Three numbers before the first message
Most bad domain deals start with a buyer who had no plan. The owner names a price, the buyer reacts, and every reply moves the number up. Fixing three numbers beforehand stops that drift.
| Number | What it is | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Opening offer | Your first figure | Below the fair value range, so there is room to move |
| Step size | How much you add per round | A share of the gap between opening and ceiling |
| Ceiling, or walk-away | The most you will pay | Your budget and the comps, whichever is lower |
In DomainAgent these three numbers form the approved band. The Buy Agent proposes them from comparable sales, you accept or change them, and the agent never goes outside them. If you are selling, the Sell Agent works the same way with a floor instead of a ceiling and never goes below it.
How to choose the opening offer
The opening offer sets the tone. Too high and you have spent your room in one move. Too low and a serious owner may stop reading.
A sensible opening sits below the fair value range but within sight of it, so the owner can see you are informed. The agent builds that range from public sale reports of similar names (length, words, extension, commercial use, buyer type), and the domain appraisal page shows how. A short, polite reason helps too: the agent's first email states the offer plainly and makes clear that DomainAgent acts for a client.
Should you name a number first?
Owners often ask the buyer to make the first offer. Naming a grounded number first lets you anchor the talk near the comps instead of near the owner's hopes. The agent does this by default, and you can change it before the email goes out.
Step size and pacing
Each time the owner counters, you either hold, step up, or walk. Steps should shrink as you approach your ceiling, which signals that you are reaching your limit without saying so.
Say your opening is 4,000 USD and your ceiling is 7,000 USD. A first step of 1,000 USD, then 700 USD, then 400 USD tells the owner the room is closing. Jumping straight from 4,000 USD to 7,000 USD tells them there may be more.
The agent applies the step size you approved and slows down near the ceiling. It also matches pacing: a quick reply from the owner does not force an instant counter, and follow-ups go out on the schedule you set.
Reading counter-offers
Not every reply with a number is the same. The agent sorts each one before answering.
- A counter close to your band, a sign the deal can happen, answered with a measured step
- A counter far above your ceiling, answered with a firm restatement and the comps behind it
- A "make me an offer" reply, answered with your opening offer
- A question about the buyer, answered with the fact that DomainAgent acts for a client, nothing more
- A flat refusal, which ends the talks for now and triggers suggestions for alternatives
When a counter sits above your ceiling, the agent does not stretch. It tells you, shows the gap, and waits for you to decide whether to raise the ceiling, hold, or move on. The process for a whole purchase, from status check to escrow, is laid out on the page about how to buy a domain that is taken.
What to do with silence
Silence is part of domain negotiation. Sometimes the owner is away, sometimes the email went to a privacy forwarding address nobody reads often, and sometimes silence is a tactic to make you raise your offer unprompted.
The rule is simple: do not bid against yourself. Raising your offer when the owner has not replied only teaches them to wait. The agent follows up politely on the sequence you set (for example a reminder after a week and another after two), keeps the same number, and stops when the sequence ends. It then suggests alternatives such as similar names or other extensions.
Where your approval comes in
Inside the band, the agent can answer counters on its own. That keeps the talks moving without you checking email all day. Anything binding is different.
| Action | Needs your click? |
|---|---|
| Sending the first offer from the approved band | Approved with the band |
| Countering inside the band | No, the band covers it |
| Making a binding offer | Yes |
| Accepting the owner's price | Yes |
| Raising the ceiling | Yes, as a new approval |
| Ending talks after the sequence | No, the agent stops by itself |
Approvals appear as amber "awaiting your approval" buttons in the deal room. Each click is logged with its time, next to the full timeline of messages and offers.
Why the logged click matters
It means no price is ever agreed by accident, and later you can see exactly when each decision was made. For teams buying names with sign-off rules, the domain acquisition service page covers roles and the full audit log on Agency.
Common domain negotiation mistakes
- Revealing who is buying, which invites a higher ask
- Opening with your ceiling, which leaves no room to move
- Raising the offer during silence
- Arguing about the owner's feelings instead of the comps
- Agreeing a price by email before escrow terms are settled
- Running only one option, which makes walking away feel impossible
The last point matters more than it seems. A buyer with a backup name negotiates calmly. The agent can run several negotiations at once (5 on Investor, 25 on Pro, 100 on Portfolio, 250 on Agency), so a fallback is always moving in parallel.
After you agree a price
Once you approve the final number, the agent hands the deal to a licensed escrow partner. You pay into escrow, the seller transfers the domain, you confirm, and escrow releases the funds. DomainAgent never holds money, and the escrow partner sets its own fee.
The agent then tracks the transfer: the domain unlocked, the auth code shared or a push inside the same registrar, and the name arriving in your account.