Ask HN: AOL owns a domain name I could really use. How to get it?

4 points by cjbarber 13y ago ↗ HN

To be honest, the domain is worth more than I can afford. Can anyone offer any sort of strategy suggestion as to how to approach this?

They are not using the domain.

4 comments

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username111 13y ago ↗

You'll probably never get it without an exorbitant amount of money.

Try looking for a similar name plenty of people use search engines and bookmarks so a domain like thexxxx.com or getxxxx.com isn't that ridiculous.

beat 13y ago ↗

What makes the domain name valuable? People stopped looking for services by domain name about ten seconds after Google was invented. Unless it's a brand name and trademark-sensitive, there's not much you can do.

If you have a viable money-making idea, build it without the magical domain name, get rich, buy the domain.

Casseres 13y ago ↗

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/02/27/how-to-buy-d...

See item 4d in the list. James Siminoff tells how he pleaded for and was given the domain Noble.com for free.

xauronx 13y ago ↗

Make a PDF/html email (pictures, etc etc) that comes off as a desperate plea for help with a project that you have a ton of passion for, then email it to every support email address you can find. If you can make it seem like they're helping a student, single father, struggling programmer, whatever, it might get a forward to someone who can help.

That's my only idea other than the negativity that seems to have infected HN as of late (or maybe it was just a period of positivity when I first showed up?)