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Buying a Domain that is Taken

EnvisionEd

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I'm new to the forum, but I'm really excited to get going and meet like-minded people. To start things off, I'm trying to buy my desired domain name, but it has already been taken. I looked the domain up on WhoIs and I've contacted the registrar (NameSilo), but I'm having a heck of a time figuring out how I can contact the actual owner of the domain. I want to buy this domain off of them, but I'm clearly looking in the wrong place if I can't find contact information. Does anybody have thoughts on how to get in touch with a domain owner?
 
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MattR82

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You can use a broker that do this and this only, especially if they try and ask you for a lot.

I haven't used one yet though. Got in touch with one that set up a time then never showed up lol.
 

clickninja

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I have a domain with CO and a guy, out of the blue, emailed me to sell me my domain with COM.
He asked for $550, I offered $50 and I really don't care if I get it or not.

What I'm trying to say is that you might get an absurd amount just because you care too much about your name.

If you build a new business my advice is not to focus too much on the domain esp if the original you have in mind is taken but not used by anybody.
Just get a CO or NET and build your brand.

People usually click on domains not write them in their browser so the ending is not really that important.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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EnvisionEd

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I have a domain with CO and a guy, out of the blue, emailed me to sell me my domain with COM.
He asked for $550, I offered $50 and I really don't care if I get it or not.

What I'm trying to say is that you might get an absurd amount just because you care too much about your name.

If you build a new business my advice is not to focus too much on the domain esp if the original you have in mind is taken but not used by anybody.
Just get a CO or NET and build your brand.

People usually click on domains not write them in their browser so the ending is not really that important.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the feedback; I really appreciate it. It's frustrating...I think I have the perfect domain and branding concept for what I want to do in Education and right now I'm at the mercy of some random "company". If it doesn't work out to where they'll sell it to me, I'll certainly look into the .net route, as you suggested because I agree that more people click than type in. Happy Holidays!
 

MattR82

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I have a domain with CO and a guy, out of the blue, emailed me to sell me my domain with COM.
He asked for $550, I offered $50 and I really don't care if I get it or not.

What I'm trying to say is that you might get an absurd amount just because you care too much about your name.

If you build a new business my advice is not to focus too much on the domain esp if the original you have in mind is taken but not used by anybody.
Just get a CO or NET and build your brand.

People usually click on domains not write them in their browser so the ending is not really that important.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I agree except for the .CO
I believe many people get it confused with .com too easily. I've bought a .net before though and think it's fine.
 
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ddzc

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Have you tried entering the URL in to your browser? 90% of the time, you’ll end up on a landing page to make an offer or contact the owner. Also search for the domain on godaddy auctions, sedo, afternic. Domain investors will have it listed on those three marketplaces.


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Jaden Jones

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Godaddy has a buy service, its a bit pricey, but its very successful.
 

Andy Black

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Get the .com, or the .co.uk or whatever is usual in your country. (Maybe the io if you’re a SaaS and your customers are web savvy.)

If you increase brand awareness then people will type in the .com trying to find you. Aka you’ll be sending visitors to your competitor’s website.

I think you can get creative and find an available domain name.
 
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Choate

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I second Andy Black, you'll want that .com, whether it means coming up with a creative name, re-branding, or coming up with a slight twist on whatever current iteration you have. Give yourself a week and a hard limit of $ you would be willing to spend on the one you are currently chasing, and if no success, then move on. Either way, don't let it be a road block to starting.
 

EnvisionEd

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What's on the site now? Is it an active website?
The specific one I want is parked by NameSilo and I haven't had luck as of yet to get in touch and buy it. I'm going to take all of the advice here and keep reaching out, with a hard limit of what I'm willing to spend. I bought another domain that I like, though not as much as the first one, just as a backup. Thanks for the advice guys.
 
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ZeroTo100

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Here’s how you do it...
First go to the domain and see if there’s a landing page offering it for sale.

Next, go to Whois.com
When you search the Whois data, a ton of info is offered.

If it’s not private, you’re in luck. Just email the person.

If not, you have to go through a domain broker OR simply register the business name after and try to get it through the courts. This is a nightmare though. I know some guys that went through this and ended up paying out of their a$$ for the name because it was just easier.
 

EnvisionEd

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Here’s how you do it...
First go to the domain and see if there’s a landing page offering it for sale.

Next, go to Whois.com
When you search the Whois data, a ton of info is offered.

If it’s not private, you’re in luck. Just email the person.

If not, you have to go through a domain broker OR simply register the business name after and try to get it through the courts. This is a nightmare though. I know some guys that went through this and ended up paying out of their a$$ for the name because it was just easier.
Thanks. Yeah I tried WhoIs and contacting the owner, but didn't get anywhere with it...they never responded. I think I found another good option, so I might just go with that and build my brand around that. In the end, as long as I market and sell my product successfully, I should be good in the long run, regardless of the name. I really appreciate everyone's input.
 

ZeroTo100

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Thanks. Yeah I tried WhoIs and contacting the owner, but didn't get anywhere with it...they never responded. I think I found another good option, so I might just go with that and build my brand around that. In the end, as long as I market and sell my product successfully, I should be good in the long run, regardless of the name. I really appreciate everyone's input.

They say that domains don’t matter that much these days in regards to SEO...I think they still do help though. Think about it, people have to remember the domain and google recognizes when users come directly to the site VS landing on it via searching a topic.

I’ve been having a similar dilemma with a domain that I bought. I really don’t want to have to rebrand the site down the line. I guess if you can build > rank > profit > sell, does it really matter?
 
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barman

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If you still need help with this, let me know. I can do some historic whois lookup to try to find out everything there is know about the owner.
 

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