Domain Appraisal

[261275]

Hi,

I got an offer for an ASCII domain i own and am hesitant if i should take it or no, which if any domain appraisal services/company you guys can recommend? or if anyone feels like appraising it i can send a pm with the name


Thanks!

Michael

[mulligan]

Hi Michael,

You are aware of the domain apprasial scam?

[261275]

No, but just found the post on dnforum if that is what you were referring to?


(gotta be real stupid to fall for it though)

[mulligan]

I think so... The person/persons doing it have been at it for a long time and are still getting away with it.
Funny thing is, is that its quite hard to actually pin a crime on them as they ask you to get it appraised at a company of their choosing (ie his partner) then they lose interest in the negotiations and thats it!!

Here is an email I got from one of them:

Hello,

Did you get offers from other people already?

What is your price for the domain mentioned in the subject line?

I'm very interested in this name.

I run a software company. We develop client-server systems and databases in MS SQL and Delphi. Buying and selling domain names is not my main business. Just another way to invest money and make additional income.

Looking forward to do business with you.

Best regards,
Thomas Knutsen Ph.D.
CEO
Opera Engineering

Couldnt even be bothered to put the domain name in the body of the email....sheesh...
I decided to play along and see what came of it....

Hi Thomas,

I have had a few offers for this name already.

I am willing to sell it and if you offer a reasonable price then its yours!

Let me know what kind of price you are thinking of

Regards

His reply:

How about 4,000 USD? Ok?


Do you have an appraisal certificate?



Domain name is an investment for me. In other words I'm going to sell your name later and make a profit. If I overpay I won't be able to make a profit in the future. It's very important for you and me to know the current market value of your domain.


Of course, we must be sure that you are engaging a reputable appraisal company. I heard many appraisal companies often made inaccurate appraisals. I will only accept appraisals from independent sources I trust.

To avoid mistakes I asked domain experts about reputable appraisal companies in a forum

http://domaintalk.ourplace.com/Archive/64081.htm

Juck check this posting.



If the appraisal comes higher you can adjust your asking price accordingly. I also hope you can give me 10% - 15%discount of the appraised value because I need a room to make profit.

After I get an appraisal from you we'll continue our negotiations.

How do you prefer to get paid: www.PayPal.com, www.escrow.com, check or wire?

Hope we can come to an agreement fast.

Looking forward to your reply.

My response:

Hi again,

I have had this name appraised twice, once by Sedo (One of the leading and most respected names in the business) and once by Godaddy

Appraisals as follows:

Sedo: --> $9,800
Godaddy: --> $11,000

As with most of my appraisals I usually sell them for 50% and upwards of the apprasial value.

I will take your offer and can send you both appraisals upon request.

Let me know?

I hadnt had it appraised at all, it is a rubbish name, dont know why I bought it in the first place!

His response:

I heard many appraisal companies often made inaccurate appraisals. So I
cannot accept appraisal from each and every site. I will only accept
appraisals from independent appraisal companies I know and trust.

Reading responses from experienced sellers I was impressed by one reply:
"Many Internet users are not smart enough and popular domain brokers are
using this fact to make money. They offer them cheap appraisal services. But
if their customers would have something in their heads they'd understand
experts could not make a professional research for $15-$20. These appraisals
are made by machines. Easy money for such appraisers as
http://www.Afternic.com and several other major brokers that offer cheap
auto-generated appraisals. In my eyes, all services under $60-$65 are not
manual and the results are generated by special scripts. I don't trust
auto-generated appraisals."

The same is true for GoDaddy and SEDO. Their services are not manual. They
are just collecting money using their well-known names.

Thank you for understanding. I'm looking forward to do business with you.

My response:

Hi again,

Im not a great beliver in appraisals myself, but the fact that this name is earning $140 plus per month just being parked is a good enough apprisal for me!

If you are interested in the name for $4000 then let me know, thats less than 2 1/2 years revenue and you should be aware that the norm is to get anywhere from 3 to 5 years revenue.

Regards

Again, another white lie. It is not earning $140, not even $0.14!! I wanted to see what he would do when I told him this...


His response:

Sorry, but I don't understand your position.

You can always use this appraisal to promote your name or sell it to
somebody else. But what will I do with the appraisal certificate if you
decide to sell your name to another buyer?

I'm interested in your domain but I don't want to risk and will not
proceedwithout appraisal. I never change this rule because it helps me to
make good investments.



Thank you for understanding. I'm looking forward to do business with you.

I then got fed up playing the game, my last correspondence with him, he never replied....

Hi again,

My position is quite clear.
The domain has been appraised twice, once for $9,800 and then for $11,000 a second time.
Maybe you missed it the first time around, this name is earning at least $140 per month, and has been doing since I registered it.

I have had several offers on this name, my 'position' is THIS. I will sell it for $4000 via a bank transfer or escrow.com.
I wont deviate from my terms. $4000, bank transfer or escrow.com.

Regards

Scoundrel!!

[touchring]

Why don't you ask him to pay for the appraisal and offer a refund if he decides to buy the domain?

[261275]

Sorry if i wasnt clear,

He contacted me/offered to buy the domain for a certain amount..i am not sure if i want to let the domain go for that amount..thats where i need help from you guys to decide if should sell for the amount offered or to pass on his offer.

Thanks,
Michael

[gzscott]

Hi,
I'm new here. I found this site by Googling Thomas Knutsen. He ofered to buy one of my domains the first week of April also. Foolish me, I fell for it, and purchased the $69.00 appraisal he suggested. Then he backed off the puchase saying he wanted to try to sell the name himself, then buy it from me when he found a buyer. SCAM!
Well today I got another unsolicited offer to buy a different domain for $39,000!!!!WOW!
I knew "Opera Solutions" sounded familiar. Thomas Knutsen PHD is allegedly the CEO of Opera Engineering. Slightly different than Opera Solutions. The offer was made this time by Masafumi Herosuki, Ph. D.
President
Opera Solutions Ltd.

I fell for it once, but not twice. You would think that since they spend so much time engaging in email correspondence for a measly 69 dollar payoff, they would keep better records of those domain owners they've scammed in the past. We should all be diligent about shutting these Scamming Scumbags down.

[touchring]

It will depend on where he is from, $69 can be one month's pay. You have to see it that way.

Also, one signature of scammers is the PhD/Dr title and the use of "overly formal English".

[markits]

Originally Posted by 261275

Hi,

I got an offer for an ASCII domain i own and am hesitant if i should take it or no, which if any domain appraisal services/company you guys can recommend? or if anyone feels like appraising it i can send a pm with the name


Thanks!

Michael

May not be a scam.
I myself have been sending 50 daily emails to idn owners, making offers or asking for quotes. Please PM me what is the domain in question. Thanks.