analysis .diy - gTLD (Generic Top-Level Domain)

[Eric Lyon]

Today, I'll be analyzing the .diy gTLD to see if I can dig up any helpful data points that could be stacked with someone elses research into the .diy extension.

The registry for the .diy gTLD is Internet Naming Co. (Internet Naming Company LLC), which took over management of the domain from Lifestyle Domain Holdings, Inc. in January 2024. It is a specialized, non-sponsored gTLD focused on the "do-it-yourself" industry

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Anyone can register a .diy domain name, as there are no specific restrictions or eligibility requirements. It is available to individuals, businesses, and organizations worldwide looking to establish a presence in the DIY community

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Note: At the time of this analysis there was a 1-character minimum to register a .diy domain. There were also a lot of 1-character .diy domains available to register, but with a low-5-figure premium registration cost.

With the above in mind, lets dive right in...

.diy domain registration costs​

According to Tldes.com the .diy domain registration cost ranges from $0.98 to $40.36+.

.diy domains registered today​

According to DNS.Coffee there are 8,492 .diy domains registered today.

Public .diy domain sales reports​

It's hard to find any .diy domain sales reports online, indicating most are private sales.

Note: NameBio.com shows 1 .diy domain sales report for $205.

The only sales report found was:

• pelisflix2.diy for $205

5-year .diy domain growth summary​

The growth of the .diy gTLD remained stagnant for several years before experiencing a massive surge starting in 2024. According to DNS.Coffee, the registration totals over the last five years.

• 2021–2023 (Stagnancy): The extension was virtually inactive, holding at 6 registrations in March 2021 and dropping to just 2 registrations by March 2023.
• 2024 (Early Movement): Registrations began to tick upward, reaching 19 by March 2024.
• 2025 (Explosive Growth): The TLD saw its first major spike, jumping to 3,992 registrations.
• 2026 (Current Peak): Growth continued aggressively, more than doubling in a year to reach the current total of 8,492 domains.

Key Growth Drivers
The 99.7% increase between 2024 and 2026 can be attributed to:

• General Availability: The TLD likely moved from a restricted or "sunrise" phase into open registration, allowing the general public to buy names.
• Aggressive Pricing: As noted earlier, registrars like Spaceship and GoDaddy began offering "loss-leader" pricing (under $1.00), which lowered the barrier to entry for the 8,492 current owners.
• Niche Branding: The "Maker" movement and DIY home renovation trends have made this specific extension more attractive for personal blogs and small businesses.

Note: Despite this recent momentum, secondary market activity remains minimal, with NameBio reporting only one sale (pelisflix2.diy for $205).

8 niches for .diy domains​

• Home Improvement & Renovation: The most obvious fit. This includes independent contractors, "fixer-upper" bloggers, and specialists in kitchen remodeling or flooring who want a punchy, relevant URL.
• Arts & Crafts: A massive community of creators, knitters, painters, jewelry makers, and Cricut enthusiasts, who use .diy to host portfolios, tutorials, or storefronts.
• Smart Home & Tech Hacking: "Prosumers" who build custom Raspberry Pi setups, home automation systems, or open-source software projects.
• Sustainable Living & Homesteading: The "off-grid" and "grow-your-own" movement. This niche uses .diy for content regarding urban gardening, solar power setups, and composting.
• Automotive & Mechanical Repair: Car enthusiasts and "garage mechanics" who film restoration projects or provide niche maintenance guides for specific vehicle models.
• Furniture Upcycling: Professional and hobbyist "flippers" who buy vintage furniture to restore and resell. The extension is ideal for "Before & After" galleries.
• Cosmetics & Personal Care: The "Clean Beauty" movement, where creators share recipes for handmade soaps, essential oil blends, and organic skincare.
• Education & E-Learning: Instructors who sell specialized "How-To" courses or digital blueprints. This is where we see the most "commercial" potential, even though the secondary market remains thin (with only one reported sale of pelisflix2.diy for $205 on NameBio.com).

What a playful .diy domain hack might look like​

In the world of domain names, a "domain hack" is when you use the top-level domain (TLD) to complete a word or a well-known phrase. Since .diy is a three-letter acronym, it is perfectly suited for several creative linguistic hacks. Given that DNS.Coffee reports only 8,492 active registrations, many of these clever "hacks" may still be available at the low introductory rates (around $0.98) we discussed.

The "Adjective" Hack
Many English adjectives end in -dy. By using the "D" from .diy, you can create seamless single-word hacks:

• Han.diy (Handy) – Perfect for a tool review site or a local handyman.
• Can.diy (Candy) – A sweet, memorable URL for a confectionary blog or DIY dessert recipes.
• Tren.diy (Trendy) – Ideal for a DIY fashion or home decor inspiration site.
• Rea.diy (Ready) – Great for "get ready with me" (GRWM) content or emergency prep guides.

The "Verb" Hack
You can use the suffix to create action-oriented domains that imply a process:

• Stu.diy (Study) – A clever fit for an educational platform, a craft tutorial site, or a "study with me" blog.
• Ti.diy (Tidy) – Perfect for the professional organizing and decluttering niche.

The "Identity" Hack
Since "DIY" stands for "Do It Yourself," you can use the word before the dot to define what the user is doing themselves:

• MakeIt.diy
• BuildIt.diy
• FixIt.diy
• GrowIt.diy

Phonetic & Rhyming Hacks
You can play with the "eye" sound of the extension:

• Bullse.diy (Bullseye) – For a precision-focused craft or tool site.
• Isp.diy (I-Spy) – A playful name for a curated DIY project finder.

Note: Domain hacks turn a generic extension into a brandable asset. Even though the only reported secondary sale on NameBio.com so far is pelisflix2.diy for $205, a clean hack like Han.diy or Stu.diy would likely command a much higher premium due to its brevity and "type-in" clarity.

10 lead sources for .diy domain outbound campaigns​

• Etsy & Handmade Marketplaces:
  • Search for high-volume sellers on Etsy or Michaels MakerPlace who are currently using long, cluttered URLs or marketplace-hosted pages (e.g., ://etsy.com). Offering them a clean Brand.diy URL is a strong value proposition for their independent branding.
• Pinterest "Power Pinners":
  • Identify creators with high-engagement pins in DIY categories (home decor, gardening, crafts). Content on Pinterest has a long shelf life, and these creators often need a dedicated "home base" outside of social media.
• YouTube & TikTok Tutorial Creators:
  • Use Collabstr or Feedspot to find micro-influencers (10k–50k followers) who specialize in "How-To" content. These creators often look for professional-grade domains to host their blueprints, supply lists, or courses.
• Specialized DIY Forums:
  • Communities like DIYChatroom (which has over 225k members) or Reddit’s r/DIY are filled with hobbyists who may want a personal site to document their builds.
• Local Contractor Directories:
  • Scrape leads from Angi, Houzz, or Thumbtack. Small home-service businesses (remodelers, painters, landscapers) are prime candidates for a .diy domain to stand out from competitors using generic .com or .net addresses.
• Maker Faire & DIY Convention Exhibitors:
  • Check the "Call for Makers" lists or attendee directories for events like Maker Faire or the upcoming DIY CON. These individuals are the core "maker" audience.
• Crowdfunding Platforms:
  • Monitor Kickstarter and Indiegogo for "DIY Kit" projects. These startups often need a brandable domain as they transition from a campaign to a permanent business.
• Instagram #UGCCreator Community:
  • Search hashtags like #DIYprojects or #Maker on Instagram to find User-Generated Content (UGC) creators who are building a personal brand and need a professional link-in-bio.
• Niche Business Incubators:
  • Platforms like F6S list thousands of DIY-focused startups and companies that have recently raised seed funding and may be looking to upgrade their digital identity.
• LinkedIn Niche Groups:
  • Join groups focused on "Home Improvement Marketing" or "Professional Crafters." Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to filter for business owners in the construction or hobby sectors.

Helpful Outbound articles and tools

• How to leverage an Ai Assistant to find domain leads
• How to leverage Social media to find domain leads
• How to leverage Job Boards to find domain leads
• eMail Marketing Best Practices for Domain Outreach
• List of FREE tools for outbound domain sales
• Outbound Domain sales Tips

Legal considerations when selling a domain to an existing business​

Approaching a business to sell a domain that matches their trademark is a high-stakes move. If not handled carefully, it can be flagged as cybersquatting, leading to the loss of the domain without compensation or, in some cases, legal damages.

The Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA)
In the U.S., the ACPA protects trademark owners against people who register, traffic in, or use a domain name that is "identical or confusingly similar" to a distinctive mark with bad faith intent to profit.

• The Risk: If you approach a company like Home Depot to sell them HomeDepot.diy, they can sue you in federal court.
• Evidence of Bad Faith: Offering to sell a domain to the trademark owner for an amount substantially exceeding your out-of-pocket costs (like the $0.98 registration fee) is often cited as evidence of bad faith.

UDRP (Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy)
This is an international administrative proceeding used by ICANN. It is faster and cheaper than a lawsuit but can result in the immediate transfer of your domain. To win a UDRP, the complainant must prove:

• The domain is identical or confusingly similar to their mark.
• You have no rights or legitimate interests in the name.
• The domain was registered and is being used in bad faith.

"Reverse Domain Name Hijacking"
If a company tries to bully you out of a domain that you registered for a legitimate reason (e.g., you registered Handy.diy because you actually run a handyman blog), you may have a defense. However, if your only "business" is trying to sell the name to a specific trademark holder, this defense fails.

Direct Outreach vs. Passive Listing

• Passive Listing: Listing a domain on a marketplace (like Afternic or Sedo) is generally safer. It allows the buyer to find you.
• Active Outreach: Sending a "For Sale" email directly to a legal department or marketing head can be interpreted as a solicitation. If the domain is a direct match for their brand, this email is often used as "Exhibit A" in a UDRP filing to prove bad faith.

Potential Practices for Outbound

• Avoid Brand Names: Stick to generic keywords (e.g., Tools.diy, Crafts.diy) or domain hacks (e.g., Stu.diy).
• Check TESS: Always search the USPTO Trademark Database (TESS) before registering or reaching out.
• Focus on Use Case: When reaching out, frame the domain as a "branding opportunity" for their industry, rather than a "must-have" for their specific trademark.

Helpful Outbound articles and tools

• How to leverage an Ai Assistant to find domain leads
• How to leverage Social media to find domain leads
• How to leverage Job Boards to find domain leads
• eMail Marketing Best Practices for Domain Outreach
• List of FREE tools for outbound domain sales
• Outbound Domain sales Tips

Questions for you​

• Do you own any .diy domains?
  • If so, how are they doing for you?
• Thinking about investing into .diy domains?
  • If so, what niche will you target and why?

Remember, at the end of the day, a domain name is truly only worth what a buyer and seller agree on.

What works for one may not work for another and vice versa.

Have a great domain investing adventure!