A Not so Clever Scammer

[ImageAuthors]

It's routine for anybody with a desirable domain to get offers from "startups" and "charities" that really "need the domain" for the starving orphans but clearly "cannot afford to pay much". Nothing new here.

But today I got one that was so clumsy and inept it made me laugh out loud, and I just wanted to share.

The domain in question is AgriculturaOrganica dot com. It's spanish for "organic agriculture". Now I haven't seriously appraised this domain yet myself; but, given the quantity of organic produce in supermarkets, consumers' interest in eating healthy, and the number of Spanish-speaking countries worldwide with sizable chunks of their economies devoted to agriculture ... I imagine this domain is worth something.

Well, I've had my $10 offers, my $30 offers, and today I got a really generous $130. But what kills me is the justification:

"we are free charity to help patients in spain with various illness eg cancer"

Even if this scammer might imagine me believing the charity nonsense, what on earth does the spanish equivalent of OrganicAgriculture.com have to do with cancer treatment? Surely the owner of a domain can at least be assumed to know the meaning of the domain he owns!

I don't really mind the scam lowball offers, since they often turn into legitimate win-win transactions later on. No, I don't even mind this one. I'm not complaining; I'm celebrating the ridiculousness.

 

[silentg]

This is not a scam. It's just another lowballer. Facebook and other big companies do this sometimes to buy domains. They hire someone to buy the domain for cheap.

 

[Biggie]

the only problem with having spanish domain name is that most countries besides US where spanish is spoken, they use their own country codes.


like .be .es .mx .com.br and others

 

[ImageAuthors]

the only problem with having spanish domain name is that most countries besides US where spanish is spoken, they use their own country codes.


like .be .es .mx .com.br and others

Yes, there's more diversity in terms of extensions that are in use. But .com is still preeminent.

I agree that it's a lowball offer, but it's a scam too because they're making false claims. Entertaining false claims that could still result in a sale. Who knows?

 

[mvl]

the only problem with having spanish domain name is that most countries besides US where spanish is spoken, they use their own country codes.


like .be .es .mx .com.br and others

True, except that in .be the official languages are Dutch, French and German, and in .com.br people speak Portuguese.

 

[draggar]

IMO trying to get a domain at the lowest price possible is not a scam - we all do that all the time. Ask for a price below market value is still not a "scam". Yes, they were being cheap and had questionable motives, neither of which are a scam.

It looks like a domainer was trying to get the domain because they might have a buyer and is trying to maximize their profit. You set the price and sell where you'd like to sell (you're like "The Gambler" now - know when to hold them (not sell), know when to fold them (sell), know when to walk away (ignore them), and know when to run (laugh)).

 

[ImageAuthors]

His second offer went from around $100 all the way up to $1,000. But I canceled the negotiations. I can get a better price from someone in the industry, and this guy is clearly a flipper. Not that there's anything wrong with being a flipper; I'm a flipper too. And I sell to other flippers. Just not for that price on this domain.

Call it a "scam" or a "ploy" or a "lie" -- I won't argue about the word. But it makes no sense to claim that you need Laptop.com, or BaseballTeams.com, or AgriculturaOrganica for a charity to help cancer patients. At least pretend to care about organic agriculture instead of cancer, since that's what the domain is!

 

[grcorp]

His second offer went from around $100 all the way up to $1,000. But I canceled the negotiations. I can get a better price from someone in the industry, and this guy is clearly a flipper. Not that there's anything wrong with being a flipper; I'm a flipper too. And I sell to other flippers. Just not for that price on this domain.

Call it a "scam" or a "ploy" or a "lie" -- I won't argue about the word. But it makes no sense to claim that you need Laptop.com, or BaseballTeams.com, or AgriculturaOrganica for a charity to help cancer patients. At least pretend to care about organic agriculture instead of cancer, since that's what the domain is!

Holding firm at whatever price you'd have been ok with would be your best bet here. That way, if you quoted $5,000, and he can "somehow come up with the money", then you've got your sale!

 

[ImageAuthors]

I would normally agree with that. But this guy went about things so inexpertly, that I suspect he's just looking for a bargain. And I'm not selling a bargain, in this case. Better just to close the door and let him knock again if he's serious.