How to purchase a pre-owned domain name.
When it comes to building a website, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is 
choosing the perfect domain name. However, finding the perfect domain name can sometimes be a challenge, especially if it’s already registered and owned by someone else. In this article, I’ll be discussing how to buy a pre-owned or already registered domain name, including the steps you should take to ensure a smooth and successful transaction.
The first step in buying a pre-owned domain name is to research available options. There are several online marketplaces, such as GoDaddy Auctions or Sedo, that specialize in selling pre-owned domain names. These marketplaces allow you to search for domain names that are relevant to your business or personal brand, making it easy to find the perfect domain name for your website.
Once you’ve found a domain name that you’re interested in, it’s important to evaluate the domain name’s history. This includes looking into the domain name’s previous owners, the length of time it has been registered, and any potential red flags, such as a history of spam or a low search engine ranking. It’s also a good idea to check the domain name’s backlinks and the quality of the website that was previously on it, as this can give you an idea of the value of the domain name.
Once you’ve evaluated the domain name and determined that it’s a good fit for your website, it’s time to determine a fair price. Research similar pre-owned domain names on websites like Namebio.com or DNJournal.com to get a sense of the going market rate. This will help you to know what a fair price would be for the domain name you’re interested in.
The next step is to reach out to the current owner of the domain name to negotiate a purchase price. Be prepared to negotiate, as the owner may not be willing to sell the domain name at the price you initially offer.
But, what if you can’t find the contact details for the domain name owner? With the new GDPR regulations a large percentage of domain name owners have chosen to hide their contact details at the domain registrar. So it can become very difficult to obtain the domain owners details without doing additional research. The following are a few additional resources and tips on how to find the domain owner and/or contact them:
- Domain name registrar: Check the name of the domain registrar for the domain name you wish to purchase as some of the registrars e.g. GoDaddy, have a link on their Whois search page where you can enter a message to send to the domain name owner.
Pro Tip: Don’t waste your time sending a message asking for a price. As you are reaching out to the domain owner you will encourage a faster response if you also include a ‘fair’ offer. And that’s why it’s imperative to do your research on domain name prices before contacting the domain owner.
There’s really no point in wasting your time, and that of the domain owner, if you make a $100 ‘low-ball’ offer on a domain name that is valued in the $1,000’s or $10,000’s. - Archive.org: Another way to try and establish the owners details is to see if the domain name had a website on it previously. Sometimes a domain will become unused as the domain name owner closed down their website but hung onto the domain name.
So one place to search is the Archive.org database and on there you simply enter in your domain name and if there was a website on the domain name at any stage since it was first registered you will be presented with a historical, year by year, snapshot of the domain name. Archive.org will show you years & dates of snapshots of the website e.g. let’s say there was an entry on Archive.org for July 17th 2020 you just click on that entry and if there was a website on the domain on that date you will be presented with a copy of it on screen. You can then click around that site as if it was ‘live’ and see if you can find a contact email address to send an offer to. - Catchall email: Another quick fire way to reach a domain name owner is to ‘guess’ potential email addresses for the domain name. This is very hit and miss as the domain name owner may only have a gmail or similar email address but some owners may also have setup a ‘catchall’ email address for their domain name. So try emailing something like ‘info@<domainname>.com’ or ‘contact@<domainname.com>’ then the owner may receive the email.
Once you’ve contacted the domain name owner and you’ve successfully negotiated a price then the domain owner will need to unlock the domain name so it can be transferred to your registrar account. This process is usually straightforward and if the domain is being transferred between accounts at the same registrar, also known as a ‘domain push’, the transfer may only take a few minutes.
But if the domain name is being transferred between different registrars e.g. from a GoDaddy account to a Dynadot account then the transfer process can take up to 7 days.
And it’s important to double-check the transfer has been completed successfully and that you are now the owner of the domain name.
Once you have the domain name, it’s time to update the DNS settings and configure your website, email, and other services. This process can vary depending on the hosting provider you are using. It’s also important to update your domain name registration information with your contact details and to ensure that your domain name is set to auto-renew so that you don’t lose it.
It’s important to be careful when buying pre-owned domain names, as there may be legal issues or technical problems associated with them. It’s best to do your due diligence and be prepared for any potential problems before making a purchase.
Summary
Buying a pre-owned domain name can be a time consuming and frustrating process, especially if you can’t easily find the contact details of the domain name owner. But with the advice and ideas in this article you should be able to find details to contact the domain owner. Also bear in mind that even if you have the owners details, and even if you make an offer, then don’t always expect them to respond to you, and this can add an extra level of frustration in your attempts to obtain the domain name for your business.
But if you don’t want to spend time & effort trying to find the domain owners details and contacting them, potentially multiple times for a response, and then negotiating the best price for your domain name then this is when you can take advantage of a domain name brokerage service.
My brokerage does not charge you any money unless I am successful in acquiring the domain name for you. So I take on all the risk of finding the domain owners details and reaching out to them and even after all that work the domain owner does not want to sell or we can’t come to an agreement on price, then you still don’t have to pay anything for my services.
And if I can successfully acquire the domain name on your behalf I only charge a set fee of $500.
If you need help in buying a domain name that is already pre-owned or registered by someone else then please feel free to contact me today and let me increase your chances of obtaining your ideal domain name.
