Is there anything I should know before trying to acquire a domain name from the current owner?

I am helping my church with their new web site (two of them actually) and there is a domain name that they really want, but it's taken. The domain isn't in use (at least not for a web site). I've looked up the owner and I have the Administrative Contact email that was registered for the domain.

Is there anything I should know before I send this person an email? Is there some way this is usually done without going through a GoDaddy (or someone else) agent? Do I just need to send an email explaining the situation and asking if they are willing to sell it?

If they are, how should I handle the transaction?

Solution 1:

First, check out the domain on whois, and do a complete DNS lookup. There isn't a web site, but is there an email domain in use? If you browse to the site, do you get an error, or is it "parked"? Does the registrant have lots of domains or just a few? Look on sites like sedo.com to get an idea on pricing.

Then, send an email to the admin contact, indicating your interest to purchase the domain and asking if it is for sale, and negotiate. Be patient.

Once you come to terms, I would use escrow.com or sedo.com to actually run the sale. Their process reduces the potential for you paying and the seller not delivering. It costs a few % but is worth it. In the process, you pay escrow.com, the funds are verified and the seller notified. Then the seller "ships" (i.e. transfer the registration) and tells escrow.com and you. You accept and tell escrow.com, and they get the funds. There is a process for resolving disputes. I have used it successfully a couple of times for just this kind of domain transfer.

An alternative is to talk to whoever you plan to host the domain; they may have a service to broker or facilitate transfers.

Finally, sedo.com has a "broker" service which costs $69 on top of the sales/escrow percentage. I have never used it so I can't recommend it.

Good luck!