discuss How to register new gTLD names in 2019 (and actually sell them).

[Brands.International]

How to register new gTLD names in 2019
(and actually sell them).

This is written particularly for new domain investors - I hope it will save you some money
It is only my personal opinion, and I might be wrong (of course). So here we go:
​

1. Register 1 word domain name, in most cases try to avoid 2 word domain names ​

Example of 1 word domain name: holy.life. Example of 2 word domain name: myholy.life or ourholy.life.
Why? Because chances of selling 2 word domain name in new gTLD space is very small (consult namebio.com). Do not think you can outsmart someone with your word1word2.gTLD combo...in most cases you will not outsmart anyone, and usually you will be dropping such names after 1 year. There are exceptions from this rule of course, but safest bet is to simply avoid it, particularly when you just start with domain investing.

2. Register names with not many alternatives in new gTLD space​

This simply means, that end users can not find alternatives for your name in other new gTLD extension, for reg fee.(use uniregistry.com to check that). Particularly when you ignore point no.1 and register 2 word domain name, you will usually find that your string exists in dozens of other new gTLD extensions...and is available to be registered by anyone for reg fee. This subsequently means you will have no leverage when it comes to negotiations with end users.To learn exactly what "alternatives in new gTLD space" means, read this new gTLD appraisal thread here.

3. Register names with large pools of potential end users.​

You can have perfect new gTLD name, but if there are only few suitable end users who can use your name, it will usually take long time to sell it. If you register name where millions of potential end users exist (so something pretty broad and generic), you will be getting much more offers, and you will be able to close much more sales.

4. To be first is not always better...sometimes it is better to be second.​

When registering new gTLD names, consider this: when extension is brand new, there is almost zero awareness about it among end users (unless there is a huge marketing campaign for it you know about).
It can take years for awareness to be created. This also means that for many extensions there is almost 0 aftermarket in early times. Usually only fellow domain investors. This is natural - if something is very new, almost no one knows about it. So if you want to be first to get best names, fine, but budget for your investments accordingly - it is not wise to expect that you will buy something totally new for USD 10, and you will be able to flip it to end user for USD 10k. It happens, but rarely. There are many experienced new gTLD domain investors, who simply wait for drops after 1st year and pick up some very nice names. But this wisdom comes with years of investing experience and is not something what can be intuitively understood, at least from what I see.

5. Make sure renewals of your domain names are sustainable.​

Second most important thing in new gTLD domain investment (after quality of the name) - make sure you understand renewal fees for your domain names. In order for you to be in a long term game, renewal fees of your domain names must be sustainable (aka low). Otherwise you will be dropping almost all of your names after 1 year, and all your effort will be wasted.

6. Make proper landers for your names​

Do not just let your domain names without proper landing pages. Do not be lazy and immediately prepare landers for them. Imo best option is undeveloped.com atm, but many good alternatives are available as well.
Some old school domainers are used to the fact that they were contacted by people who found their contact details in WHOIS database - this is not possible anymore, as due to GDPR legislation most records from WHOIS database are now masked. This also means that when you have new gTLD domain name, your details will be masked in most cases (again, there are few exceptions from this rule, but do not rely on them),. Buyers thus have no way how to contact you. Clear landing pages are a must in 2019.

7. Do not follow the herd.​

Just because all people at Namepros are registering .panda (just an example), it does not mean you also need to register .panda...Most people are not profitable and are actually loosing lot of money - so if you will do the same thing as most people, you will have the same results as most people....

When you follow the herd, it is not only that competition is huge, but you will end up registering nonsense word1 word2 names, in times where there is no aftermarket created yet, when you do not know if there are some renewal promotions in future, when major domain selling sites not yet support that extension, and when there is no awareness yet among end users. Likely result of your action: you will drop your names prior first renewal round. This is happening since 2014 in many forms and shapes, still it seems like most people like to repeat those mistakes happily again and again.

You need to find your niche/extensions/areas of expertise and go from there. The most lucrative way is still to buy new gTLD names from fellow domain investors, but almost no one is doing it, except few people. Typical newbie new gTLD domain "investor" will rather spend USD 10 on 200 bad names and will not sell even 1 of them, prior dropping them all, then to pay USD 2000 for 1 great name which can sell for great profit. Which leads to:

8. Get 2-3 good names instead of 200-300 bad names (which you will drop anyway).​

Buy only quality new gTLD names, as only highest quality sells in 2019. And you know that you have great new gTLD domain name, if you have a good feeling renewing it 9 years in advance.This should be always your test: am I confident enought for this name, so I have no problem to pay years in advance for it's renewal fees? Now to critics which would tell you that you are blocking unnecessarily your capital by paying renewals in advance, I would like to remind:
a) renew your name years in advance if there is a great renewal promotion (you can save sometimes 90% of total cost, as some renewal promotions for new gTLDs are simply amazing)
b) when you renew your new gTLD name 9 years in advance, it tells your potential buyers something about your commitment....in my experience, it is much easier to negotiate if your name is renewed like that.

Buyers are not stupid: they will check everything possible about you and your names, and in most cases they are simply waiting if the name does not expire/if you do not drop it . But when we are in 2019 and your name is renewed until 2027, this waiting game is simply over for them, and they need to approach you if they want the name. But to play this game, you really need to have good new gTLD names.

9. Get to social media and make lot of connections.
​

Do not be a secret seller. Have your portfolio clearly visible to anyone, and go to Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram, Youtube and Facebook at least. People with most success have great online presence, and professionally looking marketplaces.

10. Price your domain names as a pro, do not be a chicken
​

Look, if you price your domains with $120 price tag (for example), this will result in following: you will sell your best domains quickly for low price (and when you report it, fellow domain investors will say Congrats congrats, congrats, and you will feel great as super-seller), but at the same time you will be left with portfolio of bad domain names, which no one wants even for this low price tag. This is sure way to poor financial status and poverty. You do not want that. New gTLD names are very unique, as they are are pure phrases without any suffix, and are therefore also geo neutral. They have great value, and this value grows in time.
If you have great new gTLD name, renew it for years in advance, and do not let it go for cheap - as one day you might retire on it...

11. Bonus point - do not listen to "voices of past" with "only .com is an good investment" mantra
​

This is already past us and so not 2019 - luckily we see this nonsense less and less ...

What is your opinion when it comes to new gTLDs registrations ? ​

 

[Ostrados]

I use this tool to find cheapest registrar for any extension:
https://www.domcomp.com

I use 8 different registrars. it is not very hard to manage them because I use an organised excel sheeh with all my domains with all info (aqusition price, renewal price, selling price, registrar, expiry date, unlock date, checkbox for marketplaces where domain is listed)

 

[Bob Hawkes]

A few ideas re getting good renewal rates on ntLDs (or anything really)::

I agree with @Ostrados re DomComp.I presume most on this list know of it, but I always check TLD-list as well to find lowest current registration, transfer and renewal rates. They have some registrars not on DomComp

Use TLD-List for Historical Rates
One of the reasons I prefer TLD-list to DomComp (but use both regularly) is that if you scroll to bottom of page for an extension it will show you the historical prices. While past does not always predict future, if an extension has gone up and down in renewals, and it is near the top now, if you can wait for a better rate it might be rewarded.

Look at Registrars Not Listed in DomComp and TLD-List
Note that neither TLD-list nor DomComp include some registrars with good prices like West.xyz so you will have to search those rates individually.

Determine Wholesale Prices As Part of Evaluation of Deals
Neither DomComp nor TLD-list include the rates at Domain Cost Club, so if you have a membership, or considering one, there be sure to check their transparent pricing on their website. As DCC show wholesale pricing (the price to registrars) I find this page of prices on registration and renewal helpful even if you never plan to pay for their service. If for example they show that $5.00 is the wholesale cost and someone has a promotion at $2.50 that is a good deal and I should take it. If however, they tell me wholesale is $5..00 but the best anyone else is offering is $9.00 maybe if I wait I can get a better deal.

NameStat Shows Rates Too
Another way to find different registrar pricing in one place is to use NameStat for the extension, and on the right they state the rates for a long list of registrars including Domain Cost Club. Note that NameStat have three tabs one for register, transfer and renew so you can check all there. NameStat is particularly helpful for those who concentrate in just a few extensions.

Read the Emails From Your Registrar!
Finding the multi-year rates is a challenge as they come and go and in general don't show up on TLD-list or DomComp. Read the emails your registrar send you (yes, really!) as they may alert you to deals. For example Domain Cost Club just emailed members with multi-year deals (I think you need to be getting them at time of registration) on 9 popular new extensions. For example you can register a .space for 10 years for $49 or for 3 years for $15.

Check Multi-Year Rates At Registration
When you first register always check what the rates are for multiple years. I sometimes find there are deals that show up that way that don't seem to be announced.

Multi Year Rates Announced Outside Domain Community
Some extensions periodically have good 5 (and or 10) year rates. For example a deal on .tech seems to come and go. Do Google search as often these are promoted in the tech and not the domain community.

Say Goodbye And Be Your Own Drop Catch Agent
Got a name you really like but can't find a renewal you want? Let it go, but watch it. Four of the domains I have now I decided even though I liked them, not enough to pay $15 to $30 for another year. They had super reduced first year rates. So I let them go. Then as the expiry period approached I repeatedly checked their availability. Two of the 4 I was able to get back at the low first year rate. I became my own drop catch agent. Yes, you don't get them all back, but the world if full of domains to handle - having no particular domain is essential to your success.

Be Alert to Time Sensitive Deals
Not as many as for first year registrations, but occasionally find some. One reason I deal with 9 different registrars is that they all tell me about deals they have.

Even after all of that, some domains will never be reduced. For example Google seem to be firm in holding renewals at around the $12 mark (although wholesale a bit less). Also, since they abandoned the discounting the former FFM extensions seem firm at registrations and renewals around the same figure.

Bob

 

[oldtimer]

A few ideas re getting good renewal rates on ntLDs (or anything really)

Very helpful information, I just have one suggestion:

It might be better to refer to new extensions with their official name which is “New gTLDs” , the term nTLD was unfortunately coined by the naysayers who started calling the new extensions “Novelty TLDs” which at the time was meant to make them look less serious than the legacy extensions. Although it might've lost it's original meaning over time. IMO

 

[oldtimer]

I totally agree with your post @Bob Hawkes regarding renewal fees for new gTLD names! New gTLD domains can be very easy to hold, if we do it correctly. The notion that we need to pay lot of money (high premium renewals) for each good new gTLD name is a total myth, mostly spread by people who have no idea about opportunities which are actually possible. To give more details and examples, I will now write from my direct experience: if I put aside my .property portfolio and focus on the rest of my domain names, the average cost of all my domain names is approximately 5 USD / year. That's it - 5 USD! (I believe we can not hold even .com names for 5 USD / year longterm - although I am not expert on it, as I do not really follow .com promotions, so please someone correct me if this is a wrong information, thank you).

Prices of my domains in detail (grouped per extensions in my portfolio $ what I pay for them yearly). I hold:

- approx. 40 .life names, and I pay USD 6 / year for each of them (I admit there are 2 exceptions, with keywords immortal and enjoying, with medium premium renewal of USD 36 for those 2 names)
- approx 40 .world names, with renewal USD 6 / year for each of them.
- approx 80 .vip names, with renewal USD 4.5 / year for each of them
- approx 120 .online names, with renewal USD 8 / year for each of them
- approx 30 .live names, with renewal USD 5.4 / year for each of them.
- and it goes on and on for many other new gTLD extensions where I own my names...

So how to achieve such low pricing for new gTLD names? We really need to study various opportunities in more then 700 different new gTLD extensions, and not to put them all in 1 group as "new gTLDs"...as this is very lazy thinking. One basically needs to know for any given year:
a) what extensions one is going to invest in
b) which registrars are best for those extensions
c) which transfer and renewal promotions are actually ongoing for which extensions, and where
d) and of course, to get the best possible names...

This way, you will not pay USD 80 / year for your domain name at Registrar1, while you can have the same name for USD 5 at Registrar2. Only lazy people (and of course new gTLD critics) are complaining that new gTLD names are expensive - while most new gTLD investors are silently registering correct names, at correct registrars.

I didn't know you had so many New gTLDs , it's good to see that you are able to keep your renewals under control, from your experience which New gTLDs do you believe have the best potential for future sales (or development) and are you getting any traffic on any of your domains.

 

[Brands.International]

A few ideas re getting good renewal rates on ntLDs (or anything really)::

I agree with @Ostrados re DomComp.I presume most on this list know of it, but I always check TLD-list as well to find lowest current registration, transfer and renewal rates. They have some registrars not on DomComp

Use TLD-List for Historical Rates
One of the reasons I prefer TLD-list to DomComp (but use both regularly) is that if you scroll to bottom of page for an extension it will show you the historical prices. While past does not always predict future, if an extension has gone up and down in renewals, and it is near the top now, if you can wait for a better rate it might be rewarded.

Look at Registrars Not Listed in DomComp and TLD-List
Note that neither TLD-list nor DomComp include some registrars with good prices like West.xyz so you will have to search those rates individually.

Determine Wholesale Prices As Part of Evaluation of Deals
Neither DomComp nor TLD-list include the rates at Domain Cost Club, so if you have a membership, or considering one, there be sure to check their transparent pricing on their website. As DCC show wholesale pricing (the price to registrars) I find this page of prices on registration and renewal helpful even if you never plan to pay for their service. If for example they show that $5.00 is the wholesale cost and someone has a promotion at $2.50 that is a good deal and I should take it. If however, they tell me wholesale is $5..00 but the best anyone else is offering is $9.00 maybe if I wait I can get a better deal.

NameStat Shows Rates Too
Another way to find different registrar pricing in one place is to use NameStat for the extension, and on the right they state the rates for a long list of registrars including Domain Cost Club. Note that NameStat have three tabs one for register, transfer and renew so you can check all there. NameStat is particularly helpful for those who concentrate in just a few extensions.

Read the Emails From Your Registrar!
Finding the multi-year rates is a challenge as they come and go and in general don't show up on TLD-list or DomComp. Read the emails your registrar send you (yes, really!) as they may alert you to deals. For example Domain Cost Club just emailed members with multi-year deals (I think you need to be getting them at time of registration) on 9 popular new extensions. For example you can register a .space for 10 years for $49 or for 3 years for $15.

Check Multi-Year Rates At Registration
When you first register always check what the rates are for multiple years. I sometimes find there are deals that show up that way that don't seem to be announced.

Multi Year Rates Announced Outside Domain Community
Some extensions periodically have good 5 (and or 10) year rates. For example a deal on .tech seems to come and go. Do Google search as often these are promoted in the tech and not the domain community.

Say Goodbye And Be Your Own Drop Catch Agent
Got a name you really like but can't find a renewal you want? Let it go, but watch it. Four of the domains I have now I decided even though I liked them, not enough to pay $15 to $30 for another year. They had super reduced first year rates. So I let them go. Then as the expiry period approached I repeatedly checked their availability. Two of the 4 I was able to get back at the low first year rate. I became my own drop catch agent. Yes, you don't get them all back, but the world if full of domains to handle - having no particular domain is essential to your success.

Be Alert to Time Sensitive Deals
Not as many as for first year registrations, but occasionally find some. One reason I deal with 9 different registrars is that they all tell me about deals they have.

Even after all of that, some domains will never be reduced. For example Google seem to be firm in holding renewals at around the $12 mark (although wholesale a bit less). Also, since they abandoned the discounting the former FFM extensions seem firm at registrations and renewals around the same figure.

Bob

@Bob Hawkes this is an amazing post, thank you! I do really continue to be learning here, for example I had no idea that TLD-list has this Historical Rates feature. And it is exactly as you have explained, that once we see a history of various promotions for particular new gTLD extension, it indicates that the probabilities are high that some promotions will be there in future as well.

With all of your other points I agree 100% as well - this is exactly what people should consider if they want to make some good investment decision.

Btw, just from the pure number of variables and advices in this thread we can see that investing in new gTLDs is pretty complex topic, but also very interesting

 

[Brands.International]

I didn't know you had so many New gTLDs , it's good to see that you are able to keep your renewals under control, from your experience which New gTLDs do you believe have the best potential for future sales (or development) and are you getting any traffic on any of your domains.

@oldtimer for your question, sure, some of the new gTLDs are getting hundreds of visitors per month (I have few of them), while average new gTLD name I own gets maybe 10-20 visits. I have no idea from where the traffic comes from (it can be also bots in large part, who knows), and I am not interested in monetizing the traffic - most of my domains are parked in secure undeveloped.com landers (no banners, no redirects, nothing, just a pure "for sale" landers)

If you ask about best potential for future sales: there are more then 700 of new gTLD extensions, I picked around 20 which suits me well and I have larger group of names in them (I considered their potential for future sales, but also many many other aspects, most of them described in this thread). Some other new gTLD investors are heavily invested in some others extensions. It is very individual. In addition, I think it is more about the quality of the domain name combo (how left goes semantically with right in your domain name), then the extension itself. But of course, if you check my portfolio, you will see exactly what I think has potential, otherwise (naturally) I would not have purchased those names at first place.

 

[oldtimer]

Just registered NewgTLD.club for $1.99 (there is a flash sale at Godaddy for some of the New gTLDs right now) this is my first .club domain (as far as I can recall) , I am considering a few other ones too.

 

[ThatNameGuy]

Marek...i agree with most everything you're saying but my portfolio consists of about 50% .coms and the other 50% ngTLD's . Of late, other than accumulating about 50 .homes names, I've been adding to specific .com portfolios that I've created. I absolutely luv your #7 point "Do not follow the heard". Most true entrepreneurs I know learn from the heard, then strike out on their own. For example, I've learned a lot from NamePros, and a lot at NamesCon. Regardless of whether you own a small boutique portfolio, or thousands of domains, there's good money to be made either way "if" done right. This is the way it works in the business world, and it works the same way in the domain world.

Finally, I actually want to thank my critics, for if I'd have listened to them I wouldn't be here today Naming businesses is what I've done all my life, and like a fine single malt, some of us keep getting better with age.

 

[johnnie018]

Thanks so much for sharing your detailed renewal rate data @lolwarrior. You have summed up perfectly the key points in the following. If I could give a super like or thanks I would .


My biggest regret in domains is not having locked in more with long term renewals when I had the chance to get some extensions at great rates. I was also too hesitant about moving registrars (I just used almost exclusively 2 I had become familiar with) until not long ago really. It is simple and fast and no reason to pay much higher rates! If the difference is slight, the new 60 day lock make it not worthwhile of course, but if one is at $6 and one at $24 (and that happens!) the move is definitely worthwhile.

Bob

Eventually they’ll come at you for the real renewal rate or higher, which will makes these names even more marginal. Give it 3-5 years and the discounts will be limited to fresh reges.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

Eventually they’ll come at you for the real renewal rate or higher, which will makes these names even more marginal. Give it 3-5 years and the discounts will be limited to fresh reges.

I believe you may well be right. As use and interest in ngTLDs increase in coming years I think that we will see fewer promotions on multi-year and renewal rates. This is one reason to lock in renewals for multiple years in advance when you are sure of quality of the name and have opportunities to renew at reasonable rates. Also, as @lolwarrior pointed out earlier it also shows you are confident in name and places you in a stronger bargaining position when you sell the domain name. Thanks for your contribution.
Bob

 

[oldtimer]

One thing is for sure, you have to get the absolute best keyword / extension combinations that are out there in order to stand above all the other choices that are available to the end users, although there are two things that are working against domainers, one is that the best choices are owned or reserved by the registry and the other is the very high renewal rates for the top domains. Faced with these obstacles which in my opinion were originally designed to discourage hording of domains the best strategy might be to be very selective and try to find the keyword / extension combinations that perhaps have been overlooked by the registry and others, in such an environment it will be very hard to create large portfolios of high quality domains, so regardless of registration and renewal costs you have to be careful what domains you add to your portfolio as to not delude its quality. IMO

 

[johnnie018]

I believe you may well be right. As use and interest in ngTLDs increase in coming years I think that we will see fewer promotions on multi-year and renewal rates. This is one reason to lock in renewals for multiple years in advance when you are sure of quality of the name and have opportunities to renew at reasonable rates. Also, as @lolwarrior pointed out earlier it also shows you are confident in name and places you in a stronger bargaining position when you sell the domain name. Thanks for your contribution.
Bob

It will be due to registries needing to become profitable, most of them will get bought out by people who just want to maximize revenue, stripping costs out and giving up on growth like .mobi, .biz and others have.

 

[johnnie018]

One thing is for sure, you have to get the absolute best keyword / extension combinations that are out there in order to stand above all the other choices that are available to the end users, although there are two things that are working against domainers, one is that the best choices are owned or reserved by the registry and the other is the very high renewal rates for the top domains. Faced with these obstacles which in my opinion were originally designed to discourage hording of domains the best strategy might be to be very selective and try to find the keyword / extension combinations that perhaps have been overlooked by the registry and others, in such an environment it will be very hard to create large portfolios of high quality domains, so regardless of registration and renewal costs you have to be careful what domains you add to your portfolio as to not delude its quality. IMO

Or alternatively say “no” to the whole area. 99% think they have the best names. 0% actually do because the registry kept them.

 

[oldtimer]

regardless of registration and renewal costs you have to be careful what domains you add to your portfolio as to not delude its quality. IMO

delude = dilute

My mind is not as sharp as you youngins, especially early in the morning.

 

[Brands.International]

Just registered NewgTLD.club for $1.99 (there is a flash sale at Godaddy for some of the New gTLDs right now) this is my first .club domain (as far as I can recall) , I am considering a few other ones too.

That is actually not a bad one

 

[Brands.International]

Marek...i agree with most everything you're saying but my portfolio consists of about 50% .coms and the other 50% ngTLD's . Of late, other than accumulating about 50 .homes names, I've been adding to specific .com portfolios that I've created. I absolutely luv your #7 point "Do not follow the heard". Most true entrepreneurs I know learn from the heard, then strike out on their own. For example, I've learned a lot from NamePros, and a lot at NamesCon. Regardless of whether you own a small boutique portfolio, or thousands of domains, there's good money to be made either way "if" done right. This is the way it works in the business world, and it works the same way in the domain world.

Finally, I actually want to thank my critics, for if I'd have listened to them I wouldn't be here today Naming businesses is what I've done all my life, and like a fine single malt, some of us keep getting better with age.

Rich I absolutely love .homes extension (as a real estate agent myself). There were few very good and smart regs I saw in .homes thread here on Namepros for standard renewals, while also some questionable regs were done there imo by people.

I already have some very good real estate names in .property and .sale (and those are honestly more then enough for me, I am satisfied), so I did not study much .homes extension in detail, but i think it is high quality extension which makes TONS of semantic sense, and I wish all of those who made wise investments in this extension good luck and great sales

In my opinion, if you have really good .homes names, do not try to flip immediately...wait a bit, it wil only grow in value.

 

[businesses]

all good new gtld drops with standard renewal fees nowr are reserved by Donuts Registry

so do not drop your good new gs sell them on $0 auction on the Namepros

 

[Bob Hawkes]

I had thought I read somewhere that there was a set number of premium designated domain names allowed. Can someone ICANN informed (I have tried searching their new gTLD sections) confirm for me if that is indeed the case and ideally what the number is if it is true.

So I presume if this is right....

all good new gtld drops with standard renewal fees nowr are reserved by Donuts Registry

it means either they were not at the limit, or they need to remove some that were previously premium?

Thanks a lot for any clarification as I have wondered about it.

The idea of giving them away to others in a good suggestion, thank you @businesses. In fact if there were a single section just for that would be a helpful way to organize it at NPs. I guess already free stuff section, wonder about a more specific free new gTLD about to expire.

Bob

 

[Bob Hawkes]

Hoping not to divert attention from the legitimate and valuable purposes of this thread, I did want to explain why I have decided to start giving posts like the following a dislike:

Online.casino $510,000 12/6/18
Vacation.rentals $500,300 4/11/18
Home.loans $500,000 1/24/18

All donuts sales, all fake.

It has bothered me for some time when people flippantly toss around words like 'fake' or 'not legitimate sale' without a shred of evidence. In fact in cases such as this an overwhelming amount of evidence is to the contrary (i.e. that the sales are indeed authentic): NameBio and DNJournal listed, we know the end users, they have been interviewed at DNWire in two of the cases, we know the businesses operating at the sites, the registry confirmed/announced the sales, some of us have personally met both the buyers and reps. for the sellers.

So it's just a discussion forum, why does it bother me so much? Here are my reasons.

1. It hurts end users. As we all know discussion on NPs gets Google archived and appears high on search results in many cases. If you are part of an organization that paid a hefty fee for a domain name that someone claims the sale is fake, then people might come to believe it without realizing it is a post by a random anonymous individual. If they do believe it then it does real hurt to the organization. It is simply unfair. These are real people. I have met two of them. Language like the above is hurtful and it is wrong.
2. It internally may hurt end user organizations. Quite apart from external reputation, it may cause internal issues if anyone believes it. For example at least one of these names was bought by a consortium of business leaders.
3. It hurts domain sellers. Whether registry or domainers, when we falsely claim that sales are fake we hurt reputations of sellers and also faith in the industry overall. It hurts us all.
4. It unfairly harms respected sources of information. These sales were reported in NameBio, DNjournal and DNWire. If we allow unsubstantiated claims of fake to stay unchallenged we harm the legitimacy of highly respected information sources in our community. Have they ever made a mistake? Probably. They correct when evidence is provided.
5. It means that when there is real evidence of questionable sales, no one will listen. If there are dozens of claims of 'fake' without a shred of evidence offered, when later there is a case where a sale should legitimately be questioned we will all have tuned out the constant chatter of loosely thrown around fake sales. This is unfair to those who dig deeply into transactions, who do real research. It is unfair to them, to us.
6. It does harm to NamePros. I love NPs. It is a vibrant community of individuals who debate questions, help each other, provide technical help, buy/sell/give away domain names, provide help to those in need or starting out, and make us all better domainers. When we allow unsubstantiated claims of fake (or similarly unfair and unsubstantiated claims of business wrongdoing) to go unchallenged they hurt our community, they hurt all of the posts where the individual has taken the effort to give a researched, evidenced and balanced view.

It has bothered me for a long time, but I have decided to draw a line and say going forward I will give a dislike rating to such posts. The claims are often used against new gTLD sales, hence the relevance to this thread, but they are not only in new extensions.

I want to stress that this is not only about the individual whose post I used to illustrate this - when I see a claim of this type from any NP member I plan to simply post a dislike as my statement. As most of you know, in the past I have almost never used dislike and have given tens of thousands of authentic likes. When people have a new insight, clearly did research on something, share their technical background, are encouraging, and help in a number of other ways I legitimately like them.

I don't plan to debate the cited post or other cases where I decide they warrant a dislike. I have decided that the best way, in my opinion which is possibly wrong, is to refuse to engage in debate with those who throw around words like 'fake' because I feel that it helps encourage them and others in similar hurtful activity. My dislike is my simple statement.

Each of you have to make your personal decision. All I ask is that you carefully consider the 6 points I have raised above. Maybe also ask yourself this question. Your niece or nephew got their highest mark ever on a Math test. Do you immediately respond with "It must be a mistake." or "Oh, you must have cheated." I don't think so.. And I ask that we all carefully consider before we post claims of false or dishonest behaviour, the question do we really have any evidence? It hurts people and organizations. Really.

Thanks for reading this long post.

Bob

 

[oldtimer]

I had thought I read somewhere that there was a set number of premium designated domain names allowed. Can someone ICANN informed (I have tried searching their new gTLD sections) confirm for me if that is indeed the case and ideally what the number is if it is true.

So I presume if this is right....

it means either they were not at the limit, or they need to remove some that were previously premium?

Thanks a lot for any clarification as I have wondered about it.

The idea of giving them away to others in a good suggestion, thank you @businesses. In fact if there were a single section just for that would be a helpful way to organize it at NPs. I guess already free stuff section, wonder about a more specific free new gTLD about to expire.

Bob

https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/name-reservation-faqs-08aug14-en.pdf

If you search the main site at icann.org (not the gTLD section) for Registry Reserved Names you will see the above link.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/name-reservation-faqs-08aug14-en.pdf

If you search the main site at icann.org (not the gTLD section) for Registry Reserved Names you will see the above link.

Thank you very much and I learned a number of things from it. But that document is with respect to reserved names, not premium names, I think (although they do address can a reserved name become a premium name).

Bob

 

[oldtimer]

Thank you very much and I learned a number of things from it. But that document is with respect to reserved names, not premium names, I think (although they do address can a reserved name become a premium name).

Bob

I believe that Premium Names is a made up term that is used by Registrars, that’s why there are no results when you search the New gTLD Guidelines for Premium Names.

ICANN calls all the domains that are held back Reserved Names, although there are several different categories that fall under this term.

This is my understanding from what I have read, there might be other interpretations that are different than mine.

PS: I don't believe that there is a limit to the number of domains that can be held back as premiums as long as they are made available for people to register although probably at much higher prices as we have already seen, but to be sure you might want to ask one of the Registries.

 

[johnnie018]

Hoping not to divert attention from the legitimate and valuable purposes of this thread, I did want to explain why I have decided to start giving posts like the following a dislike:



It has bothered me for some time when people flippantly toss around words like 'fake' or 'not legitimate sale' without a shred of evidence. In fact in cases such as this an overwhelming amount of evidence is to the contrary (i.e. that the sales are indeed authentic): NameBio and DNJournal listed, we know the end users, they have been interviewed at DNWire in two of the cases, we know the businesses operating at the sites, the registry confirmed/announced the sales, some of us have personally met both the buyers and reps. for the sellers.

So it's just a discussion forum, why does it bother me so much? Here are my reasons.

1. It hurts end users. As we all know discussion on NPs gets Google archived and appears high on search results in many cases. If you are part of an organization that paid a hefty fee for a domain name that someone claims the sale is fake, then people might come to believe it without realizing it is a post by a random anonymous individual. If they do believe it then it does real hurt to the organization. It is simply unfair. These are real people. I have met two of them. Language like the above is hurtful and it is wrong.
2. It internally may hurt end user organizations. Quite apart from external reputation, it may cause internal issues if anyone believes it. For example at least one of these names was bought by a consortium of business leaders.
3. It hurts domain sellers. Whether registry or domainers, when we falsely claim that sales are fake we hurt reputations of sellers and also faith in the industry overall. It hurts us all.
4. It unfairly harms respected sources of information. These sales were reported in NameBio, DNjournal and DNWire. If we allow unsubstantiated claims of fake to stay unchallenged we harm the legitimacy of highly respected information sources in our community. Have they ever made a mistake? Probably. They correct when evidence is provided.
5. It means that when there is real evidence of questionable sales, no one will listen. If there are dozens of claims of 'fake' without a shred of evidence offered, when later there is a case where a sale should legitimately be questioned we will all have tuned out the constant chatter of loosely thrown around fake sales. This is unfair to those who dig deeply into transactions, who do real research. It is unfair to them, to us.
6. It does harm to NamePros. I love NPs. It is a vibrant community of individuals who debate questions, help each other, provide technical help, buy/sell/give away domain names, provide help to those in need or starting out, and make us all better domainers. When we allow unsubstantiated claims of fake (or similarly unfair and unsubstantiated claims of business wrongdoing) to go unchallenged they hurt our community, they hurt all of the posts where the individual has taken the effort to give a researched, evidenced and balanced view.

It has bothered me for a long time, but I have decided to draw a line and say going forward I will give a dislike rating to such posts. The claims are often used against new gTLD sales, hence the relevance to this thread, but they are not only in new extensions.

I want to stress that this is not only about the individual whose post I used to illustrate this - when I see a claim of this type from any NP member I plan to simply post a dislike as my statement. As most of you know, in the past I have almost never used dislike and have given tens of thousands of authentic likes. When people have a new insight, clearly did research on something, share their technical background, are encouraging, and help in a number of other ways I legitimately like them.

I don't plan to debate the cited post or other cases where I decide they warrant a dislike. I have decided that the best way, in my opinion which is possibly wrong, is to refuse to engage in debate with those who throw around words like 'fake' because I feel that it helps encourage them and others in similar hurtful activity. My dislike is my simple statement.

Each of you have to make your personal decision. All I ask is that you carefully consider the 6 points I have raised above. Maybe also ask yourself this question. Your niece or nephew got their highest mark ever on a Math test. Do you immediately respond with "It must be a mistake." or "Oh, you must have cheated." I don't think so.. And I ask that we all carefully consider before we post claims of false or dishonest behaviour, the question do we really have any evidence? It hurts people and organizations. Really.

Thanks for reading this long post.

Bob

Keep believing Bob, that is your choice, but don't peddle to others that these sales are legitimate. The reason for these sales, and other ones like Beauty.cc, is to get domainers registering domains.

 

[businesses]

I can't sell new gs even for $0

 

[johnnie018]

I can't sell new gs even for $0

Have you tried paying people to take them?