name + email this takes 30 seconds).

If you don't get a reply to an enquiry then move on, find another domain. Simple.

 

[Chris Hydrick]

Do we assume it to be from a domainer or a retail client?

We don't assume; we research.

And IF he researched, he may have been able to deem you as a domainer.

Depending on his experience with other domainers, he may feel their offers are a waste of time.

Did you not waste his time?