Daily News & Updates
Industry Expert Interview with Domain Investor Mark Levine
Just a few weeks back we promised we would be starting a new segment here at Domain Smoke and today is the day that it begins. We will be interviewing industry experts that can share their knowledge and experience with all of us. This is a very exciting moment for Domain Smoke and we're grateful to have it kick off with industry legend Mark Levine.
Mark got into domains in the early 2000's and found them to be strong assets for his business that he could buy, sell or just hold. He was the CEO/Founder of the book publishing company Hillcrest Media Group that he started back in 2006. He later sold that company in August 2016 to Salem Media Group. Before he started Hillcrest Media he was also the CEO/Founder of Click Industries for 10 years. He ran Click Industries and Hillcrest together as CEO for 3 years. He found himself also selling Click Industries in 2009.
It was in 2010 that Mark started Domain Theory to begin his domain management and development. Since that time, Mark has sold hundreds of domains, built a large portfolio of thousands of names and has appeared on multiple Domain Sherpa episodes.We hope you enjoy this interview and learning more about Mark background and style of domain investing.
Let’s learn more about you and how you found yourself becoming a domain investor. Tell us about how you got into investing in domains.
In the early 2000’s, I owned an online business forms company. One company we did some work for was an MLM business that was selling a nutritional product related to a superfruit called Mangosteen. The customer sent me a bunch of products for free and while reading the label I decided to search to see if there were any mangosteen related domains for sale and found that
mangosteen.net was available. About a year later I sold it for $1,500 and was pretty much hooked. Last year, the name dropped and I picked back up for reg fee.
At what point in buying domains did you realize you wanted to keep buying more? How many domains are you currently buying per month? How big is your portfolio right now?
I started buying domains for my business forms company because back in the early 2000’s the SEO value from EMD’s and along with a mini-site could drive some great traffic. I also thought a portfolio of names related to my business niche would be a valuable asset if I ever sold the company. They were (sold the company in 2009). None of them were one-word dot com’s, but they were industry specific and added to the overall package.
Then when I had my book publishing company, I stepped up my buying. We owned Fiction.com, Published.com, BookPrinting.com, BookEditing.com, BookEditors.com as well as a number of genres (HistoricalFiction.com, LiteraryFiction.com, etc.). All the names that the company had active sites on were included when I sold the company in 2016.
My investment portfolio now is close to 3000 names. Of those, 15-20% are something other than COM (IO’s comprise about half of the non-COMs). I’m buying about 80-100 a month.
With there being so many different ways to find new domains for sale these days, where have you found yourself getting most of your inventory? Do you do any private acquisitions?
Probably 40-50% are from Godaddy Auctions, 10% from Namejet/ Snapnames, 10% from various auction/marketplaces (Park.io, Dropcatch, Dynadot auctions), and the rest hand-regged (mostly from drops). In 2019, 30% of my sales were of hand-regged names and so far in 2020, hand-regs account for 38% of my sales. Of these hand-reg sales, IO’s accounted for close to half of those totals and this year, GG’s have also contributed, as well.
How are you selling the majority of your names? Are all of your names priced? Do you do any outbound on them? Approximately how many domains have you sold?
I’ve never done outbound. I’ve sold 52 names so far this year - 21 via Afternic, 15 via Dan, 6 via Efty, and 4 via Godaddy Auctions. The rest were at Brandbucket, Squadhelp and a few others. I just surpassed my 2019 total sales revenue. My average sale price is about $3,000 ($2,988 to be exact) and average acquisition cost is $38.
In some of our conversations in the past, you mentioned you have had some really good sales months this year. Can you share some insights with us on how you made those happen? Also, I heard you mention that every time you get a good sized sale you take yourself to sushi to celebrate the win. How often did you find yourself enjoying sushi this year? What's your favorite type of Sushi?
I didn’t do anything to make the sales happen. Because I don’t outbound, it’s just having decent names priced in a range ($2,500-$5,000) that someone starting a business can justify (to themselves). Also, I think the last six months have been great for many domainers, so a rising tide lifts all boats.
After most sales I treat myself to a great meal (not always sushi). It’s my favorite way to celebrate a sale. Often it is sushi and if the sale is really good, I’m getting the good stuff - sea urchin, toro, and ikura for sure. As I write this, I woke up to a $3,699 sale on Afternic of GoSocial.io, that I hand-regged in 2019.
We've all made mistakes in our journey as domain investors. Tell us about the domain you should've never bought.
From a pure investment standpoint, Fiction.com was my worst purchase. I paid end-user pricing and didn’t have a specific project in mind for it. Because I owned a book publishing company at the time of purchase, it was still a solid asset to have. While it’s a great name, it’s limiting in that the term means something that is made up. Outside of the obvious use related to book publishing or reading, it’s not a versatile enough name like
novel.com,
publish.com, etc.
When I sold my company in 2016 it came along with a five-year non-compete that limited what I could do with Fiction. I ended up selling it in 2017 for a bit more than I paid for it and after commissions, I broke even. It was a lot of money to keep tied up for seven years. But, on the flipside, owning Fiction made me the guy that all domain brokers tried to sell their premium publishing related COM’s to. From one of those brokers, I bought BookPrinting.com in 2011 for $30,000 and we rebranded our book printing division to that URL. I made my money back in six months from the extra traffic and sales that resulted. And, in the five years I owned it, it more than paid for my purchase of Fiction.
Have you ever found yourself underselling a domain to keep the cash flowing going and move on?
Not so much for the cash flow purposes, but more to change the momentum. If it’s slow and I have a solid offer that might be less than where I think it should be and I’ve had a name for a short period of time, in those cases I’ll take less. There is a lot to be said for using the return and buying more and better names.
I can personally say that I have turned down names offered to me or walked away from an auction and regretted it later. Let's hear a story about one that got away from you.
Any name offered to me that I really wanted, I’ve purchased. I’ve stepped away from many auctions, but I don’t have any specific regrets. Similarly, I’ve won a few auctions, where after I made the high bid, I had regrets.
For some, acquiring a great name is the fun part of investing and for others it's when they close a sale. Share some details with us about the interesting negotiation you went through as a buyer or seller.
Since almost all of my names are BIN, I don’t have many negotiation stories, but for my Dan and EFTY landers, I always list the names at least 15% higher than what I’d be happy taking. I think that end-users in the $2k-$5k range, who haven’t purchased a domain above reg fee, need to feel that they got a deal. Until they get to the landing page, many are under the impression that a domain is $10 and are surprised when it’s not. Once they get over the initial sticker shock, I like to incentivize them to move quickly. A slight discount usually makes them feel like they’ve won. And, that’s just fine with me because chances are I picked the name up for less than $100. Allowing a potential buyer / end-user in the $2k-$5k range to stew on a name is a bad idea. From my 10 years of owning the business forms company I interacted with a lot of people who came up with a business idea and with little thought decided to set up a business. There was a lot of impulse in those decisions. I’m always mindful of that when I price inventory (vs premium) names.
You've mentioned that you dabble in ccTLD's like .CO, .IO and .GG. Any advice you can share on what makes a good name in these extensions?
Adoption of the extension by end-users and strong use of the keyword by many different businesses (regardless of domain extension) are the metrics I use with ccTLD’s. Almost all of my IO’s are one-word or very short two-words that are developed in other extensions. All of my GG’s are one word.
I own 270 IO’s and have been investing in the space since 2015-16. Back then, one-word IO’s were still available for hand-reg and/or could be picked up at
Park.io with little competition. For me, it started with buying just a few, but I quickly sold them, so I kept buying more. Thus far in 2020, I’ve sold 17 IO’s. Of those 17, I hand-regged 13 of them (2 in 2020, 7 in 2019, 4 in 2018). My sell-through-rate on IO’s is six percent (6%). Even with the renewal costs, the ROI on IO’s for me has been steady from the beginning, and 2020 has been incredible.
I also like GG a lot. It’s an extension that has a level of adoption that seems to be growing (I know a few local esports companies that have raised several million, both using GG and in researching the extension the last few months, I’ve seen a number of companies using it). And, the esports industry is exploding in popularity. For me, it feels a lot like IO’s in early 2016, but this is just based on my own sales and offers on the names I own. Talk to me in a year and I’ll let you know if I feel the same way.
Up until a month ago, I owned about 50. So far, I’ve sold four: Lions.gg ($1,500), Gather.gg ($2,500), Lotus.gg ($2,850), and Traction.gg ($2,000) and have had offers on eight others. I don’t invest too far ahead of sales, but I’ve taken half of my profits from those sales and hand-regged 100 more GG’s. The sales justify the risk - it’s house money at this point. Since those sales I’ve also raised the prices on all GG’s, but still have most under $5,000. I’ll see how it all looks next year at renewal time, but for now, I’m bullish on it. And, if it turns out I’m wrong, then the only real money I spent was the money I made selling GG’s.
Anyone who has interest in GG’s should read
Morgan Linton’s writing on them and esports in general. It was the impetus that got me to start buying some in the fall of 2019.
I only own a few CO’s, so not enough to comment much.
Since both IO and GG are pricey extensions, it’s not what I’d be investing in if I was new to domaining. You can get upside down pretty quickly.
For the new investors looking to get into domaining, do you feel there is still opportunity? If you started over with a brand new portfolio, what would you do differently?
There is absolutely opportunity. Nineteen (19) of my sales in 2020 were names I hand-regged in the last few years and another 10 were Godaddy closeouts. So, there are good domains out there that aren’t cost prohibitive.
And unlike when I started, there are many better resources. I would tell any new domainer to pay for the
DN Academy course. It’ll be the best money they spend and will help minimize the learning curve. Next, I would listen to as many domain podcasts as possible, especially
Domain Sherpa,
Josh.co,
Domain Name Wire, and the
Brandable Insider to name a few. You can soak in the knowledge for free. I wouldn’t buy one name until I completed the DN Academy course. No reason to spend your money before being solidly educated. Once I started buying names, I’d start at Godaddy closeouts and apply what I learned in DN Academy. Finally, I think it’s important to set a budget and stick to it, especially until you’ve made your first sale. Discipline is important in domain investing.
Do you see yourself buying and selling domains 10 years from now? Do you invest in anything else besides domain names?
I certainly plan to be investing in domains. I love it like no other type of business I’ve been in. It’s equal parts the stock market, working at a creative agency, wordsmithing, trendwatching and being a data scientist. And the ROI beats any other type of investment.
My biggest investments have always been in businesses I’ve started. Like many entrepreneurs, I had a number of failures early on, but learned a lot of lessons that brought me success later, especially with my last two companies, both of which I had very profitable exits from. Since my last company sale in 2016, in addition to domains, I’ve invested in an organic food company, some apartment buildings, and a new company in the book publishing space (which these days is my day job).
Give us a name from your portfolio that you don’t ever want to sell.
MarkLevine.com. I had to wait years to finally get it (it’s a pretty common name) and had to pay $600 at auction.
I remember seeing you in and out of NamesCon Online a few weeks back. How did you like it?
I thought it was excellent. The content was great and the entire operation was pretty smooth. I didn’t spend much time in the networking rooms, but my friends who did, say it was fantastic too.
Nothing is going to replace a live Namescon for me with the drinks in the lobby bar, going out for great meals and talking domains for four straight days. But, since that isn’t a possibility now, what the Namescon team put on should be commended.
It's no secret that you and I are the proudest fans of the reality TV Show “90-Day Fiance” in the domain industry. Share two things with us outside of domaining that we don't know about you.
From 2004-2016, I wrote six editions of one of the best selling books about self-publishing. During that time, I won two gold medals from the Independent Publisher Book Awards for the best publishing book in the country. And in 2012, my book won the Best Business Book from the Midwest Book Publishers Association.
Also, and more random, I’ve been to three Snoop Dogg concerts in the last five years.
Is there anyone you would like to give a shoutout to or anything new you can share that you’ve been working on?
I’d like to give a shoutout to you and Josh Reason. Your newsletter and his podcast have been two fantastic additions to the domain industry in 2020.
Mark, it was truly a pleasure to connect with you and learn about how you do what you do. I really enjoy it when people have a passion for domains. Thank you so much for taking the time to make this a wonderful first interview for us. Congratulations on selling GoSocial.io while doing this, thanks again for sharing it with us. What a great sale! I look forward to catching up with you again here in the future.
Meet Mark Levine: If you want to learn more about Mark, we encourage you to reach out and connect with him below:
Domain Site:
DomainTheory.com
Twitter:
@DomainTheory
LinkedIn:
MarkLevine.com
Mark Levine - Platinum Industry Expert Profile
Some of my favorite names going to auction today are
iral.com,
OnlineReporter.com,
SnackOn.com,
HomeBarber.com,
CombatYoga.com and
FunkySeagull.com. Hope you enjoy everything in today's newsletter and have a blessed Monday and wonderful week ahead.
Quote of the Day “No price is too great to pay for inner peace.” - Sri Chinmoy
Domain's of the Day:
(Our Favorite Names at Auction Today)
CustomGlass.com
iral.com
MailScan.com
gigb.com
OnlineReporter.com
SnackOn.com
TrimLife.com
RealestateReady.com
HomeBarber.com
MintMovie.com
UnitedToken.com
ClearLive.com
CombatYoga.com
FunkySeagull.com
Ketopi.com
RejoinUs.com
DigitalCare.org
TokenUnited.com
HouseGyms.com
GiftsNYC.com
AssistantGuru.com
BedRemedy.com
Click the links to be directly taken to the Active Auctions
Daily Drop List
(GoDaddy Auctions Closing Today - Click to Follow the Auction)
CustomGlass.com (Top name on the board today at $4,700+, 23 years old)
iral.com (Currently at $1,650+, the .net sold for $1,500)
MailScan.com (NameScan.com sold for $3,500)
StarsAndCelebs.com
WestEndBistroDC.com
Pharmainfo.net (Aged 17 years, at $900+ right now)
gigb.com
OnlineReporter.com (OnlineReport.com sold for $1,300)
SnackOn.com (MunchOn.com sold for $1,950, 14 years old)
TrimLife.com
gkgo.com
NanoFlex.com
Mp3Players.com
JoshProject.org
VoxApp.com
SMSWeb.org (The .com sold for $4K, 23 years old)
LimitedAudience.com
LayNetworks.com
RobertoDiaz.com
HDRSpotting.com
nigk.com
RealestateReady.com (ApartmentReady.com sold for $2,800)
GardenBayWinery.com
DetroitDUIAttorney.com (At $100+ right now)
HomeBarber.com
lofox.com
BakersBulldogs.com (15 years old)
StudioAudiences.com
CleanSkins.com
KevinBrennan.com
DallasDUIAttorney.com (2 years old, the .net sold previously)
MyCityFaces.com
MintMovie.com (MintMusic.com sold for $2,300)
TheFantasyFootball.com
UnitedToken.com
BetPrestige.com
Bioinsert.com
iotVision.com
ClearLive.com
FoodParsed.com
Skyyy.com
RealScent.com
HempChurch.com (18 years old, sold for $700 in the past)
Sedoinfo.com (2 bidders currently)
ShePetite.com
MobilityVehicle.com
WeedWines.com
BabyBecause.com
BankOnCrypto.com
HighVibeNation.com
SmartphoneOutlet.com
CombatYoga.com
FunkySeagull.com (Get funky with it)
DriveSocialMedia.com
UnitedTokens.com
MasterPhysician.com
FootballGods.com
TheCatNetwork.com
Permie.com
FisioZone.com
Snedden.com
DiscoverTarot.com
PipSwap.com
NadiaDistrict.com
TheTarzanDance.com
MonkeyMamaba.com
ClerkCash.com
Ketopi.com (Sold for $300 in the past, 3 years old)
NRBuilder.com
SwiftStub.com
GALuxuryCars.com
RuralBoomers.com
SellMySites.com
SaudiVoyagers.com
HappyPonies.com
CancerHerbs.com
SexyApp.com
Buzzzie.com
TheAdjustables.com
RejoinUs.com
SouthernFalcon.com
EconomySchool.com
AlbanianRestaurant.com
ClinicRoyal.com
WalletOS.com
HeadstrongHeart.com
sp1.net
DigitalCare.org (Sold for $850 in the past, 7 years old)
BookingTouch.com
CollectProtect.com
LifePrinting.com
VlogCom.com (The .xyz sold for $200)
KetoVodka.com
ForexJungle.com
TrashTime.com
ParisCloud.com
DIYHomeBuilder.com
StudyBased.com
HungryCamel.com
TokenUnited.com
GatewaySun.com
Calimaging.com
VapeDelivered.com
FindBoards.com
HouseGyms.com
DutyToday.com
LifeBeaches.com
Holks.com
GiftsNYC.com (10 years old, sold for $700 in the past)
GoMealPrep.com
AssistantGuru.com
']SupportingHeart.com
DrinkFarm.com
LightYourMind.com
SearchMoon.com
eVoyagers.com
BasketsCafe.com
Cigarette360.com (7 years old, sold previously)
DancersFeet.com
VisionaryWatch.com
PrivateGorilla.com
RiderTime.com
DonationTherapy.com
RoyalFaction.com
YouReptile.com
VapeDonuts.com
Starbuzzy.com
MusicaTech.com
KetoFruit.com
GolfFoodie.com
GirlPizza.com
KitchenAdvisory.com
TourWatchSea.com
BobaSocial.com (If you enjoy Boba, talk about it here)
BlvdHemp.com
QRTherapy.com
VietMafia.com
BedRemedy.com
PromPlans.com
BrandJerk.com
BluntTag.com
Paint411.com
Flippa Auctions
WeeklyDeals.com
Shortsale.io
Launches.io
Rod.com
MarijuanaDoc.com
BetNetwork.com
ikgm.com
SDC.io
OverDress.com
CBD-Shop.com
GrandCanyonArizona.com
Bargain Bucket Domain Names
(GoDaddy Discount Domains with No Bids - Grab these quick, they're Buy Now)
GreenTravel.co (The .org sold for $1,300)
Proteo.co
SpaPass.co
ExclusiveRealty.co
NiceTV.co
CostaCredit.com
PickingOnline.com
ShieldTimes.com
KingdomPayments.com
WebinarForums.com (So many new webinars this year)
KetoRewards.com
SquareTechs.com
MommyHotel.com
bittania.com
CryptoExtension.com
FinishYou.com
CountyCanine.com
ComeToCity.com (Great for a travel site or city guide)
Marijuanaimpulse.com
PlanetFront.com
ReverseLeasing.com
BritishDefense.com
CozeCore.com
Systemissues.com
FarmMob.com
LimitlessEffect.com
Trafficincidents.com (Aged 11 years)
KindDr.com (A Kind Dr is appreciated)
YourCouple.com
HomeChicks.com
MetElite.com
CellFriendly.com
HoardingGurus.com
HatFX.com
YesSenior.com
RoseCabin.com (RoseCastle.com sold for $5K)
TalentBusters.com
Upcoming Names to Watch
(Click the link to Watch & Follow the GoDaddy Auction)
DoveBook.com
BusinessCoaching.com
SquareOne.com
zyon.com
ira.org
GetChip.com
TinyCabin.com
YogaGroup.com
workcrew.com
lumio.com
wikicoin.com
Sponsored Listings
(Click the links below to contact the view the auction or contact the domain owner) Advertising details found here:
Sponsored Listing Info
Private Seller: SourceBank.com
Get your domains listed here for exposure on our future newsletters to investors worldwide. You can have them run on specific dates and discounts are available for bulk domain listings.
Names Available For Handreg
(Click through the links to register at GoDaddy.com for just $4.99)
ClassSignal.com
']FusionSignal.com
']SignalLeader.com
']SignalResource.com
']FaceSelection.com
']FacePreview.com
']FaceInspiration.com (Be inspired)
FavoriteReport.com
']GroovyReport.com
']ElementReport.com
']ParadiseFocus.com (Enjoy your paradise)
ParadisePedia.com
']ParadiseSense.com
']ShockNames.com
']VerdeDomains.com
Handreg of the Day:
CareCowboy.com (Has a great ring to it)
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