Without Fear or Favor
In a world where influence peddling runs rampant, where “reviews” are often paid endorsements masquerading as advice, and where every corner of the domain industry seems to have a price tag attached, Defequer stands as something increasingly rare:
Completely, utterly, aggressively independent.
We don’t take money from registrars. We don’t accept sponsorships from auction houses. We don’t do “premium reviews” for a fee. And when disgruntled domainers offer to buy our silence?
Don’t even bother trying.
Such attempts only fuel our satirical fire and might earn you a dedicated roast. (Yes, someone tried this. No, it did not go well for them.)
Why Independence Matters
The domain industry thrives on affiliations and backroom deals. It’s an ecosystem where:
- “Top 10 Registrars” lists are often paid placements
- “Expert reviews” are written by people with affiliate links to the products they’re praising
- Forum “gurus” get free domains from registrars in exchange for positive mentions
- Automated appraisal tools are designed to make you feel good about your domain, not to give you accurate valuations
In this environment, trust is scarce.
When you read a review somewhere, you have to wonder: Is this person being paid? Do they have an affiliate relationship? Are they getting free products? Would they say something different if the money stopped flowing?
With Defequer, you never have to wonder.
What Our Independence Means for You
No hidden agendas. When we say a domain is overpriced garbage, it’s because we genuinely believe it—not because a competitor paid us to say so.
No conflicts of interest. We don’t accept money from any platform we might critique. GoDaddy could offer us a million dollars to stop roasting their overpriced listings. We’d publish the offer letter and roast them harder.
No soft-pedaling. Because we’re not worried about losing sponsors, we can be as brutal as the facts warrant. If a domain deserves a 9.5 on the Delusion Index, we give it a 9.5.
No sacred cows. Registrars, marketplaces, “industry leaders,” forum celebrities—all are fair game if they’re promoting or enabling domain delusion.
The Bribes We’ve Refused
We don’t kiss and tell. Except when we do.
Attempt #1: The “Take It Down” Offer
Shortly after we published our first major roast, we received an email from someone representing the seller. The offer: $500 to “reconsider our position” on the domain.
Our response: We published the email (redacted for privacy) and explained why $500 wouldn’t cover the damage to our credibility if we accepted.
The seller’s representative stopped emailing in exchange for the removal of their email address.
Attempt #2: The “Sponsored Post” Proposal
A domain marketplace approached us about “sponsored content.” The terms: we’d write positive reviews of their platform in exchange for payment. No disclosure required.
Our response: We explained our policy, suggested they might want to buy an ad on a different site, and wrote a completely unrelated roast about one of their listings the following week. (Coincidence? Probably.)
Attempt #3: The Affiliate Offer
A registrar wanted us to join their affiliate program. We’d get a commission on every domain registered through our links. In exchange, we’d presumably be “friendlier” to their platform.
Our response: We considered it briefly, then realized we couldn’t critique their overpriced closeout auctions if we were making money from their registrations. We passed.
Attempt #4: The “Friendship” Bribe
This one was more subtle. A domainer offered to “collaborate” with us. Share insights. Maybe co-author some content. Eventually, it became clear that the collaboration would involve us not roasting his domains.
Our response: We roasted one of his domains. (It was genuinely terrible. He should have known better.)
The Threats We’ve Received
Bribes are one thing. Threats are another. Both get the same response.
The Legal Threat
After we roasted a domain that was obviously infringing on a trademark, we received a cease-and-desist letter from an attorney representing the domain owner. The claim: defamation.
Our response: We published the letter (redacted), explained why opinion-based satire isn’t defamation, and added a paragraph about how UDRP disputes work. The attorney stopped writing.
Legal reality check: In most jurisdictions, statements of opinion are protected speech. When we say a domain is “overpriced garbage,” that’s an opinion based on market data—not a false statement of fact. Satire is especially protected.
We’re not lawyers. But we’ve consulted them. And they’ve assured us that as long as we:
- Stick to verifiable facts
- Clearly label opinions as opinions
- Don’t make false statements of fact
…we’re on solid ground.
The Forum Smear Campaign
After one particularly brutal roast, the seller went on a multi-forum campaign to discredit us. We were “jealous.” We were “haters.” We were “clearly not real domain professionals.”
Our response: We linked to the smear campaign from our site, thanked the seller for the free publicity, and watched our traffic spike.
The Doxxing Attempt
Someone tried to find our real identities and publish them online. They failed. (We’re better at internet privacy than most domainers are at domain investing.)
Response: We noted the attempt in a roast and moved on.
Our Funding Model: How We Stay Independent
If we don’t take bribes and we don’t do sponsorships, how do we keep the lights on?
1. Our Own Pockets
Defequer is a passion project. All of us have day jobs. We fund the site because we believe in the mission.
2. Reader Donations
Although we don’t have a donation button, a few generous netizens have offered free web hosting or linux consultation.
3. Affiliate Links (not in place yet)
In future, we might link to tools we actually use and recommend: NameBio, Google Keyword Planner, domain registrars with fair pricing. If we do, we will use affiliate links—and we will clearly disclose that fact.
Important: We never let affiliate considerations influence our content. If a tool we recommend has an affiliate program, great. If it doesn’t, we still recommend it if it’s useful. The affiliate relationship is consequence, not cause.
What We Don’t Do
- No paid reviews – Ever. For anyone.
- No sponsored content – You can’t pay to appear on our site.
- No “premium” access – Everyone sees the same content.
- No selling user data – We don’t collect what we wouldn’t share.
What We’d Never Accept
Even if someone offered us life-changing money, we’d refuse:
- Money to remove a roast – That’s called a bribe, and we’d publish it.
- Money to write positive coverage – That’s called propaganda, and we’re not your mouthpiece.
- Money to target competitors – That’s called a hit job, and we’re not hitmen.
- Money to shut down – Why would we? We’re having too much fun.
How Threats Affect Us (Spoiler: They Don’t)
We’ve learned that threats follow a predictable pattern:
Stage 1: Anger
The seller is furious. How dare we mock their precious domain! They write a long, rambling email explaining why we’re wrong and they’re right.
Stage 2: Bargaining
Maybe if they explain it more clearly, we’ll understand. They send comparables (usually irrelevant). They cite automated appraisals (always irrelevant). They appeal to our sense of fairness (we have one—it just agrees with us).
Stage 3: Threats
When bargaining fails, the threats begin. Legal action. Doxxing. Reporting us to our hosts. Getting us banned from forums.
Stage 4: Silence
When none of it works, they go silent. Sometimes they delete their listings. Sometimes they let their domains expire. Sometimes they just retreat to private forums to complain about us.
Stage 5: Repeat
A new seller discovers us. The cycle begins again.
We’ve seen this pattern so many times it’s almost boring. Almost.
What We Ask of You
If You’re a Domainer
- Don’t offer bribes. It’s embarrassing for both of us.
- Don’t threaten us. It won’t work, and we’ll publish your threats.
- Do engage constructively. If you think we’re wrong about a domain, bring data. We’ll consider it.
- Do price realistically. That’s the best way to avoid our spotlight.
If You’re a Buyer
- Trust our independence. We have no financial incentive to mislead you.
- Verify our claims. Everything we say is backed by sources you can check.
- Support us. Share our content. Tell others.
- Submit targets. You see delusional domains every day. Send them our way.
If You’re a Platform
- Don’t ask for special treatment. We’ll critique you if you deserve it and praise you if you earn it.
- Don’t threaten to remove our access. We’ll find other ways to monitor your listings.
- Do improve your marketplace. Less junk, fewer fantasy prices, better buyer protection. We’ll notice.
The Bottom Line
Defequer exists because someone had to say what everyone else was thinking but wouldn’t say out loud.
We can only do that if we’re completely, demonstrably independent.
No registrar owns us. No marketplace sponsors us. No domainer bribes us. No threat silences us.
We are, in the truest sense of the word, unbuyable.
A Final Word to the Tempted
If you’re reading this because you’re considering offering us money:
Don’t.
Save your money. Spend it on renewals for your overpriced domains. Or better yet, spend it on therapy to understand why you think a hand-registered string of buzzwords is worth six figures.
We’re not for sale. We’re not for rent. We’re not for lease, with an option to own.
We’re Defequer. And we’re exactly where we belong: flushing out domain BS, one roast at a time.
Post-Script: The Bribe We’re Still Waiting For
No one has offered us seven figures yet. If someone does, we’ll publish the offer, explain why we refused, and probably buy a nice dinner to celebrate our principles.
Some things are worth more than money. Integrity is one of them.