Got an high offer on a domain, is this legit?

9 replies
Got a email from someone who has a interested buyer for a domain i have. After asking what price he would be willing to pay he responded with this email:


Your buyer is a well known investor in Norway.

He offers $17,000.

Do you have a certificate?

He needs this for accounting/tax purposes.

If you don't have it's not a problem. You can order it online.

Please note he cannot accept it from any agency. He needs a manual service.

The certification must include the following:

1. Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher, he will increase the price accordingly. In the domain name industry, there are many appraisal tools that people use to estimate the value of a domain name. My client does not want to risk and doesn't accept services that use scripts. If you are unsure about some service feel free to ask me.

2. Trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems. He would like this verification to be included in the appraisal report. It's not a problem because some companies include the TM verification for free.

I'm also interested in a good estimate of the market price because he pays me % on each sale.

You can read about certification agencies at Google Answers: Can someone recommend a good appraisal service with a trademark verification?

The process is very easy:

1. Go to the certificate agency site and order a certificate. Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer. It will help you to get a better valuation.

2. Send it to me and we will start the sale process. As soon as he receives your certificate he will buy your domain via an escrow service. Any escrow service will be able to pay you via Paypal, Wire, Western Union or any other method you prefer.

He wants to ensure the safe delivery of the funds to you. Furthermore, since this is our first time conducting any business, I believe that using a third-party escrow service can provide a safe, well defined process.

If you are new to the certification process, I can help you with the step by step instructions.
Does this offer seems legit? I am not familair with domain buying and selling. What are the logical next steps for me to take?
#domain #high #legit #offer
  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    Originally Posted by krimpenrik View Post

    Does this offer seems legit?

    No, it doesn't.

    Several things jump out as being quite suspect, including this:

    "Please note he cannot accept it from any agency. He needs a manual service."

    You have the web site. You should be offering the terms with possible concessions if negotiated.

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    No - looks like a very common scam.

    They want to buy your domain - but first you need to "do something" - get a "certificate" or "get an appraisal"....and THEY tell you where you will pay for this "something".

    My advice - ignore this communication entirely.

    Have you advertised this domain for sale? Do you truly believe a "buyer" would just toss out a $17k offer as a first communication? They catch your interest with a "big number" and then tell you where to pay for what THEY want you to buy....then the "buyer" changes his mind....
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    Haha.

    Clever!

    BH: He's promoting the links on that Google Answers page.

    The first time I've seen the tactic.

    Advice: delete the email.

    - Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author krimpenrik
    Did some research and indeed. the link he sends the email from redirets straight to an UK hosting company and the url from his email is registered this year. Also the google anwsers page is not from google but a own setup page.

    Had to do my own research before asking this question, sorry guys!
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by krimpenrik View Post

      Did some research and indeed. the link he sends the email from redirets straight to an UK hosting company and the url from his email is registered this year. Also the google anwsers page is not from google but a own setup page.

      Had to do my own research before asking this question, sorry guys!
      Scammers are cunning sometimes.

      I got an email (deleted already) warning me that if I didn't register my domain with their recommended, official-sounding service, I was risking the "visibility" of my site. In other words, if I didn't pay them, no one would be able to find my domain.

      The email was addressed to the WhoisGuard email address.

      So I asked the registrar via chat, and they had never heard of the outfit before.

      Did a little snooping on the physical address, and found out it was an apartment house in one of Miami's, shall we say, "lesser" neighborhoods. Hardly what one would expect for an international online agency, eh?
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      • Profile picture of the author webmarketer
        Sometimes I reply and write--"Forwarded to the FBI."
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        • Profile picture of the author rachelamitsharan
          Very clearly a scam. Do not engage further with them. All the scams start with a promise of big payout but with you first making a small payment. Don't fall for it.

          Thanks for posting it here so that more people know about this scam.
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  • Profile picture of the author designandplace
    A scam, very easy to see.. Buyers do not muck around when they see a domain they want.
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  • Profile picture of the author omnituens
    Very old scam....
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