If the domain you want is already taken, you can attempt to contact the owner and find out his intentions on selling. Some owners may be reluctant to sell, unless the right price is thrown at them. At the same time, you want to ensure you’ll earn a return and profit versus what you paid for the domains.

Before you buy ask yourself: Do you really need this particular domain? Would you earn more money finding an unregistered domain? Measure your alternatives before you decide this is the domain you cannot live without.

Finding the Sellers

Sellers are everywhere on the internet. With the international exposure, you’ll be sure to find a profiting domain name at the price you want. Weeding out the results is a different story.

Thankfully, there are websites available to help narrow the process.

DNForum.com – DNF concentrates on maximizing revenue through websites and pay-per-click programs. Experts lend their knowledge and provide domains for sale.

Pool.com – Pool is a good resource for researching domains. It has the best backorder service I’ve ever used. You can also buy and sell your domains.

JustDropped.com – As a free alternative to Pool.com, you can find expiring domains. The downside is you can’t save searches like Pool.com.

Let’s suppose you have an idea for a domain name and discover it’s already taken. First, open the URL in your browser. See if the domain is already listed as being for sale. If that doesn’t work, look for contact information on the website. You can also check the WhoIs information at www.BetterWhoIs.com and send your proposal via email to the technical contact person.

If you can’t find a contact email for the domain owner, try calling the phone number on the whois or writing the address listed. After all these steps, if you still cannot contact the owner, the owner may not wish to sell and there is little you can do about it.

Finding the Perfect Name

In short, you’ll want to find a domain name that will:

a) Earn you a return + profit b) Allow you to maximize revenue if you were to develop the domain into a full website c) Be high in demand to resell for more than what you paid.

Let’s get one thing straight: potential doesn’t mean a damn thing! Repeat this with me: potential doesn’t mean a damn thing!!

Beware of sellers who try to sell based on potential. Some warning signs:

• Forecasting revenue and traffic stats for a long time period based off one month of data
• Not being able to show proof of stats and hyping up the value of the domain
• Comparing the domain to higher valued ones that have sold for much higher amounts.

Lack of available stats does not mean the seller is attempting to pull fraud. It just means there are no stats. Just look out for the difference between legitimate stats and inflated stats, especially if they are being used to increase the value of the domain.

Negotiating a Price

Negotiating can be tough but not if you follow two simple rules:

• Allow the seller to state what price he/she wants. If he insists you make an offer, make the lowest offer you can and let him talk you until you reach your highest point.
• Some people don’t realize the value of their domain and may settle for less.

The first thing you should do is ask for stats to justify the asking price. The seller should be able to provide you with access or screenshots of traffic and revenue stats; if applicable. Not all domains earn revenue or traffic.

You should research the information provided and the domain’s history. After verifying the information, its time to agree on a price. Your research should provide you with a rough estimate to calculate an offer range.

Try to make the seller state what price he/she wants and negotiate from there. This market is still young and be aware of offers that waste your time or do not justify the stats provided.

Make sure you set a deadline when you want the seller to respond. Three days is usually an ideal time frame.

After agreeing on a set price, you should restate the terms and conditions of the purchase to make sure everything is clear on both ends. It is advisable to offer 50% before ownership transfer and 50% afterwards. For big purchase, use an escrow service.

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