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It still amazes me how many newbies are dabbling in 3-word domains or more.
Why on earth are so many doing this? Is there a belief that any domain that sounds usable will actually sell (no, it won't)?
There is a wealth of 2-word .COM domains expiring on a daily basis that you can hand register for reg fee.
Pre-owned domains, worth high 3-fig and 4-fig, ready to be sold rather fast if priced right.
Tens of them is something I pass on every day (as I can only manage so much, so I try to keep my selection small). With many of them it often hurts, because I like them but I have to pass - for the same reason.
Some are still available for a few hours after drop, ready to be scooped.
How do I know this? Well it's right down my alley... see my countless posts in the sales thread. 95% of my sales are drops. And yes I hand reg them, I don't pay DropCatch a fee or to anyone else. And yes there's much more left than what is taken. And no, not all good names are taken by DC - in fact lately I'm seeing a lot of junk being auctioned at DC and other places and it seems to increase. It's not worth it. You can get great 2-word .COM names for reg fee.
The sales ratio of 3-words is extremely small. Much smaller than the average ~1% sales ratio for 2-word .COMs for example.
Do the math. If you pay $10 per year per name, and ratio is 1%, then you need to sell that one domain for more than $1000 because at $1000 you just break even, and there is also platform cost, other costs such as currency exchange, tax etc. So you actually need to sell domains for more than $1500 on average, to make ANY money from it.
How about with 3-words where sales ratio is likely lower than 0.1%? You actually think you will sell them for $10k?
Yes, outbound helps increasing the % but it's hard work, no guarantees, and normally it should be done with a specific idea where you have a specific customer and offer them an upgrade of an existing name, rather than hitting the lake with a bat in hope some fish will jump in your boat.
I've sold thousands of names over the years. And on the same time barely a couple 3-words (although having some great, sellable 3-words, SH approved). Still hold... about 2 of them. Reason? Not enough demand for 3-words. Comes at a very huge distance from 2-words.
How about getting good 2-word .COMS instead, list them on Afternic and Sedo (and Dan) and then wait for $ to come in.
Regarding pricing: Most beginners overprice, so make sure you post in the Appraisals section if unsure. Folks here might jump in to help (I sometimes do that too).
You can also try some automated tools, first see the one in my sig below (aimed at .COMs). Yhen you can also try GD Appraisals as well (my second option for an automated tool, but it tends to pile them into the $1200 area, unfortunately.) Regardless, you'd be better off rather than getting 3-words.
People want short domains. Fewest words and syllables possible.
Geo domains - while these have a better chance at 3-word sales (if appropriate), it's still hard to sell and you have to hit tens if not hundreds of owners with emails etc. You're spamming, basically. Overall you're not going to be much better.
Get in that drop value awaiting for you for cheap. And good luck - don't forget to be on NP daily as here you will find what you need.
Oh, and about non-COM domains: My advice is to buy 1-word domains only. That's it.
Good luck, and be wise with those hard earned money.
Why on earth are so many doing this? Is there a belief that any domain that sounds usable will actually sell (no, it won't)?
There is a wealth of 2-word .COM domains expiring on a daily basis that you can hand register for reg fee.
Pre-owned domains, worth high 3-fig and 4-fig, ready to be sold rather fast if priced right.
Tens of them is something I pass on every day (as I can only manage so much, so I try to keep my selection small). With many of them it often hurts, because I like them but I have to pass - for the same reason.
Some are still available for a few hours after drop, ready to be scooped.
How do I know this? Well it's right down my alley... see my countless posts in the sales thread. 95% of my sales are drops. And yes I hand reg them, I don't pay DropCatch a fee or to anyone else. And yes there's much more left than what is taken. And no, not all good names are taken by DC - in fact lately I'm seeing a lot of junk being auctioned at DC and other places and it seems to increase. It's not worth it. You can get great 2-word .COM names for reg fee.
The sales ratio of 3-words is extremely small. Much smaller than the average ~1% sales ratio for 2-word .COMs for example.
Do the math. If you pay $10 per year per name, and ratio is 1%, then you need to sell that one domain for more than $1000 because at $1000 you just break even, and there is also platform cost, other costs such as currency exchange, tax etc. So you actually need to sell domains for more than $1500 on average, to make ANY money from it.
How about with 3-words where sales ratio is likely lower than 0.1%? You actually think you will sell them for $10k?
Yes, outbound helps increasing the % but it's hard work, no guarantees, and normally it should be done with a specific idea where you have a specific customer and offer them an upgrade of an existing name, rather than hitting the lake with a bat in hope some fish will jump in your boat.
I've sold thousands of names over the years. And on the same time barely a couple 3-words (although having some great, sellable 3-words, SH approved). Still hold... about 2 of them. Reason? Not enough demand for 3-words. Comes at a very huge distance from 2-words.
How about getting good 2-word .COMS instead, list them on Afternic and Sedo (and Dan) and then wait for $ to come in.
Regarding pricing: Most beginners overprice, so make sure you post in the Appraisals section if unsure. Folks here might jump in to help (I sometimes do that too).
You can also try some automated tools, first see the one in my sig below (aimed at .COMs). Yhen you can also try GD Appraisals as well (my second option for an automated tool, but it tends to pile them into the $1200 area, unfortunately.) Regardless, you'd be better off rather than getting 3-words.
People want short domains. Fewest words and syllables possible.
Geo domains - while these have a better chance at 3-word sales (if appropriate), it's still hard to sell and you have to hit tens if not hundreds of owners with emails etc. You're spamming, basically. Overall you're not going to be much better.
Get in that drop value awaiting for you for cheap. And good luck - don't forget to be on NP daily as here you will find what you need.
Oh, and about non-COM domains: My advice is to buy 1-word domains only. That's it.
Good luck, and be wise with those hard earned money.
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