Do domainers actually make money?

[Refrozen]

I saw in that "show us your poker domains" thread, that someone posted a huge list of domains.

web-poker-sites.com
webgamblingsites.com
onlinepokersites.us
killapoker.com
betdrawpoker.com
webpoker.name
royalflush.name
pokerpro.ws
pokerpro.in
pokerpro.name
5cardstud.ws
5carddraw.in
icall.ws
iraise.in
iraise.info
acesfull.in
acesfull.us
streightflush.com
streightflush.info
streightflush.us
diamondflush.us
diamondflush.info
spadeflush.info
spadeflush.in
clubflush.in
clubflush.info
5cardstud.info
5carddraw.us
casinoplay.biz

If domains like this are profitable, I don't understand the domaining industry as well as I thought I do... maybe I just don't understand how to sell domains.

I've never had success selling domains like that, or even better.

Right now, I've got a few domains I'd love to get rid of, things like GoodSEO.net (developed with a ~80 uniques / day), TheMicrosoftBlog.com, L.inux.info, and my list of *FAQ domains (primely, UbuntuFAQ.info which ranks in Google for Ubuntu FAQ), but I know I'd never sell them for any value that makes them worthwhile to me.

Am I doing soemthing wrong? :P

 

[DNWizardX9]

most ppl are just newbies

 

[Mark]

I always refer people here : http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=68798

End Users are what you need for actually selling .... But a lot of folks are speaking of Parking and Development in those threads

 

[DomainSage]

End Users are what you need for actually selling ....

I have to disagree a bit on that part of your reply. Although I do sell to end users I would say most of my domains go to people in the trade. I agree the profits are not as large for this market, however it is a lot easier to sell to, so your turn over is improved.

Generally I go for domains that will fit into one of several categories :

1) Reseller market.
Buy cheap, sell on quick .... Although you do not great amounts of money onone domain you can turn over quite a few this way. Biggest problem with this is you really have to be on the ball to get the good domains cheap

2) End User.
A bit more relaxed in the marketing, and be willing to hold on to them for a while. But they do make decent money when you can move them.

3) Traffic.
A domain that is already getting traffic ( might be dropping or bought from someone ) .... Just parked them and getting the revenue.

4) Development.
Great name ... But no traffic ...... So develop a site and start building the visitors, in general these are ones I am not interested in selling, but am looking for the revenue they will generate.

I know people that have many hundreds ( thousands ) of domains that are not really traders. Just because you have a lot of domains is not necissarily good.
Most people would be better off limiting the numbers and only going for quality domains ... Or spending their time and money developing the domains they have.

Sorry for the ramblings

All the best for the New Year.

Richard

 

[cmpolis]

most ppl are just newbies

Im a perfect example!

 

[DomainSage]

Im a perfect example!

Everyone has been a neewbie at some point ... It is just unfortunate that a lot of them forget it

And a lot of the ones that have ben around for a while ( including me ) still make mistakes

All the best.

Richard

 

[The-YoungLat]

every one is a noob in any time of their domian experiense but that depends on the domina name because most noob's just buy what ever they find and they don't wait and that's were they cualifi as a noob :D

Regards,
-Nata

 

[mole]

I know people that have many hundreds ( thousands ) of domains that are not really traders. Just because you have a lot of domains is not necessarily good.
Most people would be better off limiting the numbers and only going for quality domains ... Or spending their time and money developing the domains they have.

Wise words for a new year, Richard

 

[user-7256]

I know somebody that had, what, 34,000 names? Went bankrupt.

I make just enough to support my hosting fees... phew!

 

[Simsi]

Most people would be better off limiting the numbers and only going for quality domains ... Or spending their time and money developing the domains they have.

Best advice you'll get.

Most of the names you see up for grabs are laughable. Spend some time and cash on getting quality names, learning SEO and prove their worth to potential buyers by breeding them into SERPS and PR, or at least targetted traffic, and you stand a much better chance IMHO.

And by "quality names" i mean simple, easily memorable, brandable names. Think Amazon, Napster, iTunes, Ebay and not Cheapbooks, Downloadsongs, Buymp3s, Auctionitems, if you see what i mean (thats not to say those wont fetch okay money - but most are gone and are probably waaay overpriced by the prospectors who own them). I'll happily spend a $k or 2 on the right name.

You may even find they turn out more lucrative with SERPS and development. I have one domain i did this with (bought initially purely with a view to selling it on) - the domain name has absolutely zero to do with the very competitive market it's in (doesnt even contain a keyword - hell its not even a word!), but its short and memorable and it ended up earning me over $75k in its first year so i gave up my job and kept it - lol. And it only gets about 10-15 hits a day from search engines! It's all about the name. You never know :D

Cheers

Simsi

 

[Jeff]

Everyone has been a neewbie at some point ... It is just unfortunate that a lot of them forget it

:bingo:

Amen, Richard! :yell:

If anyone tells you that they haven't at one time or another - and probabaly many, many times - registered the equivalent of Domain Dog Poopie™ they aren't being completely candid, IMHO. I still make mistakes (but much less of them these days, and fewer and farther in between) that I did in 1999/2000. :gl:

Happy 2006!
-Jeff

 

[Mark]

End Users are what you need for actually selling ....

I have to disagree a bit on that part of your reply. Although I do sell to end users I would say most of my domains go to people in the trade. I agree the profits are not as large for this market, however it is a lot easier to sell to, so your turn over is improved.

:hehe: No Arguements here - lol - Was just taking the easy way out :red: and pointing them to a Decent thread on the subject. There are many ways to "Profit" from this industry - you just have to feel your way around to find what you are comfortable with.

 

[Cradle]

i would think people profit, or maybe they just sit there cuz they are rich and nothing to do

 

[deet]

:D :D :D Of course we do!!! :D :D :D

 

[slaughterbeck]

If anyone tells you that they haven't at one time or another - and probabaly many, many times - registered the equivalent of Domain Dog Poopie™ they aren't being completely candid.

One of the first domains I ever registered was Fusaichi-Samurai.com (are you envious?) let’s just say it doesn’t get a lot of “type ins”. And I have dozens of other domain names that are almost just as bad. Oddly enough, one of the domains I thought was an idiotic reg (CasinoEvil.com) has been getting dozens of unique visitors a day and making a great deal of money in casino/poker clicks.

 

[davidc]

I often hear webmasters that hates domainers just because they get all the names but doesnt do anything with them. Then there is a group that doesnt understand why we register a lot domains. I see it like this. Its the same thing like buying a apartment. If the community gets bigger and the development is fast growing, the value of the apartment gets higher. The same thing goes for domainnames. Ofcourse, you dont buy a apartment in, lets say Brooklyn, but Manhattan

I agree with Simsi but some 2wordcombos are worth gettin.

 

[snoop]

Best advice you'll get.

And by "quality names" i mean simple, easily memorable, brandable names. Think Amazon, Napster, iTunes, Ebay and not Cheapbooks, Downloadsongs, Buymp3s, Auctionitems, if you see what i mean (thats not to say those wont fetch okay money - but most are gone and are probably waaay overpriced by the prospectors who own them). I'll happily spend a $k or 2 on the right name.

I think you have it completely wrong, when domainers lose money it is usually from registering "brandable" names of which there is no shortage of for reg fee and hence very little end user demand, to add insult to injury those names typically recieve no traffic.

 

[Premium]

Nope, we all lose money and we're proud of it! :p

 

[America First]

:bingo:

Amen, Richard! :yell:

If anyone tells you that they haven't at one time or another - and probabaly many, many times - registered the equivalent of Domain Dog Poopie™ they aren't being completely candid, IMHO. I still make mistakes (but much less of them these days, and fewer and farther in between) that I did in 1999/2000. :gl:

Happy 2006!
-Jeff

Yes i made the mistake (again) just a month ago, and have been doing this for 7 years. I bought sportsbooksshack.com for 15$ I thought it said sportsbookshack.com did any of you catch it the first time you read it? See i missed the extra s. :yd: oh well, any takers for $10, :hehe:

 

[DomainSage]

Yes i made the mistake (again) just a month ago, and have been doing this for 7 years. I bought sportsbooksshack.com for 15$ I thought it said sportsbookshack.com did any of you catch it the first time you read it? See i missed the extra s. :yd: oh well, any takers for $10, :hehe:

Yep, done that a few times

Also words that are not spelled right, after looking through thousands of domain that are basically rubbish .... See one that looks good, but only after registering ( and sobbering up ) the next day I realize that it was spelt wrong

Oh well you learn something new everyday ... The problem is I forget two things

All the best.

Richard