To Sleeze? or not to sleeze?

[Gerry]

I picked up a pretty decent domain drop (name withheld).
The domain is ten years old.
It is decent keyword domain and very generic.
There are no TM issues.
It met all my personal criteria for dropping names.

Here is the situation:

I got an email this morning from someone that sounded pretty stressed.
He claims he was on the road and had no internet access and no notice of expiring. Any of us who are GoDaddy customers know that the previous line is pretty much BS.
The domain was and is registered at Godaddy.

I explained to him that I regularly get mail from despondent people who have given me every imaginable excuse and insist they need the name back. The primary issue here is regarding alleged previous owner, how do I know this to be the truth? Could they be someone who lost the auction?

Anyways, I related that I would consider working with him on this if he could provide proof of being the former owner.

His email was very cordial and included his full name and phone number which, to me, adds credibility to the claim.

He just emailed me back and related that the domain name was primarily used as his and his organization's email address and could provide proof.

Well, it turns out that he is correct
it is legitimate established email address
and he sent me tons of links from google.

And, it turns out -
- it is quite a porno empire!

The domain name was a porn site for ordering sex toys and xxx stuff from 2000 to 2007.

Now the company goes by a different name but still use the domain name as their email address because of it's non-porn specific name.

The domain now is used for email purposes for customers to submit orders. And, I would imagine, for the purposes of not drawing suspicion to prying eyes as to what the email address is for or what is in the package when delivered.

In other words, a very generic and innocent looking domain as well as email address.

The question is,

what would you do?
and why?

[Acro]

I'd lease the domain to them so that they can have the email address that they missed and I'd park it. Unless they want to offer a fair price for an outright purchase.

[Gerry]

He, he, he

some member claimed he wanted to get into the porn business and wanted to create his own porn empire.

looks like I did it before him.

What a boner!

[south]

I think Theo has a great idea. However, i might push it further. They only care about the email, and you had high hopes for the website. You DO have high hopes for the website, right? Lease them the MX records. Perhaps they might prefer to have the whole name back, but since you have such high hopes for the site, it would only be reasonable to expect a fair price for the whole domain.

[tristanperry]

As above, leasing it to them, or purely just the e-mail records, sounds like the best plan.

If they had an active website and simply forgot to renew it, it'd be a different story. But this is simply someone who *used* to have a website on it, which is now in-active, wanting the domain purely for e-mail.

Hence I'd lease them the rights to use it for e-mail, but keep the domain yourself.

[Gerry]

As above, leasing it to them, or purely just the e-mail records, sounds like the best plan.

If they had an active website and simply forgot to renew it, it'd be a different story. But this is simply someone who *used* to have a website on it, which is now in-active, wanting the domain purely for e-mail.

Hence I'd lease them the rights to use it for e-mail, but keep the domain yourself.

They still have an active site using a different name. They use this email as their "product" fulfillment address and for orders (and email). And it must be pretty active (as well as this guy - he's the owner and one of the producers).

[biggedon]

I picked up a pretty decent domain drop (name withheld).
The domain is ten years old.
It is decent keyword domain and very generic.
There are no TM issues.
It met all my personal criteria for dropping names.

Here is the situation:

I got an email this morning from someone that sounded pretty stressed.
He claims he was on the road and had no internet access and no notice of expiring. Any of us who are GoDaddy customers know that the previous line is pretty much BS.
The domain was and is registered at Godaddy.

I explained to him that I regularly get mail from despondent people who have given me every imaginable excuse and insist they need the name back. The primary issue here is regarding alleged previous owner, how do I know this to be the truth? Could they be someone who lost the auction?

Anyways, I related that I would consider working with him on this if he could provide proof of being the former owner.

His email was very cordial and included his full name and phone number which, to me, adds credibility to the claim.

He just emailed me back and related that the domain name was primarily used as his and his organization's email address and could provide proof.

Well, it turns out that he is correct
it is legitimate established email address
and he sent me tons of links from google.

And, it turns out -
- it is quite a porno empire!

The domain name was a porn site for ordering sex toys and xxx stuff from 2000 to 2007.

Now the company goes by a different name but still use the domain name as their email address because of it's non-porn specific name.

The domain now is used for email purposes for customers to submit orders. And, I would imagine, for the purposes of not drawing suspicion to prying eyes as to what the email address is for or what is in the package when delivered.

In other words, a very generic and innocent looking domain as well as email address.

The question is,

what would you do?
and why?

Hey Doc

another member had a very similar situation recently:

http://www.dnforum.com/f31/what-i-sh...ad-378524.html


it's good that you even are considering, so i would give same advice here.


the old "cash vs conscience" decision

[tristanperry]

They still have an active site using a different name. They use this email as their "product" fulfillment address and for orders (and email). And it must be pretty active (as well as this guy - he's the owner and one of the producers).

Ah okay, it's a trickier situation then.

Athough if it's a nice domain which you have plans for, there's still nothing stopping you from leasing out even the NS and MX records to them. Perhaps then agree that after x months, they move the website aspect to another domain, hence they then can just lease the MX records off you.

[Acro]

Ask them what it'd be a fair price for the domain. It's yours. You can develop it, sell it, etc. But that you're willing to offer them first dibs.

[JuniperPark]

So by his own story, he ignored customer orders for 30 - 45 days while the domain was disabled??? Not buying it.

[Gerry]

Ask them what it'd be a fair price for the domain. It's yours. You can develop it, sell it, etc. But that you're willing to offer them first dibs.

That is EXACTLY what I just did and got the response that he does not know what would be a fair and respectable offer plus, the "I don't have alot of money."

Ok, we'll see how badly you want this name back for your porno business of ten years.

[Acro]

To that kind of response I respond with, "Ok, when you decide what it's worth to you, please come back with an offer" and break the communications.

[Gerry]

So by his own story, he ignored customer orders for 30 - 45 days while the domain was disabled??? Not buying it.

Exactly, that is why I mentioned we domainers know better.

And, I was not buying it until he sent the google links and the phone number and name associated on the domain/email is his.

He wants me to call him.

Could be an interesting weekend.

To that kind of response I respond with, "Ok, when you decide what it's worth to you, please come back with an offer" and break the communications.

Damn, we think alike. Look at the previous response to Tristan.

[Acro]

But it's simple, really. It's a game - whoever plays their cards right, wins.

[Gerry]

But it's simple, really. It's a game - whoever plays their cards right, wins.

Yup. I told him I will have to get back with him, perhaps over the weekend.

In the meantime, he could post an offer for me to mull over.

[Acro]

In the meantime, set up a page with a logo and an email Watch him panic.

[Seraphim]

I don't even respond to emails like this anymore. Always the same deal, they try and guilt trip you into giving it away for free.

[dcristo]

I'd offer the name back in exchange for lifetime sex toy membership. Whenever your lady gets bored with one toy you will have another one in the mail.

[tristanperry]

I'd offer the name back in exchange for lifetime sex toy membership. Whenever your lady gets bored with one toy you will have another one in the mail.

I was waiting for a reply like that

[Gerry]

I'd offer the name back in exchange for lifetime sex toy membership. Whenever your lady gets bored with one toy you will have another one in the mail.

He did mention a trade and I just laughed...