How Would You Handle This?

[jideofor]

Hello,

I have a situation at hand and it is taking longer than I expected. I have this domain name that I pitched to a company. Mine is an upgrade to theirs which is on .co and also a hyphen.

They agreed to purchase the domain name but not at the price that I first quoted. So I asked them to tell me how much they would pay. There was no reply.

I gave discount the first time, they didn't respond. I gave another discount and they still didn't respond( no reply). I got fed up and told them that I felt I should reach out to them one more time and if they can meet me at $1500, then we might have a deal.

3 days later, they replied "Hi, that sound good. we might be open for that. Could show proof that the domain name is in your possession..."

I took my time before I responded so as not to look desperate. I sent them a proof and up till this moment, no response from them and it is almost a month now (excluding when we started talking)..

I would have loved to close this by sending them a link to purchase the domain name at some places like Afternic or Godaddy, but I am not willing to loss over $300 to any marketplace for this. It would have been nice if escrow companies have an option for this, unfortunately, none seems to have a Buy Now link.

What I have noticed is that they are playing a mind game, hoping I will think they are walking away from the deal and make me reduce the price further. That was why they used the word "MIGHT" in their last email to me, which means not final.

But at the moment, I have an offline contract that that is 5 times that amount and so, I am not bother neither am I desperate for the money. I would just love to know I am done with something from the past rather than hoping or being subconsciously reminded that I have some unfinished business somewhere.

How would you handle this?

 

[ultradog]

End your business with them by sending an email telling them you have another interested buyer so you're proceeding with that transaction, but thank them for their time.

Or send no email at all, if you want. Their earlier actions did not obligate you in any way.

 

[WhoaDomain.com]

@Paypal. PayPal really should tap into this domaining market as they are perfectly positioned to do so. They only need to provide an extra service to hold domains and payments.

 

[tomcarl]

Never negotiate against yourself. Never, ever, volunteer a lower price than what you originally quoted in order to close a sale or get a response unless you're going to give 1 substantial discount with a "take it or leave it message" and a deadline date, and if that doesn't motivate them to take it right there, they're either not serious about it or don't have the money, but they may come around in the future when they do have the money looking for your reduced price.

When you start reducing prices just to try to get them to respond, you're showing that you really want the sale so it gives them all of the power. You're no longer seen as someone holding something they want, you're now likely seen as someone trying to get money for something you don't need or value as much as they do so now they feel "entitled" to it more than you do. When they start feeling like that, they'd rather you just hand it over to them.

I don't think there is much you can do to save this one unless you list it on a marketplace with a Buy It Now link and send them reminders every couple of weeks until they buy it, offer you a lower price, or tell you to F* off.

Be sure to mention in your reminders that the domain is now on an open/public marketplace and can be purchased by anyone at any time and they can risk losing it.

G'luck

P.S.: I just re-read your first sentence, if they're using a .co domain WITH a hyphen, that shows they may not really care about domains at all, are cheap, and you'll see "Copyright 2017" on their idle website 5 years from now.

 

[canswift]

You can also just set your domains up at Bodis.com, not using the standard park page. You can just set a page with a Buy It Now price, which clicks straight through to Escrow.com who handle the payment etc. It's a simple take it or leave it page, no negotiation, and no 30% commission.

 

[jideofor]

You can also just set your domains up at Bodis.com, not using the standard park page. You can just set a page with a Buy It Now price, which clicks straight through to Escrow.com who handle the payment etc. It's a simple take it or leave it page, no negotiation, and no 30% commission.

I will do so right away. Their silence after everything done and said means one thing... they are playing a mind game.

 

[Argie]

Also you could use Cax.com, only 5% commision, just a suggestion

 

[dntaps]

Agree with you its a game for them. Why are they spending time this way? they are wasting your time and theirs. Just have a lander with BIN price, if they want the domain they are going to buy it / someone else can buy it.

Forget about them & move on, focus on other customers / projects.

 

[Ategy]

It could also simply be that they are busy running their business and that the domain is not a priority for them (whether it should or shouldn't be is a completely different discussion .. lol).

Some people simply are not organised. I had a request by someone for one of my domains a couple of months ago saying he really wanted it. It seemed genuine, but it was from a hotmail/gmail so I invited the person to make an offer or to get back to me again so I know it wasn't just a spammer (I worded it much more politically correct .. lol) .. then nothing. The nature of the domain is very specific so it left me scratching my head. I googled around via his name/email and found that indeed he actually had a project with the exact name. But nothing since .. reminds me maybe I should get back and try him again .. lol. It was one I marked for possible potential development down the road so it wasn't a must sell .. maybe I need to light a bigger fire under my arse !? lol

 

[jideofor]

It could also simply be that they are busy running their business and that the domain is not a priority for them (whether it should or shouldn't be is a completely different discussion .. lol).

Some people simply are not organised. I had a request by someone for one of my domains a couple of months ago saying he really wanted it. It seemed genuine, but it was from a hotmail/gmail so I invited the person to make an offer or to get back to me again so I know it wasn't just a spammer (I worded it much more politically correct .. lol) .. then nothing. The nature of the domain is very specific so it left me scratching my head. I googled around via his name/email and found that indeed he actually had a project with the exact name. But nothing since .. reminds me maybe I should get back and try him again .. lol. It was one I marked for possible potential development down the road so it wasn't a must sell .. maybe I need to light a bigger fire under my arse !? lol

weird word of domaining. if they were responding at intervals, that would have made much sense.

 

[LiamShiff]

Some people are just wasting your time. Inform the company that you have another interested buyer and that if you don't hear from them before a specific date you will proceed with the transaction. If you want to incentivise them more, just tell them that you might be willing to give them a good deal on the name but the person who is buying it from you might not even sell it to them...

 

[jideofor]

Some people are just wasting your time. Inform the company that you have another interested buyer and that if you don't hear from them before a specific date you will proceed with the transaction. If you want to incentivise them more, just tell them that you might be willing to give them a good deal on the name but the person who is buying it from you might not even sell it to them...

Nope. reducing the price further is off my list. I told them before that I just want to reach out to them one more time... and if they can meet me at 1500 then we have a deal. they replied me 3 days later for proof of ownership and i believe they had made up their mind at that point. why keep silent? They should have just ignored when i said it will be the last i will reach out to them instead of replying me and going silent thereafter.

 

[Name Trader]

If you put it up for sale on a marketplace at BIN, I'd put it at your original asking price. F* them.

 

[Corey]

whenever you counter always place a timeframe e.g. Offer valid for 72 hours

Cheers
Corey

 

[RevolutionaryDomains]

There could be any number of reasons for their delay between replies, including a stall tactic, busy working, etc. Sellers need to remember not everyone is sitting around a computer with nothing to do. It is not out of the ordinary for some sales to take weeks or months to conclude. Additionally, the mere fact you contacted them multiple times with lower pricing wreaks of desperation, and they likely smell blood in the water, IMO.

That aside, them asking for proof you are the registrant seems a bit odd. Make sure your name is not a TM. Could be they are leading you to the gallows.

...gl

 

[jideofor]

There could be any number of reasons for their delay between replies, including a stall tactic, busy working, etc. Sellers need to remember not everyone is sitting around a computer with nothing to do. It is not out of the ordinary for some sales to take weeks or months to conclude. Additionally, the mere fact you contacted them multiple times with lower pricing wreaks of desperation, and they likely smell blood in the water, IMO.

That aside, them asking for proof you are the registrant seems a bit odd. Make sure your name is not a TM. Could be they are leading you to the gallows.

...gl

Asking for proof is a sign of trying to avoid buying a stolen domain name. These days, I seem to be encountering same request. In fact a domain name I am about sell is same thing and that makes it the fourth time I am receiving such.

They requested for proof to show that I am the real owner of the domain name AND, don't you think more people are reading domain blogs with stolen domains reported while spreading the news to their friends and family? That is the only reason I could come up with for the recent increase of ownership verification.

I have deleted their email and without giving a link to buy the domain name and left with "we are moving on to next. Thank you" If they are interested, they will reach me by email where it all started. I hate time wasters on serious issues.

Next time this happens, I will not respond to proof verification but will prompt them to start an escrow.

 

[jideofor]

If you put it up for sale on a marketplace at BIN, I'd put it at your original asking price. F* them.

I left it at sedo with the original price. My reply to them is we are moving on to next without giving them a link to the sedo page.

 

[JoeE]

I took my time before I responded so as not to look desperate.

HA! that was the WORST time to play hard to get. You should've closed the same day when they expressed interest and willingness for a certain price. And you were responsible for reducing the price in the first place by continually reducing it before you hear any feedback. What do you expect? I'd be surprised if they don't come back now and say, we'll take it off your hands if you send us a 100 dollars with it. The whole thing is nuts.
You don't have to close deals every time and with everyone, if your domain name is a truly an upgrade to theirs and they have even the slightest hint of success they will come back to you. And pay your (reasonable) price.

 

[jideofor]

HA! that was the WORST time to play hard to get. You should've closed the same day when they expressed interest and willingness for a certain price. And you were responsible for reducing the price in the first place by continually reducing it before you hear any feedback. What do you expect? I'd be surprised if they don't come back now and say, we'll take it off your hands if you send us a 100 dollars with it. The whole thing is nuts.
You don't have to close deals every time and with everyone, if your domain name is a truly an upgrade to theirs and they have even the slightest hint of success they will come back to you. And pay your (reasonable) price.

When it seems like people were wasting my time, what do you expect me to do? I mean not a single reply until I said we want to reach out to them one more time.... why didn't reply me instantly when I emailed them previously and even at the mention of my last email, it took them 3 more days before they could reply me.

This is not a game here and I wonder why they would refuse to reply me quickly but expect me to reply them quickly, if what you say is anything to go by.

They requested for proof and i provided it. The next thing should be let's start the escrow.

Don't forget that they had been silent for long before I sent them a message that it will my last email to them and if they meet my price, we have a deal. I had also deleted their email on sending that last message and was surprise that they reply because i was beginning to feel they were not serious.

 

[UmerK]

I am retracting my initial offer because of non-professional behavior at your end, good luck and thank you for your time!
As you've said you aren't that desperate just let them no, you're taking your initial offer because of non professional behavior which is so unlike usual business as you usually expect a business to reply at max in 7 business days. If they're using a hyphen and .co they will surely come back for the domain.