I used a domain broker and saved 40% vs. direct negotiation

This works until owner is Chinese holding company with privacy guard and lawyer-only contact. Tried this for a .dev, got one reply "make offer" then silence for a month.

Broker got same owner to $1.2K in two weeks. I paid $180 fee. Sometimes the middleman has the WeChat or whatever that you don't.

Not all brokers equal though. Tallinnying's ghosting story sounds like a scammer, not a broker.

Following this with interest. I've got a .nz I want to acquire, owner has privacy guard on.

Question for GeorgeNmp: did Vultr handle the escrow/transfer too, or just negotiation? I've heard horror stories of paying owner direct and never getting the auth code.

Also re: green_shinga's point -- 15% for server names is nuts. That's the "relationship" premium because data center brokers know you have budget. Different market than dictionary words.