Manual Domain Appraisal?

by art72

Posted: 13 years ago 10 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

Hi,

I had just listed some (recently purchased) domains on Sedo on Monday. Shortly after, Tuesday morning, I was contacted directly by a 'potential buyer' for a domain priced at $3999.00

The buyer seems eager to acquire the name at this price, but requests I provide a 'valuation' or 'manual appraisal' before we continue. There too, he claims to have an interest in (3) more domains as well, all similarly priced.

While, I have read about domain appraisal scams, whereby they claim an interest in the domain, then direct you to one of (their own) appraisal services... only to make money off the naive, ...somehow, I think this guy has a legitimate request.:confused:

I mean it's a .net with one of the 2 keywords being mesothelioma, so he very well may be.

He has a agreed to my price pending a 'valuation' and in some brief email correspondence, he states that neither he nor his investor's will purchase any domain without some form of manual verification or appraisal to solidify my asking price.

OK, so here's the truth...I have no freaking clue what this domain is really worth. Similar names have sold for $6-$10k. All I do know is it's directly related to $30-$40 CPC's, and any lawyer would be better to buy it, as opposed to spending so much money on Adwords space... which is about 100 clicks!

Obviously, if the sale were made, I am already losing 10% to Sedo for brokerage, but cannot seem to find a reputable US based manual domain appraiser, as I am now curious to know what my domain is really worth?

The potential buyer seems to 'think' it has great potential, as do I. But, how does one really determine the value of a domain?

Estibot, GoDaddy, valuate, and the likes are all mechanically calculated BS, so... I don't buy into that hype.

The market is soooooo broad, that without it being a one word dictionary .com - then it almost seems the value is whatever the hell someone is willing to pay for it.

Can somebody please tell me if there is any truth to the fact; investors will not buy domains without manual appraisals?

Thanks,

Art

PS - If the guy really wants a 'paper value' the 2 days of dealing with the excitement/frustration almost leaves me to tell him to get the f'in thing appraised

Seriously though..what would you do?

#appraisal #domain #manual

Dan C. Rinnert 13 years ago

Originally Posted by art72

Seriously though..what would you do?

Tell him if he wants an appraisal, then he should get it himself at his own cost.

You have an asking price of $3,999. He can take it at that price or negotiate with you for a lower price. Any appraisals should be his responsibility.

It's like buying a house. You don't want the seller to go out and get an inspection and appraisal and rely on that to determine what you're willing to pay. You want to get your own.

I suspect that, despite him not (yet) recommending a site for the appraisal, that this is probably a scam of some sort. I've seen similar ones before, where they didn't specifically recommend a site to use, but it was a scam nonetheless. I don't remember how they were getting money out of it, but there was something.
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- Dan C. Rinnert 13 years ago
  
  Read this: Domain Appraisal Scam – I almost fell for it | SEO Reviews | SEO Software
  
  And: Domain valuation scam targets Sedo users
  
  Thanks
  
  Signature
  
  Dan's content is irregularly read by handfuls of people. Join the elite few by reading his blog: dcrBlogs.com, following him on Twitter: dcrTweets.com or reading his fiction: dcrWrites.com but NOT by Clicking Here!
  
  Dan also writes content for hire, but you can't afford him anyway.
  
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- art72 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert
  
  Tell him if he wants an appraisal, then he should get it himself at his own cost.
  
  This was my sentiments exactly. Admitting I am a bit green still, I almost had it appraised today, but seemed odd.
  
  Thanks
  
  Signature
  
  Atop a tree with Buddha ain't a bad place to take rest!
  
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rosetrees 13 years ago

It has to be a scam. If he's a serious buyer then he will know what the site is worth to him. He's either prepared to pay what you are asking, or he's not.

As it's "just" a domain I seriously doubt it's worth much, even if it does contain a desirable keyword, as I'm sure it would have been purchased by now if it was truly valuable.

Tell him to pay the asking price by Escrow, or move on.

To answer the question "what would you do"? I'd add some content and try to get it ranking for a keyword or two - then it could become a valuable site.
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- art72 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by rosetrees
  
  It has to be a scam
  
  As it turns out, you were both right!
  
  Damn Scammers
  
  "Beware the links Below are NOT Legit"
  They have been posted for reference only!!!
  
  (Let it be a WARNING to anyone else, NOT to fall for this crap!)
  
  This guy operating as Michael Persson is associated to this link... Domain Talk which turns out to be a fake forum screenshot, and listed as a private registration in a "whois" search.
  
  The other link, I just extracted from his (the scammer's) latest email, leads to a site he recommends to get the domain name appraised : Appraisal Certificates For Domain Names <--FAKES
  
  While it pisses me off, I am relieved to have dodged a bullet on that one.
  
  Finally, if anyone were looking, I had an informative discussion with a rep at Sedo, and decided to hire a broker to deal with all the garbage, so I can get back to building my sites.
  
  Pheeeeww.. that was a close one. Almost got excited!
  
  Should've know I wouldn't outright sell my first domain for $4k in 24 hours, seemed a bit too good to be true and sure was...O'well, back to work!
  
  Thanks,
  
  Art
  
  Thanks
  
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  Atop a tree with Buddha ain't a bad place to take rest!
  
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Alex Kage 13 years ago

It's a good thing you got out of that one easily.
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- art72 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Sparda
  
  It's a good thing you got out of that one easily.
  
  Definitely!
  
  Also, I found should I (or anyone) need a 'real' domain appraisal done they run between $29 and $50 over at Sedo. And, if the portfolio is over 50 domains they offer a cheaper rate.
  
  *Also, the (scam) warning links posted by above by Dan C. Rinnert was worded nearly exact to the emails I received, only it took his 3 response to warrant my investigation, as he seemed to aggressively suggest I visit the link he provided.
  
  Thanks
  
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  Atop a tree with Buddha ain't a bad place to take rest!
  
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kolbywhite28 13 years ago

I can appraise the domains for you. This is how I normally work:

I will tell you that the domain is not worth much, $XX, and I offer you $XX + $10.
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DNChamp 13 years ago

in the domainers world this is an old scam that has been around for years....Lucky for you there aer some who onow about it..They will send you emails in different forms but al the same outcome...they want you to do an apprasial with them...

When you get a real inquiry for a domain you will know because generally its very short and sweet....
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- art72 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by DNChamp
  
  When you get a real inquiry for a domain you will know because generally its very short and sweet....
  
  Awesome, I'll be on the lookout for those emails...
  
  Thanks
  
  Signature
  
  Atop a tree with Buddha ain't a bad place to take rest!
  
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Manual Domain Appraisal?

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