Trying to buy a domain name I hold?

[Lucan Unlordly]

I've had an enquiry from a US based domain seller called SEDO about the purchase of a Domain name I've held for several years.

I've ignored emails thinking they are SPAM but have now been left a voicemail asking me to make contact.

SCAM or genuine? Anybody sold a domain name for millions?

 

[NickGrogan]

They do provide a brokerage service for domains, where they'll try and contact the owner, so maybe.

Sold domains for thousands, not quite millions.

 

[fisicx]

Had an offer of £6000 for one of mine. Not from SEDO but from a broker.

 

[WaveJumper]

Ive used SEDO in the past for selling, still have an account with them

Buy. Park. Sell. Domains | Sedo - World's leading Domain marketplace

Buy and sell domains and websites with Sedo.com. Over 18 million domains and websites are for sale in our marketplace! Sedo's services include domain parking, appraisals, and brokerage

sedo.com

 

[Paul Carmen]

SEDO are genuine, they buy and sell domains and we use them too.

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

Thankyou all............

I've done a little research into the potential buyers for the domain and come up with..........
1. an independent burger cafe, a roadside wooden shed in Ohio
2. An AI data company, the parent of which was last valued at $4.5 billion working in an industry that is expected to be worth $400 billion by 2030.

How's my luck?

Do I give reasons for my purchasing the domain, enhancing the perceived value (the project would have been supported by former and current 'A' list celebrities) or just ask how much it's worth to them?

 

[WaveJumper]

No

And I can feel early retirement coming on the horizon

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

No

And I can feel early retirement coming on the horizon

No, I don't give any details other than to say , Yes I own it?

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

Well I've turned down an offer and been asked to provide a ballpark figure, which I won't do.

It occurred to me that there may be no actual buyer, that an opportunity to broker a deal by identifying a likely purchaser exists without any financial risk to the man in the middle.

 

[fisicx]

It occurred to me that there may be no actual buyer, that an opportunity to broker a deal by identifying a likely purchaser exists without any financial risk to the man in the middle.

That’s exactly what happened to me. It was a broker looking to sell the domain name to some US cosmetics corporation. After some investigation it turned they didn’t even know the broker was trying so a deal. Didn’t sell in the end, money would have been nice but it’s the email address I’ve been using since the last ice age.

 

[Nathanto]

It occurred to me that there may be no actual buyer

That's possible with a small independent broker but very unlikely with Sedo or Godaddy; they have literally millions of customers/domains between them and just wouldn't spend time on something like this unless they'd been approached by a buyer first.

money would have been nice but it’s the email address I’ve been using since the last ice age.

I have fallen into the same trap. I've received several five figure offers for one of my domains but I've been using it as my main email for over twenty years; it would need to be a really persuasive offer for me to even consider undoing/updating decades worth of account logins.

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

I've not used the domain name yet but I bought it for a reason and that's still very much alive - in my head anyway! I've had a lower end 4 figure offer and seeing that the highest sum paid for a domain was $70m, think there's some room to meet halfway.

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

An AI request for advice on how to determine the name of the interested buyer has reaped a significant reward. Whilst I cannot yet be 100% certain every box is ticked and pointing to the global front runner.

'This time next year Rodney..................'

 

[The Resolver]

Exciting! Whilst this is unlikely to apply to SEDO , let me issue a warning to others if approached by other registration companies.

If someone thinks they have a better right to the name (eg it is the same as/similar to their trading name etc) and are contemplating raising a cybersquatting dispute (with WIPO if first tier - Nominet if UK second tier) then the main concern is to not put a figure or say you will sell since that may be used to indicate that your registration of the domain was in 'bad faith' (as interpreted by the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP).

So those inquiring may not genuinely be wanting to buy but simply be wanting to succeed with a WIPO/Nominet decision to transfer it from you to them.

Always say you don't want to sell but its for them to put an offer first.

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

Exciting! Whilst this is unlikely to apply to SEDO , let me issue a warning to others if approached by other registration companies.

If someone thinks they have a better right to the name (eg it is the same as/similar to their trading name etc) and are contemplating raising a cybersquatting dispute (with WIPO if first tier - Nominet if UK second tier) then the main concern is to not put a figure or say you will sell since that may be used to indicate that your registration of the domain was in 'bad faith' (as interpreted by the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP).

So those inquiring may not genuinely be wanting to buy but simply be wanting to succeed with a WIPO/Nominet decision to transfer it from you to them.

Always say you don't want to sell but its for them to put an offer first.

I've said I have no desire or need to sell and that the reasons for buying the domain are still valid. They've asked me to put a firm ballpark figure on the table which I've said I won't do. I have said that any decision to sell would ultimately come down to how much their client would want to pay, but that's down to having my business head on, that I'd be stupid not to gauge the market value.

Regarding cyber squatting and any suggestion of purchasing in 'bad faith'. I've held the domain for some time, 6 years before the parent company was established, but mothballed it's use (in a completely different sector) during Covid. The product which makes the domain of interest was only set up a year ago.

 

[GLAbusiness]

A firm ballpark - now there's an oxymoron

 

[Porky]

I have brought and sold domains using SEDO they are one of the biggest brokers of domains and also godaddy are a large player in the market.

At the end of the day its supply demand. If someone is building a brand and wants a domain to match it then they will want your domain.

I notice an increase actually in domain renting where you retain ownership of your domain but rent it out for a monthly fee - nice working you can get it frankly!

 

[Peter Morris]

SEDO is actually a legitimate domain marketplace, they’ve been around for years and are one of the bigger names in domain buying/selling. That said, I’d still treat any outreach with caution: make sure the emails/voicemails are genuinely from them and not someone spoofing their name.

As for “millions,” those sales do happen but they’re extremely rare, most domains sell for much more modest amounts. If you’re curious, it might be worth logging into SEDO directly and checking if there’s an offer tied to your domain rather than responding blindly to calls.

So, not necessarily a scam, but definitely worth verifying before engaging.

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

SEDO is actually a legitimate domain marketplace, they’ve been around for years and are one of the bigger names in domain buying/selling. That said, I’d still treat any outreach with caution: make sure the emails/voicemails are genuinely from them and not someone spoofing their name.

As for “millions,” those sales do happen but they’re extremely rare, most domains sell for much more modest amounts. If you’re curious, it might be worth logging into SEDO directly and checking if there’s an offer tied to your domain rather than responding blindly to calls.

So, not necessarily a scam, but definitely worth verifying before engaging.

I've looked into this from many different angles, taken professional advice, AI searched the likely buyer, asked questions regarding the typical format for neghotiating a sale from both the sellers and the buyers perspective and it ticks every single box for being a 'trophy domain'.