Jamie over at DotWeekly posted an interesting story about a domain he sold and which was let to expire and which he re-registered.
My story is similar, yet different – so Jamie’s post brought back some interesting domaining memories.
Eleven years ago I registered a two-word .com domain that I thought it was cool and unique.
In retrospect, I’m glad someone else thought of it as appealing and bought it five months later; to this date, the domain sits undeveloped and there are 125k results in Google for the terms, in quotes.
My sale was significant for those early days – mid four figures. The buyer was from the UK and we used GoDaddy.com and our good faith for the sale.
Here’s an email from GoDaddy during that exchange:
We are aware that you have purchased a transfer of ownership for your domain name. As of today, we have not received your transfer documents. Please complete the agreement with notarized signatures from the current registrant and the new registrant and send the original with copies of your photo ID’s to:
Go Daddy Software
Domain Services
5320 E Dynamite Blvd
Cave Creek, AZ 85331Once the documents are received your ownership transfer will be processed immediately.
Thank you,
Go Daddy Software
Domain Services
The sale went smoothly and the domain ended up with the new owner.
In early 2004, I so happened to look up the domain and I was shocked to see that it did not exist anymore. So I emailed the buyer informing them of this.
As it happens more often than you think, the buyer had forgotten to renew the domain and it had lapsed and vanished from the face of the Internet 🙂
He thanked me and re-registered it; to this date the domain is not developed in the general sense, although there is contact information on it.
Moral of the story: sometimes it’s good to simply alert the buyer that their investment is in danger and give them the opportunity to reclaim it.
I would have registered it ..and than offered to sell it to the same guy again…maybeId even shave off some $$$’z….maybe.
Ho boy…
This gets tricky. Each person has their own way of handling this, that is, if they’ve ever sold a name before.
A can of worms of questions have just been opened.
First off, and it’s funny, our business somewhat comprises of some, but not all domains expiring or being dropped by accident by other former owners.
Ask yourself this: What if the former owner came to you, even though you weren’t the one who sold the name, told you they accidentally let it expired. Would you give it back minus whatever you’ve paid (drops, auction or handregged) for the name?
No? why? Yes. Why?
Aren’t we picking up names that have “accidentally” expired all the time?
I guess there is no wrong or right.
Here’s what I do. Now mind you, this is all gut feelings from situation to situation.
If I sold the name to this person and they let it dropped. I will simply pick it up and it goes back into inventory. If that person comes to me later and said they accidentally dropped the name. I give it back minus my reg fee, auction cost, whatever it had cost. It is safer when it comes to the person you previously sold to. What if they claimed you never really transferred to them or some nonsense? The legal battle is sometimes not worth it.
If someone new comes along and makes an offer, before for the “ask back”, I sell and move on.
It is too often for me that they’ve forgotten for years.
NOW..here’s comes another question for you. What if that scenario of yours you just mentioned was back in the 90’s and you sold, lets just say, Business.com for $5000 to this person then comes back to you and like it back because they forgot to renew.
It’s 2011.
What will you do now?
John – In my case, I felt that I had an obligation to inform the buyer that their precious investment had vanished. I don’t actively go back looking for what happened to domains registered and sold years ago. It was a query based on the amount involved.
A transaction that concluded and confirmed by both parties has no legal ramifications for the seller when the domain expires and drops but plenty of legal issues might arise if you go back and register again that same domain for which a buyer paid dearly.
As with your last question, a sale ends upon the confirmed exchange of the goods.
Well you saw my point right? Too many questions and it depends on each situation.
To each their own 🙂
John – My experience has shown that it’s good karma points when things that completed are left alone 🙂
That’s true!
Thanks for the mention Theo and glad my story made you think back a few years.
I had thought about contacting the past owner but I’m not really sure “who” the past owner was. A lawyer purchased it on behalf of a client from me. I checked whois and it changed a couple times, so I really do not know who was the real buyer.
I assume it was “True9.com” but I’m not sure why whois changed then in 2011 to Credit Ed of the UK.
Either way, if any of the two want it back, I’d be happy to sell it to them! 🙂