domains Is domaining on the downslide?

[equity78]

From posts and private conversations in the first two weeks I see some calling for domaining’s demise. I finally got hold of a long time friend in the business who told me he just got into NFT’s and could care less about domain names. I was surprised as they have had decent success, […]
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[kemjika11]

if domaining is dead, why did .US's registration #s go up 40% over the past year?

Why are .IN end user prices stiff and high $x,xxx - low $xx,xxx sales were the most last year?

Domains are being normalized, and people are accepting their true value, and worth to society, and every domain extension is facing a different reality. How can things get worse for .com or good and strong extensions?

As for those decentralized domain names, lets see them work first. I do believe though that domain market e xpectations might be standardizing also, so odd names will probably never sell, but if you buy into categories that get hot, you could cash out nicely, at any moment too.

 

[redemo]

Domain names were never intended to be an investment. They were meant to be used for online publishing.

Let's forget the dating and just get married. You nailed it in one paragraph.

 

[redemo]

So the news here in Blightly is https://www.gov.uk/government/news/...r-ever-as-success-feeds-cities-outside-london " UK tech sector achieves best year ever as success feeds cities outside London ". All these new and expanding businesses need pro domain names.

 

[Jasonn]

There is definitely easier money out there than domains but will it last? I don't know. I have 15 years invested in domaining so I think I will stay there. I still make money selling crypto related domain names if nothing else.

 

[bmugford]

The issue with domains is there has been a lot of consolidation in recent years.

It is not as easy as in the past to find quality, affordable domains.

There is as much demand as ever for quality domains, but there is also as much demand as ever to acquire them on the secondary market.

The gap between reseller and end user prices has closed a lot in recent years.

If you own quality domains, especially .com, they are likely to go up in value over time but it also gets much harder to acquire new inventory over time.

Brad

 

[equity78]

Hi Ray
whenever anybody, makes a statement about the demise of any aspect of domaining,
then the credibility, tenure and experience of that person has to be taken into account before giving it any weight or merit.

just like some folks be saying parking is dead, when in fact, it's still kicking out payments every month.

imo...

Good point Don

 

[equity78]

You can’t go on CH, Twitter, Discord, WhatsApp, anywhere without nonstop nft talk. If there is going to be a mass exodus of domainers I just wish they would do it and get off my timeline.

Someone said almost the exact same thing to me today, they can't use Twitter anymore because all they see are NFT hype.

 

[equity78]

I think it was my thread how NFT impacts on domain industry. the thread was probably deleted I can not find it.

tbh valuable domains still have the value because everyone wants a great dotcom for their company, website or brand.

Regarding nft how secure they are, read this


Source
Moxie is CEO of Signal messenger. https://moxie.org/2022/01/07/web3-first-impressions.html

No it was Marek's thread that most people here should quit domaining.

 

[equity78]

The gap between reseller and end user prices has closed a lot in recent years.

Spot on and there's the whole key to it all, navigating all that.

 

[equity78]

Thanks for starting the discussion and the article, @equity78. I agree with the points you made in the article.

I think right now we are seeing some rather negative on domain investing but others seem very optimistic. Even though we just ended a great year, the vast majority who responded in this poll thought 2022 will be even better.

I might just be uneducated, but while I see the 'club' aspect of owning one, and see how some like them as one form of art, and understand that some have traded for large increases, but I don't truly understand why so many high profile domain investors who I respect have gone so enthusiastically into NFT and seem to endlessly promote them on social media. If the bubble breaks, I am afraid it may drag domaining by association.

I prefer assets that have a clear economic contribution. For example, a great domain name can serve as the global address, entry point, and advertising hub for a business, it can save marketing and increase reach and literally be the business location in the way that a physical shop can be.

How exactly can a NFT do that? I see the business model for creators, artists or musicians, that use NFT to validate ownership rights. I get that. But to the person or business who buys that NFT, it seems to me that the utility is a stretch. Yes, you could build promotion around an NFT character, but beyond that.

Back to domains, I think the market is changing, and will change more. I suspect some who have lost interest have somewhat not wanted to change their approach.

As you noted in the article, compared to buying some cryptocurrency, or probably NFT, domaining is harder work and requires more patience. Cryptocurrency has had a big run. But it is essentially a commodity/currency, rather than an asset such as a stock in a growing company. It seems to me that long term the recent increases are not sustainable. That is not to say cryptocurrencies will not be more and more important in global commerce.

Bob

PS In the poll I set I chose the middle option, I think 2022 may be about as good as 2021 overall, but I don't think we will see another big increase. It seems most NamePros voters were more optimistic than me.

Great reply Bob.

 

[Lox]

Domain investment: 1x 8L.com (sold to Disney)

2010: $85.80 (11 years - $0.021 a day)
2021: Ride out: $225.000 net

Crypto Investment: 1btc

2010: $0.31
01/2022: $43.500


You decide ...

Regards

 

[HotKey]

Why compare DN to crypto currency flux Lox? Crypto is subject to influences that can never touch a quality domain.

Yet still, the difference between pennies invested and anything sub-$100 for a profit of 43k vs a quarter mil... I'll stick with DN in that example.

 

[redemo]

The issue with domains is there has been a lot of consolidation in recent years.

Such as?

It is not as easy as in the past to find quality, affordable domains.

Maybe not in dot com, but it's still easy to find quality affordable domain names in other extensions.

There is as much demand as ever for quality domains, but there is also as much demand as ever to acquire them on the secondary market.

Many domain names that were available before now get back-ordered and go to auction. Paying an extra $ 50 or $ 100 seems to be a more common trend.

If you own quality domains, especially .com, they are likely to go up in value over time but it also gets much harder to acquire new inventory over time.

So long as the technology defined in the keywords stays current.

 

[redemo]

Successful domainers don't start threads about domaining being dead or in decline, when it's clearly booming. I know @equity78 you are quoting another thread. Gets my goat though, because there are so many opportunities within domain name investment. I think the problem is societal laziness in general. Like I said imagine if the electric, gas, water and internet all blew out simultaneously. How many people would survive a week without relying on government / military assistance? Same goes for domaining when all established roads seem to hit brick walls do you quit or keep trying to find a way through on your own merit?

 

[blogspotter]

Auction prices say otherwise. They should stop bidding on auctions. I would say it has made it worse for small domain investors. I guess some of Them now think in ETH and don't think twice about overbidding.

 

[blogspotter]

Fun Fact. I saw Shane and Morgan Tweet incessantly about Bored apes when they were around an ETH. I respect both of them immensely and have seen Shane make trade good calls earlier, and I invested in .io successfully due to Morgan and I did think of "Aping in", but it was also the peak of my domaining education.. I started having regular sales in April/May and I stayed up all night during those days to study Auctions, putting in small bids, building lists, researching every name in my lists, stalking other investors and I just couldn't get myself to read about buying "NFTs" and figure out the whole thing.
Later on I figured out and had modest success, but NFTs are very time consuming and while it is fun, it is exactly it, just fun and games..

I did make some money ( Minted 2 Gauntlets for 0.4 eth and sold for 1.3 eth, Minted a Solarian for 17 SOL and sold for 55 SOL, Minted an Aurory for 1 SOL and sold for 30, and so on.. I still have some NFTs that are almost zero in value, but Overall I made some profit) It is not very difficult to make some money if you don't have unrealistic expectations. Early people still get rewarded but it is still no get rich scheme. I am no longer active, because I still have so much to learn in domain investing. If I were already well established in Domaining, I think, I would spend more time on NFTs.

BUT I have a many more things to do in Domaining before I can keep it on auto pilot without too much work. If NFTs are still popular by that time, I will maybe do it again. I have to admit, It was fun though.

If one has time (TIME is the most important criteria), then I would suggest one to check out by getting involved in a project to understand it. Do Not Bet your house money on it though.

If one is a struggling domainer with lots of spare time, you could even make some money by being active in a community and help them grow. Many NFTs pay their discord mods decently. Early members who are active are also given whitelists spots which can be sold for good profit. Couple of our domainer friends who WL spot in Sneaky vampires and it was worth 2-3 ETH even before the Mint..

All I can say is that we live in an Amazing time.

 

[CraigD]

When I first started out investing, it was VR thinking VR is the future (still believe that) and I wanted to get involved in it in some shape or form and make money from it.

September 2015, I remember reading the VR thread, seeing people saying their new freshly handreg domain was going to be worth 6 figures 1 day and a lot of people agreeing with it, so I wanted in.

I think most people who invest in domains are from different walks of life, some not have a lot of money, but have the same way of thinking, in that their new hand reg for $8.99 may be that winning lottery ticket for them and their family. That’s why I don’t like to shoot people down doing that, I know some people like to do on here (enjoy telling others their domain is rubbish) and ripping apart hopes in the process.

After 6+ years of investing, I know a new handreg is probably not that winning lottery ticket, although ‘meta’ ripped the rule book up on that last year.

But I think it’s that ‘hope’ that a lot of people start investing in domains for initially more so than a quick flip, especially in tech.

Agree, and I think you have nailed why many of us are still holding ten or twenty-year-old domain names - because we are doggedly passionate about certain technologies, trends and niche markets.

Crypto and NFT's were designed from the ground up to be easily traded for a quick profit, whereas domains are harder to move, but as a publishing address can influence and change the world

 

[redemo]

If one is a struggling domainer with lots of spare time, you could even make some money by being active in a community and help them grow.

When you provide value you become valuable and so does your time. Find something useful to do that nobody else wants to do and just show up and get it done regularly. You will become indispensable. If you want to sell, develop, park, hoard, lease there are opportunities everywhere and there is help everywhere too. Just search, ask, think, create, investigate. It's LAZINESS that keeps most people from being successful. PURE UNADULTERATED LAZINESS.

All I can say is that we live in an Amazing time.

The things that one can achieve off of a to do list in 60 minutes, when the clock is running down 59:59, 59:58, 59:57, 59:56.. What are you all waiting for? Death? It's coming soon.

 

[redemo]

There is definitely easier money out there than domains

Unless you are a successful domainer..

 

[Kingslayer]

There is definitely easier money out there than domains but will it last? I don't know. I have 15 years invested in domaining so I think I will stay there. I still make money selling crypto related domain names if nothing else.

Like what?

Are people really making a lot of money on NFT's other than BAYC? I ask that sincerely because i don't know, I'm not invested in NFT's.

I'm not involved in crypto either, but I was speaking to someone the other day, who told me their company have invested lots of money in Bitcoin and it's been a disaster.

I think it depends on what domains, ultra-premiums (ie single word .com's) are some of the safest assets you can buy right now as an investment.

 

[karmaco]

Like what?

Are people really making a lot of money on NFT's other than BAYC? I ask that sincerely because i don't know, I'm not invested in NFT's.

I'm not involved in crypto either, but I was speaking to someone the other day, who told me their company have invested lots of money in Bitcoin and it's been a disaster.

I think it depends on what domains, ultra-premiums (ie single word .com's) are some of the safest assets you can buy right now as an investment.

Most are making modest gains on NFTS. They are like the counterparts of domain “flippers”.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

Are people really making a lot of money on NFT's other than BAYC?

According to this from a few days ago, OpenSea is on track for a record month, already at about $2.7 billion in sales so far in January. The article mentions that BAYC is about 10% of total (not clear if two related series included). Put in perspective, this month already more than all domain sales ever recorded in NameBio.
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/01/13/opensea-on-track-for-record-month-as-nft-sales-boom/

Now this is sales, not profit. Since NFTs are, in my opinion, largely nonproductive assets, the money comes and goes from collector hands. There have to be as much NFT collector outflow as inflow. Well a little more, cause OpenSea take 2.5% on each transaction.

I don’t understand the NFT ecosystem. Is there inherent value that supports the astronomical rise?

Bob

 

[kite26]

According to this from a few days ago, OpenSea is on track for a record month, already at about $2.7 billion in sales so far in January. The article mentions that BAYC is about 10% of total (not clear if two related series included). Put in perspective, this month already more than all domain sales ever recorded in NameBio.
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/01/13/opensea-on-track-for-record-month-as-nft-sales-boom/

Now this is sales, not profit. Since NFTs are, in my opinion, largely nonproductive assets, the money comes and goes from collector hands. There have to be as much NFT collector outflow as inflow. Well a little more, cause OpenSea take 2.5% on each transaction.

I don’t understand the NFT ecosystem. Is there inherent value that supports the astronomical rise?

Bob

NFTs need huge amount of energy to be created, so they are bad for environment, as cryptos in general. They are also a part of metaverse, the new digital world. In addition:
-Who will convince an old man to pay with Eth? (Gas fees are huge, what a joke)
-Who asked me if i want to be part of the metaverse?
-Who said that i want to live the real life?
-Who asked me if i want to go for shopping just to wear my vr glasses?
-Who asked me if i want to be a part of a blockchain aka a cold number?
-Who asked me if i want to recognise as elite the people who own Bored Ape avatar?
-Why an avatar be able to give your special social status?

NONE

Why? Because Metaverse is created with one main goal, the control of humanity and remove the human nature of people, their soul (biorobots).

 

[HotKey]

I don’t understand the NFT ecosystem. Is there inherent value that supports the astronomical rise?

Bob

No, just the inherent need to be part of something. We get it in domaining too.

The value in NFTs comes in the form of the rarity of a release (eg. how many in a set, how skilled is the art) and perceived demand for it. And that's it, there is no use for NFTs other than collecting them.

I do reckon at some point or maybe it's already out there, we'll have NFT "picture frames" where one can display their tokenized art on their walls. Which would be kind of cool.

 

[Lox]

Why compare DN to crypto currency flux Lox? Crypto is subject to influences that can never touch a quality domain.

Yet still, the difference between pennies invested and anything sub-$100 for a profit of 43k vs a quarter mil... I'll stick with DN in that example.

Just to say ... cryptocurrencies & nfts are risky investments for most people, In fact, 80% of all crypto-nfts traders lose their investment within the first 90 days of trading. Yet, increasing your domain name portfolio by registering / acquiring ROOT-BUSINESS related names for different industries, is that it is a relatively uncomplicated, less-stressful & better ROI.

You need to know the history of crypto-nfts people and their organization (companies) to understand the play... identify the business culture and a very personal culture/drive. This will help you separate fact/perception from fiction.

Regards