About a year ago I acquired a domain name. At the time, the .com version was, disappointingly, taken. I settled for .net.
I received an email* the other day:
Exciting news indeed! Since I haven’t yet launched the website, I could get the .com address and move everything over. I hurried over to their link to purchase it. As I was filling out the form, a very rational thought occurred to me: Google traderdomains.net.
So I did. I found this. And this. My heart sank. A scam? But after reading the posts and the comments left on those sites, I realized that, although traderdomains.net is a scam, they’re partially telling the truth. The .com of my domain has become available. These scumbags were just trying to get me to buy it from them to make a profit.
So I popped over to my web host DreamHost.com, did an availability search for the .com name, and five minutes later I’m the proud owner of it (for three years anyway). A quick Google search saved me $40 and kept the cash out of these greedy bastards’ hands.
But I can’t get too mad. They do provide a valued service. At least they alerted me that the .com was free now.
*Domain name removed as I am not quite ready to release it. In due time folks, in due time.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the tip, Carlo. Sucks that every time you get a message from a company or someone you don’t know, you have to wonder if they are real or not.
Can’t wait to hear the domain name – it’s gotta be a good one!
Yikes – that was a close call. Good thinking on the Google check.
Yeah, I get this too and nearly fell for it. But mine was the Grabtabs.com version of a domain name that surprisingly someone let expire.
I wrote about it here
http://the-name-i-wanted-was-already-taken-so-i-used-a-lot-of-dashes.com/the-traderdomains-net-scam-avoid-this-rip-off-company/