valuation scam?

[trak]

i posted my domain on flippa since i'm getting only 20 unique visitors a month even when it's on the front page of Google.

Then i get an email from some guy offering to buy it. it smelled a bit fishy, and i love learning about new internet scams, so i told him to make an offer.

This is what i got back:

I have a 48,000 USD budget for 5-8 domain names. Have you had your domain names evaluated in the past? Without a valuation certificate we cannot be sure in the sale price. Moreover, my accountant and tax services always ask for valaution certificates :-). On the other side, it's very important for me in terms of reselling too. Of course, we must engage a valuation company with a REAL manual service. So I will only accept valuations from independent sources I and my accountant trust.

To avoid mistakes I asked domain experts about reputable appraisal companies. Please check this blog with suggestions from other sellers and buyers:
(link removed by moderator)

If, for example, the valuation comes higher you can adjust your asking price accordingly. It will be fair. I also hope you can give me 12% - 15% discount.

After you send me the valuation via email (usually it takes 1-2 days to obtain it) we'll continue our negotiations. Do you sell domain with a web site or just the name? Domain without content is ok with me. Web site is not necessary.

What is your preferred payment method: Escrow.com, International wire transfer, PayPal.com or something else?

Hope we can come to an agreement fast.

Looking forward to your reply.

i'm guessing that once i click that link i'll either get a virus, or they'll ask me for my bank number and drain my account or something fun like that.
no one in their right mind would pay such a sum for my domain and this email seems like it's very generic, so to me it sounds like a scam.

just thought it's share...

[Bill Thomson]

Yeah I've seen it around Trak - I think they tend to send you to a list to an approved "appraisal" site which will "appraise" your site - for a fee of course!! Of course once you have & email that appraisal they will either ignore you or tell you that your site is not worth buying or similar. You are wise to ignore such rubbish - the only *market appraisal* that ever counts is how much a genuine buyer actually pays you for the site. That's why Flippa is so good - it gets your site out there in front of an audience that's actually willing to buy sites.

Bill