Domaining -- Money maker or braker?

[fonzie_007]

Just curious to hear people's stories if they have made money domaining, lost money, or broken about even. Also include an estimate of how much you have of net gain/loss.

 

[monRa]

I have get money, i have started my biz with 50 euros, and I earned more than 240$, I have also more than 50 domain names!(most are .info) so I would say. I'm a happy domainer and this with only 50euros...

 

[CrazyTech]

I think all-in-all I've made some money. Sadly enough, I did a shoddy job at record keeping initially but I now own around 150 names whereas I used to own 5 about a year ago. It spoiled me from web hosting because the potential is there to make money and you're not having to support clients for so little money in the end. I love working with people but sometimes hosting can get frustrating when you're running a hosting company.

I'd rather keep my earnings estimate private for now, just not something I feel comfortable sharing but it is enough to keep me coming back.

 

[Gene]

Definitely made money, and the future looks bright.

 

[DomainSage]

Well I was making around $8k - $10k a year when it was really my part time hobby, at the time my full time business was running a hosting company. Have just launched my new business dedicated to domain name trading ( not even got my bank account details through yet ), so it is a bit early to tell for this one .... But has started off quite well

All the best.

Richard

 

[redz]

made little money but looking to make more in the future.

 

[Morph]

I have doubled my initial investment and have a LOT of assets online now.

 

[deet]

I wont list amounts but I have always made money on domains. have not lost a penny!

Just depends on how you pick your names!

 

[SKG]

I have around 80 domain names, but I just started 5 months back. So far I have had one offer on one domain which I turned down because I believe the domain is worth more than my offer. I think I have good names but time will tell. To answer the question though, I am in the red since I have not sold anything yet. The best part is that if just one of my domains sell for a decent amount it will cover all my reg fees for the year and any more will be gravy

 

[fonzie_007]

How many sales are people making each year on average?

 

[DomainSage]

Well I used to look for around 30 - 40 sales a year when it was part time, once I am up and running now I will be looking to make one a week to start with.

However it is not really just a numbers game in that terms. What my bottom line now is return on investment .. What a domain costs me to buy, how long I spend developing it, how long I spend on advertising and trying to sell.

I have found a formula that works for me, but everyone will be different depending on the skills they have.

I have seen a lot of people make the mistake of hanging on to a domain after an offer thinking they can get a better price ... But I have also seen people selling to cheap

All the best.

Richard

 

[fonzie_007]

Well I used to look for around 30 - 40 sales a year when it was part time, once I am up and running now I will be looking to make one a week to start with.

However it is not really just a numbers game in that terms. What my bottom line now is return on investment .. What a domain costs me to buy, how long I spend developing it, how long I spend on advertising and trying to sell.

I have found a formula that works for me, but everyone will be different depending on the skills they have.

I have seen a lot of people make the mistake of hanging on to a domain after an offer thinking they can get a better price ... But I have also seen people selling to cheap

All the best.

Richard

How many domains do you have regged? Do you only sell developed domains? Where do you find most buyers coming from? (ie do you solicit, from Sedo/Afternic, etc).

 

[KingDon]

I passed up about 50 sales this year, only made 2. But they both add up to $30K. I'm waiting for the second inning to start, and I'll be ready with a fresh line up, 500 and counting.

 

[leviathon]

I really never been into the whole domaining business but I've heard that it CAN be very challenging especially the managing part. I've never really "met" any people around me that had actually made a lot of money or uses domaining as a money cow..

 

[faisj]

I've made money but then again... I am investing it back into new domain names

 

[AHA7]

It is an interesting industry! I just made a $150 sale (pending) and will continue to invest in other domain names.

 

[G_C]

So far, I've only lost money (with a total revenue of $15 and a total investment of $200). With that said, I have every intention to perservere and turn domaining into a full-time business that I can run from any corner for the globe.

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

 

[DomainSage]

How many domains do you have regged? Do you only sell developed domains? Where do you find most buyers coming from? (ie do you solicit, from Sedo/Afternic, etc).

Hi fonzie,

To answer your question :

How many domains do you have regged?
I have only just started my second company and most domains were sold off with the first one so am building up again. At the moment I have around 80, but I usually aim for about the 150 mark ... I find that any more than that and I do not have time to work on them.

Do you only sell developed domains?
Nope, in fact most of the domains I have sold are undeveloped. In general any that are making a profit from parking I leave alone and concentrate on developing the ones that are not pulling their weight. Sometimes I will develop a simple site just to start getting traffic then put it back to parked.

Where do you find most buyers coming from?
Roughly as follows :
30% Afternic
30% Sedo
20% My site ( based on the last company )
10% From me contacting them directly ( not many put in general better prices )
10% Other sources, for example here However these tend to be at the lower end of the market and are really just sold because I would not renew them ... I also count that as a bit of good advertising for the business in general

Hope that helps.

Wishing you all the best.

Richard

 

[Keral_Patel]

Getting nice income from them even if they are not sold.

 

[fonzie_007]

I have found myself with lots of (what I consider) good domains, but not a whole lot of buyers available. A sale within the next month really would help my bottom line.