Question by Zoom Z: How do I purchase a private domain?
Someone wants to sell me a domain that they own which was registered via Godaddy.com Now he is willing to sell it to me he said I can send him the money via paypal.com how do i protect myself from getting screwed? thank you
Best answer:
Answer by bernz
Personally, I wouldn’t have anything to do with godaddy.com. Their past is, IMO, too checkered for adequate confidence.
Just Websearch, for instance, for “godaddy scam” and you’ll find lots of (theoretically) independent opinions, anecdotes, etc. Incidents alone don’t mean that much, but when you put them together, you get a better picture of the corporation’s personality (and thus expected behaviour).
Unfortunately, it’s still difficult to trust e-sellers implicitly, and the guy could maybe have a problem of some sort with his account with godaddy.com, and he could be just trying to unload it on you, like buying a used car that has hidden defects. The seller should be able to provide you with statistics, documentation, bills of sale, invoices, account status, etc… if he hesitates on that, he might be up to something.
You’re not going to save much money anyway, as competition is so fierce you can register at a reputable broker (registrar) for $ 5 – 15 / year.
(That is, if you’re talking about getting an original domain, not buying something with “value” attached to it — whatever that might be: street cred, or whatever).