There are still Gentlemen in the Domain Industry

A recent incident that quietly unfolded on the popular domain forum, DNForum.com involved the following protagonists:

• A seller eager to let go of a premium domain for a low price
• A buyer #1 who recognizes good deals
• A buyer #2 who silently bought the domain

I cannot reveal all the names, but the buyer #1 is me. The seller listed a premium, aged dot com for sale at a surprisingly low price. For a pre-2000 domain, it was a non-brainer.

Following the seller’s instructions, I posted ‘Sold’ in the thread and waited for a private message instructing about payment.

The next day I received a message from the seller, that he had sold the domain to a buyer who messaged him privately before I did. He also mentioned the name of the buyer.

I’m very particular about the rules of the game and I don’t break them. Since I was the first one to post ‘Sold’ as instructed, I had full intention to publicly denounce the seller’s lack of following his own rules.

However, I decided to contact the new owner first. He responded that the domain was indeed in his possession, as he had paid for it already.

What came next was clearly a surprise for me.

The buyer told me that if I wanted the domain for the same price plus the PayPal fees, I could have it. He graciously offered this clearly undervalued domain name without asking questions, simply because he felt that I wanted it more.

I jumped on the opportunity and agreed to buy it from him; in the process I paid an extra 25% for the purchase to show my gratitude.

The buyer’s gesture was extremely noble and characteristic of a gentleman. I appreciate people who display a lack of selfishness and I often strive to act the same way. In a world of faceless electronic communication, such acts are the exceptions to the rule.

Thank you, Vincent; you’re one true Gentleman.