SOS Help Please !!!

[doodlebug]

E-mailed the PR company in charge of marketing for website 23HQ.com offering them 23HQ.co.uk and they sent me this e-mail today.

hi andrew,

we'd be interested - just start the transfer/payment proces.

-thomas

What should i do ? shall i request en e-mail for the transfer process plus i would need paying ?
Urgent Help !!!!!! 1st domain ever sold
Thankyou DOODLEBUG

 

[woopwoop]

Would need to know the email you sent them to know fully what their reply means.

Did you tell them a price you wanted in your original email?
If not then their reply is very odd - unless they're about to demand the name due to trademark stuff...

Good luck

 

[doodlebug]

Only asked for 50 quid plus 12 for Nominet fee so i guess it's a bit straight forward ? think i will E-mail them asking for payment into my bank account then do the push ?
Thanks loads WoopWoop !!! your a star !!!

 

[doodlebug]

Here's the E-mail i sent

hi ! hopefully i have the right contact address, I am the owner of 23HQ.co.uk and today i offer you the chance to secure this uk extension for only £50 plus the Nominet transfer fee of £12, so only £62 to secure the UK search engine market.

 

[woopwoop]

Then you need to send them an invoice for £62.

If this is your first time invoicing you need to follow these rules when you type something up:

1. Type INVOICE big up at the top
2. Write your details (name and address)
3. Write their details (company name and address)
4. Make it clear that they are being invoiced (eg. 'Invoice to:' )
5. Type a description of goods (eg. xxxx.co.uk domain name and transfer fees)
6. Next to the description put the price
7. Usually at the top you would put an invoice number (for your records), a PO number (if they have given you a purchase order number - often not), and the due date (when you want them to pay you by, eg. +7/30 days)
8. Payment method on the bottom (eg. Please pay by cheque to 'Bob Smith' or BACS to sort code 00-00-00 account number: 1234 5678)

Then email it to them. You can put paypal as the payment method or only have BACS - whatever.
Once the payment has cleared then initiate the transfer. I hope I've not missed anything.

Here's a link to one I just found in google so you can see the layout: http://billingmanager.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/professional_invoice_template_1.png

If I was you I'd edit your posts to delete reference to the domain name just so that they don't see this when they search for their domain.

Good luck.

 

[doodlebug]

Big Thankyou WoopWoop !!!
I have asked them if they would like to pay into my bank account or if they need security then make an offer on Sedo and i placed a link in the E-mail to the offer page for the domain
If they choose Sedo then at least sedo take care of the transfer.
ThankYou for that invoice layout :grin:
C**p money but at least will have some experience

 

[woopwoop]

I'm really happy for you. £50 is still £50 in your pocket and you're right, great experience.You're ready for the next sale now.

 

[Takwa]

Nice one at least you made money, lots of company didn't reg other version of their .com, nice idea to make a quick few quids since you are not asking much they won;t bother to sue you lol

 

[doodlebug]

lol yes ! Thought i would give it a go, just waiting for a reply now ?
when it goes through i will be selling like mad from now on, don't think their domain name is their trademark so all ligit

 

[woopwoop]

Just a side note that's really important about trademark (and not necessarily about your situation or this domain) is that there are 2 types of trademark protection to be careful of:

1. Registered trademarks protection (those trademarks found in the trademark database at patent.gov.uk and the names with the (r) next to them

2. Unregistered trademark protection (those unregistered names that have been used in the course of trade are still trademarks and can be infringed - they can also use the TM sign without paying any fees but are still protected under trademark law even if no sign is used)

So unless you can defend why you have a domain it's possible another person or company with a claim can go after you.
One big no-no would be to use a domain in a similar business category as another company with a confusingly similar name - this is where they can force you to hand the name over.

I read on a lot of domain forums about people just concerned with registered trademarks but in law there is very little difference between registered and unregistered trademarks - both pretty much have the same protection.

Registered trademarks have the benefit of there being a verifiable date of first use in trade and the extra incentive to put people off infringing.

 

[feKIX]

Well done. I think 50 squid is a good price for that domain.

All you need do now is work on your selling technique, ie forget using hi! as an introduction, etc. Try to be as professional as possible. Find a name or try sir/madam etc.

 

[Takwa]

About the trademark how about one that is "dead" as the company changed to a shorter version?

 

[doodlebug]

Hi ! i mean dear sir/madam lol
Thanks for suggestion on my letter/E-mail FEkix and Takwa as for dead trademarks i know a guy who started a telecommunications business call Mercury after the well known Mercury telecom ceased trading, i think as long as the trademark is no longer registered and not in use then i reckon it's fine !

p.s Sorry for slow response, something to do with 10 kids, 1 bonfire and 50 fireworks lol

 

[retired_member32]

Hi ! i mean dear sir/madam lol
Thanks for suggestion on my letter/E-mail FEkix and Takwa as for dead trademarks i know a guy who started a telecommunications business call Mercury after the well known Mercury telecom ceased trading, i think as long as the trademark is no longer registered and not in use then i reckon it's fine !

p.s Sorry for slow response, something to do with 10 kids, 1 bonfire and 50 fireworks lol

10 kids bloody hell don't you own a telly.....

 

[doodlebug]

Rofl

Luckily only 3 of them are mine and that's enough

 

[woopwoop]

About the trademark how about one that is "dead" as the company changed to a shorter version?

I think it's still a tricky one. I think the name must not have been used for a certain number of years.

...as for dead trademarks i know a guy who started a telecommunications business call Mercury after the well known Mercury telecom ceased trading, i think as long as the trademark is no longer registered and not in use then i reckon it's fine !

Maybe if a few years have past. You also have to think about the class of business. For example I could start a taxi company called McDonalds but not a new brand of icecream because of the food class and restaurant classes are too close.

Sorry I've moved this thread off topic a bit. Interesting stuff though.

I don't know how you cope with 3 kids - I can't cope with my wife