Do you make a living selling domains?

Shawn Haghnazari · Dec 2, 2018

I was wondering if people actually make a living solely on buying and selling domains.

Addison · Jan 4, 2019

Kazzia said:
Can I ask how many years, how many hours spent plus your budget for acquisitions and renewals?

Domains piqued my interest ~15 years ago, but I didn't try to make a serious living from it (and turn it into a business) until ~10 years ago.

100 hours a week, at least. No partying. No watching television. No weekends off. No vacations. Work, and work. Then work some more. Seriously, because...

The only thing you can control in business is your effort; make it count!

My budget began at $10 when I bought my first domain name and multiplied from there as I figured out what worked, what didn't work, and I reinvested in what worked. Lost plenty of money. Made plenty more.

The words for it are easy: it takes me mere seconds to type them. The work behind it is the hard part that almost no one is willing to do.

Kazzia · Jan 10, 2019

Addison said:
Domains piqued my interest ~15 years ago, but I didn't try to make a serious living from it (and turn it into a business) until ~10 years ago.

100 hours a week, at least. No partying. No watching television. No weekends off. No vacations. Work, and work. Then work some more. Seriously, because...

The only thing you can control in business is your effort; make it count!

My budget began at $10 when I bought my first domain name and multiplied from there as I figured out what worked, what didn't work, and I reinvested in what worked. Lost plenty of money. Made plenty more.

The words for it are easy: it takes me mere seconds to type them. The work behind it is the hard part that almost no one is willing to do.

Hats off to you. I only work about 80 hours per week on it -12 hours M - F, and 10 on weekend days. I thought no one in this industry worked harder than me, but you beat me!!! Blows my mind when people do 6 figures and work less than that.

Giode · Jan 10, 2019

.X. said:
"You see, through the 18 years I have been doing this and been on this forum, I have seen countless SO CALLED professional domainers, then they just disappear, I guess they just got so wealthy they didn’t need to domain anymore

A lot of the old faces are gone, which is kind of sad. I was once very active on this board, especially when trying to learn the business. Over the years, I've visited the forums less and less as they seem more overrun by noobs (no offense to noobs of course). Many of us have just moved on.

Can't speak for others who have disappeared, but I've made a very good living on domains as my only income source the past 12 years. a lot tougher getting started these days though. It takes a large investment to make money in domains, and if you're relying on hand reg domains, the odds are you won't make it.

ak1985 · Jan 12, 2019

Kate said:
It's true, a lot of stuff is more expensive because it has to be imported.
If you want to live comfortably, or to Western standards, living in a Third world country is not so cheap.
High-speed, reliable Internet is not cheap or available everywhere. In some countries, the electricity runs a few hours a day.
As said above, some of the things we take for granted are not affordable to everyone.

GeorgeQuang said:
I live in Vietnam, where people can live well with only $200/month. The Director salary here is just $2000/month.
Selling more than $40k this year (2% of my portfolio - which cost me only $1500 for those).
I could reach at least $55k sales in 2018 if i accepted all offers - but i don't have to do that.
Of course that all my profit is turned into inventory - 98% domain was not sold.
But they are good .COM domains and i could hold them for a long term.
I'm planning to reach $150k in 2019.
When i posted my entire portfolio in early 2018, people laugh and someone said i would earn only $5k yearly with this type of portfolio.
So the key factor is : keep learning, keep working, keep fighting and don't complain, don't explain.
You don't have to listen or think about people's thought.
You have to build your own strategy, your own plan. Everyone has their own resources (Time-Money-Skills) so their strategies are different, you could not win this game if you just only copy another guys tactics ( i've seen many domainers bought tons of names that similar to a domain that had been sold in the past).
I have a 5-years plan - all my profit would be turn into domains. I'll buy at many quality domains as i can in 5 years.
But if you live in Western Countries, it's really hard to become a full-time domainer. You have to pay tax, insurance. Your wife needs cosmetics and your kids need braces.
It takes more than 3 years to get $100k if you do right and work really hard.

Even in non-western countries people have to pay tax (very high and on nearly everything in many countries), you have insurance and compulsory insurance on vehicles, people do use cosmetics and many kids do have braces on their teeth. Even i had it even though i'm not from western country.

GeorgeQuang · Jan 12, 2019

ak1985 said:
Even in non-western countries people have to pay tax (very high and on nearly everything in many countries), you have insurance and compulsory insurance on vehicles, people do use cosmetics and many kids do have braces on their teeth. Even i had it even though i'm not from western country.

In many developing countries like VietNam, we do have those too.
Of course with the lower price.

werty · Jan 12, 2019

I do and have for the last 10-11 years but I don't consider it a "career" anymore.

rlm · Jan 12, 2019

MapleDots said:
You say it's enough for the majority in the world and you are probably right... ie china, india etc.

However in North America it would be a hard thing to feed a family and provide housing for 100k. I know in my area of the world you cannot rent an apartment for under 2k per month much less buy a car and make a living.

Shit - just my family credit card bills are around $10K CAD per month... Of course that doesn't include nearly all the monthly bills. Average home in Canada is around $500K, and in BC where I live, its $730K. It easily takes 6 figures to live here - which is why most families need both husband and wife to work.

I could consider moving someplace with a much lower cost of living - but I actually love living where I do. It's hot and sunny in the summer for pool & lake activities. Great biking most of the year, its fantastic skiing in the winter. Its beautiful views of mountains, valleys, orchards, etc... Sometimes there's a price to pay to be happy.

I've been lucky enough to not have a job since 1999 and my wife hasn't worked since 2000 when my daughter was born. I did web development for a few years which is what led me to understand domaining - which I really started in early 2004, focusing on .CA domains only and quickly weaned myself off of doing development work for other people. I have made lots of money domaining and lost lots of money trying to develop domains. So be careful if you're trying to develop. Don't just throw money at a project assuming it will pay off, and don't spend money you can't afford to lose. Also realize you can't do as good a job of domaining while trying to run another project either.

So if you want to make a living from domaining, there are two ways. 1) You broker or flip domains which means you never escape the daily grind. Or 2) You need to build a large quality portfolio and eventually sales cover your expenses and living.

If negotiating a sale, be sure you make plenty enough from any sale to in turn restock the portfolio with a much better domain or domains (so that you're always trading up). Re-invest EVERYTHING you can into the BEST domains you can buy. If you're working another job, live off that and don't pull money out of your domain business. You will also need to be willing to say no to very good offers to be able to make great (6-figure) sales. You'll never make a 6-figure sale if you keep accepting 4 or 5 figures - so know EVERYTHING you can about your buyer and know your domain (and the market for it). You might need to have a bank roll or line of credit to survive the slow years - there will be some. When things are good - pay for your renewals in advance a few years.

I don't do outbound sales, and I don't pre-price my domains. I quote every inquiry after researching the domain, the market, the buyer, etc... Keep track of all your inquiries, how you responded, what you quoted, what their offers were, etc... Review all past inquiries before you respond. If they try and negotiate price, offer them something other than a discount (like free financing i.e. payment plan, lease option, etc...). Never show weakness or sound desperate for a sale. Be friendly and helpful but just let them know the price isn't really negotiable - for some reason everyone thinks domainers are selling from a street cart in Morocco or something and that you gotta cut the price in half otherwise you lose the game. I feel that not being willing to negotiate much shows that you're _not_ a street vendor - and instead are a respectable business.

Don't be afraid to ask for high prices, sometimes that makes a domain look more valuable by pricing it high. Luxury goods are usually just over-priced stuff to show the world how rich you are. Domains aren't much different sometimes.

Here's an interesting example. I have a domain I owned for 14 years that gets at LEAST one serious inquiry a week, many from existing businesses using a similar longer 2-word domain, some are startups. Over those years, I was originally asking $50K. Then I bumped it to $100K. Then I bumped it to $150K. Then I bumped it to $200K. Now it just sold. Counter-intuitive, right? Now I've got another well funded startup asking me to bail on the current deal because they'll make it worth my time. Unfortunately - I can't because I have a counter-signed contract - just waiting on payment. So I'm pricing my best domains higher and higher and having success. It's worth the wait. The reality is, the big companies who want your domain are willing to pay big money. Don't be afraid to ask for it, don't be willing to take less if you don't have to.

That's how I've made a living from it.

MapleDots · Jan 12, 2019

And before anyone flames @rlm as the new member, I'll vouch for what he says.

He has some of the biggest recorded .ca sales in history under his credentials.

When in doubt, namebio is your friend

lock · Oct 3, 2019

oh something isn't right.

Soofi · Oct 3, 2019

Sound advice

rlm said:
sh*t - just my family credit card bills are around $10K CAD per month... Of course that doesn't include nearly all the monthly bills. Average home in Canada is around $500K, and in BC where I live, its $730K. It easily takes 6 figures to live here - which is why most families need both husband and wife to work.

I could consider moving someplace with a much lower cost of living - but I actually love living where I do. It's hot and sunny in the summer for pool & lake activities. Great biking most of the year, its fantastic skiing in the winter. Its beautiful views of mountains, valleys, orchards, etc... Sometimes there's a price to pay to be happy.

I've been lucky enough to not have a job since 1999 and my wife hasn't worked since 2000 when my daughter was born. I did web development for a few years which is what led me to understand domaining - which I really started in early 2004, focusing on .CA domains only and quickly weaned myself off of doing development work for other people. I have made lots of money domaining and lost lots of money trying to develop domains. So be careful if you're trying to develop. Don't just throw money at a project assuming it will pay off, and don't spend money you can't afford to lose. Also realize you can't do as good a job of domaining while trying to run another project either.

So if you want to make a living from domaining, there are two ways. 1) You broker or flip domains which means you never escape the daily grind. Or 2) You need to build a large quality portfolio and eventually sales cover your expenses and living.

If negotiating a sale, be sure you make plenty enough from any sale to in turn restock the portfolio with a much better domain or domains (so that you're always trading up). Re-invest EVERYTHING you can into the BEST domains you can buy. If you're working another job, live off that and don't pull money out of your domain business. You will also need to be willing to say no to very good offers to be able to make great (6-figure) sales. You'll never make a 6-figure sale if you keep accepting 4 or 5 figures - so know EVERYTHING you can about your buyer and know your domain (and the market for it). You might need to have a bank roll or line of credit to survive the slow years - there will be some. When things are good - pay for your renewals in advance a few years.

I don't do outbound sales, and I don't pre-price my domains. I quote every inquiry after researching the domain, the market, the buyer, etc... Keep track of all your inquiries, how you responded, what you quoted, what their offers were, etc... Review all past inquiries before you respond. If they try and negotiate price, offer them something other than a discount (like free financing i.e. payment plan, lease option, etc...). Never show weakness or sound desperate for a sale. Be friendly and helpful but just let them know the price isn't really negotiable - for some reason everyone thinks domainers are selling from a street cart in Morocco or something and that you gotta cut the price in half otherwise you lose the game. I feel that not being willing to negotiate much shows that you're _not_ a street vendor - and instead are a respectable business.

Don't be afraid to ask for high prices, sometimes that makes a domain look more valuable by pricing it high. Luxury goods are usually just over-priced stuff to show the world how rich you are. Domains aren't much different sometimes.

Here's an interesting example. I have a domain I owned for 14 years that gets at LEAST one serious inquiry a week, many from existing businesses using a similar longer 2-word domain, some are startups. Over those years, I was originally asking $50K. Then I bumped it to $100K. Then I bumped it to $150K. Then I bumped it to $200K. Now it just sold. Counter-intuitive, right? Now I've got another well funded startup asking me to bail on the current deal because they'll make it worth my time. Unfortunately - I can't because I have a counter-signed contract - just waiting on payment. So I'm pricing my best domains higher and higher and having success. It's worth the wait. The reality is, the big companies who want your domain are willing to pay big money. Don't be afraid to ask for it, don't be willing to take less if you don't have to.

That's how I've made a living from it.

werty · Oct 3, 2019

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namekahuna · Oct 4, 2019

It can if you take it seriously and hone your craft. That means enough capital to get some really good domains in your portfolio without overpaying for them ( aka, master your appraising skills) unless your started early when the market was less saturated, or active selling efforts of building potential buyer contacts through phone calls, direct marketing and ads or hiring brokers if you have worthy names.

Buying or registering a bunch of domains and then throwing them up on all the marketplaces is not going to afford you a living in most cases. You may get lucky every now and then with some decent sales and you might even hit it big with one sale that sets you up for years to come but that's the exception.

The barrier to entry for domaining is so low that I can almost guarantee that 90% of people in the business can't make a living solely on it, are not even profitable or actually lose money. The 10% that make it their job and are good at it are making a killing.

Do you make a living selling domains?

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