Alex Brown

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Domain Name Appraisal Scam – NameSaleShop.com

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I recently listed a domain for sale – www.ukcabs.net (incidentally, it’s still for sale if anyone is legitimately interested, please feel free to contact me)

It was listed on places like Sedo, I advertised it on twitter and eBay.

On Saturday, 9th May, 2009, I received an email from weisberg@theonlinebrokerage.com with the subject “ukcabs.net sent (05/09/09)”

Hello,

What is the price of your domain?

We are very interested in it. Good domains are wise investment in the

future. Our company is interested in easy-to-remember domain names.

If you have other domains for sale feel free to send your list.

Looking forward to do business with you.

Regards,

Andrew Weisberg

CEO

OB Real Estate LLC

 

Naturally, I replied a few days later. Initially believing it to be a genuine interest in the domain name.

Hi there,

Apologies for the late reply

I’m interested in offers on the domain, please feel free to send me one.

Regards,

Alex

I didn’t hear anything for a few months, so in September, i resent the above message, and asked if he was still interested in the domain.

Around a week later, I received this reply:

Yes.

As a seller you should provide me with an appraisal first. This is a reasonable practice.

I’ve found not all the appraisals are accurate. So I accept real manual appraisals from trusted sources only.

I don’t trust $14-$20 services. Nobody will do a research for $14. We need a real manual service.

I researched several companies and here are the results:

I wanted to engage AccurateDomains.com as appraiser but looks like this company has very bad reputation Just read this blog http://accuratedomains.blogspot.com/

So I’m not going to accept this fraudulent service.

I also considered www.Afternic.com, but now it’s clear their service is not reliable enough.

Just read this:

http://www.igoldrush.com/links3.htm

"Capsule Review: After lots of complaints, Afternic is no longer a recommended service. We will re-review the service in the near future."

Another complaint

http://www.out-law.com/page-1630

I was told about manual research service from http://www.DomainMart.com. It costs – $200/hour.

Many experienced sellers suggested us http://www.Namesaleshop.com as a trustworth manual service. They charge per name not per hour. We’ve read only positive comments about them. And I have my own positive experience with this company and their support.

 

Just by googling “namesaleshop scam” it brings up plenty of information.

What this guy does, is pretend to be interested in buying the domain, but make you pay €60 to get it appraised by a “reputable” company, which just so happens to be his company.

Then, needless to say, vanishes.

Alex

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19 responses to “Domain Name Appraisal Scam – NameSaleShop.com”

  1. Kola avatar
    Kola

    i received similar mail from one David Lawrence with d mail netrealestate@hotmail.com for d purchase of my domain. He also insisted on namesaleshop, he even wanted to rush me to quickly do d appraisal by telling me he was going on vacation soon, what a knucklehead. Besides domainmart does manual appraisal for 40 dollars not 200 per hour as stated by him. Cant this website be reported to necessary authorities?

    Reply
  2. sairil syam avatar
    sairil syam

    i received mail subject iphone5g.net (sent 11/03/09) and he asked send valuation of my domain name.

    he recommend http://www.namesaleshop.com to do the appraisal. i goggle ‘www.namesaleshop.com scam’ and found this blog. thank you very much.

    i got offered from him to buy this domain 5k-7k USD range.

    Reply
  3. poki avatar
    poki

    LOLzzzzzz
    I am at this point:

    SCAMMER’S SECOND EMAIL
    ——————————————————–
    I think your name is worth about 5,000 – 7,000 USD. Do you agree with this price range?………………..
    ….

    Lolzz luckily I searched on google before sending him any reply.

    Thanks.

    Reply
  4. J avatar
    J

    Wow, I’m glad I did some research before falling for this. I got an email from Burnstein@domainsecondhand.com with the EXACT same messages that you guys are saying came from different email addresses. Seems like these guys have a template that they send everyone to try and scam them.

    They all try to get you to use namesaleshop.com for the appraisal. Go into Google and type namesaleshop.com and the whole 1st page is about how they are a scam. Stay away from this company!

    Good blog though, we need to get the word out there so these types of companies go out of business.

    Reply
  5. sam avatar
    sam

    Do yoou offer a feed?

    Reply
    1. Alex avatar
      Alex

      RSS? yes:
      http://www.alexjamesbrown.com/feed/

      Reply
  6. lordes julie avatar
    lordes julie

    Thank you for the intelligent critique. Me and my neighbour were just preparing to do some research about this. I am very grateful to see such great information being shared freely out there.

    Reply
  7. marcel avatar
    marcel

    the same happened to me! after 24 hours i got an email with a guy interested in my domain. Awfull ! Is there any serious appraisal comapny you guys know of ???

    Thanks ahead

    Reply
  8. jc avatar
    jc

    I got this email and fell for the “forum” about http://www.researchappraisals.com. LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE – TOTAL SCAM!!! I have been on the phone with paypal and my credit card to stop the transaction today. I have also reported them to the CBBB. I can’t believe I fell for that crap. Times are tough and I wanted it to be true I guess. I have NEVER done something so stupid. I had also recently listed sites on sedo.com I got the same “will you take $5k” email as well.

    So, that forum took me to researchappraisals, which sends you to SWREG Inc to make the transaction with PayPal. Dummy company with no working customer service number. I then asked the person who sent the appraisal for a phone number and tried that one which goes straight to a generic answering machine.

    posting some emails to beware of….

    From: brucker@thedomaininvestors.com
    Sent: Sun, Feb 7, 2010 2:33 am
    Subject: (sent 02/07/10)

    Hello,
    We buy and sell domains and web pr®jects. What is your price for the domain?
    If you have other domains for sale feel free to send your list.

    Looking forward to do business with you.
    Regards,
    Sebastian Brucker
    CEO
    Web Investment & Consulting LLC

    here is when I asked for the phone number from the appraisal email that was sent from info@namesaleshop.com non-working number.

    Dear JC,
    509 271-0875
    You ma also contact us via email. We respond fast
    We invite you to auction your domains with us at
    http://www.researchappraisals.com/sell.ht
    Unlike free listing services that simply list your domains, we regularly promote domain names via our potential buyer database (over 12,000 potential
    buyers).
    1. Our listing period is not limited. We sell all names until they are sold.
    2. There is NO a commission upon sale
    3. There is NO a listing period. We list all names until they are sold. All
    bids will be resent to your e-mail address along with a buyer’s contact
    information.
    4. Free and fast domain transfer and escrow for our customers.
    5. One time small listing fee.
    If you list your domains with us it does not prohibit you from listing it
    elsewhere. We do not require exclusive representation.
    We also provide discounts on bulk listings.
    More information at
    http://www.researchappraisals.com/sell.htm
    You can join our domains wanted ads at
    http://www.researchappraisals.com/wanted.asp
    Sincerely,
    Sara Almudhaf
    Customer Support

    Reply
  9. Wilmington avatar
    Wilmington

    Well I found this on Digg, and I like it so I dugg it!

    Reply
  10. Alex James Brown » Another Domain Name Appraisal Scam

    […] in October, I wrote about a domain name appraisal scam. It appears this is still doing the rounds, but has changed wording […]

    Reply
  11. noob avatar
    noob

    I would vote for you

    Reply
  12. sinerteq avatar
    sinerteq

    I received it to 🙂

    Thanks for posting this and help others avoid fraud!

    —————————————————-
    Hello,

    We buy and sell domains and web pr®jects. What is your price for the domain?

    If you have other domains for sale feel free to send your list.

    Looking forward to do business with you.

    Regards,

    Andrew Seybold

    CEO

    Smart Cybersquatters LLC

    Reply
  13. Vernon Perales avatar
    Vernon Perales

    Ron Park The Fraud Master DO Not trust this guy .– All of Southern Arizona Tucson Real Estate Daily http://www.tredaily.com 1873 N Kolb Rd Tucson AZ 85719 Ph. – (800) 536-7480 About TRE Daily TRE (Tucson Real Estate) Daily is a fraudulent one-stop Tucson less then quality real estate resources. Ron Park a self proclaimed homo sexual, and member of Tucson REALTORS fraud, is the manager of TRE Daily. Before Ron Park became a real estate agent/lead manager in August 2007, he was a male prostitute selling himself successfully online and on the Tuscon streets for 7 years. After learning the ins-and-outs of sucking dick, he entered into Tucson?s real estate market after a night of longing passion with his male boss to provide oral services that are rarely found, but certainly needed.
    http://www.tredaily.com

    Both Ron and Lisa Park are SCAMMERs Watch out for them.

    Reply
  14. Suchmaschinenoptimierung Google avatar
    Suchmaschinenoptimierung Google

    Danke für den tollen Beitrag, der hat mir sehr gut gefallen!

    Reply
  15. GDI avatar
    GDI

    Finally, a descent blog with ACTUALLY helpful information!

    Reply
  16. GDI avatar
    GDI

    Great work you are doing here.

    Reply
  17. doc avatar
    doc

    thanx for the post. same happened to me a month ago. after registered domain i got an email from ridding@elitenethosting.com who claims to be in domain business for some time.
    here is his 1st letter
    ————————————————————

    Hello,
    How much do you ask for this domain for sale?
    Our company buy and sell domains and developed sites.
    If you have other domains for sale feel free to send your list.
    Looking forward to do business with you.
    Regards,
    Brad Ridding

    CEO

    ———————————————————-so, this was my first doamin I bought. I thought I’m very lucky boy, so I’m gonna sell it and YES I’m gonna make some good money. After I replied to him here comes 2nd email:
    ————————————————————

    Can you accept 5,000 USD?
    Do you sell domain with a web site or just the name?
    Domain without content is ok with me. Web site is not necessary.
    Have you had your domain names evaluated in the past? I mean domain appraisals. Without valuation we cannot be sure in the sale price. It’s very important for me in terms of reselling too. But we must engage a valuation company with REAL manual service. So I will only accept valuations from independent sources I and my partners trust.
    To avoid mistakes I asked domain experts about reputable appraisal companies.
    Please check this blog with suggestions from other sellers and buyers:
    http://www.domainexplorer.org/Archive/87358206.htm
    If, for example, the valuation comes higher you can adjust your asking price accordingly. It will be fair. I also hope you can give me 12% – 15% discount.
    After you send me the valuation via email (usually it takes 1-2 days to obtain it) we’ll continue our negotiations.
    What is your preferred payment method: Escrow.com, International wire transfer, PayPal.com or something else?
    Hope we can come to an agreement fast.
    Looking forward to your reply.

    ————————————————————
    after being little suspicious I got 3rd email:
    ————————————————————

    It’s a standard practice to show independent valuation to buyers/resellers.
    Nobody will do business without it. I’m a businessman and have no intention
    of changing rules which help both parties to avoid additional risks.

    Of course, investors never take into account auto-generated valuations. So
    manual valuation is a “must” too.

    I read the following information about appraisals at:

    http://www.domainexplorer.org/Archive/87358206.htm

    Without the independent valuation from a trusted source we don’t spend a
    penny. This is our financial policy. So our offer is just a rought estimate.
    If the appraisal comes higher we are ready to offer a bit more. If it comes
    lower we will discuss the price with you again.

    Thank you for understanding. I’m looking forward to do business with you.

    ————————————————————so, I stop this deal and I’m really thankful for this post

    sorry for being so detailed but I wanted to shaethis expirience with you.

    Good luck to all of You in domain business 🙂

    Reply
  18. Julie avatar
    Julie

    I have exactly the same domain scam emails. This time from a guy called James Murphy.

    Can you accept 8,000 USD?

    I have a 25,000 USD budget for 5-7 domain names. Have you had your domain names evaluated in the past? Without a valuation certificate we cannot be sure in the sale price. Moreover, my accountant and tax services always ask for valaution certificates :-). On the other side, it’s very important for me in terms of reselling too. Of course, we must engage a valuation company with a REAL manual service. So I will only accept valuations from independent sources I and my accountant trust.

    To avoid mistakes I asked domain experts about reputable appraisal companies. Please check this blog with suggestions from other sellers and buyers:
    http://www.domainexplorer.org/Archive/5386271.htm
    (this was the bit that sounded like spam to me and put doubt in my mind)

    If, for example, the valuation comes higher you can adjust your asking price accordingly. It will be fair. I also hope you can give me 12% – 15% discount.

    After you send me the valuation via email (usually it takes 1-2 days to obtain it) we’ll continue our negotiations.

    What is your preferred payment method: Escrow.com, International wire transfer, PayPal.com or something else?

    Hope we can come to an agreement fast.

    ****

    Hopefully a lot of people will see this blog before they are caught out.

    Reply

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