Domains for Sale or Lease

21 March 2011: Important Note About Afternic

Frequently-Asked Questions and Terms of Business

1. What does the number in the "traffic" column mean?: This is basically a simple "hit" counter. It counts how many times this page has been loaded (not necessarily by unique visitors) as a result of typing in that particular domain or clicking on a link to that domain. (To see what date the counter for a particular domain was started, hover your mouse pointer over the number of hits.) It does not erroneously report requests for this page that were not the result of direct requests for the domains for sale (including page reloads), it does not include hits by NinerNet Communications staff, and each counter is unique to each domain.
2. What is Afternic?: Afternic is a domain-name exchange. Owners of domains who want to sell their domains can list them for sale with Afternic. Domain shoppers who are looking for a premium domain can browse or search the listings to find the name they want. Buyers can offer the asking price to purchase the name immediately or they can try to negotiate with the owner by offering a lower price.
3. If I want to buy a domain, should I make my offer through Afternic or directly to the registrant?: This depends on how much you are offering. All offers for less than US$4000 must be made through Afternic. If you are offering more than US$4000 the choice is yours. If you are already a member of Afternic then you will probably choose to make your offer through them, although you are welcome to make your offer directly to the registrant. Making an offer directly to the registrant that results in a sale means lower transaction fees. Another benefit of making an offer directly to the registrant is that your offer does not automatically trigger an auction, as happens on Afternic. Either way, the give and take of the offer and counter-offer process is the same. However, it is important to note that any sale will be closed using Afternic's escrow service for peace of mind for both the buyer and seller. If you are not already a member of Afternic you will have to pay them a US$1 fee to join as a buyer.
4. How is a transaction to buy a domain processed?: Please read Afternic's "Buying domain names" FAQ for all the gory details. Your money is protected during the transaction.
5. If I buy a domain, how do I know that you will transfer the registration to me?: Afternic's escrow service will be used for all sale transactions regardless of whether the domain is purchased through Afternic or directly from the registrant. Please read Afternic's general FAQs, FAQs for buyers, and escrow FAQs. Their escrow service is a neutral, independent third party to the transaction (as escrow services are) that ensures that both the buyer and seller fulfil their obligations.
6. In which currency will transactions take place?: All sales will be in US dollars. Canadians may lease domains in Canadian dollars; all others will lease domains in US dollars.
7. What is the minimum offer to buy a domain?: The minimum offer for all domains is US$1000, and all offers less than US$4000 must be made through Afternic, not directly to the registrant. Reserve prices are confidential. Asking prices (if applicable) are revealed in the listings on the Afternic site (which you can view by clicking the "Make offer through Afternic" link or button next to each domain) and vary between domains. Minimum, asking and reserve prices are subject to change without notice.
8. How does a lease work?: If you are certain you only need a domain for a relatively short period of time, cannot raise the necessary funds to purchase a domain outright, or (in the case of certain TLDs) do not qualify and do not plan to qualify under certain rules that may be required to be met to purchase a domain outright, you can lease a domain from the registrant for a monthly fee. (Please read the next FAQ for very important information regarding nexus rules and "presence requirements".) The length, cost and payment terms of the lease are negotiated on an individual basis, and are subject to substantially the same terms of service as a domain hosted with NinerNet Communications. (However, you are not obligated to host a leased domain with NinerNet, but hosting may be included in the lease if you so desire.)
9. Can I buy or lease a domain that requires I qualify under nexus rules or "presence requirements"?: You can only buy or lease such domains if you meet all of the rules of the registry. Certain TLDs (particularly ccTLDs such as dot-ca and dot-us) require purchasers or lessees to meet their nexus rules or "presence requirements" even just to lease a domain. We will do our best to ensure that we alert you to such requirements (including by giving you a link to the rules posted on the Web site of the governing registry) and to ensure that you meet them, but ultimately it is the responsibility of the purchaser or lessee to ensure that they abide by the rules of the registry governing the TLD of the domain they are buying or leasing, and we will neither accept responsibility nor refund any monies paid should a purchaser or lessee run afoul of such rules. Should a lessee be found to be violating any rules of the registry of the TLD governing a domain that they are leasing, their lease will be suspended immediately or (at the discretion of the lessor) following a reasonable amount of notice if the registry gives the lessor reasonable notice of suspension. No money will be refunded in the case of such suspensions.
10. If a domain is leased, how can I make an offer to buy or lease it when the current lessee is finished with the domain?: By their nature, leases are temporary. Therefore you can make an offer to buy or lease a domain in the future by clicking the appropriate link by the domain. However, there are no guarantees that the domain will come available at any particular time unless use of the domain has been negotiated for a fixed period. Due to the automated nature of the Afternic listing process, leased domains are not listed there.
11. I have a domain for sale. Will you list it for me here?: No. This page is only for listing domains registered by NinerNet Communications.
12. Why have you registered all of these domains if you are not using them? Why should I have to pay a minimum of US$1000 for something I should be able to buy for only $4.99, if you hadn't already registered the domain I want?: Those are reasonable questions, and here's our reasonable answer. As it says at the top of the page, "All of these domains have been acquired by NinerNet Communications for specific future projects." Some of these will be for-profit ventures, some not. Given enough time, money and resources, all will come to fruition one day (and numerous domains that have appeared on this page have since been pressed into use for the projects for which they were purchased), but we'd rather not take the chance of not getting just the right domain for want of a small investment of a few dollars a year. At the same time we'd rather not selfishly hoard these domains if we might own a domain that would be perfect for your project and if it might be possible for us to realise a greater and/or quicker return on our investment. Hence we have put up this page in the belief that doing so could be mutually beneficial.
13. Hey! The Google results you refer to in the descriptions above are not accurate!: These results were obtained on 23 March 2007 and were accurate on that date. Search-engine results change daily, and can also depend on where in the world you are located (as search-engine results can be geographically targeted) or what else you have been searching for or which results you choose to click. They are provided as a guideline only, and you are invited to do your own research to determine the potential worth of a domain.
14. How can I contact you without making a bid?: Please use our contact form.