(image source )Via NamePros :
Brendan writes:
"So I was thinking of new domains for a project I want to start and I thought of one that I really really liked and I typed it into my browser…and to my surprise, it redirected to Yahoo. I don’t really see why Yahoo wants this domain..so if I were to contact them about purchasing it, do you think they’d even reply?" The short answer is YES. Many major corporations own premium domains, some bought it themselves and many other gained ownership as those domains were owned by companies which they have acquired.
As for Yahoo, they do sell. We have bought a domain from them in the past, others I know have as well. You need to contact their intellectual property attorney ( I don’t know who it is today) and ask for further details. As for our purchase few years ago, it was all too surprising to me. I sent an email asking to purchase a domain and the price they came back was USD55,000.00. After discussing with their attorney over the phone they agreed to take 5K down payment, let me use it within that time, and the rest within a year. Needless to say within the year the domain was already earning some of the income we paid for it later on, essentially costing a lot less than 55K.
We’ve also acquired domains from other major corporations in the past, some have no idea what they have or what it’s worth. The bottom line, more important then value, it is timing. If you get the right person at the right time you may acquire a million dollar domain for few thousands, and sometimes for less.
Source: Posted on TheConceptualist by Sahar Sarid -- Reprinted with permission -- February 8, 2009