How Does This Work?

[jannmirch]

I have never bought/sold a domain. The only client of mine who has bought it from a woman she knew personally.

My question is, I have someone who wants to make an offer for a domain name that is registered but is not being used. Assuming he makes contact the the owner is interested, what is the best way to move forward on this to protect everyone's interests?

Thanks in advance.

[Dubbya]

Ask Dave Taylor!

I like this guy, he's always sharing great advice.

"How do I buy a domain name?": Tech Support from Ask Dave Taylor! (http://www.askdavetaylor.com/how_do_i_buy_a_domain_name.html)

.02

[activeco]

Assuming he makes contact the the owner is interested, what is the best way to move forward on this to protect everyone's interests?

Once you make agreement about the price, escrow.com (https://www.escrow.com/solutions/domain_name/index.asp) is usually the best way to go.

[joezeppy]

I have never bought/sold a domain. The only client of mine who has bought it from a woman she knew personally.

My question is, I have someone who wants to make an offer for a domain name that is registered but is not being used. Assuming he makes contact the the owner is interested, what is the best way to move forward on this to protect everyone's interests?

Thanks in advance.

I'd say this. Make a realistic offer that matters. People who own really good domains get offers to buy all the time that contain no offer price but just ask them how much they are willing to sell it for.

Ninety percent of these are considered spam and that is why they often don't even answer.

But if you do a little market analysis at say:

DN Sale Price- Domain Name Sales Price and History (http://www.dnsaleprice.com)
Afternic Domain Name Search: Buy, Sell, Resell, Park & Purchase Domain Names for Sale (http://www.afternic.com)
Domain Name Journal - The Industry News Magazine at DNJournal.com (http://www.dnjournal.com)

Then decide if your friend is even close to affording the domain, then make an offer that would matter to the potential seller.

Very often, domainers are under no pressure to sell so you have to be a little different than the average spammer to convince them to begin a negotiation.

Good luck.