advice High-Profile Domainer Refuses to Transfer Sold Domain?

[DrJacoby]

Here's a question to the more experienced members of Namepros.

If you purchased a domain at BIN price at one of the two big marketplaces, and then the seller refuses to transfer it, claiming that he/she sold it at another venue shortly before you bought it, what would you do?

1) Do nothing and just move on.
2) Take legal action.
3) Name and shame.

Would it matter if the offender is a high-profile figure (that, for example, sits on the NamesCon Advisory Board)?

Worth mentioning is that the seller lowered the price just before I purchased it, so I find it hard to believe the he/she is no longer the owner. Besides, serious sellers only have BIN prices at one marketplace. Even beginners know this.

 

[equity78]

Name and Shame a community without transparency is a community not worth having.

 

[alcy]

well normally u aren't supposed toget this from the best people in any field..
they supposed to shine with example..

then on the other hand today where greed rules often those are precisely people u do get it from ... whether politicians or whoever...

so.. tough call but... yours alone in the end..
guten lucken

 

[biggie]

Hi

did you check whois for any change of ownership?

imo...

 

[ran_doank]

You can do 1 and 3, but i suggest, just move on. it's happen everytime.
regarding no.2 - (i'm not lawyer) but i believe you can't do that-also as reminder, legal fees is not cheap.
Try read the marketplace policies, Banned maybe, but they can't force seller.

 

[VadimK]

You can complain to the marketplace where you bought it. Sure, you won't get the name or any credit, but the seller might get in trouble (just ''might'').

Unfortunately, after this the only thing you can do is to move to 1) on your list of solutions.

Shit happens, unfortunately...

 

[Future Sensors]

First of all, I'm sorry this happened to you, and I can sympathize with the frustration. Your posting on NamePros is a great start.

For a moment, let's assume that this person is actually on that Advisory Board. I would then probably inform the Advisory Board about what is going on.

A certain Rob Monster once had on his business card 'serves as industry ombudsman and advocate for domain investors'. It is a great shame that Rob has disappeared without a trace, otherwise he might have been able to help you. Or perhaps not...

 

[J.R.]

Here's a question to the more experienced members of Namepros.

If you purchased a domain at BIN price at one of the two big marketplaces, and then the seller refuses to transfer it, claiming that he/she sold it at another venue shortly before you bought it, what would you do?

1) Do nothing and just move on.
2) Take legal action.
3) Name and shame.

Would it matter if the offender is a high-profile figure (that, for example, sits on the NamesCon Advisory Board)?

Worth mentioning is that the seller lowered the price just before I purchased it, so I find it hard to believe the he/she is no longer the owner. Besides, serious sellers only have BIN prices at one marketplace. Even beginners know this.

Name and shame because there are a lot of pompous high profile domainers preaching to the rest but doing the worst.

If everyone just moves on from malicious behavior, nothing changes.

As far as taking legal action, depends on the value of the domain to you.
If we are talking a $25K+ domain, then for me it is worth retaining a lawyer for breach of contract.

At the end of the day, this is a business.

 

[DrJacoby]

Hi

did you check whois for any change of ownership?

imo...

Yes, it's under privacy.

regarding no.2 - (i'm not lawyer) but i believe you can't do that-also as reminder, legal fees is not cheap.
Try read the marketplace policies, Banned maybe, but they can't force seller.

I can do that. According to the marketplace, the sales contract is a legal contract.

You can complain to the marketplace where you bought it. Sure, you won't get the name or any credit, but the seller might get in trouble (just ''might'').

After complaining, this is the response I got:
"Seller's account manager has reviewed the seller's account and have taken steps necessary."
In reality, that probably means business as usual for this person.

For a moment, let's assume that this person is actually on that Advisory Board. I would then probably inform the Advisory Board about what is going on.

Thank you, that's an interesting idea.

 

[Mark4domain]

Here's a question to the more experienced members of Namepros.

If you purchased a domain at BIN price at one of the two big marketplaces, and then the seller refuses to transfer it, claiming that he/she sold it at another venue shortly before you bought it, what would you do?

1) Do nothing and just move on.
2) Take legal action.
3) Name and shame.

Would it matter if the offender is a high-profile figure (that, for example, sits on the NamesCon Advisory Board)?

Worth mentioning is that the seller lowered the price just before I purchased it, so I find it hard to believe the he/she is no longer the owner. Besides, serious sellers only have BIN prices at one marketplace. Even beginners know this.

1. The transaction isn't complete until you get the goods. A marketplace is inherently a...marketplace. If you got your money back, then it's not a scam. What they do or do with that domain is inconsequential or insignificant to you. This is why "Fast-transfer" is a thing and used a lot in the market. Anyone can list domains on a marketplace, sometimes they could miss an ownership check, or if it expires and changes hands, the listing might still be active from the previous seller. Just because it's listed at a certain price, doesn't mean it's 100%. Maybe you can also opt for domains that are "Fast Transfer" enabled.

 

[Andreas B.]

Hi,

I guess you won't tell us, what domain that was?

 

[DrJacoby]

Hi,

I guess you won't tell us, what domain that was?

Then someone would probably figure out the identity of the seller, which in effect would be me choosing option #3. But I haven't yet decided how to proceed.

 

[Mark4domain]

Besides, serious sellers only have BIN prices at one marketplace. Even beginners know this.

I'm also not 100% on this. Why would one limit their reach by only listing it in one avenue if they could list it in multiple marketplaces potentially increasing the reach? I would recommend the opposite to everyone. List wherever it's legally possible but make sure you sync your prices everywhere.

 

[VadimK]

After complaining, this is the response I got:
"Seller's account manager has reviewed the seller's account and have taken steps necessary."
In reality, that probably means business as usual for this person.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought. I think it's one of those situations where ''intent matters''. I'll explain.

What happened to me once years ago on Dan is that I listed a 4-letter name accidentally in .com instead of .org. Dan didn't verify shit as we all know. Resulted in someone buying it the next day. Obviously I didn't have a name, just explained it to Dan, and they said something similar ''be careful, accounts can be restricted'', but same as here - they didn't do anything. So, I just was on the opposite side of the deal as you, but I know it was a pure mistake from my side (not a bad intention or manipulation of any kind) + Dan's non-verification.

Obviously, if you are sure the seller was playing games with you, just shoot the name of the person, and let the shitstorm hit this thread

 

[bmugford]

Here's a question to the more experienced members of Namepros.

If you purchased a domain at BIN price at one of the two big marketplaces, and then the seller refuses to transfer it, claiming that he/she sold it at another venue shortly before you bought it, what would you do?

1) Do nothing and just move on.
2) Take legal action.
3) Name and shame.

Would it matter if the offender is a high-profile figure (that, for example, sits on the NamesCon Advisory Board)?

Worth mentioning is that the seller lowered the price just before I purchased it, so I find it hard to believe the he/she is no longer the owner. Besides, serious sellers only have BIN prices at one marketplace. Even beginners know this.

I have no idea what happened in this situation, but what the seller said is plausible.

It has happened to me more than once. A domain will sell on one venue, then sell on another venue before I was able to remove it.

Sometimes the sales are related to the same party, for instance different people in the company. Other times, it has been random people interested in the same domain at the same time. It's rare, but can happen.

Of course, the seller could also just be lying.

When you are talking about large portfolios though, it can be difficult to keep everything fully updated in real time.

Brad

 

[Future Sensors]

I have no idea what happened in this situation, but what the seller said is plausible.

It has happened to me more than once. A domain will sell on one venue, then sell on another venue before I was able to remove it.

Sometimes the sales are related to the same party, for instance different people in the company. Other times, it has been random people interested in the same domain at the same time. It's rare, but can happen.

I am curious as to what steps have been taken in this case.

"Seller's account manager has reviewed the seller's account and have taken steps necessary."

 

[bmugford]

I am curious as to what steps have been taken in this case.

"Seller's account manager has reviewed the seller's account and have taken steps necessary."

I think most marketplaces are aware this can happen.

They want a good faith effort to keep listings updated, but realize if something happens in a very short period of time there is only so much you can do.

You will normally get reminded to keep your listings updated. If it ends up being an ongoing issue, I assume there might be more drastic action taken.

Brad

 

[Future Sensors]

Worth mentioning is that the seller lowered the price just before I purchased it, so I find it hard to believe the he/she is no longer the owner.

Are we talking minutes here? And can you give a rough indication of the price drop?

 

[Recons.Com]

1. The transaction isn't complete until you get the goods. A marketplace is inherently a...marketplace. If you got your money back, then it's not a scam. What they do or do with that domain is inconsequential or insignificant to you. This is why "Fast-transfer" is a thing and used a lot in the market. Anyone can list domains on a marketplace, sometimes they could miss an ownership check, or if it expires and changes hands, the listing might still be active from the previous seller. Just because it's listed at a certain price, doesn't mean it's 100%. Maybe you can also opt for domains that are "Fast Transfer" enabled.

I am 100% with you on this. I regularly buy stuff from the likes of Macy's etc. and sometimes they fail to deliver because of various reasons. As long as they refund right away, it is not a scam and there is nothing to shame about.

Not sure where "bin at only one place" comes from. Pretty much everyone lists the names at afternic, dan, sedo, plus some on marketplaces etc. And, yes, sometimes the name sells twice.

On the flip side, buyers often agree to terms and don't pay. We are not chasing them with legal letters or actions. Which we shouldn't. I mean we go and buy stuff at store and expect that we can return it during 30 days, but somehow domain sellers expect that they have to get paid if someone agreed to a sale, even if they changed their mind before anything material happened.

 

[Keith]

@DrJacoby

If the domain sold or transferred, the Whois will reflect the change, date wise.

 

[DrJacoby]

It has happened to me more than once. A domain will sell on one venue, then sell on another venue before I was able to remove it.

It can't happen if you set BIN prices on only one marketplace (and use Make Offer on all others).

I am curious as to what steps have been taken in this case.

"Seller's account manager has reviewed the seller's account and have taken steps necessary."

Me too.

Are we talking minutes here? And can you give a rough indication of the price drop?

No not minutes. When I re-checked the listing the next day the price had dropped from 1300 or 1400 (if I remember correctly) to around 800.

As long as they refund right away, it is not a scam and there is nothing to shame about.

Why are you using the word "scam"? I've never accused the seller of scamming. I'm here trying to get advice from more experienced domain investors on how to handle the situation.

 

[DrJacoby]

@DrJacoby

If the domain sold or transferred, the Whois will reflect the change, date wise.

"Updated Date" was updated the day before I purchased it. Does that mean it sold or transferred 100%, or what exactly triggers the update?

 

[bmugford]

"Updated Date" was updated the day before I purchased it. Does that mean it sold or transferred 100%, or what exactly triggers the update?

It could be a whois change, renewal, dns change, lock/unlock, etc.

The timing though is a good indication that ownership could have changed.

Brad

 

[Keith]

"Updated Date" was updated the day before I purchased it. Does that mean it sold or transferred 100%, or what exactly triggers the update?

They probably had a legit sale and you were a dollar short.

 

[Future Sensors]

So, the price drop at Sedo happened after the assumed sale, is that correct @DrJacoby?