domains Restaurant turns down Tampa Bay Rays for Rays.com domain

[Lox]

Seattle seafood restaurant turns down Tampa Bay Rays for web domain, ‘we’re true to who we are’

The Tampa Bay Rays are no closer to getting the desired web address Rays.com than when Major League Baseball first approached the long-time Ballard restaurant that owns the domain.

Ray’s Boathouse is a seafood restaurant that sits on the waterfront overlooking Shilshole Bay in Ballard with its iconic red sign and has been at its location since the 1940s, when it was little more than a coffee shop. As a restaurant, it will soon be celebrating its 50th anniversary.

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[bmugford]

Voice.com was an undeveloped site when it sold for $30 million.
Connect.com was an undeveloped site when it sold for $10 million.

Where is your proof Rays.com will likely sell for $8-$10 million besides your subjective opinion?

How many domains have you brokered for $10 million? In fact, if you are so skilled at brokering multi million $$$ domains why not represent Ray's Boathouse in their negotiations with MLB?

Their point is clearly related to an undeveloped vs developed domain.

If you are wanting an end user to essentially rebrand their entire business, you need to bring a serious offer to the table that is above "market value" for just the raw domain.

Otherwise, what is the real incentive to selling the domain? You have to make it worth their while.

Brad

 

[bmugford]

Likely, Tampa Bay will be sold and relocate with a new nickname anyway.

Probably, because their team is a joke.
A MLB team with 13,000 a game attendance.

Some minor league teams have 1/2 that attendance.

Maybe the team can start a Go Fund Me to be able to afford the domain.

Brad

 

[J.R.]

Their point is clearly related to an undeveloped vs developed domain.

If you are wanting an end user to essentially rebrand their entire business, you need to bring a serious offer to the table that is above "market value" for just the raw domain.

Otherwise, what is the real incentive to selling the domain? You have to make it worth their while.

Brad

Thats my point the real incentive is subjective. One company may agree $500K is enough, the next company may be $1M or $5M or $100M. It depends on the seller, but in the case of Rays Boathouse, it isnt really a huge rebrand. But as the owner of Ray's has made clear, there is no price they are willing to sell for, neither $500K nor $10 million.

So, this is just a good example for all to see how complicated negotiations can be, and even how some deals cant get done.

 

[J.R.]

Probably, because their team is a joke.
A MLB team with 13,000 a game attendance.

Some minor league teams have 1/2 that attendance.

Maybe the team can start a Go Fund Me to be able to afford the domain.

Brad

Yeah, Tampa Bay Rays are pretty sad, only Miami has lower attendance.
I'm surprised more teams haven't used some sort of Name the team, fund the EMD domain sponsored by ABC corporation scheme

 

[LoveCatchyDomains]

Seattle seafood restaurant turns down Tampa Bay Rays for web domain, ‘we’re true to who we are’

The Tampa Bay Rays are no closer to getting the desired web address Rays.com than when Major League Baseball first approached the long-time Ballard restaurant that owns the domain.

I checked today for the TampaBayRays.com website. This redirects to the mlb.com/rays website.
So does it really make sense for the this MLB team to even pursue another domain name, when what they have currently seems to work fine? Or, is there an issue with the TampaBayRays.com that would make them inclined to abandon that one for Rays.com?

 

[Keith]

At some point the restaurant will sell. I’d ask $20 million and then use an alternate domain for carryout service

 

[J.R.]

I checked today for the TampaBayRays.com website. This redirects to the mlb.com/rays website.
So does it really make sense for the this MLB team to even pursue another domain name, when what they have currently seems to work fine? Or, is there an issue with the TampaBayRays.com that would make them inclined to abandon that one for Rays.com?

From past MLB statements, it seems the goal is to acquire shortest version of every MLB team nickname dot-Com except Giants.com. Makes sense, as the easier to type-in the better for search and marketing purposes. Dallas Cowboys use DallasCowboys.com as their primary site like TampaBayRays.com and decided it is a better option than paying asking price for Cowboys.com.

Same with the much publicized Rams.com, Los Angeles Rams use TheRams.com rather than pay $300K-$750K.

MLB has been the most aggressive of all the pro leagues in acquisition of the EMD nickname dot-Coms. I suspect they will pursue Guardians.com next after the renaming disaster of Cleveland MLB.

 

[AEProgram]

Voice.com was an undeveloped site when it sold for $30 million.
Connect.com was an undeveloped site when it sold for $10 million.

Where is your proof Rays.com will likely sell for $8-$10 million besides your subjective opinion?

How many domains have you brokered for $10 million? In fact, if you are so skilled at brokering multi million $$$ domains why not represent Ray's Boathouse in their negotiations with MLB?

When a website is active as in, a real business operates on it and has been for a while, potential buyers understand the price will be significantly higher to get the owner to sell. How much higher? That depends on what the current owners are earning. In real estate this works the same way. If developers want a property that is currently occupied and not for sale, they must pay a premium.

Cowboys and Rams.com are both dead sites. Side note, sometimes owners of dead domains want very high prices because they have real plans for the name.

 

[J.R.]

When a website is active as in, a real business operates on it and has been for a while, potential buyers understand the price will be significantly higher to get the owner to sell. How much higher? That depends on what the current owners are earning. In real estate this works the same way. If developers want a property that is currently occupied and not for sale, they must pay a premium.

Cowboys and Rams.com are both dead sites. Side note, sometimes owners of dead domains want very high prices because they have real plans for the name.

All businesses are not created equal. The magnitude of the existing business matters.

but Fair enough we disagree on that magnitude.

Now, what's stopping you from offering your broker and valuation expertise to Ray's Boathouse, signing a brokers agreement, and going after that $10million deal with Rays MLB?

Could be a sweet $1M commission for you.

 

[1Darko]

Good for them.

I like reading stories about small end users that beat everyone else to premium domains, and still use them.

Brad

I took the time and watched a documentary about Ray's restaurant legacy.

A lot of history and passion in this business. I doubt they will ever sell the domain.

 

[lock]

I wonder how this would this pan out if a foreigner owned it undeveloped.

 

[LoveCatchyDomains]

Likely, Tampa Bay will be sold and relocate with a new nickname anyway.

Hmmm. Maybe that's part of the reason the Rays.com could be useful. If they move to a different city, they could become that "city"Rays.com Having a domain without the geo-specific term could be helpful, even for subsequent moves. For example, they could become the AtlanticCityRays, then,with another move, the HartfordRays, etc. Their city could change, but the domain wouldn't need to....

 

[J.R.]

For example, they could become the AtlanticCityRays, then,with another move, the HartfordRays, etc. Their city could change, but the domain wouldn't need to....

Devil Rays are a type subtropical marine species. The full name is literally Devil Rays, but they prefer the shortened version Rays. The nickname makes sense for a Florida based team.

Other cities MLB listed as relocation priorities don't have that connection, so I think they'd discard the nickname.

 

[LoveCatchyDomains]

Devil Rays are a type subtropical marine species. The full name is literally Devil Rays, but they prefer the shortened version Rays. The nickname makes sense for a Florida based team.

Other cities MLB listed as relocation priorities don't have that connection, so I think they'd discard the nickname.

You sure know your baseball teams! Thanks for the insights, and I hope you put your domain savvy to use in the baseball field.

 

[DN Playbook]

My thoughts are too long in a post here, so I put them in an article here:

Why Would the Owners of Rays.com Refuse to Sell the Domain to Tampa Bay Rays?

 

[LoveCatchyDomains]

My thoughts are too long in a post here, so I put them in an article here:

Why Would the Owners of Rays.com Refuse to Sell the Domain to Tampa Bay Rays?

Very nice article. Thanks for summarizing the issue so wonderfully.

 

[Ashton F]

I've been to this restaurant multiple times before. Their food is delicious and they're usually fairly busy!

I wonder if this domain is worth more then their restaurant though

 

[OmarVG]

Big Applause for the seafood restaurant owner, low ball offers must be turned DOWN!!

 

[otismo]

interesting about all these SPORTS team names...

estibot now sez Lottery dot com $20,000,000 -

I believe Sports dot com is worth more...

Cheers !