discuss “I don’t buy from domainers on principle”

[equity78]

To buy, or not to buy, that is the question. So the headline here comes from an email a reader sent me about an exchange they had with an end user. The reader sent a targeted email to just one person, asking them if they would be interested in the domain name they had for sale. The prospect replied, "Sorry Robert, I don't buy from domainers on principle." David. When they asked me what I … [Read more...]

 

[Abdullah Abdullah]

I love to buy from domainers. They understand the business and are more likely to just sell for a small profit.

Now, what I don’t do - SELL to domainers. They always want rock bottom prices which I don’t do!

So what is the difference? Are you saying that you offer great prices to buy from domainers? If no, I then believe you would want rock bottom prices too when you want to buy from the domainers.

 

[Keith]

So what is the difference? Are you saying that you offer great prices to buy from domainers? If no, I then believe you would want rock bottom prices too when you want to buy from the domainers.

I mean what I said. Domainers want to buy on the cheap and I don’t sell cheap. Therefore I don’t sell to domainers.

On the flip side, I’m happy to buy from domainers because, in many cases, they sell cheap.

 

[Brian L.]

So I assume the "I don't buy from domainers" also "don't by from homeowners" when shopping for a house. Both just a bunch of scammers with the audacity to sell something they own. It's a slippery slope, before you know it, people will want money for all kinds of products and services.

 

[EmpireNames.com]

the person who said i dont buy from domainers offer him name like travel.com in 10k usd and see if he buy or dont...

 

[frank-germany]

what a BS discussion

when a name is good
what's the point of
who was the previous owner?

 

[EmpireNames.com]

i bought names from domainers in xx-low xxx range and turned them quick into xxxx sales...
so these kind of guys are actually good for me... they are not buying its good... i will keep buying
more will not buy... more good for me..

 

[dande]

I think it’s a psychological thing for end users, kind of like us buying a car from a small mom and pop dealership, we know the mom and pop dealership are buying their cars from individuals or auctions and marking them up substantially, so we will avoid buying a car from them.

They are not the same. You can get Black Honda Accord 2019 from multiple dealers at multiple locations, you can't get BlackHondaAccord2019.com from more than one dealer.

 

[ResoluteDomains]

Domainers live in a bubble and that makes it difficult for folks to see it from an end user's perspective.

Dont speak for me. Thanks.

 

[xynames]

The focus of the article (or at least the quote
“I don’t buy from domainers on principle”)
was about an end user not wanting to buy from a domainer. The headline was not directly about another domainer refusing to buy from a domainer, although the article did go on to discuss some past discussions about why Frank Schilling (in 2007) didn’t like to buy from other domainers.

I liken it say - to a used car buyer who prefers to find a better deal from a private party versus buying from the dealer. I say better because yes it is true in general that a dealer will sell a used car for more than a private party.

However in the case of the used car it would really have to be a very principled (stubborn?) buyer who categorically refused all used car deals from a dealer. After all there are some instances where a dealer might give just as good a deal as a private party. Or instances where the vehicle sought at the dealer just happens to be better quality or closer to what the buyer wants than what is available from a private party.

As far as this article I think we’re dealing with an anomaly - an end user who claims that he will never buy from a domainer. Maybe such an end user really wouldn’t buy from a domainer maybe he was just saying that to get a reaction or lowered price out of the seller maybe the domainer had somehow rubbed him the wrong way. Certainly there are ways to make it clear to an end user that you are in the business without making him feel like you’re trying to get top dollar, which maybe some such impression - that the domainer was asking more than a non-domainer would have been asking for the domain - led the end user to make that categorical comment.

 

[Keith]

The article was about an end user not wanting to buy from a domainer. It was not about another domainer refusing to buy from a domainer.

I liken it say - to a used car buyer who prefers to find a better deal from a private party versus buying from the dealer. I say better because yes it is true in general that a dealer will sell a used car for more than a private party.

However in the case of the used car it would really have to be a very principled (stubborn?) buyer who categorically refused all used car deals from a dealer. After all there are some instances where a dealer might give just as good a deal as a private party. Or instances where the vehicle sought at the dealer just happens to be better quality or closer to what the buyer wants than what is available from a private party.

As far as this article I think we’re dealing with an anomaly - an end user who claims that he will never buy from a domainer. Maybe such an end user really wouldn’t buy from a domainer maybe he was just saying that to get a reaction or lowered price out of the seller maybe the domainer had somehow rubbed him the wrong way. Certainly there are ways to make it clear to an end user that you are in the business without making him feel like you’re trying to get top dollar.

An end user will buy from anyone. The goal in this case is to do what it takes to acquire the url that advances the business. If an end user says otherwise, they are not an end user.

 

[equity78]

An end user will buy from anyone. The goal in this case is to do what it takes to acquire the url that advances the business. If an end user says otherwise, they are not an end user.

Keith I can tell you I have experienced what the reader sent in, in the industry I came from Wall Street. The name was desired but my contact who I knew for years said we will not buy from squatters it's our policy. They very much liked the name, this was 15 years ago.

 

[equity78]

People dislike domainers because they view them as non value adding middlemen off an artificially scare property right.

The counter argument is that by investing they are providing segmented price discovery for word opportunities.

I would argue that domainers as a whole are a form of market magic brewery. Meaning that top performers in the market may well act as oracles in some word market sectors.

The problem is tuning in usable domain market signals and tuning out broker noise.

Somehow I don't think companies see it that way even if most domainers would agree. When you read domain name discussions from people outside the industry it's truly interesting, sometimes hysterical.

 

[equity78]

@secretagentdad Here is a perfect example of what those outside of the domain bubble think of domainers. You read the comments and look at the alternatives suggested.

https://www.jwz.org/blog/2011/08/domain-squatting-parasites-not-interested-in-haggling-apparently/

 

[xynames]

What does any of this have to do with squatting? Such allegations or sentiments have to do with certain domains only, at XYNames we’ve bought and sold thousands of domains can’t recall being accused of cyber squatting.

Are you saying that an end user accuses a domainer of squatting just because the domainer owns a domain the end user wants? Again, haven’t experienced that sentiment.

Closest would be an end user thinking that the price should be low because I haven’t developed the domain and some simple education calms that sort of thinking.

 

[Jv1999]

I don't buy domains from domainers but I buy premium domains all the time from uniregistr. Because uni is not run by a domainer at all. Not at all.

And buying those premium priced domains on uni or GD is much better than SUPPORTING the domainer industry by buying a domain from one of those sneaky honchos

 

[karmaco]

Anybody not willing to pay the price to a domainer can sift through the garbage available to hand register. Their choice. With all good names taken by people using it or domainers I wish them good luck.

This whole topic is in part why I don’t outbound. It has predominantly small profits and perpetuates the squatter stereotype. There are other ways to promote a domain. I give a pass to geo specific as outbound might be the only way to go with those.

Anybody who says in 2019 they won’t buy from a domainer is the holder of some real crap name.

 

[ResoluteDomains]

........Are you saying that an end user accuses a domainer of squatting just because the domainer owns a domain the end user wants?......

Oh yea - definitely for that simple reason: you got there before they did. As if there could never be more than one person with the same idea on the entire planet and that their idea would remain untouched for eternity until they felt like pursuing it. I've encountered some real nasty folks out there. I may be paranoid but I think some make offers just to get me "on the horn" so they can verbally assault me with their opinion of domainers.

 

[griff]

I understand disliking "squatters" but not regular people just trying to make a few dollars on a product they invested in - it's no different to haggling at markets and that's not looked down upon.

It's something that's increasingly being used to make side money and even as an avenue to escape poverty in poorer nations and I fail to see how someone making a $100 profit on marketing a product they paid for is any worse than giving money to these huge billion dollar corps that get to dictate our lives

 

[droned]

I do not use Google #onprinciple ..

*Typing on android smartphone

 

[garptrader]

Anyone that sees how much companies spend on IT would know that five figures is no big deal if a company perceives the need for something. The issue is that within organizations there is little distinction between a newbie quality domain and the type of domain that investors would aggressively bid on because it is short, memorable and. COM

 

[equity78]

TheDomains publishes some of the nicest & most interesting articles/content in the industry, imo..

They are all domainers, Godaddy, Snapnames etc.. are full of individual domainers, members of this forum & active bidders elsewhere.

Sure, they can claim they don't buy from domainers, but they do actually, all the time..

When domaining makes you a millionaire or at least financially comfortable , its easy to say such things.

Thank you

 

[equity78]

The article was about an end user not wanting to buy from a domainer. It was not about another domainer refusing to buy from a domainer.

I liken it say - to a used car buyer who prefers to find a better deal from a private party versus buying from the dealer. I say better because yes it is true in general that a dealer will sell a used car for more than a private party.

However in the case of the used car it would really have to be a very principled (stubborn?) buyer who categorically refused all used car deals from a dealer. After all there are some instances where a dealer might give just as good a deal as a private party. Or instances where the vehicle sought at the dealer just happens to be better quality or closer to what the buyer wants than what is available from a private party.

As far as this article I think we’re dealing with an anomaly - an end user who claims that he will never buy from a domainer. Maybe such an end user really wouldn’t buy from a domainer maybe he was just saying that to get a reaction or lowered price out of the seller maybe the domainer had somehow rubbed him the wrong way. Certainly there are ways to make it clear to an end user that you are in the business without making him feel like you’re trying to get top dollar.

No I wrote the article there were several references and three were domainers not wanting to buy from other domainers. And to be fair I stopped at three could have added more domainers who have shared that sentiment.

For example:

While talking about the email from the reader with a good friend in the business, he laughed and said when he was at NamesCon a very prominent domainer told him he did not buy from domainers while they were having a drink. Yet later on in that conversation as it had shifted, he brought up this domainer again, mentioning that the domainer emailed him some names he had for sale. I said you schmuck you had the perfect reply, “Sorry I don’t buy domain names from domainers.” He laughed and said, “Oh crap, that would have been the perfect reply.”

And I received a text within 5 minutes of the article being published from him, saying thank you for not naming names.

 

[artstar]

The focus of the article (or at least the quote “
“I don’t buy from domainers on principle”
was about an end user not wanting to buy from a domainer. The headline was not directly about another domainer refusing to buy from a domainer, although the article did go on to discuss some past discussions about why Frank didn’t like to buy from other domainers.

I liken it say - to a used car buyer who prefers to find a better deal from a private party versus buying from the dealer. I say better because yes it is true in general that a dealer will sell a used car for more than a private party.

However in the case of the used car it would really have to be a very principled (stubborn?) buyer who categorically refused all used car deals from a dealer. After all there are some instances where a dealer might give just as good a deal as a private party. Or instances where the vehicle sought at the dealer just happens to be better quality or closer to what the buyer wants than what is available from a private party.

As far as this article I think we’re dealing with an anomaly - an end user who claims that he will never buy from a domainer. Maybe such an end user really wouldn’t buy from a domainer maybe he was just saying that to get a reaction or lowered price out of the seller maybe the domainer had somehow rubbed him the wrong way. Certainly there are ways to make it clear to an end user that you are in the business without making him feel like you’re trying to get top dollar.

\but if u read further down it says he approached a guy in THE BUSINESS who must be a domainer and he said he doesnt buy from domainers. btw if u buy a car from a dealer the chances r the car is not misrepresented as much as a private seller may do.

 

[xynames]

Lol people started commenting on my post before it was finished. Here it is in final form

The focus of the article (or at least the quote
“I don’t buy from domainers on principle”)
was about an end user not wanting to buy from a domainer. The headline was not directly about another domainer refusing to buy from a domainer, although the article did go on to discuss some past discussions about why Frank Schilling (in 2007) didn’t like to buy from other domainers.

I liken it say - to a used car buyer who prefers to find a better deal from a private party versus buying from the dealer. I say better because yes it is true in general that a dealer will sell a used car for more than a private party.

However in the case of the used car it would really have to be a very principled (stubborn?) buyer who categorically refused all used car deals from a dealer. After all there are some instances where a dealer might give just as good a deal as a private party. Or instances where the vehicle sought at the dealer just happens to be better quality or closer to what the buyer wants than what is available from a private party.

As far as this article I think we’re dealing with an anomaly - an end user who claims that he will never buy from a domainer. Maybe such an end user really wouldn’t buy from a domainer maybe he was just saying that to get a reaction or lowered price out of the seller maybe the domainer had somehow rubbed him the wrong way. Certainly there are ways to make it clear to an end user that you are in the business without making him feel like you’re trying to get top dollar, which maybe some such impression - that the domainer was asking more than a non-domainer would have been asking for the domain - led the end user to make that categorical comment.

 

[equity78]

They are not endusers, they’re opportunists.

They were an established brokerage firm for 80 years, they were an end user.