You always need to be cognizant of what kind of business was run on a name you are bidding on in an expired auction.
There is a lot of excitement around the auction of Trustify.info on GoDaddy auctions. Currently the name that GoDaddy values at $265 has a high bid of $8,900.
I am sure some might be bidding on the link profile which you can view here at MajesticSEO.
This is how Trustify described themselves:
Reliable, Professional Private Investigators. Nationwide.
Trustify provides instant access to a nationwide network of fully-licensed private investigators to take your case and get the evidence you need. Our private investigators have experience in a wide-range of cases, including: – Adultery/Infidelity – Child Custody – Divorce – Locate a missing person – Criminal background checks – Fraud and Financial investigations – Deep web and online research
Now let me make crystal clear, I have not investigated this company and have nothing to say about them. But I know if I was doing a Google search, I would not want this name.
Check out this article which points to serious allegations
So for me the problem with winning this name is all the potential conflicts the new owner might get pulled into. Many people outside domaining don’t understand domain sales, expired domain auctions.
Some might not believe the name expired and you are just the same old company with a new domain registrant.
So now you will spend time and possibly need a lawyer to deal with explaining you are not the old company but either a new company or a domain investor that wanted the domain name.
Plus the fact if the name sells for so much and the company goes bankrupt, the bankruptcy trustee might try to say this was an asset and come after it, again the whole, “Well I won this name fair and square!” Means nothing imo if you have to spend time and money defending a name that might have no resell value, because who down the road wants to buy it from you, with all this bad press going around?
On top of everything in this case, the .com is an established website and I would never want to be running a business on an alt extension with such an established website, I get doing that when the .com is parked, owned by an investor that wants huge money for the name.
very interesting read Raymond. I wouldn’t want that name for free.
If the highest bidder reads this, doubt he’s going to pay for it now if won. Ouch!
> you have to spend time and money defending a name
You make it sound like just anybody can come and take it from you easily. First thing, it is “them” who has to spend time and money to try to make a claim for that name.
Absolutely, what I am saying is I don’t want one second of dealing with nonsense. You might end up spending a lot of money on defending a name that does not have a lot of intrinsic value.
Sure if it’s a 3L.com or a CVCV well you are going to do what you have to do, but many times it’s people bidding on a name that they think has some residual value and it doesn’t.
I had a friend once who bought a name off GoDaddy auctions and was constantly getting threats and emails from shareholders and customers of the old company, spent hours and at the end of the day it was not worth the nonsense that came with the name and he dropped it a year later.
Nobody is paying $8,000 for that link profile. It’s a 20/20 TF/CF
Agreed but I see sometimes someone bidding on even lesser CF/TF they are newer to the game and think they are getting something of value when they are not.
I completely agree with the be careful part. I bought two domains last month that have a lot of type in traffic built in already, come to find out that their history is riddled with not such great things. Anyways, good news is that I was able to hand register the domains so no big deal on the cost. Lesson learned, and best to do all your due diligence before pulling the trigger and buying.