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discuss Hand Registering vs. ???

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ThatNameGuy

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I'm reasonably sure this is the thread/venue where the topic of hand registering domains vs. buying domain names by other means should be "discussed". While other domainers have been critical of my hand registering over 1,000 names since arriving here in October/November of last year, they totally miss the point. Having Linkedup with the likes of the Domain King, Rick Schwartz, Rob Monster of Epik, Mike Cyger, formerly of Domain Sherpa, Jothan Frakes, Frank Schilling of Uniregistry, the Donuts crowd, and a few others, I know now my approach and my strategy are spot on. And this isn't to say that buying domain names at auction, or picking them up when someone else drops them doesn't work for those who choose that route.

Again, despite the criticism, I know I'm pretty damn good at the name game. I can tell you I suck at golf, but when it comes to targeting industries and coming up with creative and innovative names, I'd put myself up against anyone on NamePros. When you combine this talent with an ability to reach out and meet industry leaders like I've done, it's just common sense to hand register industry/theme specific names for the likes of; .Golf, .Loans, .Consulting .Online .Live, .Today, .Realty, .Club and recently .Pizza. Oh, and I almost forgot, .com (when it's available, and makes good sense).

Keep in mind that pretty much ALL domains were hand registered at one time by the likes of a Rick Schwartz or other industry leaders. I'm only following in their footsteps, and proud to be doing it. Note, I was careful not to mention any of the domains I've hand registered for fear of reprisal. But if anyone would like to know how I go about identifying/targeting specific industries, then hand registering domains to fit those industries, and then taking them directly to the end user decision makers, I'll be more than happy to share my experience. Thanks,
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
May your doubters be few
 
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No one is arguing that you shouldn’t hand register domains, they’re arguing with the quality of domains you are hand registering. If you divulged details of actual sales you’ve made, then you could silence the “whiners” pretty quickly.

Best of luck
 
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No one is arguing that you shouldn’t hand register domains, they’re arguing with the quality of domains you are hand registering. If you divulged details of actual sales you’ve made, then you could silence the “whiners” pretty quickly.

Best of luck
So Harrington....you don't like the "quality" of the domains I've been hand registering? Could you be more specific? I noticed you're one of my strongest critics by "disliking" many of my posts, and "liking" the posts of others who attempt to trash me. I noticed there's very little information about you here on NamePros, while I'm an open book. Now, please stand up and share with me specific complaints about the "quality" of the domains I hand register. You do that, and I'm happy to share with you sales that I've made via investment in me and my company Domain Imagination. Just for the record, I'm not playing in your sandbox, and you're obviously not playing in mine. Thanks
 
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So Harrington....you don't like the "quality" of the domains I've been hand registering? Could you be more specific? I noticed you're one of my strongest critics by "disliking" many of my posts, and "liking" the posts of others who attempt to trash me. I noticed there's very little information about you here on NamePros, while I'm an open book. Now, please stand up and share with me specific complaints about the "quality" of the domains I hand register. You do that, and I'm happy to share with you sales that I've made via investment in me and my company Domain Imagination. Just for the record, I'm not playing in your sandbox, and you're obviously not playing in mine. Thanks
https://namebio.com/jackolantern.com

Not going to argue with you, but here’s a verified sale of mine. I didn’t say anything about the quality of your domains, but that seems to be everyone else’s argument with your method. Best of luck
 
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you mentioned Rick Schwartz twice in your post

imo...
 
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https://namebio.com/jackolantern.com

Not going to argue with you, but here’s a verified sale of mine. I didn’t say anything about the quality of your domains, but that seems to be everyone else’s argument with your method. Best of luck
Harrington...you said, "No one is arguing that you shouldn’t hand register domains, they’re arguing with the quality of domains you are hand registering." OK Harrington, that being said, I can only assume you agree with my critics in that you "like" their posts that are trashing me, and you "dislike" my posts. I'm not arguing with you, I'm only trying to make sense of what you're saying? What I think you're saying is that you just don't like my style, or my approach to this industry/business? That's OK Harrington, I can handle it. Just tell me what you really mean. Thanks
 
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you mentioned Rick Schwartz twice in your post

imo...

I'm not sure what you're inferring, but I think I know. I guess I mentioned him twice because he just connected with me on Linkedin, and his background in this industry appears to be pretty controversial. It appears his experience with adult domains has helped make his mark, but that's not my style. That said, he's made a pretty big splash in this industry in other ways, and that's why I mentioned him.
 
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Thanks for starting the thread, @Bulloney!

I personally don't subscribe to the view of some that one never hand register, and should only look for auctions, drops, etc. Within .com, with so many registrations, it is true that it is almost impossible to find a good name not currently registered, but that certainly does not extend to other extensions where great names are often available.

I think the key questions are always is the name quality and is there a potential market for the domain name. While someone having held the domain name for a long time might suggest quality, it is certainly not the only criterion (and possibly not even a very important one).

Quality of course is subjective. I do see quality when there is congruence between the two sides of the dot, and the big sales announced this year for names like home.loans and vacation.rentals, and the interviews given by the buyers, show that in at least some cases end users see a lot of value in them.

I think that one problem with looking ONLY at aged or dropped domain names, is that you are restricting yourself to what someone else saw as a good name. For me, the most interesting part of this field is to use creativity and forward looking to find gems not previously recognized. As they say in conventional investing "past performance is no guarantee of future returns."

Diverse views will enrich our community. Let's all respect each other, even if we don't agree!

Have a good day everyone
 
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Hey Rich!

I think the biggest knock on hand-registering domain names these days is that very few domain investors are able to do it profitably. The ones who do typically employ a quick-flip approach where they will buy in bulk, and work aggressively to sell the names for low XXX to low XXXX amounts via outbound marketing. From what I've seen, their focus is entirely on legacy extensions (.com, .net, .org) and ccTLDs (.co.uk, .ca, .de). Evidence suggests that no one has had any success with this business model being applied to new gTLDs.

I think this is where the skepticism of your strategy comes from. You've definitely been promoting your names a lot on here, but haven't really provided details of your sales strategy, your investments received, or your business development plans. That lack of details is what creates the skepticism.

You've alluded to having received some investment capital quite a few times. Would you be able to elaborate? Who are you partnering with? What project is it for? When can we look forward to seeing a completed product/site?
 
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Example
You decided to reg geography.com
You found it already registered
Now your option is vs ...

If you still want hand reg
Try historygeography.com
Still not available?
Try
historysciencegeography.com
:)
 
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I'm not sure what you're inferring, but I think I know. .

no, I don't think you do

point being, why not just state your position, without namedropping.
those folks don't validity to your argument


we all know, or should know, that the majority of domains in existence were hand-registered at one time or another.
the debates, however, are always about the quality of those hand-registrations.

imo...
 
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But if anyone would like to know how I go about identifying/targeting specific industries, then hand registering domains to fit those industries, and then taking them directly to the end user decision makers, I'll be more than happy to share my experience.
Ok, I'll bite.

Share with us your insights and experience to how and to what - end user, business, or whom, these would benefit, and how much you feel they'd sell for, if they sell-

cornholehappens.com
sonofabeerlovercom.com
musicality.live
614happens.com
sexinmyfirstcar.com
 
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Hey Rich!

I think the biggest knock on hand-registering domain names these days is that very few domain investors are able to do it profitably. The ones who do typically employ a quick-flip approach where they will buy in bulk, and work aggressively to sell the names for low XXX to low XXXX amounts via outbound marketing. From what I've seen, their focus is entirely on legacy extensions (.com, .net, .org) and ccTLDs (.co.uk, .ca, .de). Evidence suggests that no one has had any success with this business model being applied to new gTLDs.

I think this is where the skepticism of your strategy comes from. You've definitely been promoting your names a lot on here, but haven't really provided details of your sales strategy, your investments received, or your business development plans. That lack of details is what creates the skepticism.

You've alluded to having received some investment capital quite a few times. Would you be able to elaborate? Who are you partnering with? What project is it for? When can we look forward to seeing a completed product/site?

Joe....wow, am I glad you asked. I thought I'd been pretty specific about my "sales strategy" in that I have almost zero intention to try to market my domains the traditional way. By that I mean listing my domain names on sites like Sedo, Afternic, Undeveloped and other broker sites and hope they sell. I hand register domains that target industries I'm either very familiar with, or have an interest in. I can't say how many times I've stated my strategy is based on 50 years of experience starting businesses, naming businesses, and buying and selling businesses in a variety of industries. You need only look at my Linkedin bio to see many of the businesses I've started, of which five of them are still in business today to include three businesses I started in the 70's, 80's and early 90's. For those who think I'm blowing smoke, I suggest they check me out....I'm proud of my accomplishments, and I hide from NO MAN!

Joe, I've been one very busy guy hand registering domains over the last nine months, and I have a pretty diversified portfolio of well over 1,000 domains that I've spent a little over $10,000 for, and to show just how hosed up this industry is, they appraise for almost 1.5 Million dollars. That said, I seriously believe my domains that target specific industries I'm familiar with are worth from 150K to as much as 250K, and this doesn't include two domains that I own and intend to develop that have the real potential to become 10M businesses....I know that potential exists because of businesses I started that are generating that kind of revenue today...again, look at my Linkedin bio, and one of the businesses is Credit Control Corporation and the other business is AcSel, a medical billing company.

Moving on...in order to attract capital, I'd approached a couple of the registries and registrars with no real luck, other than, "we'll help you in other ways". Thus, one of the registries has agreed to partner with me to present my domains to a specific targeted audience in August. In the interim, I've had three different investors who have invested $5,000 each to own 2% of my company, and a couple of domains they either wanted for their business, or they just wanted to own, to sell or develop at a later date.

Joe...I may be 70 years young, but I have more energy and practical business experience than anyone I've met here on NamePros. I don't need to be working, but I luv it. Combined with the rest of my life, this is Heaven on Earth. Again, thanks for asking, and stay tuned:xf.grin:
 
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no, I don't think you do

point being, why not just state your position, without namedropping.
those folks don't validity to your argument


we all know, or should know, that the majority of domains in existence were hand-registered at one time or another.
the debates, however, are always about the quality of those hand-registrations.

imo...

"namedropping"??....Hell yea, how many domainers do you know who are new to this crazy industry, and they've already connected with as many industry leaders as I have. And you said, "those folks don't validate your argument"? ......excuse me? I'd suggest, they don't validate your argument:xf.wink:
 
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Example
You decided to reg geography.com
You found it already registered
Now your option is vs ...

If you still want hand reg
Try historygeography.com
Still not available?
Try
historysciencegeography.com
:)

No...if I decided to reg geography.com, and I found it was already registered, my option today is to register geography.today if that were available! I guess it doesn't make sense to you, but it makes perfect.sense to me(y)
 
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Ok, I'll bite.

Share with us your insights and experience to how and to what - end user, business, or whom, these would benefit, and how much you feel they'd sell for, if they sell-

cornholehappens.com
sonofabeerlovercom.com
musicality.live
614happens.com
sexinmyfirstcar.com

Hawkeye...sorry I missed your question, 4 of the 5 domains above I'm dropping because they weren't registered for resale, but rather for development. Note, none of them target specific industries whereas 90% of the domains I've hand registered in the last nine months do target specific industries. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you? If not, I'm happy to give you a more detailed explanation. Thanks
 
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The criticism of hand registering is "why after twenty plus years of the internet becoming mainstream is that domain still available?" However, an experienced domain investor is better able to assess whether breaking that general rule is prudent. A newbie is just going to register hundreds of junk domains and after renewing them for a few years with no sales will have spent more than if they had done select backorders of aged expiring two-word .COM domains. Someone with significant business experience may have a shorter learning curve than a typical newbie. However, most new domain investors fail to realize that those reported domain sales are the exceptions rather than the norm. Industry turnover is very low and while end users seem to be increasingly reluctant to open their wallets for a domain name, they will rarely do so for a recent handreg.
 
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"namedropping"??....Hell yea, how many domainers do you know who are new to this crazy industry, and they've already connected with as many industry leaders as I have. And you said, "those folks don't validate your argument"? ......excuse me? I'd suggest, they don't validate your argument:xf.wink:

So you requested connections and they accepted. Big whoop.

I am connected to pretty much the same people and many more. Not sure what that means exactly.
I certainly would not use a connection to validate my business model that has resulted in 0 real world sales.

Brad
 
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There are three reasons someone will tell you not to hand register or to stop it:
  • They actually hand register themselves and don't want you competing against them
  • The quality of the domains you're picking up is so bad they want to save you money
  • They see no value or opportunities whatsoever in registering domains
If it is the third option then it is a daft narrow mindset to have. I have heard how 'hand registering is dead' since I joined in 2007. Shame for those people, they missed out on so many EMD's, 4L .com's, 5N .com's, crypto domains and many more.

Hand registering is fine if you know what you're looking for. Some of the most successful domainers do it all the time, just look at Federer, nearly his entire business model is around hand registering domains and selling with a lot of outbound marketing via hard work and dedication.

SoloFi/com was hand registered late last year and sold recently for $10k.

Or how about BitcoinCash.org that was registered early last year and sold in mid 2017 for nearly $50,000?

There will always be opportunities when it comes to hand registering. Unfortunately, as time goes on it is more and more likely only to be future tech/product/serivce type domains that will have the best chance of selling.
 
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The criticism of hand registering is "why after twenty plus years of the internet becoming mainstream is that domain still available?" However, an experienced domain investor is better able to assess whether breaking that general rule is prudent. A newbie is just going to register hundreds of junk domains and after renewing them for a few years with no sales will have spent more than if they had done select backorders of aged expiring two-word .COM domains. Someone with significant business experience may have a shorter learning curve than a typical newbie. However, most new domain investors fail to realize that those reported domain sales are the exceptions rather than the norm. Industry turnover is very low and while end users seem to be increasingly reluctant to open their wallets for a domain name, they will rarely do so for a recent handreg.

Thanks garptrader...neither an experienced domain investor or a newbie are looking at this like I am. First off, most NamePros members are solo practitioners who don't have a desire to build a brokerage or a business that truly specializes in delivering gTLD's to end users. That said, i find it interesting and unusual that most of the industry leaders who do own brokerages, registries, and registrars actually follow this thread. Leaders in other industries like the financial services industry, and the healthcare industry wouldn't be this close to the action. However, I've always been a progressive business guy, and as such, I see opportunities that newbies and traditionalists don't see. Just because someone say's this is the way we've always done it, is music to my ears. Yes, I've registered hundreds of domains, but with a very specific purpose in mind. Most of the domainers here don't have the drive, the incentive, the desire or the experience to build from the ground up a profitable 10 Million Dollar business...and please don't scoff, but I've been there and done that, and plan on doing it again. As for "end users being increasing reluctant to open their wallets for a domain name, and rarely for a recent handreg" How do you know that garptrader? How many end users do you know that even have a clue what a "recent handreg" is??? As and fyi, I didn't even know what a handreg is/was until I'd been posting and reading on NamePros for 60-90 days. Just like I didn't even know what UDRP meant until I was falsely accused by an experienced domainer of violating it. I'll have to admit, that false accusation and insinuation sort of set me off....especially when no apology was forthcoming from this so called experienced domainer from DownUnder. In a strange way, I have her and one of her cohorts to thank for my drive and determination to succeed. Add that to my experience and my enthusiasm, and I wouldn't bet against me:xf.wink:
 
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So you requested connections and they accepted. Big whoop.

I am connected to pretty much the same people and many more. Not sure what that means exactly.
I certainly would not use a connection to validate my business model that has resulted in 0 real world sales.

Brad
Hey Brad...you don't seem to understand....while I've only met personally with just one of the leaders of a registry/registrar, I've spoken with and shared email correspondence with four more. Do you go to the Merge or NamesCom conferences Brad? I would like to meet you because I do like to put a face to a name, especially the face of my critics because it encourages and empowers me:smuggrin:
 
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cornholehappens.com
sonofabeerlovercom.com
musicality.live
614happens.com
sexinmyfirstcar.com

If these are the type of domains you have been hand registering then I can see why others have told you to stop it.

I think the biggest problem some new investors have (and I had it to) is failing to understand who end users really are. The majority of end users are NOT individuals, they are small to large companies seeking a domain name for their new startup, product, service or marketing campaign. Small companies (1-5 people) will usually spend $xxx - $xxxx at most to acquire their domain name. Medium sized companies usually spend $xxxx-$xx,xxx. Large companies are the big 6-7 figure spenders.

The most important question to ask yourself when buying a domain is 'Who will name their startup, company, product, service or marketing campaign this?'.

I mean do you honestly ever seeing someone naming something 'Sex in my first car'? I mean come on. Have you ever seen any company, product or serviced named anything close to this? At a bizarre push maybe some startup that specialises in selling cars to newly licensed drivers with free adult toys might want it.
 
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There are three reasons someone will tell you not to hand register or to stop it:
  • They actually hand register themselves and don't want you competing against them
  • The quality of the domains you're picking up is so bad they want to save you money
  • They see no value or opportunities whatsoever in registering domains
If it is the third option then it is a daft narrow mindset to have. I have heard how 'hand registering is dead' since I joined in 2007. Shame for those people, they missed out on so many EMD's, 4L .com's, 5N .com's, crypto domains and many more.

Hand registering is fine if you know what you're looking for. Some of the most successful domainers do it all the time, just look at Federer, nearly his entire business model is around hand registering domains and selling with a lot of outbound marketing via hard work and dedication.

SoloFi/com was hand registered late last year and sold recently for $10k.

Or how about BitcoinCash.org that was registered early last year and sold in mid 2017 for nearly $50,000?

There will always be opportunities when it comes to hand registering. Unfortunately, as time goes on it is more and more likely only to be future tech/product/serivce type domains that will have the best chance of selling.
Thanks Dave...there's probably a fourth reason why someone will tell you not to hand register or stop it. They don't want you succeed or encroach into their space, and what you're doing dilutes their domains or their portfolio. Dave...I'm pretty fortunate in that I have a lot of friends, current and former business partners, and peers from a variety of businesses and industries. Ironically, I've had three business partners named Dave that I still socialize with, and a number of Dave's I golf with on a regular basis. Speaking of golf...I've now hand registered over 50 word.Golf domains that a registry has agreed to partner with me to help sell at the Worlds Largest Amateur Golf Tournament in Myrtle Beach, SC in August. I'll have a booth displaying my company and my domain business, and it will be manned:xf.wink: by a female PGA golf professional who I've also agreed to partner with. For each domain sale, a small piece of my business will go with the sale. Ever heard of anything like that Dave? Thanks again for your input, and all the best to you!
 
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It's about sales, everything else is bs. You have 0. After 9 months and well over a thousand names. 0.

There are people here probably in their late teens, early 20's, with probably no business background, a fraction of the names you have, weren't banned for spamming like you, where English isn't even their first language doing better than you.

Your supposed past business success, connections, plans, I'm going to meet this and that person. 0 sales. So what you're doing, obviously isn't working since you have 0 sales. So far you've been a complete failure in this business. Everything else you post is just fluff.
 
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