6 Common Mistakes When Buying A Domain Name from Someone

We help several entrepreneurs in buying a domain name of their dreams every day. But still, we see many of them make some mistakes that prevent them from getting it at a reasonable price. If you are making the following domain buying mistakes, you should stop right now!

Contacting the Domain Owner Directly

This is a recipe for disaster because it risks revealing your identity as the buyer to the domain owner. Some of these owners buy and sell domains for a living, so your chances of outsmarting them are very low. 

Some people contact the domain owners through the contact us page or by submitting an inquiry via their domain name registrar. Whatever way you choose, it increases the chances of revealing who you are. For example, they might find you that you are an ex-employee of a Fortune 500 company. This increases the speculation that you are starting a new business (which might be the next Snapchat) for which you need a website. Do you think they are going to sell you that domain name for a couple of hundred dollars?

Do you think you can bargain with them? Forget about it: they’ll start the first price so high that it will be out of your budget. And please don’t think that using a free email service like Gmail or Hotmail can hide you because they have all the tools and tricks to find who you are.

Visiting Any Webpage Of Your Desired Domain Constantly

Like the previous mistake, it can reveal your identity. In addition, it increases the traffic to the domain, which is a metric used to determine the popularity and price of a domain. This will raise the price, especially if you are visiting the domain from the IP address of a major corporation.

Announcing The Name Of Your Venture Before Getting The Target Domain Name

People who are either careless or less competitive make this mistake. You’ll find stories of individuals issuing a press release about the name of their new venture. Then, within 24 hours, the list price of the target domain they wanted to be tripled. So you want to avoid paying an extra $2,000 just because you revealed the name of your new venture.

Filing A Trademark Before Getting the Desired Domain Name

Researching potential trademark conflicts before buying the domain is a good strategy. But don’t file for the trademark yet. Most trademark resources have online databases. So if you file a trademark, some domain speculator might find your application and then immediately register that domain name. If this happens, you’ll get screwed.

Falling In Love with A Domain Name

If you find that your desired domain name is taken, you should attempt to get it using professional services. But not considering alternative options if your ideal name is taken is a mistake. Don’t be discouraged: you might find a better option. 

Registering Alternative TLD Versions Of Your Desired Domain Name

Again, this will let domain speculators know that someone is really interested in this domain. If you register alternative TLD versions like .org or .info just before getting the desired domain, you might end up paying more money than what the domain name is worth. Hopefully, you won’t make these domain-buying mistakes when buying a domain next time. If you have any questions about the blog post, please let us know in the comment section below.