Domain Appraisals

[southplatte]

Hello,

I just happened to notice this forum due to Brittany pointing it out on the home page.

Quick question, does any use domain appraisal services?

I ask, because I have two domains for sale, and had an offer from a gentleman to promote one for me, but he would only do it if it was professionally appraised. What he is aiming for is anything he can squeeze above and beyond the professional appraisal is his commission for doing all the marketing, and finding the right buyer.

I went forward with it, had it appraised and it came out to be more than I thought.

Is it wise to pay the fee for these appraisal services? I have another domain I wish to sell, and upon a free eval was way up there in my book, so I have thought to apprais it as well.

Also, what is the best way to promote a domain for sale? I have listed on some sites, but haven't had much luck in the almost two months it has been listed.

Thanks for any feedback.

[Linda Buquet]

Hi Billy,

Sounds like you may have a couple of good names.
I have been thinking of getting some of mine appraised but doubt that I will.

Here is a free apraisal service. You get what you pay for - since it's free it will just give you an idea.

As far as selling, I am doing alot of research right now to sell all my new domains so I will share what I have discovered so far.

First check this out: http://www.dnjournal.com/domainsales.htm
Scroll down to the chart of recently sold domains.
I check this weekly and feel it gives some indication of which sites may be the best places to list your domains for sale. Sedo, Afternic and Pool always seem to be on top.

Sedo is my 1st choice based on research I have done so far. They also offer appraisal and escrow services. I think the problem with selling domains is there are so many that your name can get buried. So if it's a really good one I would pay for a featured ad on Sedo. I am going to try that for a couple of my premium names to see what happens.

There are also a couple of very popular domain name forums where you can list and sell for free, but I assume you would get more of a wholesale offer instead of a higher retail offer. Then of course there is always eBay.

[Linda Buquet]

FYI,

I just listed some domains for sale on Sedo and it was pretty slick and easy. I wish they had a way to list several domains at once, but you need to list 50 names to use their bulk domain service.

[kikkertm]

I'm using Sedo and Afternic. I must say that I have the best experience with Afternic, their customer service is quite good and there minimum fee is lower then with Sedo ($100 V $60). I actually never sold a name via Sedo before but sold quite a few via afternic. Their escrow service is great as well.

If you have a few good names, definitely go for a featured (either on sedo or on afternic).. To get back on topic, I have most of my better names appraised although I must admit that appraisals are quite superficial and don't mean much. I usually sell my names for around 10% of the appraised value !

It's all about the buyer encountering your name at the right time and the buyer taking a fancy to the name. I had a name with a number in it and it was appraised quite low because of this.. Then came along a company that actually traded with that name (with number!) and sold it for about 26X the amount I paid for it...

[Linda Buquet]

Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to domain names. So although appraisals serve a place in some transactions, it appears in this biz it's more about what the customer is willing to pay.

[sandem1]

We offer free domain appraisals for domains. We've been helpful in a few users selling their domains. I think it gives an addition piece of research for the people buying the domain.

[imvain2]

From my experience domain appraisals are so varied that buyers get used to just ignoring them, or even worse they start ignoring the domains with appraisals because some are so high they believe the seller is trying to rip them off.

The places I would suggest for domain name selling would be the same as kikkertm. Afternic, Sedo and maybe eBay.

I haven't sold many domain names in a while, I just acquire domain names that have a current paid listing in Yahoo, but have expired.

[edwinj]

There are no 100% accurate appraisals anywhere. Simply because there are no accepted standards in appraising a domain name. An appraiser simply tells you what he thinks a domain name may be worth. A different appraiser will evaluate it differently.

Basically there are a few things that most appraisers look at ~ quality of the name, commercial potential, how much similiar names have sold for, etc.

A domain is not going to sell just because an appraiser says it is worth a fortune.

So should you pay for an appraisal? Your call. I probably wouldn't. But if you want to, please make sure it is from a reputable company.

Southplatte, I was very concerned when you mentioned that someone contacted you to sell your domain but then asked you to pay for an appraisal. Smells very fishy.:(

There have been widespread scams like this. Did he ask you to get your domain appraised from one of a list of appraisers that he provided in his email?


Edwin

Originally Posted by edwinj

Southplatte, I was very concerned when you mentioned that someone contacted you to sell your domain but then asked you to pay for an appraisal. Smells very fishy.:(

There have been widespread scams like this. Did he ask you to get your domain appraised from one of a list of appraisers that he provided in his email?


Edwin

Ah crap - does that mean I got scammed? I did use on on his list, as he listed fastdomainsales and greatdomains as ones that he likes to use. I used fastdomainsales and did not use the link in his e-mail, I typed it in manually so in case there was some form of hidden link or affiliate comission he may earn.

I actually sent out an e-mail from a domain sales site using their service to like 150 people, and he responded from that list. I spelled out some terms in writing that I wished him to follow and I have confirmation that he accepted them.

It seemed okay, so I went forward with the deal and figured if he is willing to market it, why not. That is what he asked to do is market it and take anything above the appraisal amount for his fee and if after 30-45 days a buyer was not found he would not continue to try to sell it. No money has been exchanged or will be exchanged.

I also, in writing to which he agreed, stated I would not transfer the domain to him, but only the end buyer whom I have direct writen and verbal contact with, and that I would then pay him the comission due after the transfer to the buyer was complete. He agreed to all of this, so I guess I will have to wait and see.

Also, since this is my first domain sale, I had no clue really what to charge or anything else, so the appraisal helped in that area, just to see what they look at and how they do it.

Of course he was supposed to cc me on any promo e-mails sent advertising the e-mail and it has been about a month and I have seen nothing yet. So what am I out? So far a bit for an appraisal, that may or may not help me sell the domain. A small price, even if the domain sells for 10% of the appraised value.

I guess I will just have to wait and see what comes of it, if anything does. He didn't try to restrict me from selling it myself, or listing it on any other sites for sale either, so I guess it seemed okay to me at the time.

Thanks for the heads up on the ptoential for scam here, and I probably won't do anything like that again just to be safe. I am seriously looking at sedo for this and a another domain that I have up for sale currently.

[southplatte]

Heehee, the last post was from me, but I wasn't logged in for some reason.....

[edwinj]

Billy, That's the scam, allright. Sorry. :(

The guy that contacted you is is from fastdomainsales.com. You won't hear from him again. And that service that purportedly sends out your domains to 150 potential buyers - BIG SCAM.
You used AllForDomains.com, right? It's run by a company called Eleview International based in Russia. They also operate EverydayIncome.com. and...surprise, surprise...fastdomainsales.com.

[southplatte]

Edwinj,

Hey, thanks for the info! I wish the domain game forum was here before I fell into this.

Oh well, learning experience for me, and hopefully maybe people will see this forum and not fall for it like I did.

[Gary Golden]

I think that value is in the eye of the buyer, if you feel the name could be valuable than it is! The real value of a domain name is how it is used. It helps if it is short and catchy though that alone does not make a name valuable, do you remember the name the next day or even a week later?

A name can become valuable if you build on it, work your site like you would work a brick and mortar business. Most people assume that if you put up a site they will come, it is not going to happen! Hard work and a lot of it is what it is going to take, so you will either have to pay for it or learn it.

Think about it! When you put out a capital expenditure on a Brick and Mortar Business are you just going to wait for business to come? I don't think so, if you do you will go broke. The same holds true online!

To build a names value you must build on the name.

[Linda Buquet]

Gary,

Great post and truer words were never spoken!