NamePros Blog

Domain blog covering the latest domain news, domain sales, reports, analysis, advice, interviews, strategy, and more.
SpaceshipSpaceship
Namecheap AuctionsNamecheap Auctions
Namecheap AuctionsNamecheap Auctions
Subscribe to blog

information Top Topics: NAS.com Sold for $720,000; Ten Mistakes New Investors Make...

In this week's Top Topics, we feature a six-figure, three-letter .COM sale, and there's a general discussion about disclosing domain sales data. Elsewhere, a seasoned domainer comes up with a list of ten mistakes made by new investors, and just how do you come up with ideas for hand registration...
 
14
•••

analysis Two Years Plus Of APP Domain Name Sales

The .app domain extension was released for general availability by Google on May 8, 2018, after a short sunrise period with higher registration costs. Now in circulation just over two years, I thought this an opportune time to look at aftermarket sales and health of the extension...
 
39
•••

information Top Topics: My August Afternic Experiment Results; Startup Names Are Getting Less Silly...

In case you missed it, a UK-based portfolio owner revealed the recent sale of the domain name LT.co.uk for a price of £83,000, which equates to around $110,000. If this is charted by NameBio, the name would be the second-largest two-letter .CO.UK domain sale in public history. It would...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
11
•••

strategy What Domain Names to Acquire – Can a Prospectus Help?

It is too easy to acquire domain names. There are so many enticing names sitting in auctions, closeouts, or available to hand register. In fact a whole section of NamePros regularly offers names of every type and price range.

There are far more attractive names than any one person can...
 
48
•••

information Top Topics: Mexico.tv Sells for $10,000; KeepAmericaGreat.com Has a New Owner...

In this week’s Top Topics, an investor asks how you can accumulate a sizeable portfolio of thousands of domains, and a $10,000 .TV sale is announced. Elsewhere, KeepAmericaGreat.com is put to use by Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, and Verisign is proposing using the URS system for .COM and...
 
10
•••

interviews Domainer Interview: Joseph Ciprut, the Cognitive Master

In August 2016 many in the domain industry were bidding in expired auctions, searching the closeout lists, creating brandable names, speculating in new or repurposed extensions, and chasing elusive single word or very short .com names. Joseph Ciprut was taking a somewhat different...
 
56
•••

information Top Topics: Reaction to the $151,000 Fanbase.com Sale; The July Domain Industry Report...

If you are going to share details of a domain name sale, I’d urge you to disclose the domain name that was sold. There was an interesting discussion that was created over the weekend documenting a two-word .COM domain sale which occurred via Afternic.

According to the discussion, it was...
 
12
•••

strategy Catching Trains and Avoiding Train Wrecks

The Internet was in less than 5% of homes when visionary Gary Kremen registered jobs.com, housing.com, autos.com, sex.com and about two dozen other valuable domain names. For free! The story is relayed in David Kushner’s superb book The Players Ball. The...
 
89
•••

information Top Topics: AbdulBasit Makrani Spills the Beans; What's Your Outbound Sell-Through Rate?...

In this week's Top Topics, an investor asks for suggestions as to what you do when you first acquire a new domain name, and we ask - does being multilingual make a difference in domaining? Elsewhere, there's a video interview with AbdulBasit Makrani, and this week's featured poll asks you to...
 
16
•••

information Top Topics: Trading.tv Sold for $15,000; My Afternic Experiment Results for July...

Slightly late, this is Top Topics from last week, covering stories from the week commencing Monday August 3rd, 2020. These stories include the sale of the Trading.tv domain for $15,000, the revelation of the Notarize.com domain purchase price, and AbdulBasit Makrani's Afternic experiment...
 
8
•••

analysis Major NET Sales: Price, Type, Length, Venue and Current Use

While .com certainly dominates the domain name aftermarket, significant .net sales continue to take place. For this article, I took a look at NameBio recorded .net sales of $10,000 or more during the period Jan 1, 2015 to Aug 10, 2020. There were 206 .net sales of $10,000...
 
Last edited:
40
•••

interviews Domainer Interview: Jason Sheppard, the Kingpin

In the first half of 2020 I noticed significant sales being regularly announced by Jason Sheppard. Then, a couple of weeks ago, on successive days he announced sales of two .vc extension domain names, each at a retail price of $4999. The name basic.vc sold July 23, while...
 
Last edited:
51
•••

information Top Topics: How Do You Manage Your Domains?; Where Do You Get Your Domains?...

In this week's Top Topics, we look at the best methods for managing your domain names, the featured poll asks where you source most of your domain names from - whether that's auctions, hand registrations or by other means, and what's the best way to invest your money now to achieve a $300,000...
 
10
•••

sales Domain Name IT.co.uk Sells For About $242,000

Last month we noticed that two high-worth domain names had transferred ownership, IT.uk and IT.co.uk. We did not know the price of the sale until today, however, when the domain name appeared in the weekly Sedo sales list.

The domain name IT.co.uk sold for 187,200 GBP...
 
Last edited:
25
•••

information Top Topics: My $17,999 Afternic Sale; Why You Should Renew Your Domains In Advance...

In this week's Top Topics, AbdulBasit Makrani gives some advice about renewing domain names in advance, an investor shares a comprehensive list of places to find reported sales data, and there are details on how you can get free replays of The Domain Show sessions.

Elsewhere, an investor shares...
 
12
•••

information Selling Domains: The Best Business And The Worst Business - Don’t Do It Alone

One great thing about selling domain names is it is so easy to get started. With just a little money to buy a few names, and an Internet connection, you can be in the business of domain name selling. There is no need to be part of a large company or set up a facility. You can do it alone if you...
 
67
•••

information Top Topics: Shift.com Reportedly Sold for $385,000 in 2015; Live Chat on Landing Pages...

In this week's Top Topics, a six-figure sale from 2015 is uncovered thanks to some details that were found in an SEC filing. We also take a look at Mike Mann's $1 investment that netted him $58,000, and an investor struggles with outbound sales. Elsewhere, domainers are encouraged to share their...
 
12
•••

analysis A Look at the High Value Domain Name Sales in 2020

We are a bit more than halfway through 2020, so I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the top 100 domain name sales so far this year. I used the sales recorded in NameBio, extracting the list effective July 11, 2020.

As of writing, to make the top 100 of the year required a...
 
Last edited:
76
•••

information Top Topics: Delta Acquired Delta.com for $2,125,000; What Do You Want to Know About Domains?...

In this week's Top Topics, Dofo's founder invites investors to ask questions that he can answer using the hundreds of gigabytes of domain data that the company processes. Elsewhere, a domainer stumbles across one of the best geographical domain portfolios in existence, and George Kirikos...
 
11
•••

information Is Domain Name Presentation Important?

In a recent NamePros Blog post, I looked at the different ways a domain name can be found. One of the most important is through the lander.

Over the last few years additional marketplace choices, and additional lander options at marketplaces, make it possible to add a variety of...
 
Last edited:
42
•••

information Top Topics: Betting.com Sells; How Do You Respond to a 5 Figure Initial Offer?...

In this week’s Top Topics, AbdulBasit Makrani shares the results of his June Afternic experiment that includes a $50,000 “buy now” sale. Elsewhere, investors discuss the recent SCOTUS Booking.com decision, and an entrepreneur asks domainers for opinions on the best alternative domain to register...
 
11
•••

analysis Mixed Messages from Domain Sales in First Half of 2020

Last edited:
44
•••

information Top Topics: How Is Your 2020 So Far?; Does a Successful Company Need a Great Domain?...

In this week’s Top Topics, we feature a poll asking whether your year so far has been successful in terms of domain sales. Elsewhere, we discuss first and last name domains, and an investor asks whether a company can be too successful to need a great domain name?


First Name and Last Name...
 
10
•••

information The Many Ways People Might Discover Your Domain Name

Successful domain investing might be simplified as
  • Acquire domain names that people will want.
  • Price them correctly.
  • Get the names noticed by potential purchasers.
  • Effectively negotiate sales.
In this article, intended mainly for those relatively new to the field, I look at...
 
112
•••

information Top Topics: A $22,000 .TV Sale; Would You Pay to Attend a Virtual Conference?...

In this week's Top Topics, we feature a $22,000 .TV sale that was announced this week, less than a year after it was acquired for $1,900. Elsewhere, investors discuss the news that Mike Mann dropped fifty thousand domain names, and our featured poll asks whether you would pay to attend a virtual...
 
12
•••

interviews Jackpot.io Sold for 5 BTC ($48,500): Interview with the Seller

One of the biggest domain name sales of the week was Jackpot.io that sold for about $48,500. I got in touch with the seller, barman (@ppcbz), to learn more about the sale, his background in domain investing and his plans moving forward. The seller announced the sale on...
 
Last edited:
73
•••

information Top Topics: My Experience of Payment Plans; What Value Do Brokers Bring?...

I wanted to highlight @Kate Buckley's sale of GreenStreet.com for $100,000 and the story of how she sold the domain. According to DNJournal, Kate initially reached out to the company that ultimately bought the domain, but their CEO wasn't interested.

Fast forward several months, and...
 
13
•••

analysis Types of .IO Domain Names That Sell and Where

Last week I looked at sale statistics for the .io domain extension, as well as the history and regulatory framework. In this post I analyze the types of names that sell in the extension, plus sales venue statistics. I also take a look at current status of major .io domain name...
 
Last edited:
84
•••

information Top Topics: My Afternic Experiment Results; How Many Domains In Your Keeper Portfolio?...

In this week's Top Topics, AbdulBasit Makrani shares the details in the latest installment of his Afternic experiment series. Elsewhere, I ask domainers to share what has happened to their sold domains, and after reaching a significant milestone of five thousand domains, an investor asks the...
 
10
•••

analysis Why is the .IO Extension So Popular?

Many domain investors and startup owners are enthusiastic about the .io domain extension. Quality single word names can command five-figure prices. The extension has one of the best global sell-through rates of all extensions.

The rate of adoption of .io by startups continues to...
 
Last edited:
81
•••

information Top Topics: The Top 5,000 Prefixes and Suffixes; How to Double Your Capital in 6 Months...

In this week's Top Topics, we feature a debate about the ethics of staying quiet when a newer investor spends thousands of dollars on poor quality domains. Elsewhere, a domainer has shared a list of the five thousand most popular prefixes and suffixes, and someone asks the community for advice...
 
12
•••

information Hand Registering Domain Names

Most domain name investors start out with hand registrations. Many later move on to acquiring domain names mainly through expired auctions or closeouts. While it is true that many of the best domain names were registered long ago, creative domain investors can occasionally find worthwhile names...
 
Last edited:
124
•••

information Top Topics: Dynadot CEO's Q&A; Should We Stop Comparing Domains to Real Estate?

One of my favorite parts of the week is choosing the discussions for Top Topics. I get to take some time to browse the talking points of the week and compile a little list of Top Topics that I think will be interesting to you, the reader. I hope you like this week's selection, but as always, I'm...
 
14
•••

information A Look At Zoom: The Companies and the Domain Names

Last edited:
35
•••

information Top Topics: 2020 Price Guide and COVID Impact; 3 Years in Domaining, Zero $1,000+ Sales...

Yesterday, I noticed that the domain name Stash.com had changed WHOIS status. It had moved from "ClientTransferProhibited" to "ok," signifying that the domain has been unlocked. This often implies the domain is about to move. Typically, this wouldn't even be close to being newsworthy, but this...
 
14
•••

analysis Wholesale and Retail Domain Name Transactions

A wholesale domain name transaction refers to a domain investor acquisition. For example one investor buying a domain name from another here on NamePros, or an investor acquiring a domain name in an expired domain auction.

A retail transaction is a sale to the business, organization...
 
Last edited:
41
•••

information Top Topics: Flipping a Domain Within 3 Hours; ICA Introduces a New Membership Level...

In this week's Top Topics, we feature the latest from an investor's test of the effectiveness of Afternic, and we hear from a domainer as to why they became a member of the ICA. Elsewhere, we see details of a domain flip that occurred just three hours after the investor registered the domain...
 
12
•••

services Naming As A Service

Domain names can be viewed as either a product or a service. In the product model, a potential purchaser browses available names, selecting one that is a good match.

Seen as a service, the domain expert works with a client to identify aspects of an optimum name, and then helps them...
 
55
•••

information Top Topics: My Five-figure Domain Just Expired; How I Flipped a Domain from $7.49 to $799...

In case you missed it, NamePros writer @Bob Hawkes produced an in-depth look at portfolio diversification this week. A highly diversified domain name portfolio may be better prepared to stand the tests of an economic downturn. If you are curious about exploring the concept of...
 
9
•••

other There are Numerous Ways to Diversify a Domain Portfolio, but Is Diversification a Good Idea?

Domain names in health and education have recently seen increasing demand, while some other areas have fallen slightly out of favour. Those who held quality domain names across many sectors were less impacted, both positively and negatively, than those with narrow specialization. This article...
 
57
•••

information Top Topics: 56.com Cost At Least $7.2 Million; Danish Company Pays $100,000 for CoolShop.com...

In case you missed it, Facebook likely acquired the domain Rooms.com for an undisclosed fee very recently. The news was first mentioned by myself on Twitter and first covered on Elliot Silver's (@EJS) DomainInvesting.com. This acquisition comes as Facebook released its Zoom rival...
 
16
•••

interviews 14 Great Interviews from the NamePros Blog

Interviews provide insights directly from those involved in domain name sales, acquisitions and the industry. Nothing can quite replace hearing domain industry influencers speak in their own words.

While several of the well known domain industry blogs and podcasts serve up interviews weekly, I...
 
Last edited:
22
•••

information Top Topics: The Intriguing Story of Pronoun.com; I Received an Offer 1 Hour After Acquisition...

The Pronoun.com domain sold at an expiry auction this week for $9,999. The name certainly has a prestigious history. According to DomainIQ, the domain was owned by Nat Cohen's Telepathy Inc until July 2017, when Pronoun.com was acquired by Macmillan Publishers for their Pronoun self-publishing...
 
8
•••

sales My.Life Domain Name Sells for $175,000

This morning the Premium Domains division of Donuts confirmed the sale of the domain name My.Life for $175,000. I had reached out to them a few days ago, after rumours of the sale first emerged on NamePros.

If, or when, the sale is listed on NameBio, it would become by far the...
 
45
•••

sales Has the Pandemic Influenced Recent Domain Name Sales?

Many have speculated on how the COVID-19 pandemic, and associated business climate, will influence the domain name sales market. In this article I look for statistical evidence of recent changes in domain name sales numbers or total dollar volume.

I also collected opinions from domain...
 
49
•••

information Top Topics: COVID-19 and Domains - How Have You Fared?; Tracking Down an Elusive Domain Owner...

In this week's Top Topics, we look at the potential correlation between the Coronavirus pandemic and domain name sales, and we see which prominent industry figures domainers respect the most. Elsewhere, Dofo's founder shares an analysis of the.COM extension and an investor has trouble tracking...
 
12
•••

reviews Bookshelf – Domnomics: The Business of Domain Names

The book Domnomics: The business of domain names authored by John McCormac, provides historical, statistical and economic insights on the development of the domain industry.

Domnomics is a noteworthy contribution to our understanding of how the domain business has...
 
Last edited:
37
•••

information Top Topics: Zapier Acquires Zap.com; Decentralization.com Closes at Just $5,050...

Is automation powerhouse Zapier about to rebrand to Zap? It looks like the company bought Zap.com earlier this year, anyway. According to DomainIQ, the name moved from NameCheap to Name.com under privacy protection in January, with Zap.com now redirecting to Zapier.com. Incidentally, Name.com is...
 
10
•••

analysis A Look at 2019 Premium Domain Name Sales in the .ORG Extension: Prices, Length, Types, Venues, Uses

This article looks at .org extension domain name sales during 2019. I use data from the NameBio database, only considering sales at prices of $5000 or more.

There were 123 sales above $5000, accounting for a total sales volume of just over $1.6 million.

The...
 
44
•••

information Top Topics: Coronavirus.es Confiscated by the Spanish Government; Which Is the Safest Registrar?...

In this week's Top Topics, an investor asks whether it's an opportune time to perform outbound sales in light of the social isolation that much of the world is experiencing right now, thanks to the Coronavirus. Speaking of the Coronavirus, a domainer shares their story of how their domain...
 
10
•••
Truehost — .com domains from $4.99, hosting includedTruehost — .com domains from $4.99, hosting included

We're social

Escrow.com
Spaceship
Domain Recover
CryptoExchange.com
Catchy
DomDB
NameFit
  • The sidebar remains visible by scrolling at a speed relative to the page’s height.
Back