Weapons, Ammunition, Guns Domain Names?

[JamesCrew]

Hi all,

Hope I am posting it in the right section here.

Couple of days ago I thought of a great domain name and I was near to purchasing it using Godaddy's $2 coupon code but I never finished the checkout process as this question came right inside my head:

Are guns, ammunition, weapons related domains good to invest in terns of:

1. finding potential buyers---easily
2. buying power of the industry
3. how big the industry is?
4. do these business prefer 'domains' as an asset or don't care at all?

Would appreciate if someone here who has experience in selling such domains could share their thoughts.

Cheers,

 

[JamesCrew]

Was certain to see responses after weekend, but still nothing!

Anything helpful would be appreciated.

Best,

 

[cdboard]

if you are going to place ads on the domains somehow, be aware that some advertisers don't want their ads on firearm websites.

 

[KDN]

I own WeaponsCentral.com (recently handregged). I don't have the figures to support my statement but I'm pretty sure businesses nowadays have to invest for a solid online presence to stay on top of their game.

If your domain is good, just wait for the end user to contact you and let them shoot (pun intended) you an offer.

 

[JamesCrew]

Thank you for your responses mates.

@cdboard I normally don't add any ads on my domains available for sale. I simply add a landing page with an inquiry form. So I guess I am all clear here. hehehe

@Kenn DN That's a great domain you have their mate, wish you good luck with it. In my view, the domain I want(ed) to register is a good one in many ways and that is why I was a bit surprised to see it available for registration.

The thing I was wondering about was, do Weapon Manufacturers/Sellers really prefer to invest a significant amount of money in their online presence (like domain names?)

 

[KDN]

Thanks, man.

Well weapon-related domains can also be used by affiliate marketers not just the weapon manufacturers/sellers. There's definitely a demand.

 

[JamesCrew]

Thanks, man.

Well weapon-related domains can also be used by affiliate marketers not just the weapon manufacturers/sellers. There's definitely a demand.

Gun affiliates? Really mate, are there affiliate offers out their for this industry?

 

[KDN]

Yup. Google "guns affiliate programs" or something related to it.

 

[JamesCrew]

Yup. Google "guns affiliate programs" or something related to it.

Just did Dude, and WOW they actually have such affiliate offers and so many of them. Never thought this industry would be 'that much' developed in the Online World.

I guess I should give that domain a 'shot' (if you know what I mean, hehehe.)

 

[verbster]

I have several gun domains but have also let many expire. From what I can tell, you're better off specializing in a particular weapon or parts/mods, but who knows. Had a good offer for Alaska / guns / com that I blew over a couple hundred bucks. So sales are out there, probably more so if you are aggressive.

 

[ramkumaritrvs]

i have BitcoinGunStore.com.

These keywords has less endusers but huge money if we find right enduser.

 

[Name Trader]

If you are look for professional looking gun store websites, you don't really find (m)any. I think most gun stores are living in the mom-and-pop pre-internet age. So I'm not convinced there is much pent-up demand. But there is huge potential. Most gun stores are localized. So geo gun store domains should sell reasonably well. IMHO.

Question (not being american): Is it legal to mail order guns across state lines?

 

[drsheraz]

3Dpistols.com

 

[cdboard]

Question (not being american): Is it legal to mail order guns across state lines?

in general, it is legal to ship to a registered dealer. the dealer logs the firearm into his recordkeeping system. the buyer then has to go to the dealer's store and go through the normal buying process.

however, there are rules/restrictions about HOW to ship.

 

[Name Trader]

OK. So another reason why geo gun store domains might have some value?

 

[Kate]

Quite a few stores have an online presence but I can't remember one recent relevant domain sale.

 

[JamesCrew]

Quite a few stores have an online presence but I can't remember one recent relevant domain sale.

My thought exactly. I haven't seen any mention about weapon related domain sales in a months time. And that is another thing confusing me.

 

[Name Trader]

I've never seen a decent independent online gun store. Could somebody provide a link?

 

[The New Guy]

Quite a few stores have an online presence but I can't remember one recent relevant domain sale.

I believe heritage auctioned off gunparts.com last year but couldn't find a record of the sale price.

It's not a fast moving niche. Except for a few big names there are a lot of small players who have small budgets from small profit margins. Unless you have a great one or two word domain name you're probably going to struggle to sell.

 

[TestCase]

I've never seen a decent independent online gun store. Could somebody provide a link?

I was going to post a few examples of "decent" online gun stores but wasn't sure how PC (politically correct) NP is and I didn't want to risk upsetting Matt or any of the Mod's. I hope Matt or a Mod might chime in here and opine as to whether listing the sites - or even just the company names - is acceptable as there obviously seems to be some interest in this niche.

For all those that were thinking they might like to try this niche and create a gun store to earn a few bucks, a Federal Firearms License (FFL) is required to sell any firearms here in the US. And along with this licensing comes a **** ton of regulatory requirements.

My two cents, If you are thinking of "investing" in some gun/firearm related domains for resale, DON'T. Most gun store operators are small independent operators and will not understand the 4 or 5 digit price you are asking for the hot/perfect domain you are trying to sell them. (They probably wouldn't even understand a mid $XX price.)

Now if you are thinking about buying some domains for development then go for it! Gun owners are a loyal and enthusiastic bunch who are always looking for interesting on-topic sites.

 

[Kate]

For all those that were thinking they might like to try this niche and create a gun store to earn a few bucks, a Federal Firearms License (FFL) is required to sell any firearms here in the US. And along with this licensing comes a **** ton of regulatory requirements.

Operating a store is not the only way to make money. You could still create a classifieds site like gunbroker. It's like real estate, I don't think you need licenses to run a classifieds website because you are not selling homes, just providing publishing/advertising services.

 

[cdboard]

I sold two closely related "gun" names last year, about three months apart. I expected the first buyer to buy the second name, but it turned out to be someone else.

there are lots of gun forums on the internet, but the biggest ones have been online for over ten years. there are not many gun niches without a forum.

I've never seen a decent independent online gun store. Could somebody provide a link?

large auction site >>> gunbroker.com

http://www.gandermountain.com/guns/

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/index.php

 

[TestCase]

Operating a store is not the only way to make money. You could still create a classifieds site like gunbroker. It's like real estate, I don't think you need licenses to run a classifieds website because you are not selling homes, just providing publishing/advertising services.

I sure hope no one walks away thinking my post was meant to suggest that the only way to make money in this niche was by actually selling guns yourself. I just wanted to point out that the actual retailing of guns isn't as simple or straight forward as selling t-shirts or coffee mugs.

By the way, it's sounding like a range outing might be in order at the next NP convention... LOL

 

[JamesCrew]

@cdboard thanks for your input mate.

For how much did you sold your gun related domains? And did you contacted the buyer or they reached you?

Cheers,

 

[JamesCrew]

I was going to post a few examples of "decent" online gun stores but wasn't sure how PC (politically correct) NP is and I didn't want to risk upsetting Matt or any of the Mod's. I hope Matt or a Mod might chime in here and opine as to whether listing the sites - or even just the company names - is acceptable as there obviously seems to be some interest in this niche.

For all those that were thinking they might like to try this niche and create a gun store to earn a few bucks, a Federal Firearms License (FFL) is required to sell any firearms here in the US. And along with this licensing comes a **** ton of regulatory requirements.

My two cents, If you are thinking of "investing" in some gun/firearm related domains for resale, DON'T. Most gun store operators are small independent operators and will not understand the 4 or 5 digit price you are asking for the hot/perfect domain you are trying to sell them. (They probably wouldn't even understand a mid $XX price.)

Now if you are thinking about buying some domains for development then go for it! Gun owners are a loyal and enthusiastic bunch who are always looking for interesting on-topic sites.

Many thanks for such a detailed reply dude, really appreciate it.

But how about if I have a much 'broader' domain name covering not only guns but more also the "ammunition" category? Would that be the same case or does it have any charm in it?