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Ask HN: How do you go about asking someone for ownership of their domain?
I have this absolutely amazing idea I am going to run with, but someone owns the domain already and I want to get it from them for exchange of services instead of money.
I don't have any money, but I am willing to exchange services or even include the organization in my start-up idea.
The domain is www.tracklete.com.
Got any ideas how I could present it to the organization?
- brk 18y agoFrom looking at the current site, it seems "the organization" is one guy who never got any further than spending a saturday afternoon editing some html in notepad. I would argue that most "absolutely amazing ideas" can exist on any domain, so there is no "the domain" in this case. There IS a domain currently registered that is probably more fitting to your idea than registering some iteration of "mydmnhsnvwls" or something. If I were you, I'd probably start running with your idea and implement whatever you're going to implement. Petition the current owner of this domain to transfer it to you for a reasonable fee. Since the current domain appears to be setup as some kind of track and field scholarship/fundraiser site, maybe you could make an offer for $xxx.yy and a donation of $xxxxx.yy some time in the future when you reach a goal of profitability or sales or whatever. Appeal to what the current owner appeared to want to achieve, but never did.
- spoiledtechie 18y agoYour right, but a catchy name does help. Like I said, I have no money, but right now I do agree I should run with the idea and buy the domain alter from him.
- alecst 18y agoI work with a non-profit organization called Kate's Club (www.katesclub.org). Until recently, however, www.katesclub.com was owned by a guy who was using it for erotic images, and we received more than a few complaints about this. A friend of mine emailed the site owner and said he'd like to purchase the domain, and the guy responded with a relatively high price. The owner asked what he needed the domain for, and when he told him, the owner gave him the domain for 1/10th of what he originally asked. I suggest you present your idea and motives to him, however you might not want to mention that you're planning on making a whole lot of money or he may hold that against you. Come at him with a price and see how he responds. It doesn't look like this site has been maintained nor does it appear to be making any money.
- spoiledtechie 18y agoThank you for this advice. I gave him my ideas, now im going to see what he says.