Blind Purchasing Domain Names - What Are Your Experiences?

19 replies
Hey everyone,

So I was looking for a 2 word domain, with one word being related to a niche, and the other being any word that made sense in the domain.

Someone kindly offered to me a domain finder service, whereby they would find me a domain name that fits my needs for a fee of about $1,200 with no extra charges for the domain name.

They found a domain name for me, but they want me to send the money BEFORE I even know what the domain name is.

If I don't know the domain I'm purchasing, then I can't purchase it. I have no intention of blindly purchasing something.

It's like getting someone to find a car that suits your needs, then wanting you to send over the money BEFORE you get the chance to look at it, not knowing the brand, color, model, miles, etc...

Does anyone else agree or disagree?

I need your input everyone, thanks.
#blind #domain #experiences #names #purchasing
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  • Profile picture of the author salegurus
    Please tell me you were not serious about paying someone $1200 to find you a domain name, even if they gave you all the info?
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    • Profile picture of the author chickenfillet
      Originally Posted by Big Money View Post

      Sounds like a scam from all angles to me.
      Exactly, he wouldn't tell me the domain name.

      Originally Posted by salegurus View Post

      Please tell me you were not serious about paying someone $1200 to find you a domain name, even if they gave you all the info?
      I was, but all I wanted was just a confirmation of what the domain name is, but no, I must first send the money, then if I don't like it, I can ask for a refund. Why go through all that hassle and risk, when it can all be avoided by knowing the domain name FIRST?

      Originally Posted by rocket2uranus View Post

      ok, seriously, this is insane. There are millions of good two word combinations out there. Go to any registrar and just start searching by keyword.
      The niche I'm in doesn't have any domains that make sense, I've actually spent 12 days trying to find any free domains. The only way is to buy them off other people.

      Looks like I was correct, it's ridiculous to blindly purchase a domain name.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jack Gordon
    I'll do it for only $900...
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    ok, seriously, this is insane. There are millions of good two word combinations out there. Go to any registrar and just start searching by keyword.
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  • Profile picture of the author JonP
    Yeah, I would strongly recommend against using this type of service. That is a huge amount of money to pay someone to find you a domain to buy. Have you tried using DomainsBot? That site usually provides a lot of good examples for the price of your time using it.
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  • Profile picture of the author wesawu
    I'll do it for $50
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  • Profile picture of the author welshgirl2
    Hello

    I would run away from this offer as fast as I can.

    I don't know whether this is indeed a scam or not - but I suspect the reason this person doesn't want to tell you the domain name first is in case you register it yourself for $10 instead of paying him the obscene amount of money to register it for you.

    Why don't you let us know the niche and see if any good Warriors can brainstorm a two word domain name for you.

    Clare
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    • Profile picture of the author chickenfillet
      Originally Posted by welshgirl2 View Post

      Hello

      I would run away from this offer as fast as I can.

      I don't know whether this is indeed a scam or not - but I suspect the reason this person doesn't want to tell you the domain name first is in case you register it yourself for $10 instead of paying him the obscene amount of money to register it for you.

      Why don't you let us know the niche and see if any good Warriors can brainstorm a two word domain name for you.

      Clare
      Maybe, the person said it was up for auction, but not for a lot of money. What I don't understand is this: Why doesn't he just register the domain, then sell/show it to me, OR why doesn't he just win the auction then sell/show it to me?

      Originally Posted by Art of Marketing View Post


      If someone wanted to pay me $2000 to do something that someone else was doing on Fivver.com for 4 bucks net I would have to consider it.....a deal.

      -Art
      True, but I need to know WHAT the domain name is 'first'.

      In all honesty, no one can purchase a domain name without knowing what it is.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    Originally Posted by chickenfillet View Post

    Someone kindly offered to me a domain finder service, whereby they would find me a domain name that fits my needs for a fee of about $1,200 with no extra charges for the domain name.

    They found a domain name for me, but they want me to send the money BEFORE I even know what the domain name is
    You would be completely NUTS to send them a dime. I mean COMPLETELY NUTS!
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    • Profile picture of the author chickenfillet
      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

      You would be completely NUTS to send them a dime. I mean COMPLETELY NUTS!
      It's nice to hear a confirmation of what I thought, from an established warrior
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      • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
        Banned
        Originally Posted by chickenfillet View Post

        It's nice to hear a confirmation of what I thought, from an established warrior
        I'm glad you haven't already given him the money up front. This is the first time I've heard of this kind of deal, but it really has a bad smell.

        Just remember, the domain does not need to "make sense". Google, Yahoo, Bing, Squidoo ... none of them make sense. Combine the keyword with something fun or creative like the above and just create a brand if you have to. There's no longer an artificial advantage to having an EMD, so a great brand name will do fine. If I were going to pay someone that kind of money, there are specialists who create brands (I've seen them on Elance, etc.) and they are good at making up a brand name that would fit the product, although I normally do that myself.
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  • Profile picture of the author fastcooler
    I would stay away from him....it seems to be a scam service imho.
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    • Profile picture of the author chickenfillet
      Originally Posted by fastcooler View Post

      I would stay away from him....it seems to be a scam service imho.
      You're probably right. I still chuckle when I think about it.

      Imagine someone offering to find you a car that suits your needs, but doesn't tell you the brand, model, year, miles, color, etc, and expects you to pay 'first' and then if you don't like it, you'll get a refund. lol.

      It's similar to domain buying.

      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

      I'm glad you haven't already given him the money up front. This is the first time I've heard of this kind of deal, but it really has a bad smell.

      Just remember, the domain does not need to "make sense". Google, Yahoo, Bing, Squidoo ... none of them make sense. Combine the keyword with something fun or creative like the above and just create a brand if you have to. There's no longer an artificial advantage to having an EMD, so a great brand name will do fine. If I were going to pay someone that kind of money, there are specialists who create brands (I've seen them on Elance, etc.) and they are good at making up a brand name that would fit the product, although I normally do that myself.
      I wanted a domain in the health niche, so it's difficult to make up words as it won't be professional. I needed a 2 word health domain under 15 characters.

      I thought their service would have been great, but not until they wanted payment first. I feel sad if they were truly a professional company, but for my safety, asking for funds before I know what it is, is just plain fishy.
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  • Profile picture of the author dcdotcom
    I've heard of a lot of scams out there, but this one sounds particularly ludicrous. There's no way I'd ever purchase a domain name blind - the whole point is that you're investing in that particular name.

    There are seedy domain "scammers" who make a habit of trying to find buyers for names that are auction, before they've won the name, and have the right to do so. It's called "frontrunning." However, I think most of the they're shopping the name around by disclosing what it is - I don't see the point of trying to sell someone on a domain if the person has no idea what name you're talking about.

    Sounds like someone was trying to bilk you out of a A LOT of money. Glad you didn't fall for it!

    As far as trying to find a name, you can try the domain suggestions & sales tool in DomainTools, and Namestation. Or just try putting different combinations of things in the WhoIS or bulk registration tool.

    I found a pretty good hand reg the other day just by trying different combinations of related terms in the WhoIS. (It's the keywords "social" + "media" + "training" and "course" dawt com, whereas all of the other variations ("classes," "courses," etc.) were taken.
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  • Profile picture of the author Joe Thio
    Yea definitely a scam. Why wouldn't they just tell you what the domain is? You can't take it from them anyway, assuming they spent the measly 10 bucks on it. The obvious conclusion is they know you won't like it so they want their money first.
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  • Profile picture of the author theimdude
    as the other party is not hear to comment they might say "if we give him the domain name what guarantee is he the OP will pay" always 2 side to a story
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  • Profile picture of the author Devin X
    Banned
    Originally Posted by chickenfillet View Post

    I need your input everyone, thanks.
    Really!? You need our input!? This "domain finder" is obviously a scammer who takes unsuspecting victims like yourself for a ride. I'd stay clear of any services that require you to pay before said services are rendered. Remember that once you part with your money, the other party has full control of the situation.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lloyd Buchinski
    It would be interesting to see a domain auction like that on Flippa. First you have to win the auction and pay for the domain, and then we'll tell you what it is. Needless to say, it wouldn't be the most active auction.
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