How to buy a Domain Name that is taken?
BOCA RATON, FLORIDA. January 9, 2017
DomainAssets.com Stealth Acquisition Services
I am I often am asked one variation of these questions below by clients, family and /or friends:
- “How do I buy a domain that is taken?”
- “How can I buy a domain name that is registered but unused?”
- Why can someone register a name and never use it – is it legal?” (See http://domainnamewire.com/2017/01/03/great-udrp-decision-owners-short-domain-names)
- “How to buy a domain name from someone who already owns it?”
If a domain name is already taken or registered and whether it is being used or not does not necessarily mean you cannot get it or that it is not legal. Many current owners have registered a domain name for the specific purposes of selling the asset someday (this in itself is not illegal). Everyone has the right to register a domain name so long as the registration is not in bad faith and infringing on anyone’s trademark rights. It is also legal to register a domain name with the sole intent of selling it in the future so long as it does not infringe on anyone Trademark or rights. The same is true of other Assets including IP, social handles, and trademarks – just as is true of any asset or physical property like unused land (real estate). There is a whole industry of individuals and companies that invest heavily in domain names that own hundreds of thousands of them.
Many owners will gladly sell the domains while others will refuse to sell them regardless of the price and yet there are others that may be a major challenge just to track down. Some companies and domain owners may not even be aware they own the domain name. Other companies have been through so many mergers that finding the correct person to help you buy it is near impossible. It may often take access to advanced investigative tools, investigative skills, and persistence, to find the actual registrant before negotiating with them to sell it.
If the domain name you want is already taken, here are two things you can do.
Method #1 -Hire a Professional Domain Broker:
- Stealth Acquisition
Using a professional domain broker like DomainAssets.com that specializes in Stealth acquisitions and works internationally is often the best choice, as it will most likely be the easiest, fastest and least costly option. Even when including commissions, the results are still generally faster, far less work, and less of a learning curve for you. Large companies use stealth acquisition brokers to keep the price the lowest possible while saving them on time and resources. - Choose wisely
When choosing the broker to use focus your selection on these the R’s: Results, Reputation, and Relationship. Check their Testimonials page or ask for references and “Google” them to make sure they are not a “newbie” or a part timer. No news in the “Google” search results is not good news – as you want someone that is well trained that will persist until they get the domain. There are only a handful of brokers that have the research tools, experience, negotiation skills, relationship skills, and persistence to get the certain domains at a fair price. A good broker will help you in the naming and selection process, appraise the assets, show you a range of comparable sales of names with similar attributes, and assist you with a strategy to get the best names at the best prices. In addition they can help secure the matching Social handles and other IP.
You can contact DomainAssets.com for a Free domain consultation and Free appraisal.
john@domainassets.com
Method # 2 / the DIY “Do It Yourself” method:
1. Type the domain into the address bar and see if there is an active website or it a page (“Parked page”) with ads coming up. See if you can make an offer on the parked page for sale link.
2. Marketplace listings: Many domain owners list domain names for sale with various marketplaces. If the owner of the domain you want has done this, you’ll see that the domain is available for purchase though usually this is at a premium price. This may not be the best price but it will be the fastest, especially if there is a BIN (Buy It Now) price.
3. WHOIS: Contact the owner through the public Whois by accessing their email and contact data on the public whois record. Important Note: Many domain owners will not respond to emails from Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, and other personal addresses. Some registrants may own hundreds of names and are getting inundated. Others may respond to company email address only or only will respond to offers, and others are impossible to track down- either because they use Domain Privacy, or they are not monitoring the email any longer. The other and somewhat newer area is that many of the best domain names are being purchased from Chinese domain investors. A n experienced broker likeDomainAssets.com knows the challenges of dealing with China including language and financial hurdles. Even if you are successful making contact with the domain owner, there are some pitfalls. For Example, the Registrant may become insulted over a low offer, leading to an impasse. Some sellers will intentionally want a protracted negotiation to squeeze out an inflated price.
4. If going at it “on your own” starts to become too cumbersome or outright fails go back to Method #1 and Hire a Professional Domain Broker: 😉
For more information visit DomainAssets.com or email John[@]DomainAssets.com – 786-586-9324
About DomainAssets.com:
DomainAssets.com is an international company specializing in the acquisition and sales of Premium Domain Names and Digital IP Assets. We work with large Enterprise level accounts, small and medium size corporations, start-ups, entrepreneurs, technologists, and investors from Silicon Valley to around the globe.