Making potential buyers aware of each other?

[-NC-]

{surname}.com dropped years ago and I picked it up.

Some years later, the guy who has .org and .info offered me a couple hundred for it, I turned it down.

He's now asking me to sell it again.

I was going to set up an auction and invite the .net owner, and a few owners of firstname{lastname}.com to bid.

Then I thought, I've got all the emails of the most likely interested buyers, why should I pay sedo 15%? I'll just email them all and they can reply with their bids. It won't be anonymous and they can be fairly sure there isn't any shill bidding occurring.

What's the flaw in my plan? I'm sure there must be one.

 

[PNW]

First I wouldn't auction the name. Second if there was an auction, it would seem more legitimate to facilitate it with a reputable organization that also offers escrow and mechanisms for filing grievances.

 

[-NC-]

First I wouldn't auction the name.

What would you do, email them individually asking for offers and respond to each to let them know that someone else had offered higher?

it would seem more legitimate to facilitate it with a reputable organization that also offers escrow and mechanisms for filing grievances.

Not sure I understand your point. You can utilise escrow services without needing to use any particular auction service.

 

[johname]

What's the flaw in my plan? I'm sure there must be one.

People ignore/ filtered/not reading spamish emails

People not needing it today Not having the money today.

People feeling its a scam

Above may leave:

Org guy only one bidding.

 

[alien51]

Then I thought, I've got all the emails of the most likely interested buyers, why should I pay sedo 15%? I'll just email them all and they can reply with their bids. It won't be anonymous and they can be fairly sure there isn't any shill bidding occurring.

What's the flaw in my plan? I'm sure there must be one.

Mostly, you are paying SEDO for their platform in conducting the bidding process. It's arguably more efficient than your back-and-forth emails if you are doing it yourself the jurassic way. And also, since SEDO is an established "brand", you pay SEDO for this brand value which attracts more bidders to your merchandise, because the transaction is being sponsored by someone they "trust".

I don't think there's an issue with "invitation only" auction, if you want to run it yourself. And besides, you said it yourself that you just want these 2 guys to fight each other to the finish. I think for bidders, the less competitors, the better.

 

[johname]

Only the Org guy has contacted him, everyone else is an assumption they would even bid. This would have to have a starting sedo auction bid you would be happy to sell the name for if you only get the one bid.

I would try to figure out the org guys max. And weigh that against what I want. Plus the savings of doing it off sedo.

 

[PNW]

What would you do, email them individually asking for offers and respond to each to let them know that someone else had offered higher?

I'd set a fixed priced and not prick around. You're an unknown quantity to everyone but the org owner. Auctions are sketchy as it is imo let alone one being facilitated through someone's email that they never heard of before.

It's a last name. Send the Org person your desired price. If they cannot do it then find out their maximum. If it's not good enough for you then ask what they can add to the cash.

Not sure I understand your point. You can utilise escrow services without needing to use any particular auction service.

The point is it's a reputable one stop shop. Bids go into their system and they know where they come from. Anything fishy and the buyer or bidders has ability to contest. They can securely pay for the name and have assistance with the transfer.

If you're confident you can get a better price holding your own email auction then do it. How much is your time worth compared to the 15% sedo would earn? Someone gets pissed and says f'this then what?