How To Actually Sell Domains

[TFD]

I own a number of domain names (see the list in my signature). A couple of them have been appraised well here on NamePros, but when I listed them on Bido, there was no interest.

How do I actually sell domains? Just let them sit at Sedo until I get an offer?

 

[gadget_attic]

Have you tried selling them on Ebay? If they are really good domains(have traffic, searches, make money, etc.) then I wouldn't recommend Ebay. You don't get as high of a price as you do on Sedo or Afternic. However, if you're looking to sell them fast, then Ebay may be the way to go.

 

[cybertrone]

We are in the same boat. I had 4 or 5 auctions on Bido with not a single sale. In eBay I had to sell 2 of my infos for 0.99 each, on SEDO absolutely nothing. May be it's not as easy as it looks like.

 

[mynpid2010]

Yeah, it's not that easy nowadays.

If you are listing on Bido and your domain name is good enough then also make sure that your starting price is attractive enough to get auction started. I think Bido is good if you want to make quick cash but also risky if your domain name is valuable. To minimize risk, choose appropriate Bido price. I would want to suggest Bido that they should display starting price on auctions instead of Bido price. This will attract bidders and get auction get rid of initial inertia when starting price is less than Bido price.

 

[nielsencl]

Selling doman names

I am not a domain expert, but I have been working with domains since 2007 and have about 1,500 of them. I don't get many sales and I am able to keep so many domains because I make some money from parking them.

If your domains are not selling, it should be because of a couple reasons:

1) The names are not very good. This does not mean they will not sell, and perhaps for a good price. But if there are not many people that like the domain, then your possible buyers are few. Lowering the price may help.

2) Not enough people are seeing your domains. To find buyers, you need to list your domains as many places as possible. Then you should create your own domain sales site and try to sell them from there. Maybe make several different sales sites and use SEO and other marketing methods so your buyers have the best possible chance to find your domains. Now if your domain really is not good, then lowering the price may not help. But aside from asking as many people as you can what they think about your domain, lowering the price is your only option.

3) The domains are priced too high. This is very subjective for lower-priced domains. You may think you have a hot domain but buyers may think it's just "ok". The answer to this problem is easy: If the domain does not sell, lower the price.

Many new domainers are too focused on what they might sell the domain for. THEY like the name, think it's clever, can see the domain as perfect for a certain kind of site. But it's hard to find a buyer with the same feelings. And many buyers know that you only spent about $10 for the domain that you are asking $1,000 for. Human nature makes people not like that too much. So if there are other options for a domain name that costs $10 or even $100, you won't sell the domain.

When you start with domaining, if you are like most people you will by domains that are really not very good. It will take some time, study, and patience to be able to buy domains that have potential for being sold above reg fee. So most of you should consider starting by buying domains and selling them for 1-2 times what you pay for them. Any business where you can buy something and sell it for 100% profit is a nice business to be in. If you can start doing this then you can start raising your prices to maybe 2-4 times what you pay. As you sell domains, you can start buying more. One domain sold becomes 2, 2 sold become 4, and so on.

Or you can do what most of us do and by lots of domains over time, sell a few and dump a lot of them. I am still dumping .info domains that I bought when they were $0.99. Some of them make money from parking, but most were a waste of time and money. Like these:

SmallBusinessSoftware.INFO
US-Stock.INFO
CreditCardsGasRebates.INFO

Since January I have started buying domains like this:

AutoInsuranceIrvine.com
RogersAutoInsurance.com
StPaulDirectory.com
CheapestPens.com
Thermochemical.com
MedicalComposites.com
DNASupplies.com
InfectionLawyer.com
TacomaRefinance.com
InjuryForums.com
AuroraDivorce.com

They were all expired domains picked up for reg fee. I think they have good potential for sales, but so far I have not been able to sell many either, but I am working to change that.

My best advice is to hang in there, keep learning as much as you can and try to find something that works for you, then do more of it. Don't just keep buying domains if you can't make money parking, from development, or from sales, unless you have the money to burn.

 

[codbox]

Sedo is a palce for valuable domains which costs more than 500$. If you want to sell a domain less than 100 i recommend Ebay.

 

[mynpid2010]

An Update !

Bido has closed it's operations. There is a talk that someone may buy it and restart it in somewhat modified form. Stay tuned, I will update this thread accordingly.

BTW, Nielsencl, thanks for the valuable information.

 

[jamaltq]

List your domains in many places in the same time like :
Ebay, Sedo, epik, namemedia ...etc
I have made it and it work.
Good luck

 

[theneals]

What does parking mean and where is a good place to purchase domain names. Also what is a good price?

 

[Michelle]

What does parking mean and where is a good place to purchase domain names. Also what is a good price?

Hello and welcome to the forum.. It may be a good idea to sit and read the wealth of information in the newbie section..

Most if not all of your questions can be answered if you search and read.

Kind regards

 

[Kate]

I would say that you need to raise the bar when pondering you next domain registration. If you can easily find domains of similar quality still available for reg fee, then think twice. Because people will usually not buy domains at a premium if they can find a suitable and cheaper alternative.

 

[stankope]

All of that info makes me think twice about getting into domain name business. It seems the market is not there yet.

 

[oisnya]

Nice info nielsencl. Thank you.....

 

[garptrader]

#1 learn what constitutes a domain which a business would want to spend money to acquire - exact match domains with Google Adwords Keyword Tool volume are more likely to be candidates but search volume isn't enough - you need a commercially viable concept

#2 price appropriately based on TLD, length, uniqueness (type in the main domain keyword into SEDO or AFternic search and how many competing names are you up against? What makes yours so special?), search volume, commercial value to an end user

#3 marketing which could expanded listings at Afternic, Premium Listings at Godaddy, a domain listing website or email but only after #1 & #2 have been addressed

 

[Josh158]

I have someone offering to buy my domain, and I am new to this whole selling thing. I have a paypal account, and the domain was purchased at godaddy.com. How do I transfer the domain to the buyer?

 

[Sparhawke]

I am not a domain expert, but I have been working with domains since 2007 and have about 1,500 of them. I don't get many sales and I am able to keep so many domains because I make some money from parking them.

<snip>

To add to this awesome answer if you are always going to be able to sell a domain much more easily if you have parked revenue...if you are earning from a domain people will be more willing to pay you so that they can earn.

 

[MrDomainBroker]

I have someone offering to buy my domain, and I am new to this whole selling thing. I have a paypal account, and the domain was purchased at godaddy.com. How do I transfer the domain to the buyer?

If the buyer has a Godaddy account its a simple 2 minute transfer from your account to his.....and always make sure you get paid before transfering any name.

Also be beware of "False buyers offering to buy your domain but want you to get it valued first...this is a big scam thats exsisted for a long time....they will never buy they simply make money off the valuation fee.

 

[Josh158]

If the buyer has a Godaddy account its a simple 2 minute transfer from your account to his.....and always make sure you get paid before transfering any name.

Also be beware of "False buyers offering to buy your domain but want you to get it valued first...this is a big scam thats exsisted for a long time....they will never buy they simply make money off the valuation fee.

Hey , I figured out how to push the accounts. I didn't know about the valuation scam though thanks alot.