The youth of today is exposed to a whole lot more information, tools and gadgets than a decade ago; let alone thirty years ago, when I was a teenager.
While it’s good to be able to receive this type of technological exposure, there’s a reason why the age of 18 is considered the base limit for many financial transactions, such as being able to obtain a credit card.
There have been many documented cases of teenagers, under the legal age, who successfully engaged in business, even outperforming adults. They are, however, the exception to the rule and for this matter, engaging in business transactions with underage persons – including domainers – is not a great idea.
Most agreements to join an online marketplace, such as Sedo, Afternic, or Domain Name Sales, expect the party applying for membership to be at least 18 years old.
In the open market, however, when someone uses some of these domain venues as a buyer and in order to place offers, such requirements don’t always exist – unless one has to create an account first, and abide by the rules of the signup agreement.
I often receive inquiries at Domain Name Sales that are not qualified for a followup, simply because through research, I’ve found that they are made by underage buyers. Do not assume that your buyer is an adult – and therefore, legally responsible for their actions.
I believe that domain marketplaces must impose that requirement from all parties involved, in order to ensure a smooth exchange on their venue, particularly when it involves the additional layer of an escrow.
I’ve been reading your articles for ~quite some time, stumbled on you from dnforum. You have some great write ups that aren’t all about “domain business”, but with some personal stuff thrown in.
Anyways, this (age) is one thing I had never actually thought about. There’s nothing worse than bidding against a 14 year old on some forum marketplace, with the pressing suspicion that I’ll be paying more than what’s it worth (at least to me). And of course the whole security behind it 😉 lol