Some people think you should be wary of putting “For Sale” pages on your domain names

For Sale Landing Page

I’ll start by saying, I don’t agree. Yes, I’ll go on record saying it, I think you are absolutely missing out on potential buyers and decreasing your chances of selling a domain if you choose not to put up a landing page that makes it clear that your domain name is for sale.

So why am I talking about this now? I was inspired to write this post after seeing a comment from a reader on Domain Name Wire in an article Andrew wrote asking domain investors to share their favorite “For Sale” landing page option. The first comment on the post was:

Domain Name Wire
Much as I would LIKE to put a “This Domain is For Sale” it then means that you are laying yourself open to that being included in a UDRP, even if the UDRP is not deserved . Plus of course, as I believe one of the “top” domainer’s said, he always works the other way around and tries to put them off buying. . The ONLY Buyers you REALLY want are those who really NEED / WANT your domain as they are the ones who will pay the big money ,not the well if its cheap i’ll buy it ones. (Source – DNW.com)

The idea of “trying to put them off buying” or tried to get someone not to buy your domain name is great, like the comment says, you only want to sell domains to people who will pay the big money. If you’re already a millionaire and never have to work again, great, wait for the big money…but for the rest of us, if we can sell a domain for 10x what we paid for it, and that means selling a domain name for $120, yeah – that’s still a good move in my book.

Andrew wrote a post the day after the article I quoted above and did a great job of articulating why this idea of “turning off buyers” works only if you’re in a very specific financial situation:

I bring this up because I sometimes hear people say “Play hard to get” with domain buyers. String them along. If they really want the domain they will find a way to reach out to you and make it known.
This strategy makes a lot of sense for Rick. He’s not going to have to skip dinner if he doesn’t make that $250,000 domain sale.
When you have money you can pass on deals that other people would accept. It puts you in a great negotiating position. Your BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement) is to just skip the deal and move on. (Source – DNW.com)

I agree with this sentiment and think it’s so important for investors to be honest with themselves, and aligned with realistic expectations. Also it’s important to note that people like Rick probably (okay they definitely do) have much better domains than you, which also means taking a different approach.

One of the arguments I’ve heard in the past about “For Sale” landing pages is that they leave you open to a UDRP. I’d say, yes – if you own a TM violation or are squatting on someone’s business name, that could happen, but if you have a solid generic domain name I wouldn’t be too paranoid.

Sometimes we forget how easy it can be to just look at dollar values and not take the time to understand true ROI. If you bought a house and sold it one year later for 5x what you paid, you would be thrilled. So why won’t you sell that domain you paid $500 for last week for $2,500 today?

Now I’m not saying to go auction your domains off to the highest bidder, but I am saying that you should be realistic about the ROI you want to see on your investments. Either way, I think a “For Sale” landing page is one of the best ways to increase the chance that you will sell a domain name. Trying to turn away buyers is the best way to decrease the chance that you will sell a domain name. It really is that simple.

What do you think? Comment and let your voice be heard!

Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton