poll I am at 5000+ now, how many domains in your "keeper" portfolio?

[Recons.Com]

So, I finally crossed the 5000 threshold. Let's share here the portfolio sizes we currently have.

For the poll, I am asking to include only the keeper names, those you are likely to renew, not the heavily discounted names you are holding for a year only. But feel free to mention that portfolio size in the comments too.

As for my portfolio, It seems in past year I have more than doubled the size, buying over 2500 names just from GD auctions/closeouts. Most names are with the GD (see the screenshot) but I also have couple hundred at Epic, Dyna combined.

And I rarely drop names now, with probably under 1% being pruned.

 

[Recons.Com]

Bout 1500...got rid of many hundreds over the last couple of years. Not that they can not be good or great names, I decided to let go of all but a few.info, all but a few of .net and I kept a few dozen .org. There is a sprinkle of .tv in there that I will hang on to for a while.

Yeah, I hear you. I believe the renewal rate increase was shooting in the foot thing for those extensions. It is like 3 star hotels trying to price 50% higher than a 5 star one in the same location.

 

[kite26]

Very nice name. It is about the opportunity cost though. I assume you held it for quite few years and spent already mid $xxxx renewing it? Then you might also be spending similar amount before sale. Then the fact that the buyer is committing to paying that annually makes it a harder sale. You'd probably need $20K-$50K sale to make it worthwhile.

Maybe, try an aggressive outbound to find an end user? And then based on your experience, decide if you want another year of that.

No, I acquired it this year. I plan to keep it for 3-4 years at least. I am still trying to find the sweet spot of renewals and its possible sale. It's not easy, that's why I don't recommend my way. From the other side, usually these names give sales, I hope to be lucky enough. I have done some outbound but nothing yet. I estimate a good Sedo offer after some months from now It takes at least 1 view/day, so it's possible I think.

 

[Recons.Com]

I have ard 70+ domains in 2018 where I started domaining. In the past few months, I decided to relook into my portfolio, did some adjustments, and dropped some names. Right now, I have a growing portfolio of 30+.

Right strategy. Learn, revisit, reapply. It is like dating. If every next girlfriend have the same problematic traits the previous one had, then the way you choose a date has to change. But if you see a progress in the quality and, eventually, in sales, you are on the right track.

 

[Recons.Com]

The best bet is the good balance of quantity and quality. Quality is over quantity, as always.

You are right. Quality is important. But it is a bit more nuanced. Whenever I find a good name and check for longer versions, I always come across bunch of domains held by Buydomains, HD, Domainmarket. That taught me a lesson that quantity can be a winning strategy in itself too. Basically, if you have to choose to invest $1MM and earn 40% a year or invest $10MM and earn 25% a year, most investors with available cash would go for the second option.

 

[Recons.Com]

Thanks, this inspiring to hold long. I have about 5-10 sold domains yearly that I dropped and forgot to remove from marketplase in time. At that times I regret that I dropped them and they became registered by someone. But it comes down to classic question: what worth renewing, which is not simple to decide, especially for non-coms.

Basically, it boils down to this: know at the time of registering if it is a "one-year-stand" name or not. If it is high renewal fee names like .co that you got on $2 sale or buying spree of .coms at $5, most of it probably fits that category.

If it is a good looking .com or great .org etc., then basically take a look at it at the time of renewal. See if an OBVIOUSLY better name can be found at hand reg (this is often why I visit once every few month the expired domains, just to get a reality check), then let it go and buy the hand reg or just let it go.

As for me, I stopped dropping because quite a few of those drops then I was contacted with offers regarding them and I figured that even for few I am dropping, those sales would have paid the renewal fees for very long time for the rest )))

So think of it this way: If I group my worst names into a separate basket and the sell through in that basket is 0.4%-0.5%, then I am pretty much indifferent and could just keep the names and benefit in other ways from holding those.

 

[kite26]

You are right. Quality is important. But it is a bit more nuanced. Whenever I find a good name and check for longer versions, I always come across bunch of domains held by Buydomains, HD, Domainmarket. That taught me a lesson that quantity can be a winning strategy in itself too. Basically, if you have to choose to invest $1MM and earn 40% a year or invest $10MM and earn 25% a year, most investors with available cash would go for the second option.

I think that there are more than one paths. Everyone is free to select his own, but it needs to support it with different ways. Yes, I see some big players with success having thousands names, but the have obviously found their unique way for success (Federer).
Personally, I don't plan to be Federer. My goals are:
1. Increase my portfolio quality from season to season.
2. Gain enough money to cover renewal fees and still have profit.
3. Keep my total portfolio to the size that fits for me.

This season was special for me because I had to build my folio from the scratch and I had to reinvest a lot of sales for acquiring better names. The next season I will have to adjust my goals as I mentioned them above.

Another point is what I call "hidden profit". I sacrificed some good money for better names to get more and better sales. With this approach I will be stronger the next season and having more chances for good sales.

 

[frank-germany]

With the launch of https://rightbrand.com and improvements I am making, I expect to improve both the sell through and profit per name.

RightBrand

great name
great looking website

how exactly do you expect a higher sell-through
based on that website

are you going to promote it
or are you expecting SEO direct typ-in sales?

 

[J Sokol]

Thanks for the thread @Recons.Com -- I appreciate your comments.

I've just reached two years as a domainer, and here are my stats:

Purchased: 145
Dropped: 6
Sold: 84
Now Hold: 55
Keepers: about 15

I've been hovering near the break-even point for the last year, but have been lucky to be able to sell most of my early blunders. I've had two xxx sales, and the rest have been low- to mid xx. Not great, but enough to recover most of my investment.

I see now why it's so important to learn as much as possible about the market and to take the time to research before buying.

 

[Jurgen Wolf]

So, if a name doesn't sell you drop or that your sales are down and that means less renewals?

Sales are down.

 

[Ntmt]

As for me, I stopped dropping because quite a few of those drops then I was contacted with offers regarding them and I figured that even for few I am dropping, those sales would have paid the renewal fees for very long time for the rest )))

Interesting calculation, I was thinking about this - will calculate for my offers for dropped names. Thanks for reply!

 

[Recons.Com]

I have less 200 names at present and I hope I can build bigger step by step. Now auction prices go up sharply and it is not easy to own high quality names. Good luck and I wish you success.

From the examples I have seen, your names are high quality. That is a great strategy too. I just want to play the numbers game as well to get a consistency in sales.

 

[Recons.Com]

Started in mid 2019 and currently holding 100+ Domains mostly brandables and dictionary words .com
Good luck and I wish you all success.

Thank you! Brandables is a good niche. But they also require more exposure, especially the made up ones (not word+word). I have around 600 names listed with BB, BP and SH. And now will be listing the rest on my website with logos.

Regarding dictionary words, it is trickier there. Only high value positive ones have undeniable appreciating value. The more obscure ones might not be a good niche to hold too. A good rule of thumb is to check if the dictionary word is used as a part of a brand by an existing functioning company. The more, the better.

 

[Recons.Com]

I have fluctuated between 50 and 500 names ... currently have about 100, all .coms. Have websites on about 10 of them, am working on making more sales this year, then re-invest. After I trimmed my portfolio last year, I maybe let one drop per month, so I'd say 90 are definite keepers.

Thanks for sharing. So what made you to decide to trim so drastically? And noticed in your signature the amazon book link regarding domain investments. I assume you are the author? Can you share some excerpts from the book? Hopefully, we all can support you by buying a copy.

 

[Recons.Com]

Managing thru Godaddy has become very difficult in terms of transfer outs, Whois changes, load times, and just general error outs. Only 6 million more names to go before you give Huge a run for their money, Congrats.

GD is definitely buggy, although the transfer out/in has improved, the time outs, load times and general errors are killing me. For forwarding, for example, if I choose more than 15 names, it gives an error. Lots of names have forwarding setup, but won't show in interface, new bug that is really annoying: the way the table loads. Now the first column loads first as you scroll and at the bottom for few names you don't see their details, just the name. The worst part: the reaction to reporting them. I was basically told we know about these and don't have timeline for a fix.

Hugedomains: yes, I am at about 0.1% of them now

If I double every year, it will take me 10 years to catch up ) Although, I am content at reaching 1 million names. I am confident, it is possible to be as profitable with 1 million names as HD is with 6-7.

1 million is still very far away though, unless I get some external funding. My interim goal is reaching 1 sale a day milestone. That is feasible at 20K-30K portfolio size, I expect.

 

[Recons.Com]

RightBrand

great name
great looking website

how exactly do you expect a higher sell-through
based on that website

are you going to promote it
or are you expecting SEO direct typ-in sales?

Thank you, Frank!

Higher sell through:

1. Logos and descriptions. BB, BP, SH are achieving 2-5% sell through consistently because of this.

2. I already have around 1000 visitors a day from type-ins on about 4500 names that forward to the site. Once I go through all the motion of SEO I should expect probably similar number from search per day. Then I also plan to do paid advertising, social media etc. each of those could contribute their own 1000/day. So the goal is to get approximately 1 person per 1 domain per 1 day onto the site and then also work on understanding buyer behavior and improve conversions.

 

[frank-germany]

Thank you, Frank!

Higher sell through:

1. Logos and descriptions. BB, BP, SH are achieving 2-5% sell through consistently because of this.

2. I already have around 1000 visitors a day from type-ins on about 4500 names that forward to the site. Once I go through all the motion of SEO I should expect probably similar number from search per day. Then I also plan to do paid advertising, social media etc. each of those could contribute their own 1000/day. So the goal is to get approximately 1 person per 1 domain per 1 day onto the site and then also work on understanding buyer behavior and improve conversions.

which template are you using?

 

[alcy]

Yeah, I see all those great .io sales, but it still doesn't make it less risky. First, you need a strong keyword. Second, those are already priced high to acquire. Third, the renewal is 3x-4x of .com, so if you are holding 100 .io names, you need 1 sale to cover your renewals at $2.5k net, plus at least another one for the profit and you probably have spent $30K-50K acquiring those, then it is not really a great return on the investment for the amount of risk involved.

Similar logic for .tv too.

not quite... not long ago.. maybe 1-3 years.. u could still reg solid .io names....mostly from fresh expiries.. so acquisition cost was regfee.. then renewals..

but now its diferent.. and it is like u say.. that u need to spend 3figures to get decent names..
doesnt make much sense.
people bid on anything io now.. on places like park.io
total bs that'll never resell given their bids... so i just hope they're not resellers.. else its hopeless for them.

i hold round 100 io names... regs from expiries 2-3 years back... selling 3k+ for renew cost+some profit was so far pretty easy .... today u simply canot find regfee fresh expiries of same quality as 2-3 yrs ago. it may never happen again either,

still if u know what sells, u can still buy io names on aftermarket.. say 3figure ranges.. and resell for profit.. its just more risk.. more knowledge needed

as far as im concerned there are only 3 tlds for domainers.
com
io
co

in that order.

 

[wwwweb]

not quite... not long ago.. maybe 1-3 years.. u could still reg solid .io names....mostly from fresh expiries.. so acquisition cost was regfee.. then renewals..

but now its diferent.. and it is like u say.. that u need to spend 3figures to get decent names..
doesnt make much sense.
people bid on anything io now.. on places like park.io
total bs that'll never resell given their bids... so i just hope they're not resellers.. else its hopeless for them.

i hold round 100 io names... regs from expiries 2-3 years back... selling 3k+ for renew cost+some profit was so far pretty easy .... today u simply canot find regfee fresh expiries of same quality as 2-3 yrs ago. it may never happen again either,

still if u know what sells, u can still buy io names on aftermarket.. say 3figure ranges.. and resell for profit.. its just more risk.. more knowledge needed

as far as im concerned there are only 3 tlds for domainers.
com
io
co

in that order.

Past few months .io inquiries have been quiet,
.com is really selling thru this pandemic, .co seems to be moving sub $1k. I believe if you know what your doing .org can be utilized well, but you really have to understand the use of it.

 

[Recons.Com]

which template are you using?

It is customization built on top of woocommerce storefront in wordpress.

 

[Recons.Com]

not quite... not long ago.. maybe 1-3 years.. u could still reg solid .io names....mostly from fresh expiries.. so acquisition cost was regfee.. then renewals..

but now its diferent.. and it is like u say.. that u need to spend 3figures to get decent names..
doesnt make much sense.
people bid on anything io now.. on places like park.io
total bs that'll never resell given their bids... so i just hope they're not resellers.. else its hopeless for them.

i hold round 100 io names... regs from expiries 2-3 years back... selling 3k+ for renew cost+some profit was so far pretty easy .... today u simply canot find regfee fresh expiries of same quality as 2-3 yrs ago. it may never happen again either,

still if u know what sells, u can still buy io names on aftermarket.. say 3figure ranges.. and resell for profit.. its just more risk.. more knowledge needed

as far as im concerned there are only 3 tlds for domainers.
com
io
co

in that order.

Past few months .io inquiries have been quiet,
.com is really selling thru this pandemic, .co seems to be moving sub $1k. I believe if you know what your doing .org can be utilized well, but you really have to understand the use of it.

Agreed with both.

.io to me still is a trend though and I don't want to chase trends. @alcy bet at the time and bought 100 good .io and that is fantastic that it worked out. Maybe, io is there to stay as a niche, but I'd say there are no more than 50 000 truly worthy strong .io names, just like it is the case with most cctlds. Compare that to millions of investment grade .coms

And .org can be good investment if it makes sense for non-profit niche, cause etc. You just have to be much pickier there.

.co: I might give a try to a thousand or so of those for "one-year-stand" thing, but don't want most of them in my regular portfolio. Mostly, because I wouldn't recommend to my clients starting business on .co. It is probably the worst extension in terms of creating confusion, as everyone assumes they heard .com when told orally and even visually they cannot help but finish the "m" in the end. Even the employees of companies register elsewhere with .com on autopilot.

 

[Princy]

I have only 23 domains

 

[lock]

If i had 5000 premium names it wouldn't be an asset as I don't have the time to manage them it would just be more renewals.

 

[alcy]

If i had 5000 premium names it wouldn't be an asset as I don't have the time to manage them it would just be more renewals.

well prem ones would be sellling.. therefore making profit. therefore an asset.
everyone wants 5000 prem names folio
its 5000 nonprem names folio thats a major issue.. not an asset

 

[lock]

well prem ones would be sellling.. therefore making profit. therefore an asset.
everyone wants 5000 prem names folio
its 5000 nonprem names folio thats a major issue.. not an asset

Well it would involve a change of life i am not full time domain sales. There is a number between one can manage efficiently.

 

[Recons.Com]

If i had 5000 premium names it wouldn't be an asset as I don't have the time to manage them it would just be more renewals.

Honestly, if I settled at 5000, I could spend just a year completing a listing for each and then maybe spend just 10 hours a months with renewals, closing the sales etc.

I don't understand what kind of management is required. Put the renewals on the autopilot and check your mail for sales notifications.