Newbie here -- valuation question

[anachronistic]

Hello!

I've been reading your forum here and learning quite a bit! By way of introduction, I'm an IT professional and have responsibility over my companies domain name portfolio. Generally we buy and keep (forever!), but more recently we've been trying to clean up.

I have a domain that's very old (24 years), but has been relegated to just redirecting to our primary domain and has been this way for many years.

I've sold a few domains in the past, but this one is proving tougher to valuate than the previous. I have an offer of high $x,xxx for it, but wonder if it's worth more.

The domain is wadsworth . com . Any thoughts ? (and should I provide additional information?)

I'm appreciating the discussions here on this board, and look forward to participating here.

Thanks!

 

[DaveX]

The domain is connected to a website.

The domain has been registered since 1992

Most recently updated 4/2016

Not sure what you're really asking.

 

[DaveX]

Oh, and welcome to the forum.

 

[DNWon]

Hi @anachronistic Welcome to NamePros! Was your $x,xxx offer from the Wadsworth Center of Albany, New York by any chance? I see they own the .org, and might want the .com too. Regardless, my opinion is that if the offer is high $x,xxx I would take it, as I can't see it being worth much more than that! Good Luck!

 

[DaveX]

The .dot com is owned by Cengage Learning. The domain is theirs.

 

[DNWon]

The .dot com is owned by Cengage Learning. The domain is theirs.

I'm assuming that's the company he is referring to above and works for/owns? Correct @anachronistic
and Wadsworth is no longer needed as it was just redirecting to Cengage, and he's considering taking the offer but wants to make sure he's not leaving money on the table in the process. Again I am assuming all this from what OP wrote but you know what happens when you assume. I'm good at figuring out assumations because I'm married! (Twice!)

 

[anachronistic]

All:

Thanks! Yes, I work for Cengage.

My question (as answered by thedot.shop--thanks!) was just wondering if the name was worth more than 4 figures. Various valuation sites out there have estimated it's value at everything from 5k to 58K. I've never seen a range that wide so I've been trying to learn more about where these values come from...This site has been very helpful in that regard!

The offer is, unfortunately, anonymous--so I can't feel out the potential buyer by investigating them. The offer also came to me unsolicited, and my internal business unit agreed that it could be sold. As I indicated, we don't often sell names that we hold for various reasons...in this case I'm just trying to determine if the value is appropriate. Seems like perhaps it is.

I appreciate everyone's notes here. I look forward to learning more and contributing here now that I've found this site.

Thanks again!

 

[DNWon]

Good Luck, please keep us posted on your decision!

 

[DaveX]

Best of luck

 

[biggie]

Hi

do more research

there are many more entities out there that currently use that "proper name" in one form or another

https://www.wadsworthcity.com/
http://www.wadsdev.com/
https://thewadsworth.org/about/history/
https://www.zacharywadsworth.com/
http://wadsworthdar.org/
https://www.wadsco.com/
https://www.pkwadsworth.com/
https://www.wadsworthmansion.com/friends-of-long-hill/
http://wadsworthminneapolis.com/
https://chadwadsworth.com/

etc, etc, etc.

imo...

 

[Domains - Wanted]

...I have an offer of high $x,xxx for it, but wonder if it's worth more...

It's a good offer. I'd counter with low to mid $2x,xxx to test the waters and see where this goes. Negotiation is the most precise valuation!

And welcome to Namepros!

 

[anachronistic]

Interesting...
they started with low $x,xxx and I already countered with 1x,xxx (would have been good to find this first! )

thats how we ended up with high $x,xxx as what the broker claims is his clients highest.

Negotiating when you don't know who the other party is can be frustrating!

I think I'm going to take biggies advice and do some more research ... seems like there could be other potential buyers...at least I should try to get a feel for that possibility. If this offer falls through (or really is maxed out) what would you do as a next step? Auction? Shop it around by reaching out to potential buyers? I don't want to spend too much time on this, but I see it as a learning experience. Clearly I've got much to learn and much reading to do.

Thanks again everyone! and especially thanks for the great welcome! There aren't that many boards this welcoming to newbies!

 

[Satyajit Adhikary]

You should take d high $xxxx. The only positive aspect in your domain is its age else similar domains dont make even to low $xxxx

 

[WatchDogue]

Overall you received some excellent advice and suggestions above and obviously you know your company and it's use of domain names.

A question that popped up when I read your post was - how much traffic / customer dollar generation comes in via wadsworth.com over a couple year period and would that dollar amount be a measurable loss if the name was sold?

IMO the perceived dollar value of an established name should include the dollars generated ( if any ) to the firm by the traffic/customers the name brings into the firm.

And welcome aboard NamePros!

 

[Mister Funsky]

Welcome! Not enough coffee in me yet but if you asked 12,500 and they come back at 7500, I would take it...maybe even less now that I see I have a big ole bucket of renewals due!

Good luck and please let us know what happens.

 

[anachronistic]

Thanks guys!
We've already evaluated our value and validated the SEO value to our other domains, so that's the reason I've been authorized to release it. It really does nothing for us, so no measurable loss--but this process of evaluation costs us time (many hours when you factor in all the people who have to weigh in and consider not only current and past use, but also potential future use), so that's why we don't sell many (just some business insight for those who might wonder why organizations often hold onto large domain name portfolios when it appears they're not really using them)

Great advice and information here!

 

[NamesNewbie]

I'd be very interested in buying it myself, but what you're being offered already seems to be well over my budget. However, I'd really like to know if you acquired this domain recently from the previous owner.

This is because based on what I found through my research, it has a rather weird history.

 

[anachronistic]

@NamesNewbie: we've owned it since the beginning...although you'll probably see strange ownership history due to company acquisitions/etc. Back in the day Wadsworth was it's own publishing company that eventually ended up in our portfolio.

 

[NamesNewbie]

@NamesNewbie: we've owned it since the beginning...although you'll probably see strange ownership history due to company acquisitions/etc. Back in the day Wadsworth was it's own publishing company that eventually ended up in our portfolio.

Okay, thanks for explaining it to me.

 

[platey]

All:

Thanks! Yes, I work for Cengage.

My question (as answered by thedot.shop--thanks!) was just wondering if the name was worth more than 4 figures. Various valuation sites out there have estimated it's value at everything from 5k to 58K. I've never seen a range that wide so I've been trying to learn more about where these values come from...This site has been very helpful in that regard!

The offer is, unfortunately, anonymous--so I can't feel out the potential buyer by investigating them. The offer also came to me unsolicited, and my internal business unit agreed that it could be sold. As I indicated, we don't often sell names that we hold for various reasons...in this case I'm just trying to determine if the value is appropriate. Seems like perhaps it is.

I appreciate everyone's notes here. I look forward to learning more and contributing here now that I've found this site.

Thanks again!

The ball is in your court so to speak

Eg as you buy domains and keep forever just the fact that the domain is being made for sale at all as usually it wouldn't be etc

If you explain this to potential buyer and say unless we get an offer in excess of 20k? we are happy to keep the domain which is just what the potential buyer won't want to hear as this will be the only opportunity to upgrade to the. Com for many years and may not get another chance to buy it if your company decides the offer isn't enough and decides to keep the domain

You hold all the aces

If you decline the offer it will give the potential buyer a decision to make

Eg walk away or come back with a bigger offer

Either way your company is quids in as it redirects business to them already and would continue to do so if not sold