Using a proxy buyer in an attempt to acquire valuable domains isn’t exactly news.
By utilizing a third party to negotiate the acquisition of a domain name, the actual buyer can save thousands of dollars. Not having to disclose the identity and true budget of the buyer, a good domain can be sold at a discount.
The buyer takes advantage of a psychological trait of inexperienced sellers, that tend to adjust pricing according to who is buying, not according to the domain’s value.
In the past, such third party offers seemed to arrive from European or Asian locales, such as Germany, Russia and India, but this seems to be changing.
Recent inquiries shift the locale to Central and Latin America: Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Argentina and Brazil. The names and email addresses are definitely Hispanic, some come with complete Facebook profiles or extensive social media accounts, but they all share something in common: they are fronts for the real buyer, that is dispersing their negotiation pawns around the globe.
In the future, don’t be surprised if offers of a legitimate price range arrive from China, with an introduction in flawless English and verifiable social media links.
The secret to maximizing one’s return on investment is to treat each incoming inquiry as an attempt to “cheat” the seller and deprive them of their assets at a lower price.
Domain inquiries that arrive from questionable locales should not be ignored, but be used to gather intelligence on the potential buyers that might be hiding behind those remote IP addresses.
As time goes by, existing premium domains increase in value and scarcity. You can only sell them once, and that should be part of a reminder to yourself, next time an offer arrives.
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