Buying The Domain…
McNicholl.com has begun its journey. I bought the domain just before christmas for a princely sum [not to be disclosed 
]. I couldnt believe that someone else actually owned the domain – but there you have it. It was my first experience of purchasing a domain through an escrow service and so I want to share my experience here.
Initially, when I went to www.mcnicholl.com I found a standard “link for everything” page. Obviously the owners at the time – probably a domain reseller – wanted to make a little advertising money out of the site until they sold it on. At the top of the page it informed me that “This domain is for sale – click here for more information”. When I clicked on the link I was taken to www.sedo.com – the escrow service.
Since the domain was currently owned I had to place a bid on it to which normal negotiation tactics operate. Most sellers place a reserve price on their domains and mine was no exception. I dont want to discuss money here, as it isnt relevant – you’ll pay what needs to be paid and the more popular the domain, the more you’ll fork out for it.
One thing that surprised me and could possibly catch others who havent done this before is the fact that after the initial negotiations with the sellers, they can then choose to put the domain up for auction – a process which could mean you getting out bidded. I was niavely under the impression that after I agreed a price with the seller – that the process was as simple as handing over the money and receiving what I paid for. Instead the opportunists/hagglers/husslers/robbers/legitimate businesses want more money – and decide to auction it with a starting price that they have just agreed to sell it to you for.
So after bidding over the odds for a domain that should rightfully belong to someone who at the very least has my surname, I then had to sweat through an auction – hoping and praying that someone wouldnt steel it at the last moment. Thankfully no one did.
After the auction finished, a string of emails passed between sedo.com and myself to sort out the payment. At the same time the domain was being transferred to sedo until they could confirm that I had paid in full.
A few days after the payment was cleared I got another email from sedo to offer login information to a domain management facility. After logging in and changing my password – the domain was mine.
As I didnt really know anything about the process of buying a domain never mind through an escrow service – I was simply winging it the whole way. It was a daunting task before I began, but all the steps following the initial one were straightforward and painless.
Next up…. Choosing my webhost.
[...] think one year ago I was Buying the Domain. It seems so primitive now. Since then I have been programming frantically, in the evenings after [...]