If you’ve been selling domain names long enough, you’ve probably experienced this situation.
An inquiry comes in.
You get excited, but you stay professional.
The buyer makes an offer. You counter. They come back with another number. You negotiate until eventually both sides agree on a price.
You think the hard part is over.
The domain is sold.
Or is it?
Then a day passes.
No payment.
Another day passes.
Still no payment.
The buyer suddenly needs more time. The broker is waiting for an update. Someone needs approval. Accounting hasn’t processed the payment. The buyer has stopped responding as quickly as before.
A deal that looked finished suddenly isn’t finished at all.
This is one of the most frustrating parts of domain investing, and I think it’s something we need to talk about more.
Getting an offer, accepting an offer and actually getting paid are three completely different things.
An Accepted Offer Isn’t a Completed Sale
This is probably one of the most important lessons I’ve learned selling domains.
Until the money is secured, I don’t consider the domain sold.
A buyer can say yes.
You can agree on a price.
A broker can congratulate you.
You can even start thinking about what you’re going to do with the money.
But until payment is made, there is still a possibility that the transaction doesn’t happen.
That doesn’t mean every buyer who takes a few days to pay is playing games. There can be legitimate reasons for a delay.
Businesses may have internal approval processes. Accounting departments may only issue payments on certain days. A purchase may need authorization from an owner, executive, partner or board. International transactions can sometimes take additional time.
There are plenty of legitimate explanations.
But as sellers, we also have to understand something very simple.
A reason for delayed payment is still delayed payment.
Why Does a Serious Buyer Suddenly Disappear?
This is the question sellers ask themselves.
If the buyer wanted the domain badly enough to negotiate for it, why would they suddenly disappear after reaching an agreement?
Sometimes the answer is simple.
They got cold feet.
Negotiating can create urgency. The buyer is focused on acquiring the domain, you’re focused on getting the right price, and both sides are moving toward an agreement.
Then you accept.
Suddenly the urgency disappears.
Now the buyer starts thinking differently.
Do we really need this domain?
Should we spend this money somewhere else?
Can we find another name?
Will the seller take less if we wait?
Should we talk about this internally first?
That is why momentum matters so much in a domain transaction.
The longer a completed negotiation sits without payment, the more opportunities there are for something to change.
Sometimes the Person Negotiating Isn’t the Real Decision Maker
This is another thing domain sellers need to remember.
The person contacting you might love your domain.
That doesn’t necessarily mean they control the money.
They might have to take the purchase to their manager.
The manager might need approval from the owner.
The owner might ask accounting.
Accounting might need authorization.
Legal might want to review the transaction.
Suddenly one interested buyer has turned into five people who need to agree.
Every additional decision maker creates another opportunity for the transaction to slow down or completely fall apart.
This is especially true when you’re dealing with businesses, nonprofits and larger organizations.
Understanding this can help you remain patient without becoming naive.
Don’t Immediately Assume Your Price Is the Problem
When a deal starts slowing down, domain investors sometimes make a mistake.
They negotiate against themselves.
Maybe I should knock $500 off.
Maybe I should offer another discount.
Maybe I priced the domain too high.
Maybe lowering the price will get them to pay.
Be careful.
If the buyer negotiated with you and ultimately agreed to the price, then price may no longer be the problem.
Constantly lowering your price after an agreement can actually weaken your negotiating position.
You already negotiated.
You reached an agreement.
Give the buyer a reasonable opportunity to complete the transaction.
There is nothing wrong with following up professionally.
But don’t panic simply because payment didn’t arrive immediately.
Should Domain Deals Have Deadlines?
I believe they should.
A domain is an asset.
If I agree to sell that asset to someone, I’m giving that buyer an opportunity to acquire something that another buyer could potentially want.
I don’t believe a seller should be expected to keep a domain tied up indefinitely while someone decides whether they are going to complete the purchase.
There should be a reasonable payment period.
After that deadline, the seller should have the ability to put the domain fully back on the market.
And depending on the circumstances, the previous negotiated price doesn’t necessarily have to remain available forever.
Markets change.
Circumstances change.
Your willingness to sell can change.
The price you accepted last month doesn’t automatically have to be the price you’re willing to accept six months from now.
That’s business.
Don’t Spend Money You Haven’t Received
This sounds obvious, but excitement can make us forget it.
You finally get that $2,500 offer.
Or $5,000.
Or $10,000.
Immediately your brain starts spending the money.
You’re thinking about paying bills.
Buying more domains.
Investing in another project.
Taking some profit.
Then the buyer doesn’t pay.
Now something that should have simply been a failed transaction feels like you’ve actually lost money.
But you didn’t lose money.
You never had it.
I’ve learned not to count a domain sale until the transaction is completed.
An offer isn’t money.
An accepted offer isn’t money.
A promise isn’t money.
Money is money.
A Failed Deal Doesn’t Necessarily Mean You Own a Bad Domain
This is important.
When a transaction falls apart, don’t immediately start questioning the domain.
Think about what happened before the deal stalled.
Someone discovered your domain.
Something about the name interested them.
They contacted you.
They were willing to negotiate.
They were willing to discuss real money.
They may have even agreed to your price.
The transaction might have failed, but the domain still generated demand.
That’s information you can use.
Maybe another buyer will eventually see the same value.
Maybe the next buyer will see even more value.
Sometimes the best decision is simply putting the domain back on the market and moving forward.
Every Stalled Deal Should Teach You Something
I try to look at every negotiation as experience.
Even the ones that don’t close.
Ask yourself what you learned.
Was I too quick to accept?
Did I negotiate against myself?
Was the payment deadline clear?
Did I become emotionally attached to closing the transaction?
Did I communicate professionally?
Could I have handled anything differently?
Sometimes you’ll discover something you can improve.
Other times you’ll realize you did everything correctly and the buyer simply didn’t complete the transaction.
Both lessons are valuable.
You cannot control another person’s actions.
You can only control how you conduct your business.
Patience Doesn’t Mean Waiting Forever
Patience is extremely important in domain investing.
I’ve written about patience before because domains can take years to sell.
But there is a difference between being patient with an asset and allowing a buyer to control your asset indefinitely.
If someone needs a few extra days for a legitimate reason, that’s one thing.
If weeks or months continue passing with promises but no payment, eventually you have to make a business decision.
Your domain still belongs to you.
Keep marketing it.
Keep building.
Keep learning.
Keep looking for opportunities.
One buyer should never determine the future of your entire investment.
The Sale Isn’t Done Until the Money Is Paid
Domain investing teaches patience.
It also teaches discipline.
I’ve learned that you can’t get too high when an offer arrives, and you can’t get too low when a deal falls apart.
Stay level.
Stay professional.
Protect your assets.
Understand that some deals will close immediately. Some will take time. Some will look guaranteed and still fall apart.
That’s part of doing business.
The important thing is to learn from every transaction.
Because becoming a better domain investor isn’t only about learning how to find great domain names.
You have to learn how to price them.
You have to learn how to negotiate.
You have to learn when to be patient.
You have to learn when to walk away.
And you have to understand when the transaction is actually finished.
For me, that definition is pretty simple.
The deal isn’t done when the buyer makes an offer.
The deal isn’t done when you accept the offer.
The deal isn’t done when someone promises payment.
The deal is done when the money is paid.
Until then, keep your expectations realistic, protect the value of your domain and keep doing business.
Holy Odom
Founder, Weakening.com
What If the Buyer Never Comes Back?
A stalled deal can leave you with another important question: How long should you continue holding a domain if the buyer disappears and no new offers come in?
Some domains deserve patience. Others need to be reevaluated. The important thing is knowing the difference before years of renewal fees start eating away at your investment.
Read next: How Long Is Too Long to Hold a Domain with No Offers?
It may help you decide whether to keep believing in the domain, change your strategy, adjust your price, or finally move on.
