Buying a webhost

Someone is offering me their web hosting company

i was wondering how i can make sure that its not a scam or something.... like how do i know if they really have a server and clients?

Check the IP & see how many domains are hosted, also ask him to post screen shots of root access with the IP address, get there contact number & quiz them with questions. Once your 100% sure.... do the deal.

Don't buy tiny hosting companies, because many want ridiculous prices for what they actually got, and you will be much better off spending the money on marketing instead. Host-buying is never pleasant.

Check the IP & see how many domains are hosted, also ask him to post screen shots of root access with the IP address, get there contact number & quiz them with questions. Once your 100% sure.... do the deal.

and how do i do that?

Unless they can prove to you, and really prove to you, that they are making money or prove whatever reason you'd want to buy them, and they are offering you a fair price, I wouldn't buy it. There's a reason they're selling. :)

If it were me, i'd save my money.

and how do i do that?

http://www.whois.org/

i find that a lot of reasons people sell out is due to they start this as a hobby or try to make it big and when there plans flop or they decide they are tired of spending endless hours being the one man show and want out they sell instead of just closing up shop.

Not all that sell are selling cause of bad reps. or due to issues. best thing to do also is search on the popular forums to see if there are any bad posts or concerns about the company.

thanks for the tips

i have searched up the host in questoin and found fishy results. if they can not verify anything then i will look else where. i'll update again once i get another response

also, if i do purchase their company, how do i make sure i dont pay for nothing?

also, if i do purchase their company, how do i make sure i dont pay for nothing?

You can't unless you trust the seller or you have a good legal contract drawn up.

If you're that unsure, then don't part with any cash or work out a staged payment dependant on customers not leaving so your risk is reduced. When you take over make sure you let all the customers know and hold their hand for a while so they have no reason to leave.

who can draw up a legal contract and how does that ensure a safe transaction?

If you are paying XXX or under for it, don't bother with contracts. It's not an amount later you are going to court-battle for. If you wish to form a proper standing contract, you need a legal helper to write you one.

If you have doubts about the person you are buying from - don't buy

who can draw up a legal contract and how does that ensure a safe transaction?

If you need to ask, then I suggest you review some basic business courses.

Bottom line, don't part with the cash if you have any concerns or don't have the necessary business experience to cover your self. If it's low value, then the lawyer will probably cost you more than the host.

If you still do want to buy, then look at stage payments to reduce your risk.

Best of luck :)

i have searched up the host in questoin and found fishy results. if they can not verify anything then i will look else where. i'll update again once i get another response
Good reason to research thoroughly before buying an "established host" :) The horror stories I hear would make me think 100 times before buying any business. I think the more "security" they put up front, such as NDA, escrow etc, the better chance you are dealing with a serious company. As always, buying anything online is Caveat Emptor.

Edit: If you want to PM the name of the host you are reseaching, PM me and I will see if I can be of assistance.

who can draw up a legal contract and how does that ensure a safe transaction?
Your lawyer.
If you need to ask those questions...

Good reason to research thoroughly before buying an "established host" :) The horror stories I hear would make me think 100 times before buying any business. I think the more "security" they put up front, such as NDA, escrow etc, the better chance you are dealing with a serious company. As always, buying anything online is Caveat Emptor.

Edit: If you want to PM the name of the host you are reseaching, PM me and I will see if I can be of assistance.

thanks

i sent a PM =]

rajhosting is offering me the company but i thought the comapny was sold. i recieve his emails telling me its still for sale. what should i do?

he says he has a server with RTGasia, with roughly 20 clients or so.

Someone claimed to have bought it in http://www.freewebspace.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2164653, so I have no idea :S

yeah, so i told him to make me an account so i can test it and he did:
dat.rajhosting.com

i'm chatting with him now, any questions i should ask him to verify that he didnt sell it and that he is legit and such?

Ask to see income/revenue reports, Uptime stats etc.

The whois details have changed:

Domain: rajhosting.com
Cache Date: 2006-05-15
Registrar: WILD WEST DOMAINS, INC.


Registrant:
Dot Com Domains For Sale
RR 3 Box 2003
Effort, Pennsylvania 18330
United States

Registered through: Dot Com Domains For Sale
Domain Name: RAJHOSTING.COM
Created on: 02-Dec-05
Expires on: 02-Dec-09
Last Updated on: 10-May-06

Administrative Contact:
Drake, Scott domains@dot-com-domains.com
Dot Com Domains For Sale
RR 3 Box 2003
Effort, Pennsylvania 18330
United States
5709926629 Fax --


Domain: rajhosting.com
Cache Date: 2006-05-10
Registrar: WILD WEST DOMAINS, INC.

Registrant:
Santhini Kirpakaran
123 Massey Sq
TORONTO, Ontario M4C 5L3
Canada

Registered through: Dot Com Domains For Sale
Domain Name: RAJHOSTING.COM
Created on: 02-Dec-05
Expires on: 02-Dec-09
Last Updated on: 10-May-06

Administrative Contact:
Hosting, Raj rajuthan@gmail.com
10 Bridle Wood Cirle
TORONTO, Ontario M4C 5L3
Canada
+1.4164158524

allright, i'm dropping all these questions on him

when i asked to see reports and such, he said he will email me all the screenshots he has from jan 15 through may 15

i am waiting on his email right now

when i asked about the whois, he signed off hen back on within 30 seconds (his comp froze apparently)

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/9816/17gq2.gif

http://img316.imageshack.us/img316/2574/28ug.gif

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/3590/31yq.gif

do these prove anything?

as for the domain details, he says teh registant is his wife's name because he used her credit card

Well they are possible proof of income, possible I say because they could be from anywhere.

hmm, so any advice whether this is a good idea or bad idea?

or how to proceed?

i'm thinking stages, but want other opinions first

Did he supply the uptime stats etc?

From: May 08 2006 12:00 AM (US/Eastern)
To : May 15 2006 12:00 AM (US/Eastern)

1. Rajhosting (66.111.227.92) Web Server Test (port 80)
- uptime: 98.810%
- downtime: 02hr 00min
- outage: 1


To stop receiving Weekly Uptime Report, please login to your account, go
to "Account" and update your preferences.

he says his outage was from updating sql

to me its a bad idea, theres a thread a new thread http://freewebspace.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2166528

and also thats pretty bad uptime even for updating sql, thats my opinion though

as for the domain details, he says teh registant is his wife's name because he used her credit card

Oh he used his mom's -- I mean his wife's credit card? :angel:

Ask them for a client list. The name of the company they have their servers with and check with that company to see if it is all true. Ask for some stats, etc.

yeah, this is kinda old....

rajhosting is offering me the company but i thought the comapny was sold. i recieve his emails telling me its still for sale. what should i do?

he says he has a server with RTGasia, with roughly 20 clients or so.

DO NOT GET DUPED!!! I am the owner of RAJ Hosting and it is not for sale. Do a whois on rajhosting.com to see who the real owner is!

Regards,

Scott Drake
RAJ Hosting

I can't believe someone posted the details of their PayPal history on a public forum.

Stop, consult a lawyer, draw up an agreement, meet personally or talk on the phone, work out an escrow and then begin the transfer.

Couldn't believe my eyes! That post wasn't from the previous Raj though. He probably sent it in confidence for vietkid58 to view. Unfortunately, viet"kid" does not realize that this is meant for his eyes only, not for the world to view.