# Buying a domain name



## Annushka (Jul 26, 2006)

Can you buy an existing domain name from the company that owns it already? Let's say the domain name I would like to have is already taken but the company is not really using it, i e there's no website in place, just a place holder (is that what these are called?).

PLease let me know if anyone has done this and/or if you have any information on this. I am curious as to if you can do it, how do you track the owner, or is it done through the host company, what could be the expected prices etc

Thank you


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## RisingBlue7 (Oct 8, 2006)

Hi Annushka,

Yes you can buy an existing domain name. It depends on the owner. If he or she is willing to sell it to you and for what price. You could go to networksolutions.com and type in the domain name. It will display the name of the domain name owner, their address, (sometimes) their phone number and email address. Contact them and find out if they are willing to sell it. Prices vary. I had 2 friends that bought an existing domain name one for $900 and the other one for $1500. Again it all depends on the domain owner.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Annushka said:


> Can you buy an existing domain name from the company that owns it already?


Yes.



Annushka said:


> i e there's no website in place, just a place holder (is that what these are called?).


Place holder/domain parking/domain squatting - it's called lots of things.



Annushka said:


> I am curious as to if you can do it, how do you track the owner, or is it done through the host company,


A lot of domains are squatted specifically to sell, so they'll have either a form to fill out on the domain, or a contact e-mail address to discuss buying the domain. It's not done through the host company. If there is no information on the domain about contacting them for purchase, you can look them up in the whois database.



Annushka said:


> what could be the expected prices etc


There's a massive range. Asking prices of thousands of dollars are not uncommon, but more reasonable prices also occur.

The biggest thing to be wary of is the fact that domain squatting is a dodgy (and often quasi-legal, or outright illegal) practice, so by definition you are dealing with dodgy characters. Just be sure if you are paying for the domain you get the domain.

There have been plenty of successful transactions on domains, but it is a somewhat risky practice.


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## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

Annushka said:


> ... what could be the expected prices etc.


Whatever price they are asking for it, don't just pay it. Do some serious haggling. Make a low offer and gradually work your way up to what you think is reasonable.

Why? If the site is really worth what they are asking for it, someone else would have bought it and done something useful with it already.


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## Annushka (Jul 26, 2006)

BlueGirl, Lewis, Jasonda - you guys are just the best! Thank you all very much. (You can't tell, but I'm mentally hugging each one of you )


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## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

Annushka said:


> BlueGirl, Lewis, Jasonda - you guys are just the best! Thank you all very much. (You can't tell, but I'm mentally hugging each one of you )


I feel loved.  Hugs to you Annushka!


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## RisingBlue7 (Oct 8, 2006)

Annushka, I wish there was a kiss and hug emoticon..In any event, you're welcome...Gosh I'm so sappy tonight...




Annushka said:


> BlueGirl, Lewis, Jasonda - you guys are just the best! Thank you all very much. (You can't tell, but I'm mentally hugging each one of you )


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> PLease let me know if anyone has done this and/or if you have any information on this. I am curious as to if you can do it, how do you track the owner, or is it done through the host company, what could be the expected prices etc


Hi Annushka, I've done this several times from both sides of the transaction (both the seller and the buyer).

If there is nothing at the domain name but a placeholder (or parking page), then as risingblue said, you can just look up their contact information in a WHOIS record and then send them a quick email or even make a phone call.

Think about how much you want the domain and figure out your MAXIMUM price that you'd be willing to pay for that name.

For example, if you are willing to pay $500 for the domain name, send them a quick email asking if you can buy the domain name from them for $50.

Another method is to ask them if they are interested in selling the domain and if so, what's their asking price.

Depending on the owner, you could get the domain for anywhere from "free", to hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

You can check if the domain is "actively" being offered for sale by checking domain name marketplaces like sedo.com and afternic.com


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## Annushka (Jul 26, 2006)

Thanks a lot Rodney.


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## cottagecraftsmen (Oct 28, 2006)

I own about 10 domains right now. Every one of them is "for sale" . In the past, I've sold domains for $50-500. I grabbed a bunch 1996-97. Basically, I turned a $500 investment into a $10,000 profit in the space of less than 2 years. I have one that is three letters and a number. Seems this is a VERY desirable thing, easy to remember...
I grabbed it for my brother-in-law's plumbing company. Seems I got it right after it expired. Dumb luck. It the past year, I've been offered as much as $1,500 for it. I get offers every 3-4 days. Actually, my brother-in-law says sell it. It is basically dead for him. I think if I can get $3,000 for it, I will. It cost me $8 and some luck on GoDaddy.com.


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## Twinge (Apr 26, 2005)

It's hard to value domains, and they should definitely be haggled over. Sometimes a few thousand dollar price tag is actually worth it, amazingly enough:

I know the guy that bought saddam.com recently. I thought he paid way too much for it when I first heard about it (Several thousand), but the amount of traffic a site with a name like that recieves from people simply typing in the url is _very_ high. 

Plus, if a site is valuable to begin with, it will probably still be valuable if you ever want to resell it. Can be hard to judge, sometimes...


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## Annushka (Jul 26, 2006)

ok guys, so I did check this one site on whois, and there is a lot of info on the site. The only contact info I see there is under "Administrative Contact". Is that who I call?


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## Germain (Oct 24, 2006)

The Admin Contact is a good person to call... I usually just email and ask if the domain is for sale (and if the domain isn't being used for a website I'll say... "I notice that you aren't using the domain...." to remind them that it is just sitting costing them registration fees.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Annushka said:


> ok guys, so I did check this one site on whois, and there is a lot of info on the site. The only contact info I see there is under "Administrative Contact". Is that who I call?


Yes, if there is no REGISTRANT listed, you can use the Administrative contact since they also have power over the domain.

You can also try email, but a phone call is more immediate.


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## cccc (Oct 10, 2006)

It may be worth checking out :

http://www.whois.net/.

There you can search for through deleted domains. Domains that were previously registered but arent anymore.


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## SC2565 (Apr 28, 2006)

thanks for the whois website i seen who owns the domain I want. Should I deal directly with this person or should I go thru a site like sedo


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## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

SC2565 said:


> thanks for the whois website i seen who owns the domain I want. Should I deal directly with this person or should I go thru a site like sedo


Try dealing directly with them first. I think going through Sedo will cost extra.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> I think going through Sedo will cost extra.


If the seller has the domain listed for sale at Sedo, then it will only cost the seller extra, not the buyer. Sedo takes a commission from the sale of the domain from the seller's profits.


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## CoolTech (Feb 3, 2007)

SC2565 said:


> thanks for the whois website i seen who owns the domain I want. Should I deal directly with this person or should I go thru a site like sedo


Can't you think of a similar name, a synonym or something else that will answer your needs for a domain name?

I use this as an example:

doglover (dot com) is taken
loverofdogs (dot com) is not
k9infatuation (dot com) is not
k9lover (dot com) is taken

cathater (dot com) is taken too... lol
===
What I am saying is that you may be able to think of another name that is not taken, that will be all yours as well without the cost of purchasing it from someone at a premium, when you can own it for under $10.00


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## SC2565 (Apr 28, 2006)

CoolTech said:


> What I am saying is that you may be able to think of another name that is not taken, that will be all yours as well without the cost of purchasing it from someone at a premium, when you can own it for under $10.00


i hear what you're saying. I've been trying to do that but just haven't come up with anything that. The site has been taken for a year and a hald now and is just taking up space so I'm going to make a small offer of about $50 and if that doesn't work back to the old drawing board.


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## SC2565 (Apr 28, 2006)

Jasonda said:


> Try dealing directly with them first. I think going through Sedo will cost extra.


I really dont want to go thru sedo it was just for trust issues. Just to make sure the transaction will go smooth with no shady business


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## LoneStarBrand (Feb 3, 2007)

if one chooses to hand over the website what is the process?


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> if one chooses to hand over the website what is the process?


Sign a contract, transfer the domain to the new owner (each registrar is different in this process). If there is an actual website and not just a domain name, then you and the other party will need to figure out the hosting situation (will you give them your hosting account, or will they need to provide their own)


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## Annushka (Jul 26, 2006)

A quick update - emailed the contact from whois about 2 weeks ago and nothing. Left a message earlier today. Waiting.


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## darwyn (Feb 28, 2006)

I have a similar situation...

The domain name I want (need) is registered but parked. I've contacted the adminstrator by both email and phone and I haven't heard back yet. It's been three days.

What should my next steps be? The domain is due to expire in August of this year. Should I backorder it?

This domain name happens to be fairly important to the brand I'm trying to convey. I'm willing to pay up to $100-200 for it, although I haven't disclosed this to the contact, but I can't even get a hold of them.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> What should my next steps be? The domain is due to expire in August of this year. Should I backorder it?


You can try to backorder it at a place like pool.com, but if they know there is interest in it, they probably won't let it expire. Sort of a catch 22.



> This domain name happens to be fairly important to the brand I'm trying to convey. I'm willing to pay up to $100-200 for it, although I haven't disclosed this to the contact, but I can't even get a hold of them


Some domain sellers won't even reply to domain buying inquiries if there is no actual priced offer included in the email.

You might want to send another email that you'll buy it for $100 (that can show them that you're serious about the transaction).


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## darwyn (Feb 28, 2006)

I'll try it...thanks Rodney!


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## darwyn (Feb 28, 2006)

Crap!!! Just looked up the domain at whois again and got this:

BACK ONLINE SOON-NOT FOR SALE

Grrrrrrr... Today isn't a good day for me. I went outside to go to lunch earlier and noticed I have a flat tire!


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

darwyn said:


> Crap!!! Just looked up the domain at whois again and got this:
> 
> BACK ONLINE SOON-NOT FOR SALE
> 
> Grrrrrrr... Today isn't a good day for me. I went outside to go to lunch earlier and noticed I have a flat tire!


Well, it looks like they got your emails and messages. At least now you know for sure.


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## darwyn (Feb 28, 2006)

yeah, that's what I'm thinking...I guess, I'll have to use wear or tees after my brand in the domain.

Maybe when I get huge, I can buy it from them.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> yeah, that's what I'm thinking...I guess, I'll have to use wear or tees after my brand in the domain.


Or just "designs". There are probably other nice "extensions" that might be less restrictive than wear or tees.


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## darwyn (Feb 28, 2006)

Hmmm...maybe. I'll give it some thought. 

I still have lots to do and I'm still a good 6 months or more out from launching anything.


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## edawg33 (Jan 27, 2007)

this is a very helpful post


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## cliffcooper2 (Jul 27, 2010)

Hey all, I'm brand new to the forums and trying to start up my first t-shirt business. It looks like this thread is talking almost exclusively about buying a domain that someone else owns. 

What about those of us who want to buy a domain name that no one owns? Who should we buy from?

I have used GoDaddy in the past, and wasn't impressed. I saw a couple of you mentioned Sedo, which I had not heard of. Who should I buy my domain from?


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> What about those of us who want to buy a domain name that no one owns? Who should we buy from?


Almost any place that registers domain names is fine. GoDaddy, NameCheap, MyDomain.com, Moniker.com, etc.

I'm not sure what didn't impress you about GoDaddy, but there's not much to the actual registration (purchase) of a domain name. 

Once you buy it and point it to your webhost, you almost never deal with the place you bought it from again except to renew it each year.


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## lcollado (Dec 5, 2007)

Here's a question what if you copy right or traded mark your company name let say JAZZY and someone owns www.jazzy.com can you just get the domain name?


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

lcollado said:


> Here's a question what if you copy right or traded mark your company name let say JAZZY and someone owns www.jazzy.com can you just get the domain name?


No... registering a business name, a copyright, a trademark and a domain name are all separate from each other. Owning one does not entitle you to own, take or get another one.

Now, if you own an *existing* trademark and someone else registers that domain name *after* you registered your trademark, that could be considered "cybersquatting" and the trademark owner could have a cause of action. But I believe the trademark owner needs to prove that the domain name owner has no intention of creating a legitimate website and intends to sell the domain name at a profit.


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## abmcdan (Sep 14, 2007)

I've bought several domains for thousands of dollars and always do the transaction through escrow.com. It costs you alittle money but gives you the piece of mind that you will get the domain when you pay.

Hope this helps.
Andy


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## delarosa (Oct 2, 2010)

You can buy it, but you need to contact the owner of the domain


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## imindless (Jul 13, 2010)

delarosa said:


> You can buy it, but you need to contact the owner of the domain


You do not have to contact the owner. The old way (sometimes still used), is to contact the owner, but mostly there are plenty of companies, either domain registration companies like Godaddy or namecheap which have 'market places' where you can browse, auction off, or bid on domain names that people are selling. 

Then there are private companies which don't register domain names but they specifically sell domain names for the owner to the potential client. Or in other words, a middle man, which is more commonly used nowadays. 

Call it what you want, but most the time you don't have to contact the owner, just contact where they registered their domain and I am sure they can find out if its for sale also.

For registering a domain: I honestly do not like GoDaddy to register my domain name.. Why? Because their policy basically says if they believe you are using your domain name for something illegal or negligent, they can take it away without any penalties to their company. So they can revoke your domain name without your consent. I have seen it happen to one of my friends before, for a perfectly legal business.

I tend to register with namecheap or one of the other many domain registration companies due to that specific reason.


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## dwork (Oct 28, 2017)

There are many considerations. It never hurts to consider making an offer. In my experience, a phone call is better than an email and you're more likely to have an honest reply. Plus, you can negotiate in real time. Don't low ball your offer -- if the domain is worth $1000 to you, offer $800 and see what happens. I passed up buying a 3 character .com for $1000 years ago and have been kicking myself ever since. Single word .com domains are worth a lot. Domain names with dashes, numbers and so on are usually worth less. Made-up names, unless they're your brand, are worth even less. There are some domain valuation services, but they're all really just guessing. If the domain name is also the name of your business, consider it much like buying a new printer -- it's a business asset that will return dividends for as long as you're in business. To save buying someone else's domain name, you might consider registering a domain name with one of the new TLD extensions (e.g. .pro, .guru, etc.) -- there are hundreds of these now. In the end, a domain name is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.


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