What do you think about this request from the seller - Seems a bit odd to me

[staffjam]

Im in the middle of negotiations for a name i want to buy for development purposes.
The seller is happy with the price - but he wants to guarantee i will keep the nameservers pointed where he wants for a 50 days. I don't have a problem with doing this - but he want's guarantees i will do this.
He has proposed the following:
I transfer the domain to my Go Daddy account. I can then set your company up as the domain owner under my account, you still will not have access since it is under my account but it will show you as the owner doing a Whois search. Once the transition of the nameservers and mailservers are complete I will then transfer the domain to your account.
There is a 60 waiting period once a transfer the domain to Go Daddy before it can be transferred out of Go Daddy. So if we set out time frame as 45 days, that leaves a security window of 15 days where I cannot do anything to transfer the domain.

What do you guys reckon about this? Is it legit? What protection do i have if the domain is still in his Account?
I'm not very comfortable with doing this.
i'll be interested in hearing any suggestions anyone has.

Thanks

 

[shane mac]

Dont do it.If your not comfortable with the negotiations leave it.If he is serious to sell he will back down.At the end of the day it is YOUR money you are spending.If you buy a domain you want FULL access to it and FULL ownership of it.

 

[domainsusi]

No way !!

The only way to do business with this individual is through an escrow service. Go back to him and tell him that !!

 

[El Bandolero]

Honeslty don't do it could be a way to try to scam you. If I was you Id be like okay look we made a deal. I want my domain you get your money and thats that. You dont need to do all that after all your the buyer.

 

[staffjam]

Thanks for the feedback guys. It smells a little fishy - so i'm going to go back and say no.
We'll do the deal through Escrow in the standard way, otherwise it's off.

Thanks again

 

[shane mac]

Keep us posted :kickass:

 

[the_poet]

Don't do it! Let us know how it goes!

 

[onlinelife]

Pointing name server is one thing but changing whois details at this point is not recommended. As mentioned earlier escrow is best option.

 

[Keral_Patel]

Tell him that you will keep his nameservers intact even after getting the domain name in your account. If he says he doesn't trusts you for that. Then you can say you don't trust him for his foolish idea.

 

[dnpimping.com]

This transaction has fraud written all over it. It almost sounds as if the domain seller wants to have enough time for money to clear. Then once that is done he can also leave with your domain name in hand. Are you able to shed a little light on the dollar amount? If you do decide to move forward, I would definitely place the money into an escrow account for a prolonged period of time.

 

[Domainace]

You probably don't need my advice at this point, but this screams "scam." As others above said, I'd be wary of even paying this person unless it's through escrow.

 

[intheflow]

Listen to the wise folks who posted previously.

Insist on the use of escrow.com but offer him an attractive domain lease contract to show your good faith in pointing the domain his way for a period of time.

If you decide to risk it, don't expect any help from Go daddy when things turn ugly.

 

[staffjam]

This is why i love Namepros - everyone chips in to help out.
Well i've gone back to him and said the deal is off unless we do it my way and he's gone quiet - so i think that's another one that bites the dust.
The amount was for a few thousand $$ - so certainly something i don't want to lose.
Thanks again all.

 

[mntor]

The amount was for a few thousand $$ - so certainly something i don't want to lose.

Good you did what you should have done. Honestly that kinda deal should only go through escrow imho. Worth the peace of mind. :bingo:

 

[labrocca]

I have actually enforced very similar rules to buyers. It really depends on who you are dealing with. Since I have a solid reputation I want to make sure that the payment is good from someone without a solid reputation. I take payment. Change whois and nameserver but won't push for a given time. Paypal requires 45 days I believe. Most bad payments happen in the first week or two. Sometime even immediately.

You have to work in your own comfort zone though.

 

[Spade]

Was this a reseller or did you approach an owner?

I think we need to know more details about the deal. BTW - there are other ways to accomplish this goal - for instance by including it in a contract. Seems silly to me that someone would need to go to such lengths. Perhaps even waiting on the sale? Why rush to the sale, he can begin the phase out and once its completed you can close the deal. Why not that?

Justin

 

[labrocca]

What good is a contract if the payment is bad and they are outside the USA?

 

[Spade]

What good is a contract if the payment is bad and they are outside the USA?

Exactly the point - we dont have enough information.