Potential buyer wants to do a background check on me? This is a first.

[RaiderGirl]

I cant make any sense of this other than intimidation...

Potential buyer contacts me about a domain, oddly the buyer is a left wing Super Pac funded by George Sorros, I priced it higher than I normally would and replied with a price of $8K, (I now regret not going higher)

Buyer replies their interested but wants to vet me, she asks for my full name, phone etc, so I remove the Whois privacy which shows all that and informed her of that in my reply. I also initiated a Escrow invoice at escrow.com. This was on Friday.

Didn't hear anything in nearly 3 days, so I decided to call this morning and spoke to the person in charge and she tells me they just purchased the dot org for $4000 and their looking to spend about the same for the dot com, she tells me they only want to use it for a redirect, I replied that it really makes no difference what they use it for, it wont effect the price.. I explained that dot com values are usually much higher than dot orgs, and since I've been receiving recent interest for the domain, the price is not negotiable..

Later in the day she emails me back and asks me to consider an offer of $5K, she goes on to say that the person who does background checks was not in the office today and will be in tomorrow, and I should think on it while were waiting on that, I replied back stating pretty much the same thing, that I felt it was already priced low and I've received other offers higher than hers and I'm firm on the price, declined the offer, thanked her for it and didn't address the background check issue, Currently waiting on her reply.

Since were using Escrow where they offer protection, whats with the background check? Not that I have anything to hide or fear, I just don't get it, If its for purposes of intimidation, the price will DOUBLE after escrow cancels the transaction for non activity....

I also thought, this is a Super Pac where they make a living digging up a dirt on people and exposing it to the world, so perhaps this is the norm for them, I don't know.

Your take on it..

 

[AEProgram]

Makes zero sense given you are using escrow.

You did research on your buyer and they said they have an internal guy that does the checks. But imagine if a scammer reads this and the new scam instead of appraisals will be background checks lol.

Whatever you do dont tell her your name is Mitt Romney or George Bush

 

[carob]

Are they asking you to keep the sale private?

Just sounds like delaying tactics where they create fear and uncertaintly and hope you will go for the lower offer on the table now. But if they really do want to check, maybe the concern is if the domain is stolen or the seller is later going to publicly embarass them by publishing the sale or the price.

Have you verified that the .org changed hands and possibly the price?

 

[jideofor]

Carob a has point... But if they want to use escrow, they shouldn't have anything to fear and if there is a reason for the back ground check, they should categorically state their reasons for transparency sake.

 

[cdboard]

since they are still in negotiation mode, YOU can still be in negotiation mode.

cancel the escrow.com transaction.

raise the price. reinstate whois privacy.

be prepared to not sell it, though.

 

[RogueWriter]

The .com will be worth a lot more after the .org goes live, lol. They probably should not have mentioned that to you.

 

[carob]

The .com will be worth a lot more after the .org goes live, lol. They probably should not have mentioned that to you.

Yes and if they are using this for some kind of political site someone with an opposing point of view, and deep pockets, can buy the .com and compete with them and take their traffic.

 

[gatekeeper72]

One thing to think about is the .org they are buying could be trademarked by them, and then your .com is no good, and you could get in trouble for having it. IDK...Just a thought.

 

[johname]

she goes on to say that the person who does background checks was not in the office today and will be in tomorrow, and I should think on it while were waiting on that, ..

Does sound like a tactic. Plus the 'guy that does background checks' probably just Bill their google surfer dude.

Sounds political themed, got org, don't have to have the com but would be nice sort of thing.

Probably upset she has to pay more for the com

 

[alien51]

Maybe your choice of escrow is not comforting to the buyer being fully electronic transaction and all.

You can suggest to him to have the transaction go through a neutral agent (as in a live person) like a dedicated Sedo agent to handle the transaction. The only catch is, since he doesn't trust you, he has to shoulder the agent fee and satisfy his own fears. Having a live and fully accredited human third party mediating between, the chance of them getting scammed would have been highly improbable.

 

[RaiderGirl]

Are they asking you to keep the sale private?

Have you verified that the .org changed hands and possibly the price?

Not a word about keeping it private... I couldn't verify the ,org because it has privacy protection and it's using the same parked page, she says it was recent.

One thing to think about is the .org they are buying could be trademarked by them, and then your .com is no good, and you could get in trouble for having it. IDK...Just a thought.

Its a generic 2 word domain, the words probably go back to American revolution, and I've had the domain for well over 12 years, If a TM exists it was likely filed long after I grabbed it.

 

[RaiderGirl]

Probably upset she has to pay more for the com

Were talking a $3K difference in price, The question I would be asking myself if I was in their position is, "is it worth losing the .com traffic for $8000?"

 

[johname]

Would you tell someone you are doing a background check on them? Its not like your applying for a job with them. Feels tactics to me. There could be they want to know if you ever fraud or stole a domain name before.

But I am thinking she already feels she paid way too much for the org and feels org better than com in use. And feels a little more than she paid for the org is plenty 4k+1k=5k (I am in her mind, not domainer reality). So she goes for the background check card.

 

[4pm]

The question I would be asking myself if I was in their position is, "is it worth losing the .com traffic for $8000?"

losing traffic ... from well online/offline promoted .org sitting on 1st google page, with x,xxx monthly marketing budget losing traffic to parked unused privacy protected .com?? what reality are you living in? after they have their .org up and running and well ranked your com will be worth next to regfee unless they want it to feed their vanity... can not they care less for 100 typein clicks leaked to your .com monthly.. get real... and since are so disturbed by their telling you of their background checks i assume you have something to be anxious about which potentially can influence the deal.. if not why post this

 

[hawkeye]

Well if it's a super PAC backed by George Sorros, I'd suggest just pushing it to them at no charge as it's probably going to be used for a 'good' cause. Just sayin'.

 

[The New Guy]

Two words to tell them:

Pound sand.

After they attempted to renegotiate the sale and change terms (adding the background check) you should be under no obligation to continue with the transaction. Cancel the escrow immediately and tell them you're no longer interested in selling it to them.

Once they have the .org, who is to say a right leaning org might not want to purchase the .com to use for their own purposes - and pay more than the left leaning org is offering - without the hassle of the background check.

 

[RogueWriter]

losing traffic ... from well online/offline promoted .org sitting on 1st google page, with x,xxx monthly marketing budget losing traffic to parked unused privacy protected .com?? what reality are you living in? after they have their .org up and running and well ranked your com will be worth next to regfee unless they want it to feed their vanity... can not they care less for 100 typein clicks leaked to your .com monthly.. get real... and since are so disturbed by their telling you of their background checks i assume you have something to be anxious about which potentially can influence the deal.. if not why post this

So, because a two word generic .com is currently parked, it will never be developed by anyone, eh?

 

[hawkeye]

Two words to tell them:

Pound sand.

After they attempted to renegotiate the sale and change terms (adding the background check) you should be under no obligation to continue with the transaction. Cancel the escrow immediately and tell them you're no longer interested in selling it to them.

Once they have the .org, who is to say a right leaning org might not want to purchase the .com to use for their own purposes - and pay more than the left leaning org is offering - without the hassle of the background check.

And if she does as you suggests and cancels escrow, and doesn't end up selling it to a right wing org or anyone, you of course will pay her what she could have sold it for, right?!

 

[The New Guy]

losing traffic ... from well online/offline promoted .org sitting on 1st google page, with x,xxx monthly marketing budget losing traffic to parked unused privacy protected .com?? what reality are you living in? after they have their .org up and running and well ranked your com will be worth next to regfee unless they want it to feed their vanity... can not they care less for 100 typein clicks leaked to your .com monthly.. get real... and since are so disturbed by their telling you of their background checks i assume you have something to be anxious about which potentially can influence the deal.. if not why post this

Because it's creepy.

She's not being asked to babysit their kids or handle their finances - she's being asked to sell a domain name. They've already tried to get her price down, now they're throwing in the "jump through this hoop" request.

And in what world does a generic .com become LESS valuable because a lesser extension has been developed and promoted? And where is the portal to this world that you use to get between there and here?

 

[The New Guy]

And if she does as you suggests and cancels escrow, and doesn't end up selling it to a right wing org or anyone, you of course will pay her what she could have sold it for, right?!

Depends on the name - and my finances.

But I will say from my 20 years in business that you don't get rich by being a doormat. In fact, it's a good way to get poor.