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- May 25, 2019
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- Got it figured out
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Free registration at the forum removes this block.Long story short, in the month of April I noticed a pro-athlete went on a popular sports podcast and at the end of the episode dropped his new website for his online store. It turned out they hadn't purchased the domain yet - so I bought it and then contacted his management and explained I didn't want to be a dick and take advantage of them and offered to sell it for $1500 to them.
Really stupid athlete... however... You holding his domain hostage even for $1500 was a total dick move.
You think you are entitled to be part of this guy’s business just because you sneakily bought his domain for $11 on Godaddy? Bullshit.
This was cringeworthy.
I appreciate your reply and your blunt honesty. This is why I'm here and why I posted. If I didn't buy the domain someone else would have and they would have parked it and refused to sell it for $10,000. I did not blackmail him in anyway... he thanked me for being so 'chill' about the whole ordeal and offered signed gear instead which I said sure. I even said afterwards that they can just have it for free.So.
Yeh that was a weak move stealing the domain. So obviously youre off to a bad start , I dont know why you thought this person would actually respect his would be blackmailer as a business partner.
You own the site but its making sales because of the athletes name.
So let me ask you , if a pro athlete decided to sue you , just out of spite , what could you do? If an easy fifteen hundred bucks sounded like a great idea I imagine what you could do is go bankrupt trying to defend yourself. A pro athlete gets paid enough to file frivolous lawsuits against you every week and not go sweat it.
I think since you're only out the money for the domain and the time spent making a site you might want to walk away. I think you're in over your head.
Ok so even if you didnt have negative intent.
Do you have an agreement in writing?
His name , his fame , his win if it goes to court (if you take merchandise money)
Even if he's the one being a jerk now the dude has a better hand to play than you do.
Can I in theory say that if I'm not paid for my work within x amount of days then I regretfully have to sell the domain on the open market. Yes - there was no written contract but this would probably fall within reliance/restitution. You don't always need a contract.
I hope you're not in the US.
If they brought on lawyers with any sense, they would have torn you a new one with cybersquatting laws.
First you wanted something in exchange for the domain. Then you went and built a store on it. Even if you had no intent of profiting and eventually gave it up. Holy crap son.
If it's in text/email form, it has weight in court. But you'd be retarded to bring that to a judge after doing the above with the domain.
Remove your code from the website and just let them have it. If they want the files, tell them you'll give it to them after the money hits your account.
Thank you to all of you!! I've decided to just re-enable sales after being scared by some of the posts. It's only been disabled for a day and as it stands they only get like 1 sale a day which is of $20.
I am just going to play the waiting game after getting a little scared from some of the posts. That might be my best chance. If they pay me, the pay me. If not I just get to help them out for free here and there for the hell of it which I don't mind.
You should probably just admit to them you were a dick, tell them the work is gratis, hand it all over and wish them well.
Maybe that will win you a little respect and perhaps some legitimate business from them.
You played this all wrong... I would have bought it to give it to them in the first place and then in my benevolence and awesomeness, I would have asked for their business to build and maintain their site long term.
You're worried that you're being scammed? Might have missed something but you come across as a leech, piggy backing off someone else's name and success and then limiting his/her options by locking them into working with you. Highly exploitative and opportunistic. I'd play along and then screw you the second I got the chance too.
They probably agreed to your terms to buy time to talk to lawyers.
Side note to OP, maybe it would be better if you had just given them the domain for free and ask for an endorsement or some sort of social proof in exchange. That's actually better than any $2.5K.
explained I didn't want to be a dick and take advantage of them
I created the shopify but I transferred it over to him and set his email as admin account leaving me a staff account.
Can I in theory add my own product on the website since he's not responding and have it linked to my personal shopify and get paid that way since in theory I own the website?
Now that the site is live does it require any maintenance from you as is?
He phoned me out of the blue to say first lesson in business is never to work for free.
not really to be honest beyond uploading new products when they release new stuff
Great lesson here... for the athlete.
That's the biggest takeaway here, along with suggestions of what he should've done by more experienced entrepreneurs here.He came in here chasing money, but seems to have genuinely learned that helping people is the right way,
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