I just got same email,I think this thread is important. If I hadn't read it a week or so ago I may have been a sucker and got the appraisal.
This is the one I received two months ago. "525 euro. Ok. Do you offer a web site or domain name only? I'm mostly interested in names. Have you had your domains appraised already? Can you show me your valuation certificates? As fas I know it's a common practice to show appraisal of domain name (even without traffic and web site) before doing business. Without appraisal I risk to overpay. In other words I won't be able to make a profit on reselling this name. It's very important for you and me to know the current market value of your domains. Of course, we must be sure that you are engaging an appraisal company with REAL manual service. I heard many appraisal companies often made inaccurate auto-generated appraisals. I will only accept appraisals from independent sources I trust. To avoid mistakes I asked domain experts about reputable appraisal companies in a forum http://domaintalk.ourplace.com/Archive/497586.htm Just check this posting. If the appraisal comes higher you can adjust your asking price accordingly. I also hope you can give me 10% - 15% discount of the appraised value. After I get an appraisal from you we'll continue our negotiations. How do you prefer to get paid: www.escrow.com, www.PayPal.com check or wire? Hope we can come to an agreement fast. Looking forward to your reply."