what's the best way to buy a domain name from the current owner

mcveigh

Diamond Member
Dec 20, 2000
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there's a domain name that I want to buy, the current owner doesn't have it hosted anywhere.
assuming I can contact this person, should I ? should I use another service like register.com?

anyone done this before?
 

bsobel

Moderator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Dec 9, 2001
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Step one, don't be this guy :)

Second, once you contact them and work something out, I'd recommend one of the transfer agents (like Verisign). They act as a broker so he doesn't steal your money and not transfer the domain. When I used them it cost about $70 or so.

Good luck,
Bill
 

MrBond

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2000
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I've run across this before too. I thought if you registered a domain, it HAD to have some sort of hosting, so it would come up if someone went to the address. Apparently either that's no longer the case, or they're not enforcing it, because there's been a domain that I want that isn't hosted anywhere and the owner keeps reregistering it.

You'll probably have to contact the current owner and discuss it with them. Don't expect it to be cheap though, if they're squatting on it, then it's a good chance they think it's worth something, so they're probably going to want way more then the $35/yr to get it.
 

dakata24

Diamond Member
Aug 7, 2000
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Originally posted by: bsobel
Step one, don't be this guy :)

hehe. nice flashback.. in another thread, he said he wasn't persuing that domain name anymore. :)

sounds like good advice from bsobel..
 

mcveigh

Diamond Member
Dec 20, 2000
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Originally posted by: bsobel
Step one, don't be this guy :)

Second, once you contact them and work something out, I'd recommend one of the transfer agents (like Verisign). They act as a broker so he doesn't steal your money and not transfer the domain. When I used them it cost about $70 or so.

Good luck,
Bill

LOL I remember that guy, actually I was careful when I worded my post so I wouldn't sound like him :)

that sounds like good advice about using verisign, thanks!
I'm just worried I won't be able to get ahold of the owner, the domain was registered in 94 and expires next year, so he might have forgotten about it.