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Someone wants our domain name

#41
SuperK said:
I don't think they're going to offer you anything at all. The letter that you were sent was merely a fact finding letter to see if you were still active and using your website. If you're not willing to give it up they'll simply register a similar domain name of their choosing (ie. concretebluesjeans.com, cbjeans.com, cbj.com, etc.). They have zero brand recognition right now so they can start with whatever they want. They're not tied down to any specific domain name.

For example, our company sells a line of vehicle lubrication equipment from a manufacturer named Graco. Mostly unheard of to the general public. There is also a company called Graco that sells baby gear (strollers, car seats, etc). I'm sure many of you know of them (I know I do!). Well Graco the lube company got graco.com first. What did the baby gear company do? They registered gracobaby.com. Done deal and it didn't cost them a penny. And people are still able to find their website with no problem.

I think once they find out that you are still using your domain name, they'll just move on to their second choice. In the end I think you'll be better off if that happens. In the off chance that this company makes it big, you'll get all sorts of random hits to your site from people searching for the other company.
Click to expand...

This is a viable point of view as well.....


What it boils down to is they haven't offered anything yet either way. So OP needs to email them back, professionally, and tell them that the site is in fact, active. And not say much else. See where the chips land.
 
#42
Before you accept any offer, consider the other side's position. If they don't acquire the domain name from you, what's the impact for the company? Will they need to change the company's name? That may mean changes to branding, merchandise, logos, stationery, etc.

If the cost of all that is high, then buying the domain from you for >$10k is cheap.

You have nothing to gain by offering a price to them. You could walk away from this with your domain intact with no pain.

Don't accept the first or second offer. Wait and see how desperate they are for the domain name.
 
#43
I would say, sell the name, if its an offer greater than 5000.
You could use facebook or myspace or bandcamp, to promote your band and content. Official band pages, are usually outdated, you will cut some money from paying hosting, web designer, domain, and the worry of keeping it alive.
Official band pages usually have a geocities aura arround, that a free cloud solution could solve.
 
#46
62Jazzbass said:
We are the registered owners of

Concreteblues.com
Concrete-blues.com

They have applied for a trade mark as of about a week ago, as Concrete Blues.

Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...

I wonder how successful they'll be getting that mark if you've been publicly using it for six years. Anyway, having a mark is not equal to having a business. They need to incorporate and capitalize it before it's real, and then get some customers. Right now there appears to be nothing.
 
#47
Untitled-1-1.gif
 
#48
Well, they've formed an LLC and filed for a trademark, so they have their act somewhat together.

That being said, a search for the principal's name turns up someone whose primary fashion experience is as a "retail associate" for Coach and Banana Republic, which is to say floor salesperson. She's also only a few years out of college.

There may be big money hovering behind this startup, but I can't say that it feels that way.

Also, concrete-blues.net is sitting unregistered, ripe for the taking.

I think my previous advice still applies. Ask for an offer, but be prepared to turn it down.


62Jazzbass said:
We are the registered owners of

Concreteblues.com
Concrete-blues.com

They have applied for a trade mark as of about a week ago, as Concrete Blues.

Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...
 
#50
Most of the bands I know around here don't even have websites anymore. I know that isn't universal...but the bands around here that have web pages are the big ones that tour around and are headlining local festivals, etc. The average bar bands (like ours, I suppose), find Facebook to be much more productive and cost effective.
 
#51
Jsn said:
they have their act somewhat together.
Click to expand...
Agreed, somewhat being the key work. To the extent that we can find out info on them, its at least a good start.

Jsn said:
That being said, a search for the principal's name turns up someone whose primary fashion experience is as a "retail associate" for Coach and Banana Republic, which is to say floor salesperson. She's also only a few years out of college
Click to expand...
Yeah, I saw that. Noted!


Jsn said:
There may be big money hovering behind this startup, but I can't say that it feels that way.
Click to expand...
Yeah, on the other hand, you never know. Could be a rich parent, or an inheritence backing it.

Jsn said:
I think my previous advice still applies. Ask for an offer, but be prepared to turn it down.
Click to expand...

Exactly.
 
#52
It occurred to me that you could rent the domain to the store for 100 bucks a month, with the stipulation that they must buy it from you for $50k if they open more than one retail location or start selling franchises.

That way, it limits their risk if they fail, and $100/month is less than an iPhone. Most small businesses fail.
 
#56
62Jazzbass said:
Here is the mail we received:

Hello, XXXX,

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration in reading this email.

Recently, myself and two other partners have started a retail business under the name of XXXXXXX. We are actively securing this title and business name, and do anticipate a successful process and outcome. To this end, we find serious interest in also securing a web domain name, which effectively and accurately represents our business; hence, Invalid Link Removed. If possible, I would like to initiate a professional dialogue with you to learn your near future plans for this domain name and/or your willingness to relinquish. Should you have questions or concerns relating to this request, please do not hesitate to make contact as I would be more than happy to provide clarification.

Best,

XXXXXX XXXXXX
[email protected]
Click to expand...

The bit I've marked bold is important I think. The word relinquish in itself is telling. If they've used the term literally correctly this email actually indicates that they're hoping you'll give the domain to them for free. I agree with the guys who have said there's no money here, or not much. They're politely probing you to see if they can get it for free because that's their best-case scenario. If you say no or ask them to pay they're just going to move on and get the next best domain name. I don't see anything in this email that indicates a willingness for a substantial sum of money to change hands at all.

Due to this I'd just ask them for what you want. Say you've used the name for 6 years and that you're not willing to part with it for less than 10k. They'll balk and you'll keep your site. That's almost definitely how this will end.
 
#57
You know, there are a lot of websites that purport to assign values to domain names. (Just do a search for "how much is my domain worth?")

I punched your domain into three of them, and got results ranging from $0 to $900.

However, these kinds of sites are factoring in general variables (traffic to your site, length of word, etc.). They don't know that a company's just been formed under that name.

Speaking of: it's a little surprising that they formed an LLC and filed for a trademark without FIRST obtaining a domain name. It should have been the other way around; get the address before locking it in as your brand name.

Also surprising that they're contacting you directly (thereby allowing us to ferret out all this information). Generally considered savvier to approach anonymously, through a third-party offer broker.

Bottom line: they may be rank beginners as entrepreneurs, or they may have enough funding that they don't particularly care about showing their hand.

Either way: just ask them to make their offer.
 
#59
If they registered a company and firmed up a name without a web address already secured, one of two things happened:
1) Digital is not an important part of their business so domain name is secondary
2) The already have an alternative (like concretebluesclothing.com) so their business is not hinged on getting one specific domain

The domain is most likely worth less than $500 to them. The site gets no traffic today (300 UVs/mo = nothing in the digital world) and since the business is new, it is the same work to establish an alternative name than it is to buy someone else's domain.

If you wouldn't even consider selling it for less than $1K, I wouldn't spend another 10 seconds thinking about it. Ask for their offer, laugh, and then move on.
 

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