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Domain valuation & negotiation

by TheStarProject
8 replies
I was recently contacted by a private party wanting to buy a domain I own.

This domain has a site on it, but they are only interested in the domain.

I know it's not worth alot even though it currently sits at 2 on goog, 1 on yahoo and 2 on bing for the search phrase. Goog shows a 0 pagerank also.

Do the free domain appraisal sites come close to an actual value? Is there any good free or really cheap sites to get a decent valuation?

I am willing to sell it, and I hope their plans with it work out. With that in mind, I don't want to scare them off with an inflated price.

Any suggestions are appreciated. This is new turf for me. Thanks in advance.
#domain #domaining #negotiation #valuation
  • Profile picture of the author napoleonfirst
    Well, you need check out SEMrush and they will tell you the value that you have in terms of traffic. Then you multiple that number by 12-24 times, and that will be the price of the site.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by napoleonfirst View Post

      Well, you need check out SEMrush and they will tell you the value that you have in terms of traffic. Then you multiple that number by 12-24 times, and that will be the price of the site.
      This is total nonsense. It's a domain that's being valued here, not a website. (It would still be nonsense for a website, too, though). :rolleyes:

      The reality is that a domain-name is worth what you can sell it for - no more and no less. This thread, compiled yesterday and today, may help you: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...worthless.html
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
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    Software appraisals don't work and aren't accurate. This domain is worth what this or another customer is willing to pay for it.

    I'd start higher. It's obviously worth something to them or they wouldn't have offered. If they ask for a domain appraisal, run and forget about it. That's a typical trick of the "domain appraisal scam."

    Only you know what the domain is, but here's an example. I wanted a domain name that someone else had. It was fairly worthless to most people, but I had built a site on the .net version and wanted the .com version. I asked them how much. They said $4.5K.

    I told them I had $200 budget for the domain. They came down to $2K. I repeated that I had $200 budget for the domain and didn't really "have" to have it since I had the .net with a site on it. They finally, after one more negotiating try, came down to $200 and I bought it. Start negotiating.
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    • Profile picture of the author TheStarProject
      I believe that may be the case here. All the tld's are taken and they all rank high for the search phrase.

      It 2 1/2 years old and was the first site I totally put together myself. It was alot of fun and did well when the fad was hot. Too bad I got in on the tail end of that one.

      I'd guess mine is close to what you paid for yours. I couldn't sleep throwing out a huge number like you were given. I suppose I shouldn't be so stressed about it. The worse he could say is 'no' right?

      Thanks for the input everyone!
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      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
        Banned
        Originally Posted by TheStarProject View Post

        The worse he could say is 'no' right?
        No.

        The worst he could say is "Please have your site/domain-name valued at this resource <link to his valuation-scam site>". That's a well-known scam: first they express interest in your domain-name, and when you reply, they then promptly produce a "valuation-site" you've never heard of, where you have to pay for a "valuation". Just mentioning it so that you'll know, in case the conversation does develop that way, to run. Let's hope it doesn't - and good luck

        It's just that conversations here that begin with the words "I was recently contacted by a private party wanting to buy a domain I own" surprisingly often do go that way. (I think those "private parties" are typically in Asia, for what it's worth, if anything).
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        • Profile picture of the author TheStarProject
          Interesting. Thanks for the tip. Seems kinda strange he only wants the domain and not the site attached. On the flip side his email addy is similar to the domain and site theme.

          I'm getting ready to respond to him now. He's on the other side of the planet, but not Asia or anywhere near. I have an odd feeling he may be trying the valuation scam. If so, I'll just let him know he needs to get that done himself and send me the report so we can talk about it.
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          • Profile picture of the author Steve B
            Well, don't put any credence in a report that he sends you. There is only one way to judge what the site is worth . . . as others have said . . . it's worth what someone will actually buy it for - no more or no less.

            BTW, since he only wants the domain name and not the site, he is downplaying one of the real valuation metrics that he has at his disposal - the unique traffic to the site. Sites with lots of targeted traffic command higher prices generally.

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          • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
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            Originally Posted by TheStarProject View Post

            Interesting. Thanks for the tip. Seems kinda strange he only wants the domain and not the site attached. On the flip side his email addy is similar to the domain and site theme.

            I'm getting ready to respond to him now. He's on the other side of the planet, but not Asia or anywhere near. I have an odd feeling he may be trying the valuation scam. If so, I'll just let him know he needs to get that done himself and send me the report so we can talk about it.
            If he does that ... the appraisal scam, best just to stop all communication with him. Usually they'll throw out a very high offer that sounds wonderful (but too good to be true) and say they're all set to proceed as soon as you get the appraisal, which of course you have to pay for and which, of course, they own the appraisal sites. That's the last you'll hear from them once you buy the appraisal.
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