I was wondering what the best approach to aquiring a parked domain is. What is a good initial offer? What techniques or tactics are there, if any, etc? I appreciate that the situation can be different for different domains and different vendors but if there is any generally applicable wisdom it would be much appreciated. Cheers.
1) Send email to ask them if the domain is available for sale.
2) Receive email back saying that it is for sale, for $40,000, despite the domain not being a dictionary word or a combination of dictionary words or anything anyone but you would ever likely be interested in.
3) Send email back with a reasonable offer (say, $500).
4) Receive email back saying that the price is $40,000. Firm.
5) Look for a new domain name. Repeat.
(Actually happened to me. After that, I usually don't even bother)
I was quoted $275,000 for a domain last January. It's a very good name in a competitive market (mortgages.)
I say, "Oh? Well, gee, I only had $1000 budgeted."
They said "We're willing to negotiate." They offered it for $100K...then all the way down to $25K. They won't budge from there, though.
[Four months went by]
They contacted me to see if I'm still interested. I ended up paying $1300, but I had to wire the money IMMEDIATELY. Turns out they had an unexpected expense come up. I almost felt bad...
That will NEVER EVER happen if the domain you want is owned by a professional domainer company, though. They won't even usually talk to you, no matter how much cash you have to throw at them. They consider it too 'time-consuming' to even field the offers.
If you want to hear a sob story...I used to own SI.com. I was planning on using it for a Spanish language portal. I sold it for WAAAAAAY too little money. Now, of course, it's Sports Illustrated. It would have made a better Spanish language portal, dammit!
Offer the owner what you think it's worth, and if you don't have a deal immediately, give up on that one. Otherwise attempts to buy domains drag on interminably, which a startup can't afford.
Trying to buy domains is such a time-suck that it's usually less work to think of an untaken one.
You can look at various services to get a very rough guesstimate at how much traffic the domain gets...Alexa, Comscore, etc. You can also check the number of backlinks, etc. That's basically all the domainers do. Ultimately, you just have to judge what it is worth to you, though. It is rarely worth paying the quoted price.
Most "appraisals" from domain companies aren't worth the paper they're printed on. Everyone massively overestimates the value of 95% of domains...especially if they own the domain in question. Inflation of domain prices is so pervasive and out of control that it is almost humorous. There is a reason that most of the domains in the world are just 'parked' by squatters...MASS PSYCHOSIS.
I could look for another name but I've thought of one that is particularly appropriate and its being squatted on. However I think you're right; investing time thinking of others names is more effective.
tdnam.com; click on advanced search; click on Expired Name Auction checkbox and .com checkbox; type in a keyword to search on then click search. Give it a chance, do a lot of searches. I found some really good domains the most recent one I bought was "askshare.com" I paid $20.
godaddy has a service where they negotiate on your behalf with the domain owner - they're usually in a stronger position than you are because they're regarded as an expert authority on the subject. They also have an appraisal system.
I've used them.
Do I think they're good at providing this service? Yes.
Would I use them again? No.
Godaddy are fine, but the chances of getting an owner who wants to sell at market value are slim. Better to invent a babyword (bebo.com) a letter agging (digg.com) or a domain hack (deli.cio.us).
Or just get a good domain (not a great one) and be at the top of the search results, like 37signals.com is when you google for 'basecamp' style.
I've never used GoDaddy's "negotiation" services, but I have used them to "backorder" a domain. If the current owner lets anything lapse, you have a chance of getting the domain. It rarely works out, but I have gotten a few good domains that way. I think they charge around $18 to backorder a domain. There are, of course, other registrars that provide the same service...or you can just build your own script to monitor for changes.
When my company started, our company's name was already registered (and parked). After following a bunch of links to find the owner though, we came across a small paragraph stating that if we had some claim to the name, they would forfit the domain. After we incorporated, we sent out an e-mail, and then when they asked for proof, we faxed a copy of our incorporation papers. Only had to pay a $20 transfer fee.
I'm impressed you were able to do it with just incorporation papers! That would normally just make the squatter see dollar signs.
I've only SEIZED CONTROL of a squatted domain once, and I had to send trademark documentation. [Since most squatters are just speculators they don't bother to register the names as trademarks. If they are redirecting within your industry (and the class you got the trademark in), it is easy to get control of the domain.]
Worst-case is when you get some get-rich-quick guy with dreams of gold. Domains are so cheap there is a lot of speculation in the market by average Joes looking for the next Google to make them a 7-figure offer on their property. An appraisal service can help. I don't have a lot of faith in the third-party brokers, but I've never tried them.
It will help you think creatively of the domain name. I've used GoDaddy's service before as well as just negotiated it on my own, and the GoDaddy service increases the total cost of the transaction, but either way, chances are always slim.
The last time I tried Sedo they had a minimum transaction amount. And just their FEE on that minimum transaction amount was more than I was willing to pay for the actual domain I was interested in! I've never seen anything I would consider a "deal" on Sedo.
I'm assuming they still have that minimum transaction size...?
2) Receive email back saying that it is for sale, for $40,000, despite the domain not being a dictionary word or a combination of dictionary words or anything anyone but you would ever likely be interested in.
3) Send email back with a reasonable offer (say, $500).
4) Receive email back saying that the price is $40,000. Firm.
5) Look for a new domain name. Repeat.
(Actually happened to me. After that, I usually don't even bother)