He bought the site, now he won't reply

Not sure if this is the right place to post this but since it relates to a site I sold here, I figured I'd try.

Here's the original thread: http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=64851&highlight=newsdrunk

I had successfully sold my site to "ArthurKirkland" ( http://forums.digitalpoint.com/member.php?u=18790 ), I received the payment and I sent him all logins, etc. As part of the deal I provided 2 months of free hosting.

Well, it's been 2 months. About a month ago I PMed him here since I noticed he hadn't done anything with the site, I offered my help in learning the site if he needed it. Around a week ago I sent him an email (to the address provided by his PayPal transaction) reminding him that my free hosting was about to run out. He never replied to either message.

My main concern is that I want to close my hosting reseller account when it comes time to renew, which is a month from now, and I won't know if this guy's done a site backup or anything. I don't believe it should be my responsibility to keep my own backups (which I do as a service for being a reseller) after the reseller account lapses.

 

a new guy with 1 post,, idon't he will come back

 

Last Activity: Yesterday 3:39 am

He was here sometime back though...

 

If I were you I would make an archive of the site just in case he does come around. It just seems like the right thing to do.

 

Like I said, I do have my own backups which I do on my own as a reseller... but my thought is that once the reseller account is closed, since I'm not technically a reseller "host" anymore, I don't believe I should have to keep the backups. I'll hang onto them for maybe a couple of weeks but not indefinitely.

 

It's best to use a contract with site sales, especially those with unique content. Anyway, keep the site backed up, since you may become the rightful owner again if it is never claimed by the purchaser.

 

Sounds like he paid for the site ok, so I'd give him another chance. I've bought sites only to get busy with something else and not touch them for months.

Send him another PM and email saying the hosting account will be closed down and keep a backup on your hard drive. Your right, its not your responsibility, but its the 'nice' thing to do.

 

Yeah selling sites here on DP is a real tricky scenario if no contracts are worked out.

 

It's not that big a site. What's the big deal about downloading a backup and burning it to a DVD? It seems like five minutes of work would ensure you against a possible major hassle down the road.

 

I agree Ray. There's no telling what the circumstance is, and there's no point in being difficult just for the sake of being difficult. If it were me, I would just keep a copy of the site indefinitely. Sure, if you come across it in a year or two you can throw it away - but what's the harm in just holding on to it for the guy. There's no telling why he hasn't been in touch.

 

Hi,
if he paid by paypal send him 1cent with a message

Rob.

 

If he didn't pay yet, I'd suggest listing it back for sale.

 

Read above EGS, he paid.

 

Personally I'd take a backup copy of the site and just keep it around for a few more months. If the buyer comes back, then you can email it to him and he'll be happy, if you never hear from him again then it's his loss not yours.

Of course, you don't strictly have to do this, but it won't take much time and might save hassle later down the line.

 

I agree with that....I have bought sites then had other things on my mind and forgot to move them. The people involved were very nice about it and I will remember that if I have future dealings with them.

 

I've got a couple of those buyers too. I had to write to them numerous times before they decided to move the sites.

Try contacting them somewhere. If you need to remove the sites, just zip up the site then send them the contents via email or something.

 

Sorry I misunderstood your thread. Will have a better response tomorrow, sorry.

 

Yeah, why don't you just download a backup of everything and the MySQL database(s), zip it up, and then email it to him and explain the situation.

 

Just to be clear, the issue is that he's not replying to my emails or PMs, not that he hasn't done anything with the site. I totally understand being caught up in other things, I do it myself all the time.

While I have no problem keeping the backup for a while, the problem is just how long? I can't keep it forever, even a DVD will eventually get lost or damaged or who knows what. It could happen in a year or tomorrow. I want to get rid of the responsibility of holding this site in any way, shape or form since it's technically nor legally my site anymore.

It's like I'm babysitting a kid and the parents aren't coming home. What do I do with the kid?

Anyways... I'll email him again... I guess I'll have to play it by ear.

Oh, and the backup is pretty big, it'd be a pain to transmit via email.

And @Rod, can I really reclaim the site? Everything's been turned over to him and I have a PM of him acknowledging this, wouldn't that be considered "claimed" by the owner? Plus the domain name is his until he choses to let it expire since it's in his account now...

 

there is only so much you can do. Email him, give him an dateline to claim the site and if nothing happens by that time, you done all you can. It is not your fault if he doesn't want to reply.