Domain Name Hijacking Makes Money But Is It Ethical?
So lies the newly added controversy created by John Motson in regards to his new e-Book titled, “Domaining Manifesto”. I have to say quickly, thanks to John for giving the blogosphere a new controversial issue to debate rather than continue beating on the dead horse PageRank and Paid Links debate.
Are people now considering John Motson to be a domain name hijacker? From what I hear, he is being coined as the guy that goes around and sniffs out domain names that are about to expire, perhaps he puts a backorder on them and then gets the registration on the names. I might be wrong with how he goes about the business. But regardless, he has a huge collection of domain names and has pretty big ties into buying and selling domain names. Whether that is all true or not, I like John as a blogger and he has even guest authored here on GCDC.
I don’t hold an opinion on his business as I am really not quite certain of what his business completely is. However, I don’t like domain name hijackers as even my Garry Conn dot Com was held for ransom many years ago by a hijacker. I was stupid and forgot to renew my domain name and a hijacker got it and wanted $1500 dollars for a $9.95 domain name that was personal to me. I got lucky and downplayed the situation… basically told the guy to screw off and never spoke to him again.
I kept an eye on the registration status and about 2 months before the domain name was going to expire under the hijackers ownership, I processed a GoDaddy backorder on my domain name. About two months after the domain name expired, I got an email from GoDaddy congratulating me on my recent purchase.
Long story short… I got lucky. Very lucky. I got my domain name back, but I will never forget the terrible experience of having my domain name in the hands of a domain name hijacker.
Because of this experience, my domain name is now registered for like the next twenty years!!! LOL!!!
John Motson’s new ebook offers some insider strategies with this successful and profitable business:
However, when my friend Tish from The Kat House helped promote the new e-Book to her readers, she got a negative reaction from her crowd:
So, what is your opinion about the domaining business? Is the practice of buying domain names in bulk for the purpose of re-sell an ethical business? Does this cheat people who could normally make wonderful websites if they had the domain name they wanted, but discover it’s already registered and pointed to either a cheesy “park page” or a “buy it now” splash page? What is your take on this business?
John Motson has his new e-Book for sale. You can pick up a copy here. However, in my opinion, the book seems quite expensive. It is priced at $57 dollars and that is just a little too expensive for my blood. I am not judging this book by its price, I am simply saying that I am NOT willing to pay $57 dollars for an e-Book.
My first e-Book which will be unveiled sometime in Jan. 08 will be priced at a very reasonable price of $9.95. In fact, prior to unveiling, I am going to be doing a post that offers all my friends and readers to score a copy for $5 bucks! Immediately after that is when my eBook will go full price to $9.95.
I look forward to reading your comments and opinions about domain name hijacking and whether you feel that John Motson’s business is ethical, supported or shunned.
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Date/Time: 12-14-2007 14:23:27 Comment #7474
Hi Garry,
Many people have a similar opinion to yours, they look at domaining as hijacking? However, I am not hijacking anything.
Domains by definition are not property that stays in your family and is passed from grandfather to grandson, from generation to generations. Domains expire, are renewed or dropped.
If you look at it from a different angle, for all a domainer knows, GarryConn.com might have expired because you didn’t want it any more… and as it entered it’s natural cycle of domain status into drop state, it is a free-for-all.
The domainer contacted you directly and asked for a fee, but he didn’t force you to buy that domain. He offered it to you. He could have as well taken it to Sedo or any other domain marketplace and auctioned it off.
I do not condone that, however he wasn’t hijacking the domain, he didn’t steal it. He bought it legitimately after it expired because you didn’t renew it. You have an obligation to pay your renewal fees to your registrar.
GarryConn.com is specific because it belongs to a Garry Conn ie You. There are so many other cases where generic domains expire. e.g. PetFood.com, if it expired, wouldn’t you want to grab it make a website out of it? My book teaches the techniques of getting domains like that, and doesn’t encourage this emotional blackmail that you talk about.
If the domain football.com expired, I sure would try really hard to get it, because I’d love to make a site about football on a quality domain like that. However, the globe is full of wonderfully different people, and what gives me, you or anyone else the right to judge what someone would do with football.com if they got it.
And finally, if ICANN ( the world governing domain body ) thought that domaining was something bad, it would stamp down on it. Maybe we should all go back to having IP addresses instead of domains, because too many people are getting upset with the fact that domain names are realestate and domaining is a recognized industry.
John
Date/Time: 12-14-2007 14:47:26 Comment #7476
John,
You bring up some excellent points. Thanks!
It wouldn’t be fair of me to base your business on a bad experience from someone else. It was my own stupidity to put offer renewing my domain name.
I have a pretty nice portfolio of domain names also. However, they really aren’t being advertised for sale. I am sure that I would sell one if someone contacted me. I see domain names as an investment and the domain names I own all for the most part have a very good face value.
The problem I have is not in the business, but in the extremely high mark up on names that might be very personal to people such as my domain name.
BTW, are you going to hook up my readers with the GCDC discount? $57 dollars is a little steep. Perhaps you can offer the $37 dollar GCDC deal?
Date/Time: 12-14-2007 15:14:05 Comment #7477
Garry,
I put in a lot of work over this book. There are 86 pages of some really good material that can be of benefit to anyone wanting to know more about domaining.
At no stage do I encourage people to deliberatly “hijack” ( as you call it ) domains from other people. I show you where to go and how to get quality domains at a good price. I also show people how to protect themselves from fraud, how to secure their assets, who to contact when they are in trouble, what to avoid when buying domains, how to appraise domains and negotiate domain sales etc.
Anyone wanting to get a quality domain name for a startup website can benefit from reading the book.
I have gone and set up a special page for your readers to access, which let’s them get the Domaining Manifesto at a $10 discount. They can go to http://www.domainingmanifesto.com/gcdc and enter the discount code gcdc.
Cheers
John
Date/Time: 12-14-2007 15:16:27 Comment #7478
You Da’ Man!!!
Date/Time: 12-14-2007 15:45:41 Comment #7479
I agree with John on this. Domain names are a commodity that can only be rented. As such, they are subject to market forces just like crude oil and, yes, concert tickets.
If the market says a domain name is worth $50,000 that doesn’t make the person who registered it a thief. They just made a very fortunate investment.
I don’t know that I have too much of a problem with the guy that hijacks names. While it’s not something I would feel comfortable about ethically, he’s not breaking any rules. I mean, every ecosystem needs its bottom feeeders
Date/Time: 12-14-2007 16:39:00 Comment #7481
I commend John Motson, and other domainers like him, for seeing opportunity and seizing it! It’s a capitalist society we live in, and there’s nothing wrong with making a little profit - or in John’s case, a LOT! hehe…
I will probably finish reading Domaining Manifesto tonight. So far, I am very impressed. This book covers everything you need to know about domains, even if you’re only interested in acquiring them for personal use.
Great post, Garry!
Date/Time: 12-14-2007 17:53:09 Comment #7482
WOW! I didn’t know people are into these kind of things…
-Mike
Date/Time: 12-14-2007 23:06:21 Comment #7492
Well I don’t think my name is doing very good for me, its a very hard one to get out there and for that I have to try and build up posts for many categories so if someone wants it good luck trying to get anything for it.lol but on the other hand I would be pissed as well because I am putting alot of time into it so I hope no one does.
Maybe I should make a you tube video and call it ” Leave my site name alone” LMAO if you seen the original Britney video your going to laugh at that one.
Date/Time: 12-14-2007 23:57:35 Comment #7493
Hi Garry,
Your title for this post is very misleading. It indicates the e-book is about domain name hijacking which is out right theft. Buying expired domain names, which I believe is what the book is about, is a perfectly legal and accepted practice on the internet.
Every domain name owner has the opportunity to renew their name if they so desire. I know I usually receive 5 to 7 e-mails beginning 30 days or so prior to expiration on my names. After the official expiration date the original owner has another 60 days to reclaim the name. Thats a total of 90 days the original owner has to renew the name. Its not like it expires without warning. If they don’t renew the name it becomes available for someone else to register. If they do renew, the name continues to be theirs.
If I see a domain name become available that I see development potential in why shouldn’t I or anyone else be able to register it?
Date/Time: 12-15-2007 00:38:52 Comment #7495
This is the web, a lot of things that people do are not ethical, a lot of this is in the Make Money Online field.
Date/Time: 12-15-2007 11:22:41 Comment #7513
@ Greg
Good point, business is business
Date/Time: 12-27-2007 16:28:18 Comment #7991
Pretty cool comments and great points of view on this board. Even though I personally find John Motson’s comments not only defensive but extremely selfish and shows of a bloated ego, people like John exist. As for domain names, I usually receive a letter in the mail a few weeks before my domain name expires that it is about to expire. However, if someone makes a living from trying to grab domain names before they expire just to resell them at really high prices, that’s just being a jerk and life always gets you back.
Date/Time: 12-28-2007 05:28:40 Comment #8016
Valley Girl
I don’t make a living from “trying to grab domain names before they expire just to resell them at really high prices” as you so eloquently describe. My book is not about that at all.
Only 5 of the 85 pages of the book actually talk about registering expired domains - domains that first expired before you can try to grab them.
You cannot “grab” a domain before it expires. You can try to get it, after it expires.
And thanks to Garry again for making up a topic completely irrelevant to the topic of my book. He is a good sport.
Happy holidays :).
John
Date/Time: 1-16-2008 05:34:00 Comment #9087
The term “Domain Name Hijacking” normally refers to the illegal practice of gaining control of someone else’s domain by means of hacking or social engineering. I think your article really refers to the buying or registering of expired domains - a practice which today is a fairly established business.
After non-payment of a domain name renewal fee, the domain goes into a state of pending-release for several weeks (at least many country-code domains do). In this state the domain name will no longer resolve to a website so it should be pretty obvious to the owner that something is up. They can still renew their domain during this time and if they don’t then it should be pretty clear that they don’t want the domain name anymore. If someone else then goes and registers the name once its finally released then I can’t see how that is unethical - and it’s definitely not “hijacking”.
Date/Time: 1-18-2008 04:48:30 Comment #9240
Well, in MY experience, there is excellent money to be made - still - if you are prepared to put in the long hours researching domain names in the “long-tail” end of the keyword spectrum…particularly in / for niches that are still in their infancy.