Well it also opened my eyes. I have collected a lot of domain over the years, and I got serious about domaining. Not sure why I never thought of domaining as an investment. Hope to get some modest success.
Launching a business for a startup is a long road even before their launch date.
For my fluux(dot)com sale last year, it was 3 months between the first contact ($5k offer), and when the agreement was accepted at $15k. If I were to do it today, I would have pushed more towards the $25k range.
In your case, what I would do in the meantime is put up a lease-to-own option on your landing page. That makes it affordable for anyone with a serious, or semi-serious plan no matter what price you choose. I've been paying $300 a month (24 month payoff) for GreatBrand(dot)com with no intention of launching it until next year. If I can pay $300 a month, knowing I'm not going to have any income, imagine what an actual business with income would pay for a domain they need. If your 4 letter acronym actually says something, then there are only 1-3 ways they can re-arrange 4 letters to still make it say the same thing. If yours is the best of the 3 (or only one available) then I would price it accordingly.
If we look at Morgan Linton's article below, you can see that startups were being advised to spend $10k or less on a domain, then they upped it to $25k, then again to $50k (this was in 2016). So taking $5k on a domain like that seems like it could be a huge disconnect from even a startup's expectations, based on how they are being advised.
https://morganlinton.com/how-much-should-a-startup-spend-on-a-domain-name/
Also, the acronym and the demand for it matters. If we look at the recent sales of almi(dot)com for $117,500 and fibr(dot)com for $75k by NamePros members, you can see that it can be quite high. It's important to research the potential buyers by looking at all other extensions taken and variations of the domain in use as well as recently filed trademarks in the "WIPO Global Brand Database".
NameWorth can give you a starting price range idea (for free), but you 100% need to research the potential buyer and price according to their needs, and the value it would bring them.
I'd also take into account real world expenses people pay to run a business. I had an import ceramics/products business that I ran for years. The rent on the 1,000 sq foot warehouse was $1,000 per month, forever, and an 1,000 sq foot warehouse is among the smallest commercial spaces available. Typically a medium sized space is closer to 10,000 sq feet and costs around $10,000 per month. To have 2 full-time employees, it can cost anywhere between $4,800 per month, up to $25,000 per month depending on the type of work being done.
If you are dealing in decent names, and by decent I don't mean Tier 1 outstanding domains, but lower level Tier 1 & Tier 2 type of names, we should be living by Ricks words below. We also stop talking about the $25k, $50k, or $75k price and negotiate off of what might be affordable to their plans. If they don't have the cash, do what Rick did. Like I posted in a discussion a couple days back, he sold Teem for $36k, but because he "asked" for equity, this turned into $1.15 million when the company was aquired. Even $36k may sound high, but if you work out a payment plan it could be $600 per month ($36k/60 months). Then ask them for stock/equity in the company and if they get acquired, you get to cash out your 10-12%. Asking for equity in the company can be an easy decision for a startup because a true startup usually isn't making money in the next 1-2 years anyway.
Take for example, vivint.com, which sold for $5,000 in 2010. Yet this company has been investor funded from day 1. $787 million in total funding. They sponsor an NBA arena. Don't be the guy that sells the next vivint.com. Chances are, if people were to weigh your domain vs vivint (pre 2010), they would choose yours. If it's a startup they will likely take an equity deal in lieu of a high purchase price. If they don't take it, and still want the domain, it may indicate you've caught a whale, because few large corporations or heavily funded startups would agree to an equity deal.
