Do you guys give up in domaining yet? Or are you thirsty for more?

[Arief WN]

I see some members here are giving up in domaining.
Is domaining really that hard? Or have they just found something cooler to do?

Guys, I'm giving up domaining.
I have enjoyed posting here and meeting friends, but the time has come for me to move on.
I wish everyone all the best and good luck in their domaining venture.
Cheers guys!

I quit domaining and didn't reg a domain name since a year
...

 

[DavidH]

Quitting is not an option! Too often people quit right before their big break was about to take place.

 

[Kate]

In recent years, many domainers were selling almost exclusively to other domainers, a lot of domains of dubious quality would change hands.
Because domaining also goes by the greater fool theory: buying crap is not a problem as long as you find another bigger sucker, and can turn a small profit.

But today the D2D market is flat.

I have always focused on domain with end user demand because domainers seldom pay retail price anyway. Now that liquidity on the D2D market has gone, there are no reasons to cater to resellers anymore :bah:

There is always demand from end users for quality domains (with ups and downs of course, sales are unpredictable). But as said earlier, be realistic and don't overestimate the market...

This is not to say everything is rosy, you have to adjust your strategy, question your choices. I have ditched dogs too.
Sustaining a bad portfolio is the worst thing you can do.

Personally I don't want out, I want more

 

[lennco]

In recent years, many domainers were selling almost exclusively to other domainers, a lot of domains of dubious quality would change hands.
Because domaining also goes by the greater fool theory: buying crap is not a problem as long as you find another bigger sucker, and can turn a small profit.

But today the D2D market is flat.

I have always focused on domain with end user demand because domainers seldom pay retail price anyway. Now that liquidity on the D2D market has gone, there are no reasons to cater to resellers anymore :bah:

There is always demand from end users for quality domains (with ups and downs of course, sales are unpredictable). But as said earlier, be realistic and don't overestimate the market...

This is not to say everything is rosy, you have to adjust your strategy, question your choices. I have ditched dogs too.
Sustaining a bad portfolio is the worst thing you can do.

Personally I don't want out, I want more

Great post, I had to give you a rep on that one

 

[ezcoms]

I stopped smoking and took up domaining. Both have been equally as pointless lol..

 

[Name Trader]

Not necessarily. I've personally sold 30+ hand regged domains for $xxx+ each this year (including turning $0.18 into $695) which to me says it IS possible to make good money with very little investment, IF you find and employ a strategy that works for you.

Everybody wants to know your strategy, dubstep

 

[Jawed]

Domainers are delusional. A very tiny proportion of domainers make any money. For most of them, it's an expensive hobby. Sooner or later they come to the same conclusion: this is not my cup of tea.

However, the question is if I'm giving up on domaining. My answer is NO. The reason is that I believe I can still make some decent income if I follow some simple business rules:

• Excessive supply of any commodity will kill its monetary value.

• I don't like an extension for sake of liking it. I know no matter how much I bang the drum, the market is not going to change its course.

• I don't register a name which I am not prepared to develop.

• I was not born with the above information. I need to learn the domaining skills (like any other skills in any industry) on these forums from people like Kate (sdsinc) and Brad (bmugford).

 

[Arief WN]

Yep, I have to agree that domaining is quite fun as a hobby.

And I think some best complements for domaining are:
- a web development (obviously!).
- for brandable name, I think a catchy logo design is a must (just like in brandbucket).

:imho:

I can never do such a risky business to make a living.
But it's quite fun as a hobby.

Very astute observations about the newbies.
As one of them, I can testify that it looks very easy and profitable from the outside.
Doesn't take long to realize it's not!
...
Also as a developer it lets me to work on developing my own tools which doubles the fun!

...
• I don't register a name which I am not prepared to develop.
...

 

[Arief WN]

A bad news, huh?

And this one is a nice post from Aggro related to this topic. :bah:

Fracois Cardildo, owner of eCop, has posted on his blog the excerpt near the bottom.

He states he sold a few domains for $100,000+ each back in the boom years when his asking price was minimum $100,000

Fast forward to today, he is now "facing the worst financial period of my life, I cannot even make a living, in fact I never really made a living domaining since 2006"

If I were thinking of using the service, I would be extra alert (caveat emptor)

You might just find your escrow funds that you thought were safe...being used by Francois for a quick bet for Forex or Stock trading, based on nothing more than a "hot tip, a sure thing". LOL

Easy when you see Apple shares quickly (or fall) & thinking you could have easily capitalized on the price movement, for quick, easy profit. "If only..."

Oh - did I mention that eCop.com - UNLIKE PROPER escrow companies, is:
- NOT licensed in any jurisdiction
- NOT bonded (performance bond must be pledged with an official body in case of defaults)
- NOT audited (their accounts are not audited by a reputable audit firm)

Francois, you can run but you can't hide

The jig is almost up!!!

=======================
http://www.domainware.com/2012/07/motionless-nothing-happens/

"I will say the suprimes crisis of 2006 definitively changed this industry, names lost +10 times in value and demand for domains over $10K is now dismal if we compare.

I remember that before this event nobody could ask me for a name under $100K (yes one hundred
thousand dollars). It was simply my bottom selling price and I assure you that even at this price I was not happy to sell as I sold so many crap names over this minimum… Today these names will not sell for few thousands dollars at best.

I am now facing the worst financial period of my life, I cannot even make a living, in fact I never really made a living domaining since 2006, I mainly lived from the money earned previously. I started domaining in 2004/2005 but today even some domainers you think they are top domainers are in a very bad shape in fact…"
======================

 

[alien51]

So what's with the Domain Sales scrolling like a ticker tape 24x7 at the top of this webpage ?! One look at it and you'll think everyone else are having a good time.

 

[Russkie]

Hobby - yes, but for living - no. Sure, one can sell something for quite a lot of money, and live on it for a year, but this is like winning a lottery, cannot build a system.

Yes, it's still possible to register some crap picking up rubbish from drops, selling it to others for a little quid, making up to a hundred per week, that's it, the limit. Well, it can pay for my beer.

Factory work sounds more attractive for living

Hobby. Not a business.

 

[lennco]

Hobby - yes, but for living - no. Sure, one can sell something for quite a lot of money, and live on it for a year, but this is like winning a lottery, cannot build a system.

Yes, it's still possible to register some crap picking up rubbish from drops, selling it to others for a little quid, making up to a hundred per week, that's it, the limit. Well, it can pay for my beer.

Factory work sounds more attractive for living

Hobby. Not a business.

Disagree.

One can make a business out of it.
And I would rather be a domainer then a factory worker.
I've done the factory worker thing and this is much better

 

[Russkie]

Yes, sure, one in a million, yes, why not?
As for the factory work - agree, not a dream job but it gives stable money. Not a hobby, I mean.

 

[Trader]

I am thinking like Russkie

"Factory work sounds more attractive for living" true.. second,third job needed..need a base job for the life.. (a salary can be great, and saves to other jobs and hobbies)(My brother is taking $18K monthly, he is working daily 6 hours, i am working 24, he makes lot of holidays, my life is like the hell)

Hobby - yes, but for living - no. Sure, one can sell something for quite a lot of money, and live on it for a year, but this is like winning a lottery, cannot build a system.

Yes, it's still possible to register some crap picking up rubbish from drops, selling it to others for a little quid, making up to a hundred per week, that's it, the limit. Well, it can pay for my beer.

Factory work sounds more attractive for living

Hobby. Not a business.

 

[equity78]

Its like anything else in life, can you make a living playing Golf or Tennis ? Yes if you are at the top of your profession. Same for domaining,most are not at the top of their game. They are club players and there is no prize money just a trophy.

Can you make a living as an actor ? Many character actors who are not big stars like Cruise or Pitt still earn a living. They know their role, they stick to what they know and have no dreams of being a leading man.

For most it will be part time, because lets be honest anyone with a career is not giving it up to be a full time domainer in 2012. The only ones doing that are either burned out and want to start new with something else.

I think the part time job is probably the most desirable for the majority of people in the business. With a real job as your primary income you can turn down offers and wait for your price, full time but not big time, you may sell cheaper because you need to pay rent. Again IMO

 

[DavidH]

Nothing worthwhile is ever easy; if it was, everyone would have everything they wanted.

What makes the difference is YOU, what you think, what you do to achieve whatever you desire.

I cant help but note some of the negative comments in this thread. Yes the market is more difficult that say a year or more ago but what are you doing about it?

Yes, you have to adapt, change strategies, accept lesser profits (but a profit is still a profit) but above all you have to have a positive attitude and faith in yourself, else you are just setting yourself up for a fall.

"If you aim for the sky, you will hit the top of the trees; if you aim for the top of the trees, you will never get off the ground."

 

[Trader]

...

 

[alien51]

The important thing is CASH FLOW.

The money that comes INTO your pocket, should be GREATER than the money that goes out of your pocket.

Your cash flow should never be NEGATIVE.

And if your cash flow is positive, the next question is, CAN YOU SUSTAIN A POSITIVE CASH FLOW IN THE LONG TERM?

Many domainers are having a HARD TIME sustaining a positive cash flow. That's because domaining is a business based primarily on speculation.

Sustainability is the assurance that you can continue earning profits that would compensate your annual domain renewal fees (expense). If your assurance is not guaranteed or very risky, then you can never rely on domaining as your primary source of income to pay your bills in life.

 

[Arief WN]

I hope all my comments in here are not considered negative.
Maybe a little bit skeptical, but I like to call it realistic.

Nothing worthwhile is ever easy; if it was, everyone would have everything they wanted.
What makes the difference is YOU, what you think, what you do to achieve whatever you desire.

I cant help but note some of the negative comments in this thread.
Yes the market is more difficult that say a year or more ago but what are you doing about it?

Yes, you have to adapt, change strategies, accept lesser profits (but a profit is still a profit)
but above all you have to have a positive attitude and faith in yourself,
else you are just setting yourself up for a fall.
...

 

[Trader]

...

 

[Russkie]

I am a developer, make my money building hand coded websites, naming adds some cash (on quite an irregular basis, to be honest). Having customers (ordering sites) simplifies (or makes possible at all?) the task of selling extras (names). However, most what I have in my portfolio (not huge, from 70 to 80 names, do not remember exactly at the moment) I registered for myself, thinking about developing these names into live projects (matter of time, which is always lacking).

Cash flow? Negative for me Last time when I sold my domain for a good price (US$1500), I added something to it and paid for my mother's holidays She much enjoyed northern Italy.

 

[bmugford]

Hobby - yes, but for living - no. Sure, one can sell something for quite a lot of money, and live on it for a year, but this is like winning a lottery, cannot build a system.

Yes, it's still possible to register some crap picking up rubbish from drops, selling it to others for a little quid, making up to a hundred per week, that's it, the limit. Well, it can pay for my beer.

Factory work sounds more attractive for living

Hobby. Not a business.

I know many people who have entered into domains in the last few years that are doing very well, so it is still possible.

There is no substitution for skill and effort.

If everything is booming, there is little skill required. This was the case before the housing market collapsed. Everyone was doing well as all assets were basically going up in value

During and after the collapse fewer people made money, but it was still being done.

Down markets favor the skilled.

Brad

---------- Post added at 10:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:24 AM ----------

"Factory work sounds more attractive for living" true.. second,third job needed..need a base job for the life.. (a salary can be great, and saves to other jobs and hobbies)(My brother is taking $18K monthly, he is working daily 6 hours, i am working 24, he makes lot of holidays, my life is like the hell)

Most factory workers are lucky to make $18K/year, let alone per month.

Brad

 

[mjnels]

"If you aim for the sky, you will hit the top of the trees; if you aim for the top of the trees, you will never get off the ground."

i like this and say something similar all the time..cant remember where i originally heard it.

i think the other part of it though is dont get disappointed if you dont reach the sky.. you're simply aiming for the sky, not getting emotionally attached to the thought of getting "there"

 

[equity78]

You make a very good point there mj, there is a lot of emotional attachment in this business that can be a negative if someone cannot balance that.

Emotional attachment plays out in the forums where people get really upset by someone they have never met saying their name is worth reg fee. If you believe its worth more, and more importantly can sell it for more, that's all that matters.

 

[000]

Everybody wants to know your strategy, dubstep

Buy low, sell high

There's really not a lot more to it than just focusing on domains that end users would want, and then selling to said end users.

If my strategy was to sell to other domainers, then sure, it would never be more than a hobby. That's like building a Lexus dealership in the projects... obviously that dealership could be more profitable elsewhere, focusing on where the money is (end users).

 

[Arief WN]

.: The Happy Ending :.

All right, we all know that this domaining story is gonna be a happy ending story.

Just look at this MrCurly guy who's finally come back after his 6 days retirement. :lol:

Hi all,
After sorting out some important personal issues I am coming out of retirement, lol!

Lots of happenings in the world of Wallet regarding news,
I wont bore everyone with links but things are starting to heat up with Isis Mobile Wallet,
also Google Wallet has some big news coming soon, trust me.
...