[codegeek]

Don't sweat it. Domain squatting is a business and a big one. There are plenty of people who are squatting on domains thinking it will make them a millionaire. They won't budge for"cheap" $200.

However, if you find a domain you like, it doesn't hurt to try and ask the owner. But don't hold your breath.

[dvcoolster]

Don't you think this is massively inefficient. Nobody can buy all the brandable domains, and there would always be more coming up. A $100-200 profit on your $10 domain for someone who will build stuff over it, seems good for the formation of a sustainable community driven solution. Its just stupid to think that your domain will fetch you millions unless its a dictionary word with searches present. Any thoughts?

[abc8901234]

What you think and the reality of it are two different things. Any intelligent person could see that cybersquatting is not a viable business model. These are not intelligent people you are dealing with. These are the people who think they could go back to 1997 and register google.com and hold them hostage years later for millions. Spend some time browsing on Sedo or Flippa and you'll see how stupid these people are.

My suggestion: don't give in to these people. Keep digging for a good name, or look into one of the new generic tlds.

[dvcoolster]

That pretty much summarises how I felt about the stupidity of several people. These websites, Sedo/Flippa even they look damn old and confusing. Their UX seems shitty, and the whole offer wait for 7 days auction system is pretty tiresome as well.

Having less available domains for people and local businesses, forces people to use subdomains and social media to express their creativity, which is kind of not ideal. The whole barrier to get online is increased manifold by simply no domain availability. I am really surprised there's nothing easier, cleaner and simply better.