Domain inquiries : And the improvisation award goes to …

When dealing with domain name inquiries, there is a certain threshold that once crossed, blurs the line that separates real and surreal.

The “poor student” claim is rather basic, as compared to an inquiry for a generic, single word domain that I received recently.

While I’ve changed the wording to protect the not so innocent from being identified, the essence of the message is retained.

Here goes:

Due to my recent marriage, my wife and I decided to skip taking each others last names, as it’s done typically.

Instead, we decided to select a new family name. So I’ve been looking into possible domain names matching our chosen new family name, to use for our email address.

How much does this domain cost?

It should be noted that the domain they inquired about is not a real last name, but rather, a reference to something that exists in nature.

Further research on the keyword revealed several organizations that could use this variant, as opposed to longer compounded names. The intention was thus obvious: make a ridiculous claim and attempt to get the domain cheaply.

Once I quoted my very reasonable price range, the person making the inquiry quipped it was too expensive for what would be a “vanity” email address. I bid them farewell and congratulated them on their apparent recent wedding.

The attempt to get the domain at a low price was ridiculously blatant; if I were to spend more time on this inquiry, I would have asked for a copy of their marriage certificate and name change; instead, I decided that there would be more value in sharing this incident as an anecdote, than pursuing selling the domain to a person without a real budget.

The fun life of domain investing never ceases to amaze me, even to this time and day.