discuss Starting Over...

I can't wait to see the replies on this. You are like a mind reader! Thanks for posting!

Dumping 10-20%, yeah. All of them ? No.

I think if you wanted to dump all, then you realized you bought them for the wrong reasons or have no faith in your domaining skills. In which case, dont buy any new ones until you figure out what was wrong with your old portfolio or what your reasoning was for buying in the first place.

The best thing to do is let the "losers" drop off naturally and buy new ones as you go along. No reason to just dump all.

the sad reality for many of us domainers is that those who reach such a point of getting rid of all and "Starting over" is that this very portofolio they are now considering to sell is probably not really sellable.. and quite worthless.

I am not refering to anyone in paritcular here.. including me.. just making a general statement about this matter.

I'd also take seriously what NYjimbo just said about not immediately restarting the portofolio after getting rid of the old one.. until we figure out what was wrong with the previous one... maybe rethink our strategies and just keep learning some more about domaining.

jmo
cheers

Selling your portfolio is a little like admitting defeat. If in your eyes, it's not worth holding on to, then why would someone else want them?

When you get to that stage, you might as well move on. Anyone selling a complete portfolio is going to take a loss.

Crap domains will never appreciate with time. I know, I have some of my own .

It has crossed my mind but, certainly not to start over again. After nearly 20 years playing with domains (fairly successfully) I'd be more inclined to find a new interest or a more healthy hobby. I think if you've been around domains for quite a long time and your getting older, there comes a point where you think Do I really want to be dealing in domains for the next ten years.

I had thought about getting into development, I have the basic skill-set, but then that also commits me to the keyboard, so talked my self out of that one. I'm just going to make a better effort to unload to the end user market.

I certainly don't purchase any new domains these days and 90% my success is outbound.

I've done a complete restart before and it was a great decision. However, I took a lot more time focusing on better names and learning the ropes the second time around.

However, I have thought a lot about selling off large chunks of my portfolio and focusing on specific higher quality names in a certain price range as of late, but right now I'm profitable doing it the way I have been which makes it tough. I just can't help but wonder if there's more profit by tweaking things and trying something different here. In the end there's many ways to make money in this industry - it's just a matter of figuring out what works best for you and what you're comfortable with IMO.

Never thought of that.

Just buy good domains from here on out.

Go thru your portfolio and decide which are the good ones. Try to sell the rest before expiration date, it you don't, let them expire. Slowly weed the bad ones out over time.

When I 1st started I must have changed my portfolio about 4 or 5 times. Now I sell down Names that I wanna get rid of and I replace them with new names. Like today I sold two domains cheap so I could take all the money from both names and buy one better one. I call it doubling down.

I have a lot that I will hold long term until the right offer comes along. I couldn't see myself selling my entire portfolio to startover unless I was to invest all the money into 1 one word.com I reccomend figuring out what has value and holding on to that until to you get better names.

I do get that feeling, but it's not due to having crappy domains; it's due to always being excited about the next purchases. I get one domain that I'm excited bidding for and happy to win; and then a day later I want to sell it and use that cash for more purchases. Sometimes I get that feeling to consider letting go a large amount of domains, just for the fun of filling up that space with a whole bunch more.

Even though I'm happy holding on to most of my purchases, I still like that feeling of the next 'fresh' domain...

Probably the definition of insanity

Many times... We all make mistakes and collect things we shouldn't have. A purge every once in a while to start-over fresh and use what you learned from your last mistakes to build a stronger domain portfolio or network of thriving business developments is a good thing.

Well, if it's 100 domains and you get a 1 million dollar offer it could be considered that selling could help you invest in more domains. I'm pretty sure many people would and do sell there portfolio of 100 domains for 1 mil.

I constantly improve the quality of my portfolio while growing it.

I don't renew some based on new knowledge and experience I gained. I have also learned to trust my gut feeling when I might be getting the feedback that the name is not worthy.

Basically, there are names that I know now that probably won't sell and they don't. Then there are ones that are good in my opinion but were rejected by brandable marketplaces and they do sell at a very good rate with no logos, landing pages etc. For example, mart/smart was rejected by BB, BR and BP, but I kept renewing it for couple of years before it sold via afternic for $1899. The name just made sense to me and I liked the rhyming/repeating aspect of it. Chef/ix was another universal reject that sold for $2.5K.

DefinitelyDomains said:

Have you ever thought about selling your entire domain portfolio in order to start over?

Click to expand...

Nope. Over the years I have weeded out hundreds of domains (539) over the years, the portfolio I have now I will be sticking with until sale or death. I very rarely let a domain go, and I certantly wouldnt drop one of value.

That's just me.

This is one of the best discussions I have seen lately! I think that both sides can logically be argued, and lost of insights - thanks to all! I am somewhat torn on this one...

I strongly agree with those who say IF you do start over, make sure to think carefully about what you want in your portfolio and try not to repeat mistakes you came to regret.

I think that my view is that while I would probably only sell my entire portfolio if I decided to move to to something else, either different forms of investing or a different hobby or business, depending on your level of involvement, I might well sell a major portion of my portfolio to either narrow focus or have funds to move into new niches.

I think it you never even consider selling a big chunk, it MIGHT mean you are not looking critically enough at your portfolio, or not open to new trends and new opportunities. That being said, I think failure in this business is often associated with moving from one trend to another, and just as conventional investors who trade too often are shown statistically to do worse, same might be true in domains.

I of course meant to say "lots of insights" not "lost of insights" in the preceding post! Sorry!

Also, since my editing time has passed, I meant to argue that considering selling an entire portfolio (while probably not doing it) will help clarify your thinking re:

1. Is my portfolio too large or small for my necessary revenue stream and time to manage?
2. Is my portfolio sufficiently diversified to smooth out risk slighlly?
3. Is my portfolio too diverse for me to follow all the niches represented carefully?
4. Are there extension changes that influence how much I want to be in them?
5. Am I in domaining for the right reasons, or am I suffering domain addiction or just staying in it because I have been for a long time. Do I really like managing a portfolio?
6. Has my personal financial (or time) situation changed lately?
7. Does my portfolio represent too much financial risk and I would rather take some revenue and put it into safer investment products?

DefinitelyDomains said:

Have you ever thought about selling your entire domain portfolio in order to start over?

Click to expand...

Most 'portfolios' (or domain collections ) would not sell as a package. Single names maybe (provided there are at least a few good ones). And who's going to buy them ? Godaddy ? Buydomains ? And for how much ?

So for most domainers this is not even an option.
But most domainers could drop everything and start over (or quit for all). Somebody has to say it lol.

buy sell/drop repeat

If you feel this way, you're probably not selling so starting over is a good idea. Lower the prices on your names until they do sell. If you break even, you'll have learned which names had the most value.

Quality over quantity.

Of course, there is a price at which you sell the portfolio (with the exception of names you have planned for a project/company).

Godaddy values my portfolio at around $2.5MM, at the prices I normally sell them, the end user price worth is $3MM to $4MM. I would probably consider selling it wholesale at around $400K.

I think most people would consider selling their entire portfolio for the right price. Almost everything has a price...

In the meantime if you are getting offers, making sales, and profitable there is no real reason to start over. Over time you acquire better domains and weed out the garbage.

Brad

Berkens sold almost whole portfolio to GoDaddy... not to start over but to finish the active domain career...

But how many domainers have portfolios like Berkens's... Most domain portfolios are actually collections, liabilities.

I just drop domains without any offers after year or two.

It is easier to trim and weed out a grown tree than to chop it down and wait for a newly planted one to bear fruit.

You should restart your Brain to think differently from now on how you invest.