There's a difference between being an idiot and not knowing ... i can't fly a plane, don't know how... i wouldn't think that characterizes me as an idiot...
The domain market is a narrow niche. Ask normal, non-geek people if they know what godaddy sells after that $2.4 million dollar super bowl commercial... I'd be surprised if you could find anyone outside the tech industry who knows off the top of their head, even after seeing it...
If the value of domains weren't as subjective as it is and if many of you weren't taking advantage of the fact that people are willing to pay thousands of dollars for what you paid $8.95 a year for... then you could assume that people who aren't in the domain business would have a good idea what their domain is worth. But the whole reason you make money at what you do is because everyday folks don't understand the domaining business, or that you all own domains that really aren't worth more in reality than the registration fee.
It's a sellers market... heavily weighted in favor of those who sell and their ability to convince buyers that what they have is valuable. A pre-existing appraisal is a great way to convince... And beyond all that... it's the idiot who says, I can sell that for you for $1k when he has a $42k appraisal in his hand to show the perspective buyer. How does that make sense? Will he get $42k? who knows... but it's a heckuva lot better place to start bargaining from...
Vivvy