Check Icann Lookup For Owners Details
Before you do business with the current domain owner, you must know them first.
But where do you start?
Thats where domain lookup sites like ICANN Lookup come in handy.
Whenever someone buys and registers a domain, they provide their personal details like:
- Email address
- Phone number
- Home address
These details are stored in a database. So, if the person isnt using a privacy protection service like WhoisGuard to picket their info, their personal details are there for the taking if you know where to look.
To look up a site owners details use ICANN Lookup. Its easy to do. Enter the domain that interests you under the Enter Domain Name slot and hit Lookup.
Scroll down past Domain Information until you reach the Contact Information section. You will see results like this.
If the owners details are there- great, you have won. Its time to approach the owner with a good offer. If the owner has hired a privacy protection service, the companys details will be displayed as in the case above.
Can I Buy A Domain Name Without Hosting
Yes, you can. Domain registration and web hosting are two different services. You dont need to buy or have a hosting plan to register a domain name.Check if your preferred domain name is available, then buy and register it at a domain name registrar.Whether you have a website or not, the domain name will be yours as long as you renew the registration before it expires.
Scour Domain Auction Sites
Some site owners put their domain names up for sale on aftermarket domain auction sites.
Why would people sell their domains?
There are four major reasons:
Here are the top 5 auction marketplaces to help you kick-start your search.
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Find Out Who Owns The Domain You Want
Now after youve thought long and hard about the domain name you want, the next step is to find out who owns it. There are a number of different websites that can look up that information for you, and typically the information is standard.
A registrar will tell you when the domain name you want was registered, who registered it, and hopefully how to contact that person or company when the current ownership expires.
Unfortunately, accessibility to domain owners has really taken a hit with GDPR. Increasingly, registrars are adding more privacy to comply with GDPR regulationsmaking it difficult for some folks to reach the rightful domain owners.
This can make the process much more cumbersome, and sometimes the buyer will be forced to target a different acquisition for their brand.
Whois accessibility can alter the strategy for any potential domain acquisition. This is a critical step in determining the viability of acquiring a targeted asset or brand.
Once the Whois is determined, the next few steps would be taken to identify whether it makes sense to continue with the discussion.
Dont shy away from a great opportunity if the domain you want is taken.
Though it seems like a complicated process, at Name Experts, we help you find and capture opportunities rather than sit around and wait for them.
Knowing when to make a move and when to move on is our specialty, and we love making deals. From contact to negotiation, well do the hard work for you.
Domain Buying Guides
S To Negotiating For A Domain Name
Let’s say you are the owner of a business, Sandwiches Unlimited. You are an established business and you’ve been operating under Sandwiches.net for years. As your company has grown, you realize that you should buy the “Sandwiches.com” top level domain name, as well. Why would you do this?
Your domain name is your home address on the internet. If someone is looking for you online, they can always do a Google search to find you if they can’t remember your exact URL. However, you want to reduce any friction in the process when it comes to your customers and prospects going directly to your website.
Another reason you might want to buy a new domain is to protect your brand. If someone else owns Sandwiches.com and your users accidentally land on their website to find $5 sandwich makers , you’ve just confused your brand.
In what other situations might you need to negotiate for a domain name? Perhaps you are a professional speaker and you want to use your name as your website, but it’s already taken.
Another reason might be that you have a really long company name and you want something shorter, snappier, and easier to remember. But the domain you like is already taken.
At this point, you have a few options before you need to start negotiations with the domain owner.
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Where To Buy A Domain Thats Taken
From a branding and marketing perspective, its especially important to choose the right domain name for your website. For many people, its a truly personal decision. The domain just has to feel right and you dont want to settle for an alternative.
If this is the case in your search for the perfect domain, take heart. You might be able to buy your ideal domain name in the domain aftermarket. You can find most of the domain names from the aftermarket listed directly on auctions.godaddy.com.
If your dream domain isnt listed on the aftermarket, you can attempt to buy it directly from its current owner. However, youll want to keep a few things in mind before you take the plunge and contact the domains owner, namely budget and timing.
Set your budget
Its important to think about the budget you have for acquiring the domain. Put yourself in the other domain owners shoes for a minute. They spent time and money to get the domain, and they might be actively using it. Offering them $10 or even $100 probably wont even get you a response.
Think about what the domain name is worth, and be prepared to make a fair offer.
Editors note: Need help determining the value of the domain? As the largest reseller of aftermarket domain names, GoDaddy has access to extensive data that we use to analyze millions of historical domain sales. Try GoDaddy Domain Appraisals to determine the value of the domain so you can make an educated offer.
Give yourself enough time
How To Buy A Domain Name From Someone Who Already Owns It
Lets quickly run through a couple of important questions you may have.
Why should I buy a taken domain?
You may want to buy a domain owned by someone because it has a huge traffic potential and massive branding value for your business.
Can you buy a domain name from someone?
Yes, you can! Only if the owner wants to sell of course.
How do I buy a domain name?
There are many ways of buying a domain name but the top ones include negotiating directly with the owner, using a domain broker service or bidding for it in domain auction sites.
How much should I pay for a taken domain name?
Well, it depends on the value of the domain. Expect to pay anything from several hundreds/thousands of dollars up to millions even.
Is domain squatting illegal?
Domain squatting or cybersquatting is illegal. Anyone found guilty of registering a domain in bad faith can be made to pay damages ranging from $1,000 to $100,000 per domain.
Now that the essentials are done and dusted, its time to take out your credit card, right?
Wrong?
When you are itching to land your dream domain, the temptation to rush headlong and wrap up the deal fast is strong.
Dont yield to it.
Doing so would be a big mistake. Theres a crucial foundational step to the whole process that pro buyers dont dare skip.
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Demonstrate Youre The Most Viable Buyer
If a seller fears that someone better than you may come along with a bigger offer, he or she is unlikely to sell.
To appear as the most sensible deal, its important to invest in intellectual property. This may mean applying for things like copyrights and trademarks for your business name.
That way, a seller will assume that youre the most serious player and close the deal.
Two: Unlock Your Domain
Next on the agenda, you are going to want to unlock your domain. This lock is placed on domain transference so that the chances of a domain being stolen or used illegally are drastically lowered. That being said, if you plan on doing it the legal way and you know you are not dealing with a thief, removing this lock is a requirement before moving on in the process. Oftentimes, it is managed via simple settings that are located in your management platform and can be changed with a couple of clicks after logging into your account.
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Negotiate Without Emotional Attachment
Whatever you do next, dont become emotionally attached to the asset, or transaction. Ultimately, this would add headache, stress and more money to the equation. When buying your domain name, you must not become emotional with any owner. Emotions should be checked at the door when entering into any active negotiation. Remember that a negotiation is a give-and-take and should always try to create a win/win for both buyer and seller.
Once you agree on terms in most instances you would then either enter into a contract or Purchase and sales agreement with the prospective seller, or simply move right to one of the formidable escrow providers such as Escrow.com.
Contracts and documents can become tricky and need to be completed diligently and professionally if necessary. You will also need to have proper legal representation to make sure you are protected accordingly. Documents can get stuck in legal, or need board approval and can certainly slow down the overall acquisition process.
You May Find That Someone Else Has Snapped Up The Domain Name Of Your Dreams Here Are Your Options
So you have a great idea for a domain name. It will make you millions and be the beacon by which an unprecedented amount of Internet commerce flows your way. You’re excited. You go to a domain name registrar to perform a domain name search and, you guessed it, the name you want is already taken. What now? Don’t worry, you have choices.
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Does The Person Selling The Domain Have The Present Ability To Transfer The Domain Upon Sale
This is more of a techy issue than anything else. There are loads of enthusiastic amateurs who dont actually know what needs to be done to transfer a domain name fully and promptly.
If you are the seller, be prepared to do all the hard work to get the domain transferred. Even if you put in your Flippa add that the buyer has to sort it out, once you take payment for the domain name you are legally obliged to do everything reasonably possible to get that domain name transferred to the buyer. If the buyer is not sophisticated, what is considered reasonable can be a lot more than you expect. Be prepared!
If you are the buyer, dont expect the domain name to magically appear in your account overnight. Find out who the current registrar is and what is involved in moving a domain name to either a new account, or a different registrar. If you are using a different registrar, look up the rules and processes that your registrar has before the sale is due to complete. Again, be prepared! The more proactive you can be in the process, the quicker you get your domain name. Once the transfer is through, double check all the tech, admin, billing and registrant details to make sure they match what you wanted, and tell the registrar about corrections immediately.
Any delays in a domain name transfer can increase the risk of registration lapsing and you losing your rights.
How To Grab An Expiring Domain Name
Michael CygerJune 19, 2011 | Updated: May 4, 2017297
Years ago, when domain names expired they would drop, or become available for hand registration by anyone. Whoever was the quickest to register a dropped domain would be the new registrant. That is how many of the largest domainers, like Frank Schilling, built their enormous portfolios.
Today, the story is different. Domain name registrars realized that they could auction expired domain names to the highest bidder and generate additional revenue. If no one wanted the domain names in an auction, the domains would then drop and become available for anyone to register. Much of the time, however, domain names are successfully auctioned.
Because auctioning domain names is not the core competency of most domain name registrars, they partner with an auction house.
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Find Out How To Contact The Owner Through Whois
If the domain isnt listed for sale on Namecheap.com and theres no link to contact the owner through the site, its time to turn to a domain search to find out who owns the domain.
WHOIS is a directory that tells you who owns a domain name. You can search for a domain on WHOIS and get the owners address, phone number and email address.
From there, the easiest way to contact a domain owner is through email. Just send them a friendly email asking if they are willing to sell their domain name and if so, for how much.>
Some domain name owners wont respond to emails about buying a domain because they get a lot of inquiries. Try calling the domain owner if you dont hear back a few days after sending the email. If all else fails, do it the old-fashioned way: write a letter and send it via snail mail. Youd be surprised how often this works!
What Should We Do If Another Business Claims They Have The Right To One Of Our Domain Names
You need to assess the merits of their claim. You also need to think about the costs and likely outcome of any dispute resolution procedure or court case.
Faced with the threat of legal action by a large, well-funded company, smaller businesses often decide that their best course is simply to concede a disputed domain name and to negotiate appropriate settlement terms.
On the other hand, if you have invested significantly in building your internet presence, this may not be a satisfactory outcome – and you may have a strong case for defending a claim.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Auction House Partners
Questiondrop catching services, like Pool.com and others
Answer: No. While this was the best process years ago, today most major domain name registrars are exclusively partnered with one auction house. As a result, the domain name will either sell at the partner auction house or be dropped.
If a domain name is dropped, then a drop catching service like Pool.com will work fine. At Pool.com, you only pay if they are successful at catching your domain name. But if you are going to pay $60 for Pool.com to catch it, why not just go to the auction and bid on the domain name you will have a better chance of obtaining it.
Question
Answer: Many auction sites will allow you to backorder the domain name for free. Follow the process above to find the domain name registrar and auction partner site. Then sign up for an account at the auction partner site and enter a backorder. But remember, the domain name may transfer to another registrar at some point so refer to Step 1 above periodically.
Alternatively, you can monitor a domain name for free at a number of locations. DomainTools.com offers a free domain name monitor tool, as does DomainHole.com . Once you receive an email notification that a domain has changed status from active to expired, you can follow the process listed above to enter a bid at the auction partner site.
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