Yesterday I acquired a premium .ai domain through GoDaddy’s brokerage service for USD 95,000. Their written statements do not align with the reality of the transaction.

What GoDaddy told me (in writing):

“No commission fees are involved in this transaction.”

“The only charges from GoDaddy will be the domain registration fee and the domain price as listed by the seller.”

“The seller’s final asking price [was] USD 95,000.”

What I paid: USD 95,298.98 (95,000 domain + 298.98 registration) by American Express credit card.

The problem: American Express withholds ~3% in merchant fees. Unless GoDaddy itself covers that fee (unlikely), the seller cannot have received USD 95,000.

After the purchase, a GoDaddy manager told me on the phone that “the price of the domain seller is between GoDaddy and the domain seller.” This directly contradicts their earlier written statements that the seller’s final asking price was USD 95,000 and that the only charges from GoDaddy were registration plus the seller’s price.

Why this matters: GoDaddy positions itself as negotiating on behalf of the buyer, but in practice they take the buyer’s maximum, pay the seller less, and keep the difference. If this were disclosed, it would be a different story — but their own emails explicitly say otherwise.

Attached below is part of the email chain (names and domain anonymized, but text intact).

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Hi Jorik,

I’m writing to finalize the details regarding the acquisition of the domain [Domain].ai. After extensive negotiations—ranging from offers of $30,000 to $70,000 USD—we did our utmost to secure the domain at a competitive rate. Despite our efforts, the seller declined to accept any offers below $95,000 USD.

After careful consideration and consultation with my sales partner, we’ve agreed to proceed with the purchase at the seller’s final asking price of $95,000 USD.

The seller justified this valuation by noting that single-word .AI domains are increasingly rare and regularly sell for six figures, with many exceeding $150,000 USD. [Domain].ai stands out as a highly versatile and brandable asset—ideal for [Domain] AI, remote work platforms, or automation tools. Its simplicity and memorability add significant value for any forward-looking brand.

To clarify a few key points: No commission fees are involved in this transaction. The only charges from GoDaddy will be the domain registration fee and the domain price as listed by the seller. Our only ask from you is your continued trust and partnership as a valued client.

Your confirmation number for the transaction as we both agreed to charge you in USD currency “3827086014”

Thank you again for your trust and collaboration. Should you have any further questions or require assistance, feel free to reach out.

Cheers to your success!

[Broker Name] Inbound Sales