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.
November 14th, 2011 at 2:11 pm
what was the blasted domain ??
November 14th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
Steve – You remind me of people that read the classics of literature, and complain about the lack of illustrations
November 14th, 2011 at 4:55 pm
It’s refreshing that they did the right thing. Very cool of you to offer more than what they spent on the name.
November 14th, 2011 at 6:30 pm
He didn’t have to do it. It wasn’t the right or wrong thing to do. It was a classy act. Now, what the heck is the domain name?
November 14th, 2011 at 7:58 pm
Poor Uncle – I have no complaints about Vincent. My beef was with the seller. But Vincent really showed me that gentlemen exist still.
November 15th, 2011 at 9:11 am
Nice story, happy endings are great…and the name of the no brainer purchase was?
November 20th, 2011 at 9:34 pm
If only everyone in the industry was as classy! Always encouraging to hear when someone shines.