How would you respond to "What's your offer?"

[cybermonkey]

Hi, everyone

When I see a good domain that I like, I normally contact the owner and ask him if he would sell it and what is the price. In respond, 99% I would get "What are you offering?" My question is, how would you respond to that by not putting yourself into disadvantage position.

-Thanks,

 

[npcomplete]

You can qualify buyers any way you like. It is you're domain. I just thought I would point out that if you want to sell a domain, saying something like this can be taken as condescending. Aside from the fact that asking for a price range in no way should indicate a person can't afford it, which is what a statement like this alludes to. Sort of like telling somebody to go sit at the kids table. I'm sure had you really wanted to sell this name you word have worded it differently.

It doesn't bother me at all. I just always remember thinking it was a funny thing to say. No big deal

It is obvious that you are taking this at a personal level. After two months you bring it up. I got a good laugh when I responded to you two months ago, and then promptly moved on and forgot about it - until you brought it up.

The bottom line is that some people simply cannot afford it, while I may simply give the domain away some day to somebody else. For people that do not agree with my core beliefs, then the price would be extremely high, which was and is the spirit of my response. Would it have been less offensive if I had said "the domain is not for sale to YOU", as opposed to saying "you can't afford it"?

Remember, you were inquiring about a domain that is widely advertised as NFS. Sometimes I just get tired of people that do not exercise due diligence.

Marc

 

[stscac]

Let's keep this thread focused people to the OP's question.

No personal issues.

-Steve

 

[CDM]

Hi, everyone

When I see a good domain that I like, I normally contact the owner and ask him if he would sell it and what is the price. In respond, 99% I would get "What are you offering?" My question is, how would you respond to that by not putting yourself into disadvantage position.

-Thanks,

what is the benefit of asking "what is the price?" if 99% pass you the ball back? why not open the conversation with a starting offer? we all know the rules of negotation. for me it is a put off to have people beating around the bush all the time.

with property that is fsbo, (homes, cars, etc,) typically the owner sets the asking price (generally in line with market value of course). however, consider that perhaps the most popular adage on the topic of domain appraisal is: "a domain is worth whatever a buyer is willing to pay for it"

given that, it seems the price of domains have a higher elasticity in their ceiling than they do in their floor. so I think you can see why it is normally not in the owners interest to open. If the owner opens with an asking price then the ceiling is set. there is almost no reason to set the ceiling when supply and demand is so stilted to the owners favor. As the owner I realize there is only one of my supply and since you are in demand for it i want to know how deep your pockets are, therefore in opening the negotiation let us set the floor first and see where you are coming from.

when the first thing i hear is "what is your price?" more often than not it ends up just someone who was beating around the bush, ie. fishing for a bargain. :imho:

 

[npcomplete]

what is the benefit of asking "what is the price?" if 99% pass you the ball back? why not open the conversation with a starting offer? we all know the rules of negotation. for me it is a put off to have people beating around the bush all the time.

with property that is fsbo, (homes, cars, etc,) typically the owner sets the asking price (generally in line with market value of course). however, consider that perhaps the most popular adage on the topic of domain appraisal is: "a domain is worth whatever a buyer is willing to pay for it"

given that, it seems the price of domains have a higher elasticity in their ceiling than they do in their floor. so I think you can see why it is normally not in the owners interest to open. If the owner opens with an asking price then the ceiling is set. there is almost no reason to set the ceiling when supply and demand is so stilted to the owners favor. As the owner I realize there is only one of my supply and since you are in demand for it i want to know how deep your pockets are, therefore in opening the negotiation let us set the floor first and see where you are coming from.

when the first thing i hear is "what is your price?" more often than not it ends up just someone who was beating around the bush, ie. fishing for a bargain. :imho:

Excellent post! Seller's get these questions on a daily basis. In most cases they are unsolicited (and in some cases unsolicited requests for things listed as not for sale). For unsolicited requests from buyers the most natural order is for the buyer to make the offer since they initiated the transaction. OTOH, for sellers attempting to sell through known venues, the natural order may lean towards the seller setting a BIN.

Marc

 

[filter]

Given that for many domains there is a "real value" that can be evaluated in terms of commercial value (ad revenue, branding budget offsets, other bottom-line factors) - that's the floor.

On top of that, there is the "fine art" aspect - every domain is (more or less) unique in the eye of the beholder. So some fall into the category of "luxury collectable" acquisitions.

In the antiques and art markets, I think that people looking to find a bargain based on taking advantage of the seller's ignorance of the market may actually be held accountable for those shady ethics in legal terms. (Eg, civil liability should the seller later realize that old painting they found in the basement and sold at the garage sale to that friendly gentleman from out of town was actually worth $150,000 rather than $1.50)

That being said, there is sometimes a lot to be said for "cash in hand right now" - so that can be the bottom line for a motivated seller. There can definitely be plenty of "value added" on the other side of the trade for a fast, easy sale in many situations - hence the reseller market here.

But that too should be a fair value - seeing people trying to make the "taking candy from a baby" play into their own bread and butter definitely will rub sellers the wrong way ...