Pleeeeeeeeeease? It's for my kid!

[DutchBoyd]

I don't know what it is... maybe an eBook or something circulating around about how to get domain names cheap. But the last two email inquiries I've gotten for domain names were both from people trying to secure their domain name for their son.

A few weeks ago a guy tried to buy Trail1.com. I shot out my asking price and he emailed back saying he wanted the domain because his 8-yr old son was in a camping club and that's the name they chose... but he could only afford about 20% of the asking price. Camping in the dead of winter in December? His area code was in a very cold state, but maybe... the second half of the story was what was ridiculously unbelievable. I was in Cub Scouts and there's no way a bunch of pre-pube boys got together and THAT'S the name they got excited about.

So I told him he'd be much better off registering the .org since it was still available for reg fee and is much better suited to a non-profit kiddie camping club. After a little back and forth of me continuing to call his bluff and offer "helpful" advice, I finally sent him an email telling him I had discovered that, in what was obviously a huge coincidence, the owner of TrailOne lived only 15 minutes away from him... and had also recently filed a trademark for the term "TrailOne". He agreed to pay the price I had originally asked for.

Then today I got an offer from a woman about one of my higher performing poker domain names... we'll call it PokerJack.com but that's not it... a different first name that is a lot more relevant to the poker industry. So she supposedly has a son whose name is "Jack" and his birthday is coming up and he really wanted the domain. She offered a cool hundred for it... a domain that would easily go for $2k reseller just based on PPC earnings. So I emailed her back saying I was holding onto the domain as a long term investment and wasn't planning on selling for another decade or so and telling her she should get him the .tv or even better, the .me.

Anyone else have stories like this where someone emails with a sketchy cover story? Or anyone actually successfully USE a cover story like that? I'm thinking maybe they work sometimes and I should try to get a few undeveloped LL.coms that way... here's the email I think I'm going try using...

Dear Mr. Johnson,

This last November, my newlywed wife and I had a little baby girl and decided to name her Julie Jill, after my mother who traigically died last week after eating some bad peanut butter. Yesterday, little Julie saw me updating my charity website that I run for hungry third-world orphans and she got excited for the first time since her grandmother died. She asked me to buy her a domain name of her very own.

It would be very special if I could purchase JJ.com from you to give to my little girl since it's her initials as well as the initials of my deceased mother. It's the only thing that she wants in the whole world.

I noticed that you are currently just redirecting the domain name to another website. I'm not a rich man, but I'd do anything to make my little baby girl happy, so I would be willing to pay you the better part of my life savings for this domain name... $10,000. I hope you'll agree that this is more than fair (considering my situation). Please email me back a good time to call so we can work out the transfer details.

Sincerely,
Dutch

 

[Vito]

LMAO...
I'm gonna copy and paste that!
I'll try it with the owner of AA...

LOL

The sad thing is...
I am sure there are 1 in a 100 or so,
of THOSE hard luck stories that ARE true.

I have a huge heart and can be slightly convinced to do the compassionate thing, but there would have to be VERY overwhelming concrete evidence in order to have me take a second look at a situation like that.

Where there is $$$, There are snakes!

Funny Story!

 

[bmugford]

Well, these types of stories are generally negotiating tactics. That second one is taking it a bit too far, but still very funny.

Sometimes the stories are actually true though. I recently sold a LLLL at a discount to a non profit after doing the research.

When you are in the business for awhile you can figure out what is legit, and what is BS.

Brad

 

[Michael]

Nice catch with the TrailOne company, very funny.

 

[co2]

Yep had one October last year, wanted to buy xxxxxxorganic.com. Offered me very low $xxx, stating that thay wanted if for a blog ?!!?. Hit them with a price, reply, you are joking, did not bother after that. Thay are out there, if thay do it to 100 domainers a week, I sure some will sell at looooowwww price, Nigerian Scamers, Domain chancers !!.

 

[bmugford]

Yes, it is the law of averages. Sooner or later someone will take a lowball offer.

Brad

Yep had one October last year, wanted to buy xxxxxxorganic.com. Offered me very low $xxx, stating that thay wanted if for a blog ?!!?. Hit them with a price, reply, you are joking, did not bother after that. Thay are out there, if thay do it to 100 domainers a week, I sure some will sell at looooowwww price, Nigerian Scamers, Domain chancers !!.

 

[seven]

Thanks for the stories. Those are always a great read. No one has hit me up with a sob story, but I probably wouldn't go for it either way. Best chance is a true non-profit like bmugford referenced. That's only if I was 100% convinced they really were the NP organization.

 

[Ms Domainer]

*

No matter how many sob stories, domaining is a business, and your price is your price.
Period.

I would say that most sob stories bend the truth--way backwards!

I don't see Sears or Wal-Mart selling their computers for 10% of the price just because a customer comes in with a sob story. Now do businesses give to charity?

Yes! But only after a charity has been thoroughly vetted.

*

 

[bmugford]

I agree. In the example posted above it was a non profit school.

I asked the person to explain what the school does. Then I vetted all the facts.

I have no problem helping out a non-profit or charity, but not until they have been checked out.

Brad

*

No matter how many sob stories, domaining is a business, and your price is your price.
Period.

I would say that most sob stories bend the truth--way backwards!

I don't see Sears or Wal-Mart selling their computers for 10% of the price just because a customer comes in with a sob story. Now do businesses give to charity?

Yes! But only after a charity has been thoroughly vetted.

*

 

[DutchBoyd]

Rule #1 - Always Feed Yourself

My bigest .tv domain sale was to a non-profit. I had the domain ecco.tv listed for a $2,500. Got an email from a big np in europe battling cancer saying they wanted to buy the domain name and asking if I gave discounts to non-profits. They were using a really crappy domain name... long with dashes... but they looked to be huge and legit.

Non-profits sometimes have the deepest pockets. Looking back I'm pretty sure if I emailed back and said the price was firm, it would have still happened quick and painless... instead I started thinking about my mom who had just survived cancer and told her 75% off so $675. If she balked I was prepared to go down to $200 or even $100 or less. But she just asked how I wanted to be paid and then referred me to two different people... one to handle the financial transfer and one to handle the domain transfer. Probably cost myself 1800 but at least I got a little warm fuzzy feeling for a few hours kind of feeling like I did a small thing to help the fight against the disease that almost devastated my familly...

but then the money went quick and I ran out of weed and the PPC payment was a good 3 weeks away and I really wish I had just stuck to my guns and said "Lady, I appreciate what you're doing and much respect, but I'm trying to make a living here and the domain is a steal for $2500... if you'd like I can push it to auction for $60, but I'd also have to be shooting off emails to Ecco shoes and Ecco the dolphin himself... "

Nonprofit definitely does NOT mean no budget. Some of the biggest pursestrings are controlled by non-profits. I'd love to have been the one to own Scientology.com or Mormon.com.

As a fellow domainer told me once, Life Rule #1 : Always Feed Yourself.

 

[cobainer]

Dear Mr. Johnson,

This last November, my newlywed wife and I had a little baby girl and decided to name her Julie Jill, after my mother who traigically died last week after eating some bad peanut butter. Yesterday, little Julie saw me updating my charity website that I run for hungry third-world orphans and she got excited for the first time since her grandmother died. She asked me to buy her a domain name of her very own.

It would be very special if I could purchase JJ.com from you to give to my little girl since it's her initials as well as the initials of my deceased mother. It's the only thing that she wants in the whole world.

I noticed that you are currently just redirecting the domain name to another website. I'm not a rich man, but I'd do anything to make my little baby girl happy, so I would be willing to pay you the better part of my life savings for this domain name... $10,000. I hope you'll agree that this is more than fair (considering my situation). Please email me back a good time to call so we can work out the transfer details.

Sincerely,
Dutch

Ha ha ha ha.... This is insane man!! How can people come up with such stuff?? and surprisingly enough, many out there fall for it...

after my mother who traigically died last week after eating some bad peanut butter.

:kickass:

 

[Charley]

I'll try it with the owner of AA

Let me know the outcome :D

 

[acronym007]

1. Legit companies, profit or non-profit do not beg.
2. SOB stories are scams 100% of the time
3. Someone dies tragically or otherwise how ironic is this person is mourning their death by trying to secure a piece of property and bartering some deal. WHAT? How foolish does that sound.
4. Business is business and there is a cost to doing to doing business.

 

[lzy]

"Jack" really needed a "Jack" domain name. :lol:

 

[DutchBoyd]

I think a couple people didn't read my OP closely... the email about JJ.com was a joke and was the email I was planning on sending out to Johnson and Johnson. I got a couple PMs saying "Is that Dutch the poker guy who sent you that email?" And I'm like... dude... I'm Dutch the poker guy. lol.

 

[domainsusi]

I have been in the Real Estate business for over 35 years and I speak of experience: Don't do business with any non-profit or ecclesiastical organization unless you know the head honcho and see their money first.

They have the most slippery ways of going behind your back and/or sneaking out of a deal.

 

[reprint1]

I have a collection of those kind of emails. without independent verification its impossible to know who is legit and who isnt. It is a business, treat it like a business and expect others to treat your domains as a business.

 

[ssamriga]

I sold one name to a guy who was telling that he is a student and it;s his last name and he doesn't have a lot of money. since I had hand registered that name a week before I sold it for $120, and it turned out he really was a student who set up a personal page... sometimes stories to get lower prices are true.

 

[bmugford]

Right, but when they are stories for ridiculous high end domains they are not true 99% of the time.

Brad

I sold one name to a guy who was telling that he is a student and it;s his last name and he doesn't have a lot of money. since I had hand registered that name a week before I sold it for $120, and it turned out he really was a student who set up a personal page... sometimes stories to get lower prices are true.

 

[mis_chiff]

Dear Mr. Johnson,

This last November, my newlywed wife and I had a little baby girl and decided to name her Julie Jill, after my mother who traigically died last week after eating some bad peanut butter. Yesterday, little Julie saw me updating my charity website that I run for hungry third-world orphans and she got excited for the first time since her grandmother died. She asked me to buy her a domain name of her very own.

A 3 month old that can put a sentence together :lol:

I remember the very first time I got an email like this...
I almost believed it