Pay Attention!

"Rather than risk being Googled as founders--each of the three co-founders had previously built successful tech companies--they enlisted a male friend to pose as a woman, with no link to startups, to begin negotiating."

Quite honestly, as a supporter of emerging companies and people with vision and actual services/products to offer, I don't see any reason for some of these CEO's not to deserve a fair deal on whatever domain name they desire.

Then again, what is fair.

cmdomains said:

Quite honestly, as a supporter of emerging companies and people with vision and actual services/products to offer, I don't see any reason for some of these CEO's not to deserve a fair deal on whatever domain name they desire.

Click to expand...

It's one thing to praise innovation, it's another thing to praise being shady. It just goes with the current 'domainer' media narrative.

As far as being fair and deserving of anything; it's a lesson life teaches over time - nobody deserves anything, and fairness ends after kindergarden.

We face these kinds of challenges every day as domainers. Now I'm not suggesting I own anything like the quality of mint.com, but this shadiness happens all up and down the domain value spectrum.

When I receive those one-liners, "how much for xxxx.com". I shoot back with "make me an offer" (going on the premise that you should never ignore a selling opportunity). I can't say with any accuracy how many replies I get back, but it's somewhere less than 20%. I've found my best reply to those replies is "I wouldn't sell this domain for 10 times your offer". This so far has evoked no further responses. If I just reply "No thanks". It usually elicits a response of "well how much". To which I respond "make me a serious offer". Which less than half the time elicits a response, to which I reply "No thanks"

So this seems like a worthless exercise. And it feels like it. And it is. So I'm about to change this by asking them to register (at some domain) so they can specifically make me a serious offer on the domain they are asking about. That way I can garner some information about the offerer. Which will most likely be false. But at least, I'm still following the principle of never ignoring a selling opportunity

I had one of those how much emails...

Q: How much is your best price?

A: Make me your best offer

Q: You don't have a fixed price?

A: Yes. I have a fixed price. But I'm not revealing it until I find out if 1) You are simply trying to value one of your own domains, or 2) You are a low-baller. I receive many requests for prices every day. All worded the same as your original email. They are all low-ballers. I only sell at retail pricing.

Q: Okay, I understand .... Well a shame not think I can compete with the rest of the world because the domain just wanted to do my own web of sale for own products ... But do not think I can compete with the rest of the world. .. Much less if the cost exceeds 50usd because I am someone 20 years ... no company ... Thanks anyway ... I think I'll have to find another name

A: Yes

Oddly, my takeaway from that article is to never, ever use Flippa.

I've been a target of some of those same sleaze tactics.