www.jeffsimpson.com to be exact I want to make a site.. it's currently unavailable. before I email the guy, how much should I expect to pay? it's a fairly common name and .net/.org are also taken. thanks.
I would first poll if that person is actually thinking of selling his site. I wouldn't start offering money before you know that. It might even be that he will give it away for only the registration money... Otherwise, a myname domain is just as with any other domain worth what the market will pay for it. If you know a famous Jeff Simpson, then you might consider selling it to him Or of course, you can anticipate on the surfers looking for Jessica Simpson (according to SEOBook that's about 2000000 each month
The current owner has the same name as the domain and has owned it since 2000. I wouldn't sell 'my name' cheap. Ask if he would consider selling it but don't give a price yet. If he asks you for a price start low & see if he counters.
It's up to you. It's a sellers market, in that, domain holders already have the property, buyers are the ones looking. I would pay a fair amount for my name, a few hundred, (maybe), but it's not that important to me, when my name is typed into Google, my websites come up...I'd rather have that anyway.
the domain is registered 2000 through 2011, that guy won't sell for low but you can offer him like $70 and see what he replies, he'll probably ask you for much more or won't sell at all.
I would just say stuff that, and shorten your first name and your middle name (if you have one) eg www.jvsimpson.com Alternatively you could go for a .name
yead registering it till 2011 means that the guy is intent on keeping the name whatever happens.. therefore i would say it can go into XXXX or may be XXX only
I was offered $1500 for my name.com and didn't take it. I guard this domain and only a select few know about it or how to access me through it; Friends and Family. I don't have a site on it. My reasoning is that this is "my domain". I know that once I give this address to anyone who knows me, they'll be able to contact me from now until the day I die or the internet goes away (whichever comes first ). This isn't to say I wouldn't sell it. I would. Just not for 4 figures or low 5. I highly doubt anyone is ever going to offer me high 5 figures for it... but at that point I would sell. This is just to give you some insight. This guy might be different. If I were you I'd look at offering him somewhere around $500-$750. I also would make the offer on the initial contact. Anyone who's reg'd a name for 11 years probably knows enough about domains to estimate a names worth. That offer would show that you're serious about buying it but also not be so high that he can't counter. By making a serious offer in the original contact you're setting the ballpark to which he can counter. He'll know not to come back with $10k but something in the low $xxxx's. And you can work it from there. If you don't make an initial offer you're run the risk of not being taken seriously. Just me.
I think it will be easier (taking these data for 2011 and the rest as facts) to pay that person to change legally his name and then be able to take his domain for free