Simple.co.uk sells for $35,000

[Edwin]

Sedo's front page is reporting that Simple.co.uk just sold for US$35,000. Pretty good!

 

[bb99]

Interesting observation: the new owner is the holder of multiple trademarks of the word "simple".

 

[retired_member6]

There's been some nice prices over the past couple of days, even a dot com for £350,000. Are you calling the buyer simple bb99? haha

 

[bb99]

I suppose the moral of the story is that, even with a big fat TM on it, if the domain is generic and it's being put to fair use... you can just about name your price.

 

[keys]

I suppose the moral of the story is that, even with a big fat TM on it, if the domain is generic and it's being put to fair use... you can just about name your price.

I expect the sale was a welcome Christmas bonus for Mr T.

 

[CrimeStoppers]

luck sod

 

[retired_member9]

I am selling 'simpleness.co.uk' for 100 quid

 

[michaeltoth]

I disagree with you all on this one

I have sold a number of .co.uk's for higher sums than this.
It is always very hard to decide what approach to take because each customer is very different.
1, Some will sue if the price is to high.
2, Some are taking the piss.
3, Some will negotiate (but how high do you push)
4, Some will pay what ever the price (so don't unprice a domain name if you have a customer like this)

With the 1000's of .co.uk's, .com's and others and now I have a number of .eu's (will have to wait until all my paper work with the eu registry has been processed before i tell you what i got, but it involved registring 100's of trademarks), with all the emails i get on a daily basis and all the negotiations i under take i have become a bit of an expert on the human psyche coupled with domain names sales and acquisitions.

I am looking at using this knowledge to help others.
1, I will negotiate a sale or acquisition for a price
2, I am thinking of running a one day course and sharing my knowledge.

Any points of view would be appreciated

 

[retired_member6]

Michael,

Are you considering offering yourself as an affiliate to domain sellers? it's a concept I thought would already be in motion but I haven't seen anybody do that yet. Obviously that's going a bit further than just offering yourself as a negotiator, more into actively selling for others for a cut.

Cheers
Lee

 

[SF]

Hi Michael,

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations with all of your sales.

Best wishes,
Sean Flynn

 

[aqls]

Welcome Michael,

You have a great list of domains.

Best of luck.

Are you looking at 10% sort of cut on sales?

I think you'll have a ready market to do the job that Some domain brokers promise but don't deliver.

Positioning yourself as a specialist that you can trust to do a good job with a big negotiation.

I think a domain will necessarily only be sold if the purchaser wants it [not too stupid a statement?] so actively selling is probably almost identical (in concept) to the 'negotiating' services Sold elsewhere? If not then where's the main point of difference?

-aqls-

 

[retired_member6]

I think a domain will necessarily only be sold if the purchaser wants it [not too stupid a statement?] so actively selling is probably almost identical (in concept) to the 'negotiating' services Sold elsewhere? If not then where's the main point of difference?

You appear to be stating that every purchaser automatically wants the domain they're buying before they know it. Everyone wants a telly, but the type of telly is another subject entirely.

The two situations aren't the same, to actively sell a domain you're approaching a possible interested party with a view to selling the domain, to my knowledge sedo and others do not do this for their fee, they simply have a website, which lists your domain and they offer an auction and transfer service if the buyer to be accidentally lands on your re-directed URL after searching. If you pointed your domain at your own site, you'd save yourself £100 or then again you may make £100 in Parking and PPC.

I list at sedo because I'm led to believe, well actually I don't know why I list at Sedo, it just the seems the done thing and to better read traffic and unlike others they don't require exclusive holding rights, which would put most off.

I would think a few on here approach a company directly with a view to selling, now if one or two of those were to take an active interest in being affiliates for a percentage cut upon sale of promoted domains, that's different to Sedo simply sitting there and waiting months and even years for a buyer to realise what he wants and needs.

If this service is already being offered and a domain affiliate service is available for both parties then I'd be interested in seeing the offering.

 

[aqls]

When I listed my domains at Sado, they offered to try to find a buyer for one of them.

Small point - an independent broker would take their own fee and would then (probably) also recommend/consult over using escrow as well.

Double fees?

I guess an active salesman who knows the business may possibly get figures way and above those charges plus what the seller would have gained without him, though it would be hard to measure.

-aqls-

 

[Edwin]

Sounds interesting, especially if you would be willing to proactively track down likely potential buyers for names (as opposed to simply interceding at the negotiation stage). Please give me some more information.

 

[michaeltoth]

The art of a good sale

The art of a good sale is not the sell but the delivery.

Remember the guy who tried to sell an iceberg to the Arabs, great idea, and cheap water.
They forgot they own most of the oil of the world so it didn't matter how much desalinized water cost because once the plant was built desalinized water was relatively free.
The same goes for domain names, I have found I have a knack for getting the right name to the right solution. Sometimes by chance. But that is where the real deals begin. My style of negotiation is completely different than the big boys, and I loose a few but the gains are bigger.

I do not have all the answers but.

1, I was here at the beginning, and boy was it fertile.
2, I never disclose any information about me, my clients or my competitors.
3, I hope I am honest. Only the people I deal with can answer that.
4, I do not particularly like some of the ways people are drop catching - I have made one person dislike me because I spoke out about his dishonesty - AND HE KNOWS WHO I AM TAKING ABOUT. Again I will not tell.
4, I have only sold names at premium prices
5, I get 100's of offers so can tell the crap, from the dishonest, to the real thing (most of the time)
6, I NEVER usually talk on any forum, but listen.
7, Boy is there money to be made in this game.
8, I am totally self funded - no handouts, and was broke 8 years ago
9, I think I can do better than the likes of **** and ********, but to mention a few - you work it out. I don’t talk and I don't brag about what I have.
10, I do however listen to other people’s brags.
11, One mistake - (you know what it is) - that was me testing the limits. As you see I am open about my mistakes.


With all this in mind I think I can do a better job getting higher prices than the bigger boys, I have ideas as well as knowledge, but to keep this idea personnal I have to do it small time for individuals for large amount sales. This I would be willing to do but for a higher commission rate, probably 20%. Remember 90% of nothing or 80% of $35,000.00, you decide.

Like I said I usually never speak but I would like to hear from all you domain name holders on your thoughts. Please hand this out to everybody as it’s about time we all made a little more for our dream. Be it a villa in the Bahamas or a new car.

If groups of people pooled traffic and ideas rather than giving it to ok companies like sedo everyone would be a little richer. Plus if something was set up the likes of overture, google and miva would listen harder. I deal with all three

I have my ideas let me hear some of your thoughts.

Michael Toth - reclusenomore.co.uk - reg'ed it 1 minute ago lol

 

[aqls]

Well.

Salesman for sure! = good

Don't worry about the likes of Sedo - I would rather put my fingers in a meat slicer than use them to negotiate for me.

I think there is room for someone like you in the market.

I don't think your prices are unreasonable.

I think you should use reclusenomore as your motto - there is no use in hiding if you are trying to get yourself (and your client's domains) known - also it sounds a bit funny when you say you are trying to keep yourself secret - sort of makes me not see you as the professional that you are.

I believe you are honest.

We all have made mistakes.

Remember to use the spell checker when pitching!

We support you Michael.

Michael for king.

MICHAEL. MICHAEL. MICHAEL.

oh, ok. sorry!

-aqls-

 

[FC Domains]

Hi Michael, do you sell time-shares as well?

Personally I think that there is far too much hype in the domain name market. I'm sure that a lot of the headline prices are just part of this hype.
Almost every domain that you track leads to some tacky affiliate site or PPC.

It doesn't give the buisness a good name and probably deflates prices, because people are expecting to be scammed.

(And why hasn't this forum got a spell checker?)

 

[aqls]

Hi Michael, do you sell time-shares as well?

LOL

However, hype = more buyers = better for you dropcatchers n'est ce pas?

-aqls-

 

[retired_member6]

Upon seeing a large value sale, £20,000 for a uk sale. It makes me wonder what they started the counter offer at, do you reckon it was £20,000 all the way or they started at £50,000?

 

[aqls]

Example Sedo sales process.

Domain owner has good name.

He lists it in Sedo and may put in minimum bid amount of £10,000 (maximum settings).

Then they just ignore all offers, including bigger ones, pretending that their domain is the only/best one in the world. (which to you and me may be obviously untrue, but to the buyer - well, perception is reality).

If the buyer really wants the domain he'll:
a) get cross
b) up his bid
c) fume

The seller will then be able to see whether the guy is a big player and/or really wants the domain.

Then it all starts.

They put in a figure of about £23,000

Which is still ballpark of 10,000 for a big player but not ridiculous like 250,000 or higher.

Also with message usually like "we are currently discussing higher offers".

Buyer goes to 15,000 (or whatever) and is made to wait several days. (Sedo system doesn't allow buyer to change his mind)

Seller goes £21,000 - "final offer".

Buyer has stark choice

Seller makes out he really doesn't care one way or another.

Buyer either overpays or gets nothing.

Sedo only allows buyer 2 attempts, so buyer has not much choice, unless he "cleverly" goes to whois and contacts them by phone and negotiates a 10% discount stating that Sedo's fees are not worth it.

Hence the earlier statement that buyer will only really buy if he really wants domain.

I imagine there are other softly softly approaches that work too.

A salesman will make a bigger company aware of the good domain and its value as they may not have even known about the availability of the domain (or in some cases what value a domain has for their brand etc etc) and avoid the harsh Sedo negotiation system altogether.

-aqls-