In an article titled “8 Facts About Choosing The Right Domain Name” Bradley Glonka used the words domainer and cybersquatter interchangeably, “In some cases, you may discover that the domain name you want is owned by someone called a “domainer” or “cybersquatter” – a person who registers tons of likely-to-be-desired domain names to sell them at a serious profit.”
The above mentioned quote was apart of fact #7, the article discussed things like owning more than one domain, but not too many. It also talked about age of the domain and why privacy is a waste for a business.
I thought what was interesting about fact #7 was that the author pulled the number $400 as a common asking price from a domain seller. I did think it was nice that Bradley took the time discussing multiple domain ownership and paying a premium are usually left out of many non domain industry articles.
Here is #7 from the article:
7. Pay a premium for your coveted domain name.
As you shop for the ideal domain name, you may discover that the URL you’ve selected has already been spoken for, like detroitdentists.com. You can reach out to the domain owner to see if you can purchase the domain directly – but this move is only worth pursuing if there is not a functional website at the domain. Otherwise, you’re likely out of luck and will just be wasting your time. What is a good use of your time and money is having an intermediary reach out to do the negotiations for you. Domain owners can incorrectly sense big profits when approached directly from a buyer and may not be willing to sell at a reasonable price.In some cases, you may discover that the domain name you want is owned by someone called a “domainer” or “cybersquatter” – a person who registers tons of likely-to-be-desired domain names to sell them at a serious profit. A few years ago, Apple won a case for the domain name iphone5.com before they even had a product by that name. Cartier, Dior, and Swarovski all have filed suits against cybersquatters. Even politicians run into issues with domainers who register all variations of that person’s name in order to make a quick buck (or perhaps it’s a competitor gearing up to do some negative campaigning).
In short, this secondary market is lucrative. So how much is your desired domain worth? Well, it’s worth as much as you’re willing to pay for it. It’s not uncommon to have a domainer ask $400 for the domain name you want. I would pay that price for a good domain name all day long because, in the long run, it’s worth it. More sought-after keyworded domains can command thousands of dollars – again, I would consider paying this price. If it comes to negotiating with a cybersquatter for your desired internet territory, once you have the domain and deal in place be sure to use an intermediary monetary transaction service like escrow.com. Tread carefully and keep your eyes open for any shady deals.
Read the full article on Huffington Post