Hey folks, seeking some opinions on a strange situation. About a month ago I had a small sale on a brandable marketplace. Today I woke up to this email:
———
We wanted to inform you about a recent issue with the domain transaction for (domain redacted). Unfortunately, it appears that the sale was fraudulent. We've already been in contact with (registrar), and they have agreed to assist with returning the domain to you.
To proceed, please send the following email to legal@registrar from the primary email linked to your (registrar) account. Additionally, (registrar) requires that you agree to execute an indemnity to cover any liabilities associated with the reversal.
Email Template to (registrar):
Subject: Request for Domain Transfer Reversal
Dear (registrar) Legal Team,
I am writing to confirm that the recent transaction for the domain —— was fraudulent. I kindly request that the domain be transferred back to my account. Please initiate the reversal process at your earliest convenience.
Additionally, I agree to execute an indemnity as requested, to cover (registrar) from any liabilities associated with the reversal.
Thank you for your assistance,
[Your Name]
[Your Primary (registrar) Contact Email on File]
Once you’ve sent this email, please let us know. Additionally, after you receive the domain back, you are welcome to re-list and sell it again with us.
Regarding the amount you received for the sale (low xxxx), we propose, as a gesture of good faith, that you retain half and return the remaining half to us.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need further assistance, and I'm sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.
——-
I’ve sold hundreds of domains and this has never happened to me. My understanding is it is the middleman’s job to do due diligence to avoid payment abuse. I’ve fulfilled my obligations as far as I’m concerned.
On the other hand, the amount is small enough, and keeping 50% and having the domain back feels reasonable enough — except for the accounting annoyance, and especially the liability question. Why should I have to accept liability for this?
What would you do in my place?
———
We wanted to inform you about a recent issue with the domain transaction for (domain redacted). Unfortunately, it appears that the sale was fraudulent. We've already been in contact with (registrar), and they have agreed to assist with returning the domain to you.
To proceed, please send the following email to legal@registrar from the primary email linked to your (registrar) account. Additionally, (registrar) requires that you agree to execute an indemnity to cover any liabilities associated with the reversal.
Email Template to (registrar):
Subject: Request for Domain Transfer Reversal
Dear (registrar) Legal Team,
I am writing to confirm that the recent transaction for the domain —— was fraudulent. I kindly request that the domain be transferred back to my account. Please initiate the reversal process at your earliest convenience.
Additionally, I agree to execute an indemnity as requested, to cover (registrar) from any liabilities associated with the reversal.
Thank you for your assistance,
[Your Name]
[Your Primary (registrar) Contact Email on File]
Once you’ve sent this email, please let us know. Additionally, after you receive the domain back, you are welcome to re-list and sell it again with us.
Regarding the amount you received for the sale (low xxxx), we propose, as a gesture of good faith, that you retain half and return the remaining half to us.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need further assistance, and I'm sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.
——-
I’ve sold hundreds of domains and this has never happened to me. My understanding is it is the middleman’s job to do due diligence to avoid payment abuse. I’ve fulfilled my obligations as far as I’m concerned.
On the other hand, the amount is small enough, and keeping 50% and having the domain back feels reasonable enough — except for the accounting annoyance, and especially the liability question. Why should I have to accept liability for this?
What would you do in my place?
