Contact us to see if we have a financing option available on the domain you are interested in. It’s also possible that we have a lower priced domain that could suit your needs or we may be able to help you find an alternative through one of our industry contacts.
What if the domain I want is not within my current budget?
Is there a minimum offer amount required?
For our domains that have not been priced, we do not have a minimum offer amount requirement. However, we generally buy and sell domains in the $2,500 to $50,000 price range which we consider to be the current “sweet spot” of the market for small to medium sized businesses in terms of affordability and benefit. Please keep in mind that even much higher offers may not be enough to acquire some of our premium domains. Current market rates for domains that have sold this week can be found at DN Journal.
What is a premium domain?
A premium domain is a domain that meets the majority of the criteria listed in our resources section under ‘What Makes a Great Domain‘.
How did Fat City Properties acquire its portfolio?
The majority of our domains were purchased at auction, through portfolio acquisitions, or individually from their previous owners.
Can't I just purchase a new domain?
Great domains have become a very scarce commodity and the global demand for them continues to increase. Domains that are freely available to register likely do not have much if any value. Nonetheless, domains can expire as companies do go out of business, renewal fees may not get paid, WHOIS info may not be updated due to an inaccurate or unused email address or someone may simply not know the value of a domain that they have had sitting unused for many years. This often results in it being auctioned off by its current registrar or an aftermarket auction company.
There are many companies such as ours that take great effort and financial resources to acquire valuable names that are auctioned off by registrars. When a great domain slips through the cracks and expires, it is generally secured within a few seconds via complex scripting programs and registry acquisitions. Adding digits, a dash, or another word or two does not help a domain’s value. Current market rates can be found at DN Journal.
What if I am unable to find the domain I am looking for?
Not all of our domains are for sale and many are strictly “make an offer” domains. Please contact us to make an offer on any domain not listed on this site.
How do I make an offer on one of your domains that is not priced / listed for sale?
Fill out the form listed on the domain’s home page or the Contact Us page on this site. Please be sure to fill in the form completely or you may not get a reply. We respond to all serious inquiries. If you have not heard back from us within 1 business day, please contact us via email at: sales @ fatcityproperties.com (with no spaces).
How do I purchase a domain from Fat City Properties?
Many of our domain names can be purchased or leased by visiting the home page of the domain. For financed domains, we require a signed purchase agreement. Offers can be made on most of our domains by filling out the contact form at the domain’s home page.
On some domains we give the option to purchase via either PayPal or Escrow.com. Generally we use PayPal for small transactions and lease payments. When a payment is made to Escrow.com, they do not release the funds to us until you confirm that the domain is in your possession.
Regardless of the type of transaction, we will be in contact with you via email throughout the process with reminders and instructions to ensure the domain is transferred to you in as timely of a manner as possible.
Do you offer discounts if I purchase more than one domain?
Yes, we do offer bulk discounts for multiple domain purchases. Discounts are applied to names of equal or lesser value. All domains are subject to prior sale of the first accepted offer. Please contact us for more details.
Does Fat City Properties have any financing options?
We do offer financing on most of our domain names. Certain restrictions apply as far as how the name can be used and when ownership will be transferred.
What forms of payment are accepted?
For financed domains, automatic monthly payments are setup through PayPal, a globally trusted, secure and recognized company which allows payments and money transfers to be made online. PayPal accepts most forms of payment including credit and debit cards as well as instant transfer from a bank account. Please note that PayPal has sending limits if you live outside the U.S., if you do not have an account with them, or if your account is unverified.
Our preferred method of payment is through Escrow.com. Escrow.com is a secure intermediary that will not transfer your payment to us until they confirm that you have ownership of the domain.
Payment through wire transfer, cashier’s check or money order is also accepted. For payment help, please contact: sales @ fatcityproperties.com for more information.
After your payment has been received we’ll initiate the transfer of the domain(s) and provide any needed assistance to make sure the transaction is completed smoothly.
We have absolutely no exposure to your financial details. Any banking or credit card information utilized by you through PayPal or Escrow.com is encrypted through Secure Sockets Layer protocol (SSL) with the highest level of encryption key length commercially available at 128-bits. For more information see: PayPal.com & Escrow.com
Is the purchase price tax deductible?
Domain names are common business expenses and are considered tax deductible intangible assets, as long as they were acquired for use in your business or trade. However, as we are not tax professionals and IRS rules do change, we suggest you consult with your accountant for verification.
How do I transfer the domain?
The majority of our portfolio is registered at GoDaddy.com, the world’s largest domain name registrar and a leading provider of web based services. Transferring to GoDaddy is the simplest and fastest way for us to transfer the domain to you as it basically involves a “push” to your account. This is by no means a requirement* and we can understand why you would want to keep your domains consolidated at your current registrar or choose a different one. If you do not have an account with GoDaddy and would like to utilize them, you can create a free account by clicking the ‘Create Account’ link at the top of the GoDaddy.com home page.
To transfer to a Godaddy account, we need just two things:
- Your Log in name or Customer number: DO NOT give us (or anyone) the password for your account.
- The email that is associated with the account.
Please email these two items to us at: sales @ fatcityproperties.com or contact us via our contact form with the information. We will confirm that we have received payment for the domain and push the domain(s) to your account. You will need to accept the transfer within 10 days.
To accept the domain name into your account:
Log in to your Account Manager.
or If you do not have an account, click Create a New Account, and complete the fields to set up your account.
In the My Account section, click Pending Account Changes. Complete one of the following depending upon whether or not the domain name displays in the list:
If the domain name displays in the list – Select the domain name, and then click Quick Accept.
If the domain name does not display in the list – Click Manually Accept Domains, enter the transaction code and security code from our email click Next, and then proceed through checkout of the free transaction.
To transfer the domain to another registrar:
- Please email us at sales @ fatcityproperties.com or via our contact page with the preferred registrar for your domain.
- After we confirm receipt of payment, we will unlock the domain and email you the EPP/Transfer code so you can begin the transfer process at your registrar.
- Purchase a domain transfer from your registrar (around $10, includes a one year renewal).
- Follow the instructions at your registrar to process and accept the transfer. You will be required to enter the EPP/Transfer code with your current registrar.
- Your registrar emails us an email confirmation to accept the transfer. After we accept the transfer the domain is automatically transferred to you in 5 days.
*Please note that if Fat City Properties has transferred or registered the domain within the last 60 days we cannot transfer the domain to another registrar due to ICANN regulations. You will need to open a free account at our current registrar (generally GoDaddy.com) and we will push the domain to your account. You will be required to keep it there for at least 60 days prior to moving it to another registrar.
Does Fat City Properties own the domains listed at FatCityProperties.com?
Yes. Fat City Properties is the registered owner of all of the domains listed for sale on our site.
Will I own the domain?
Yes. Once a domain is purchased from us it will be transferred to your registrar and you will have complete control to do with it as you please. A yearly registration fee of approximately $10 is required to maintain ownership of the domain.
Does the domain come with anything else?
No. The purchase price is for the domain name only. No website, content, logos or hosting of any kind comes with your purchase.
Are there any other fees besides the purchase price of the domain name?
Any fees associated with the purchase of a domain name are split 50/50 between buyer and seller when purchases are made at our quoted price. The standard fee to utilize PayPal or Escrow.com is generally between 3-5% of the purchase price of which half would be paid by the buyer and half would be paid by us.
When transferring the domain name to a registrar other than GoDaddy there is generally a fee of around $10 which extends the registration period by one year (you will also keep the time remaining on the existing registration). An annual registration cost of approximately $10 is required to maintain ownership of the domain. Most registrars offer registration of up to 10 years in advance to simplify the registration process.
How long does it take for the new ownership to be reflected in the Whois record?
After payment has been verified by Fat City Properties and a domain transfer has been purchased from your current registrar (around $10, includes one year renewal), it takes approximately 5 business days to complete the transfer. If transferring to the same registrar as currently in use by us (most likely GoDaddy), the transfer will generally take 1-2 business days. WHOIS information will be updated with your ownership information after the transfer has been completed. After you have control of the domain, any further updates to your WHOIS can be made at your discretion and while it does vary by registrar, it generally takes less than two hours to update.
Since you are not using a domain that I want, can you just give it to me?
Just as a real estate investor may own an empty lot or a parcel of land, we own several domain names that are not currently developed. This doesn’t mean we won’t develop them at a later date and it doesn’t take away from their value simply because they are currently undeveloped. As can be seen by this week’s domain sales, great domains come at a cost even though none of those sales include anything other than the domain name. As a business that has spent significant time and financial resources in acquiring our portfolio, we cannot give it away.
I’m not trying to create revenue or form an online business, can I have a domain for my school project, charity, or personal website?
Sorry, no. We have a substantial investment in our portfolio and can’t give it away.
Do you have traffic stats for a domain I am interested in?
We base our domain valuations on many factors such as: length, keywords, age, extension, brandability, search value, demand, and comparable sales. Unfortunately, we don’t give traffic stats or revenue as most of the domains in our portfolio are undeveloped, and our properties are sold “as is” without any guarantees of revenue or traffic.
Do you lease any domain names?
Yes. Please contact us with the domain name you are interested in leasing for details. All of our leases have a purchase clause which give the lessee the option to buy the domain prior to the expiration of the lease. We have found that our monthly payment option has been more popular as it also limits the upfront expense, but adds the benefit of ownership.
*Not all of our domains are available for leasing or financing options. Various restrictions apply. Please contact us for more details.
I tried to contact you via your contact form, why didn’t you respond?
Did you fill in all of the required fields correctly? If you checked the box ‘send a copy of this message to yourself’ – did you receive a copy? The most common problem is due to an incorrectly entered email address. We strive to reply to all legitimate messages within one business day. If you have not heard from us by then, please contact us again or email us at: sales @ fatcityproperties.com.
Please understand that we get a tremendous amount of email each day. If your message is rude, looks like spam, or is a very small offer for a high value domain, you probably won’t get a response.