discuss What is happening to domaining? Is it in crisis?

[infosec3]

This is an observation based on the low activity I see in the domain forums and other venues. For instance, lately, I have visited other domain forums and there are instances where you can see zero or only a handful of registered members connected. Even here on NamePros, the level of activity seems to have decreased.

On Clubhouse, for example, there used to be a lot of activity, with auctions where participants could count on at least a few sales per week (wholesale price).

But that is no longer the case. I know the economic crisis has deeply impacted the business, of course, but I ask myself if there are many domain investors who have given up and moved on? What do you think?

 

[equity78]

Another observation. Many domainers recently switched their landers to afternic BIN pages. By doing so, registrants actually opted to "decreased commission + decreased sales" scheme. Why decreased sales? Because the visitors arrive to godaddy-hosted pages, and godaddy does not allow search engines to index sales pages:

https://www.godaddy.com/robots.txt
it says: Disallow: /forsale/

SE traffic was always important, and still is. So, decreased sales in affected protfolios, at least partially, are the result of this change.

Interesting thanks for that.

 

[poweredbyme]

Forums are mostly schools. Forum activity may only reflect newbies and part-time domainers. Low forum activity = Low competition especially on low priced domains like < $1k.

But that is no longer the case. I know the economic crisis has deeply impacted the business, of course, but I ask myself if there are many domain investors who have given up and moved on? What do you think?

Your observation on lower forum activity tells me that many SMALL domain investors have likely given up or moved on.

What about medium sized domainers, big domainers and experienced full-time domainers? I think their total number is highly stable in the long term, regardless of changes in market conditions.

 

[equity78]

I think from the standpoint of domaining as an activity, not businesses buying domain names. The industry has changed greatly and it did not start this year. A couple years ago I started checking in on people who I had not seen here, worrying something happened to them. In every case thankfully they were ok and said it was either they tired of the nonsense. That domain investors don't want to buy from other domain investors they would rather give their money to GoDaddy or DropCatch.com or NameJet. One told me that the level of real discussion, interesting discussion has gone down big time.

Others told me they are on Twitter. I asked too prominent domainers about doing interviews the past month, we have done interviews in the past. And they told me not right now I like to hangout on Twitter and talk there. One of the reasons you can control the narrative, you can block trolls or people you don't like.

And Domainer Twitter is a real thing, there are things shared there, as far as sales, interesting commentary that never come to the forums. In the past they would always be on the forums at least in the second hand.

Others have just formed their own private little groups they message one another in a group text or are on whatsapp or Telegram.

I mean if you are coming to a forum you want interesting conversation, and for a lot of people you want to make sales. One of my best friends in the business told me last week he realized there was no money on Namepros, "I am in domaining for money, nothing else, I reply to buy wanted threads and they offer me lower than their stated budget, or the budget is a joke, one word .com with a $500 budget!!! come on!!!"

The business has changed in a big way and like @phaethon mentioned he does not report sales, I think more are adopting that.

Someone showed me close to $30,000 in new gtld sales completed in May, I asked why they did not post on Namepros? Their reply, "And get the Swetha treatment? F-THAT."

There is very little new in this business IMO creativity is at an all time low. But that's just my opinion I could be wrong.

 

[equity78]

Forums are mostly schools. Forum activity may only reflect newbies and part-time domainers. Low forum activity = Low competition especially on low priced domains like < $1k.



Your observation on lower forum activity tells me that many SMALL domain investors have likely given up or moved on.

What about medium sized domainers, big domainers and experienced full-time domainers? I think their total number is highly stable in the long term, regardless of changes in market conditions.

Good points and most big domainers don't post on forums. Some only when they are called out, like Braden had too in the Epik thread. But Schwartz, Berkens, Mann, The Booths, Rosener, Day, Cahn, Buckley,Udemme, and a host of others don't post here or anywhere else. Big domainers are much more likely to share info and sales on Twitter.

 

[mdent]

I don't know about the global trends, but I'm having the best year ever since I've started domaining, and we're barely past the half year mark. Highest revenue, profit, portfolio size, sell-through rate, quality of portfolio..

 

[equity78]

I don't know about the global trends, but I'm having the best year ever since I've started domaining, and we're barely past the half year mark. Highest revenue, profit, portfolio size, sell-through rate, quality of portfolio..

That's great to hear keep it going.

 

[davidc1]

To see trends you can have a look to number of sales (and chek if they dont lower average sales price) of buydomains

 

[equity78]

The other thing about domaining that's tricky, is people use the same metrics applied to other business segments or markets. It's understandable but not really possible.

If we all own the S&P 500 ETF we all have the same exposure, the same gains or losses. If you own 5000 shares of Alphabet and I own 10 we still at least own the same stock. We are both up or down on the year on that investment.

Domaining is wildly different, everyone comes together to talk about domain names and micro and macro trends. But we are talking Apples and Oranges and Coconuts.

The person who owns LL.com and LLL.com and premium one word .coms like say a @GeorgeK they are operating on a different level from me who owns zero LL.com and LLL.com and only a couple one word .coms but certainly not at the level of School.com or Leap.com. Then you have someone who owns a bunch of geoservice .com names and their perception of the domain market. Then there is someone who hoped they could be the Swetha of .link and not finding success.

Multiply that by 1000's of different portfolio profiles. For some this year sucks, others it's been great, because it's all relevant if you made two high five figure sales in 2023 when you never have before than 2023 is great. Those who were selling a ton of names during the pandemic in the sweet spot of $4 to $6 thousand a year might have seen the volume dry up, not making as many sales so 2023 sucks.

It's always hard to have a consensus because we all might be domain investors but the portfolio qualities and quantities are all over the place.

 

[equity78]

To see trends you can have a look to number of sales (and chek if they dont lower average sales price) of buydomains

Good point but you do have to take into consideration that Namebio does not get all of them @Michael does a great job but not all BuyDomains sales are on Namebio.

 

[davidc1]

Good point but you do have to take into consideration that Namebio does not get all of them @Michael does a great job but not all BuyDomains sales are on Namebio.

Sure, but if the % of reported sales do not change, it works...

 

[clarkemarketing]

2023 has been much better than 2022, so definitely not a crises. I'm sure many other domainers would agree, as they are paying more to acquire names today than they were this time last year (for example: auction prices for 4L .com and 5N .com are much higher now than a year or two ago). Escrow.com reported sales were up 47% in Q1 2023 compared to Q4 2022.

 

[Lox]

but not all BuyDomains sales are on Namebio.

Mostly Physical tech and SaaS DNs are excluded. Selling like a browser cookies with a little bit of resistance.

Regards

 

[Lox]

"And get the Swetha treatment? F-THAT."

OneWord dot xyz was sold for $230K > F-AKE
Acquired by tech giant > Yeah! Sure > You work for xyz

OneWord dot ai was sold for $230K > COOL
Acquired by tech giant > AMAZING

OneWord dot io was sold for $230K > COOL
Acquired by tech giant > AMAZING

OneWord dot tech was sold for $230K > COOL
Acquired by tech giant > AMAZING

OneWord dot id was sold for $230K > WoW
Acquired by tech giant > Well ... underpriced (reasoning process) ...

Regards

 

[BaileyUK]

Many like to mention how the Western World has managed to avoid a recession. But we all know confidence is low. Borrowing costs are high, even employment confidence is shaky for many. Would any of us really want to be starting a business at the moment, I think not.

All of this does reflect into our domaining market. I think the wise money is sitting back at the moment. It's not a crisis but there is a perceivable pause at the moment. American stability after next years elections and some common sense coming into Ukraine would probably be enough for dare I say see a little bit confidence coming back to all of us and reflecting into the markets

 

[twiki]

Whoever thinks the world is avoiding a recession, including the West, is delusional.

And not reading the signs.

They're just delaying it. (Edit: those in charge of running the world)

 

[clarkemarketing]

Would any of us really want to be starting a business at the moment, I think not.

I would rather be responsible for my own financial security than trust someone else. Even if you work for a Fortune 500 company, if the economy tanks you're at risk of being let go. Just look at Facebook, they print billions per year and laid off tens of thousands despite their stock doubling in the last 12 months. Starting a business is the only way to financial freedom, and I'd much rather market my products/services via a great domain than a physical storefront.

 

[poweredbyme]

Whoever thinks the world is avoiding a recession, including the West, is delusional.

And not reading the signs.

They're just delaying it. (Edit: those in charge of running the world)

One of the signs is gold price, xau/usd.

 

[Digital Nomad]

Business is going well, for quality domains that is and quality extensions.

 

[mm369]

There's going to be a boom in domaining within the next 12 - 24 months, and domainers will be able to access new ways of generating passive income via their domains. No one will park domains for "income" ever again after this.

I'm working on this now.

 

[Reallybigidea.com]

OP
Investing is over..
1) watch news sometimes..
2) Go on YouTube and type #NATO summit in Vilnius #WW3



And some conspiracy..

3) Watch Marvel Secret invasion 2023 for understanding what's going on.
#Skrulls

4) Simpsons prediction related to skrulls..

 

[phaethon]

Some really pessimistic views on this thread. Well, if you know the quality is not there..

 

[magnificentdomains]

Another interesting barometer is buydomains.com and scroll down to the section just missed. The data is probably on namebio too

 

[Zouniact]

The domain industry, like any other industry, is subject to fluctuations and changes in market conditions. Economic crises, such as the one you mentioned, can certainly have an impact on the demand for domain names and the level of activity in the industry. Additionally, other factors, such as the rise of social media and shifts in consumer behavior, can also affect the domain market.

That being said, it's important to note that the domain industry has been around for many years and has weathered various market conditions and shifts. While it's possible that some domain investors may have moved on to other ventures, it's also likely that many others have adapted to the changing market conditions and continue to actively invest in domain names.

Furthermore, it's possible that the low activity you've observed in some domain forums and venues is not necessarily indicative of the entire industry. There are many different platforms and channels that domain investors use to buy and sell domain names, and activity levels can vary widely depending on the specific platform or community.

 

[kor]

 

[Hypersot]

[off-topic]
@Zouniact ,
why on earth your post got downvoted?

Seriously, I'm seeing this trend lately with posts getting randomly downvoted. Am I missing something in what the up and down arrows are there for?