poll How profitable was domaining in 2017 for you?

[boker]

I think that we could use this info to see exactly how healthy is the domaining industry in 2017 and what we could change for 2018. So, the important question is: How profitable was 2017 for you regarding just your domainig activity? I know there are guys who could make some xxxxx sales and loose money and in the same time they could be some guys selling for xxx or xxxx and make a healthy profit. It could help also if you add the total number of domains owned and a balance of sales and acquisition costs, like 5xxxx sales and 2xxxx cost of acquisition( including commissions and renewals).

 

[Joe N]

Yes, this in theory is exactly like this, but in practice, you can't say that you are profitable in 2017 if you buy in 2015 10 domains at 50k each, you don't sale them in 2016 and you don't make new acquisitions in 2016, but you sell one in 2017 for 100k, you can't say that you made a profit of 100k in 2017. I think that if you want to be honest with yourself, you need to spreed all the acquisitions over the years and try to figure it out if at the end of the day you are still on profit, if you count all that investments over the years. For example, if you have started investing in 2000, and invested over the years 500k and made 500k profit after all these years, you should spread the 500k for the 18 years when your money were invested.

I haven't seen anything to suggest that @Addison isn't taking acquisition costs into account when providing estimates of year-to-year profit...

 

[boker]

I haven't seen anything to suggest that @Addison isn't taking acquisition costs into account when providing estimates of year-to-year profit...

To make 500k profit means that you need to make acquisitions much more over this amount and sales way more. You can't spend 50$ and make 500k sales to make this kind of profit.

 

[SuperBrander]

I think it would be helpful if @Addison will share some of the domains he currently owns/owned and/or purchase prices/sales. At the moment, there's no indication to what he bought/sold. Without some established facts, this is just a moot discussion about a person posting in a forum about extraordinary sales without any context or proof of even one name that the person owns or sold. I'm not saying that he isn't being truthful. He certainly seems to be knowledgeable and I'm all for successful domainers, especially ones who share their knowledge to help others. But such claims should be supported by some actual information/evidence- otherwise they're just words that create a discussion that isn't based on anything that's established to be real. I hope @Addison will share some info and everybody will benefit from it.

 

[Garret Sheen]

I have profited about $300, however, i’ve made about $1k in sales in these past 4 months. I’ve been working really hard to make these thousand dollar sales that people make all the time, but am just missing somethings. My names are on Afternic, some on Flippa, and all on Sedo, yet I really only make sales when I outbound market them or sell them for DIRT cheap... I have refused more offers than i’ve accepted on my names which always sucks because I would still profit had I taken the offers, I just know I can profit MORE elsewhere. Patience seems to be key for most domains

 

[Addison]

You own 20,000 domains but only 1500 .COM? That's a surprising portfolio composition.

It's the only possible composition given my business model, the cost of most of my acquisitions, and the year I discovered a profitable niche. If I knew this niche was profitable in the 2000's, then my portfolio would be all .com and orders-of-magnitude more valuable. I'd be Frank Schilling.

My portfolio used to be mostly second-rate .com (of those, mostly two words), but the profit was meek until I switched niches.

Yes, this in theory is exactly like this, but in practice, you can't say that you are profitable in 2017 if you buy in 2015 10 domains at 50k each, you don't sale them in 2016 and you don't make new acquisitions in 2016, but you sell one in 2017 for 100k, you can't say that you made a profit of 100k in 2017. I think that if you want to be honest with yourself, you need to spreed all the acquisitions over the years and try to figure it out if at the end of the day you are still on profit, if you count all that investments over the years. For example, if you have started investing in 2000, and invested over the years 500k and made 500k profit after all these years, you should spread the 500k for the 18 years when your money were invested.

Touché!

Predating my buying hiatus, I would break even in my least profitable years and never invest more than I earned. Consequently, acquisition costs from years past do not factor into subsequent annual profit calculations, because they never put me in the red or required a carry forward of a net operating loss into a new fiscal year.

Anywise, yes, if that wasn't the case, then acquisition costs should carry forward into annual profit calculations.

 

[NameVisual]

I sold a domain for $600 which covered all my cost on other names so at least I made a little money.

 

[Addison]

I think it would be helpful if @Addison will share some of the domains he currently owns/owned and/or purchase prices/sales. At the moment, there's no indication to what he bought/sold. Without some established facts, this is just a moot discussion about a person posting in a forum about extraordinary sales without any context or proof of even one name that the person owns or sold. I'm not saying that he isn't being truthful. He certainly seems to be knowledgeable and I'm all for successful domainers, especially ones who share their knowledge to help others. But such claims should be supported by some actual information/evidence- otherwise they're just words that create a discussion that isn't based on anything that's established to be real. I hope @Addison will share some info and everybody will benefit from it.

I think it'd be needless and change the perception of why I post, but I'll elucidate:

I’ve effectively articulated my business model and domain niche. From that, you can conjure up millions of domains that fit: love.ai, watch.tv, funny.net, help.me, etc.

The only people I want looking at my domains are end users. I don’t need more whois spam, email questions, or reseller-level offers. I understand the hustle, but none of that is part of my business model. Since I’m not trying to sell you anything and I don’t need anything from you, my motives should be clear, and you don’t need to be overly skeptical. When I have time, I give back. Plain and simple.

It’s good to be skeptical, but you can read my posts to decide if I know what I’m talking about. It should be conspicuously obvious that I do. Cynicism should be married with a healthy dose of intellect, or it will thwart your headway in life.

IMO, you don't need to heed my advice. If you think I've given bad advice, call me out. I'll be here to school you on it with public facts. I don't shy away from that; read my post history.

For those who take the time to read my posts, my history, and my business model, they will learn from it. They don’t have to use my advice, but they will learn from it. I have studied this business for eons, and there are numerous profitable niches; you need to find yours.

To quote my favorite writer: (replace "enlighten you" with "subject myself to a reconnaissance to give you free advice. Take it or leave it.")

today as I took a coffee break between actual work, and thought "hmmm... I have a few minutes to kill before getting back to work, so maybe I'll see if there are any entertaining threads at Namepros". I didn't realize at that moment it was my duty to enlighten you.

 

[Platinums]

 

[SuperBrander]

@Addison No problem. These are your domains and you have the right to post about them or not post about them for whatever reason. I have read some of your past posts. You're an eloquent writer and you clearly know a thing or two about domains. But to make the leap from writing about domains to reporting extraordinary sales without mentioning a single domain you own or sold... is a problem, no matter how you look at it.

Why would you post if there's no monetary gain? One reason I can think of is a simple one that probably applies to most people who are trying to get noticed on the internet by reporting about how well they're doing: they seek attention and enjoy the praise by others and being perceived as a success. Are you someone who's just trolling the forum or are you really a successful domainer? I don't know and probably won't know. I hope that you're the latter, but either way- people who read your posts should take into account that discussions stemming from your stats about your domains are pointless because they aren't based on any actual established fact. Either way, good luck to you and everyone else in 2018 and beyond!

 

[Joe N]

Show attachment 80718

$0 in earnings on 18 domains sold? I'd take a second look at your business model.

 

[Addison]

No problem. These are your domains and you have the right to post about them or not... is a problem, no matter how you look at it.

Contradict (discredit) yourself much? Pick a footing and stick to it.

It's not a problem at all, and I've made it clear why: read it again.

The problem is your sense of entitlement. I've given free advice to replicate my success. I share it for anyone who wants to learn. I don't ask for anything in return, but if you want to spout absurdities at me, I will set you straight.

Spoiler

I won't be praised for setting you straight, but I have a lengthy and contentious history of doing it whenever I read nonsensical arguments. There are no accolades for it, and if I gave a hoot about praise, I would always be civil.

reporting extraordinary sales

They're not extraordinary sales to me or anyone I work with. They only appear that way when you're in a lower bracket. In like manner, Rick Schwartz's sales are extraordinary to me, but they're standard to him. Mr. Schwartz likes helping and praise. Consequently, his sales are associated with his name. My sales are not, because praise means nothing to me.

they seek attention and enjoy the praise by others and being perceived as a success.

Who would be praised from my posts? What's my full name? Exactly, no one is praised for my posts. Being praised on a forum is so laughable that I've literally used it as a joke in my posts. If I wanted praise, I would claim my sales in DNJournal, NameBio, and "eloquently" write on my own domain blog.

Attention and praise serve no purpose for me. Every action of mine reflects that, and if you had done your homework, you'd know that. I told you why I post, and there's no other possible explanation because there is no other reason. Your logic is discorded from reality.

someone who's just trolling

Troll? You need to read more of my posts. If I wanted to troll, then I wouldn't be sharing practical advice that is backed by public sales records and basic economic facts. Try challenging my advice instead of concocting frivolous and divergent conspiracies. When I troll, you'll know it: I'm not nice or informative. Learn the difference.

I have read some of your past posts.

You haven't read enough of them. If you had, your theories wouldn't be so flawed and implausible.

pointless because they aren't based on any actual established fact

That's your most asinine statement yet. They are based on "actual established fact" regardless of whether I publicize them.

Pointless? You don't need to know my specific domains to confirm the majority of what I've said. There's copious public data at your fingertips. Read it. Study it. Ask questions. Be productive. Apply yourself. Because your arguments lack reason and your logic is preposterous.

Finally:

It’s good to be skeptical, but you can read my posts to decide if I know what I’m talking about. It should be conspicuously obvious that I do. Cynicism should be married with a healthy dose of intellect, or it will thwart your headway in life.

 

[Platinums]

$0 in earnings on 18 domains sold? I'd take a second look at your business model.

NDA

 

[SuperBrander]

@Addison I own Skepticism.com. So it's not surprising that I'm skeptical. I have no quarrel with you about the content of your advice. One word domains are definitely a great investment. But in this day and age of fake news- if you think that people will trust claims based only on your word, then that's naive and unrealistic. When you choose to not release any information about your purchases/sales- you'll always get people who will doubt you and you have to accept that. Referring to your own past posts that contain general advice and mention domains that other people sold can't change that. If one of your past posts contains something other than that, I'd be happy to read it.

The difference between you and J Berryhill whom you quoted, BTW, is this: he's a successful top expert in his field who uses his own name in the forum. You choose to be anonymous and your success is based on your word that you're successful and your own past posts about domaining that may be based on your own sales or may not be. If you are- good for you. I'm not saying that you aren't. You may be. But no one will know for sure and you need to accept that because you choose to be mysterious instead of transparent. I'm making good progress in domaining and I'm not jealous of you, despite what you may think. A lot of people make more money than me and that's fine. I have my own trajectory and hopefully I'll get to $XXX,XXX sales too at some point. Fingers crossed. Either way, I think that this subject has exhausted itself from my end. People can make their own judgement. I wish you well and all the best.

 

[Dave]

I always make at least 4 figures. The uk market is bigger (and easier) than many people think

Great Rob. Give away all our secrets why don't you.

/s

 

[End Game]

Contradict (discredit) yourself much? Pick a footing and stick to it.

It's not a problem at all, and I've made it clear why: read it again.

The problem is your sense of entitlement. I've given free advice to replicate my success. I share it for anyone who wants to learn. I don't ask for anything in return, but if you want to spout absurdities at me, I will set you straight.

Spoiler

I won't be praised for setting you straight, but I have a lengthy and contentious history of doing it whenever I read nonsensical arguments. There are no accolades for it, and if I gave a hoot about praise, I would always be civil.

They're not extraordinary sales to me or anyone I work with. They only appear that way when you're in a lower bracket. In like manner, Rick Schwartz's sales are extraordinary to me, but they're standard to him. Mr. Schwartz likes helping and praise. Consequently, his sales are associated with his name. My sales are not, because praise means nothing to me.


Who would be praised from my posts? What's my full name? Exactly, no one is praised for my posts. Being praised on a forum is so laughable that I've literally used it as a joke in my posts. If I wanted praise, I would claim my sales in DNJournal, NameBio, and "eloquently" write on my own domain blog.

Attention and praise serve no purpose for me. Every action of mine reflects that, and if you had done your homework, you'd know that. I told you why I post, and there's no other possible explanation because there is no other reason. Your logic is discorded from reality.


Troll? You need to read more of my posts. If I wanted to troll, then I wouldn't be sharing practical advice that is backed by public sales records and basic economic facts. Try challenging my advice instead of concocting frivolous and divergent conspiracies. When I troll, you'll know it: I'm not nice or informative. Learn the difference.


You haven't read enough of them. If you had, your theories wouldn't be so flawed and implausible.


That's your most asinine statement yet. They are based on "actual established fact" regardless of whether I publicize them.

Pointless? You don't need to know my specific domains to confirm the majority of what I've said. There's copious public data at your fingertips. Read it. Study it. Ask questions. Be productive. Apply yourself. Because your arguments lack reason and your logic is preposterous.

Finally:

Good information. My question is, how much are your yearly renewal fees every year? They can be a killer on profits. Thanks