discuss How would start off again with $100 today?

[Arpit131]

Anybody who has made it in the industry or is somewhere where they wanted to be, I have this small question.

If it were today to start off again in domaining from scratch and a $100 and all the info that you have today, how would you start off?

As for me, I'd go ahead, do thorough research, wait for some coupons and buy like 15 geo domains.. Try flipping 2-3 of them at $250-$499 kind of price and scale up by rinse and repeat process.

How about you guys?

 

[SpareDomains]

Same as the old days
Compile expired .com lists
Compile forum .com domains for sale from other domainers
Buy the best quality from those lists as quality trumps quantity
Put them all on my own sales pages
Put them on Afternic distribution
Hand regs can ring the register as well sometimes as I've sold a few of those in the 1-16k range

Only difference today is was a lot less eyeballs on these lists in 2003

 

[BarryDavis]

I also used to be a commodity broker. I didn't have enough capital to trade commodities and make a living. Nor did I have the money to buy a seat in an exchange, I didn't have the money to lease an office and start my own brokerage. But as a broker I could go to work for a firm and use my time and knowledge and call 500+ potential customers a day. In a short time I had enough investors to make a living.

 

[BarryDavis]

I like the question. There are those that are innovative, imaginative, hard working and willing to start at the bottom and work their way up. I believe that most people who start in this business with only $100 are doomed for failure. But there is a possibility a lesson will be learned. So many people go from cradle to grave without taking chances. Either way the $100 is insignificant. Whether the $100 is lost on a domain name investment or spent in a bar the money will eventually be consumed. But I believe the new investor will gain a valuable lesson. This is like learning to swim. I love to watch a child go from testing the water with his toe to diving in and making a splash.

There are those that can't handle the challenge. But there are those that thrive on it.

Some of the members here have pointed out the challenges, the snakes and the rats. But I would also point out the various websites and tools available on the internet that can be used for free. To determine value, traffic, PR, availability etc. If there is a place to turn a profit on a small investment. Domains are one of the most popular place to take a chance.

 

[BarryDavis]

I can remember my first investment in domains. It was in the 90's. I didn't even have a computer. E commerce was just starting. People didn't trust the internet and they were afraid to spend money at websites. I didn't understand the internet. There were so few websites. I didn't understand what a good domain was. So I picked a phrase I thought was good and I bought it. My first domain was salesareup.com . Back the it cost $90 to hand register a name. Needless to say I didn't make a dime on the name. I can't remember some of the other names that I blew money on. But then I bought 0dn.com for $375 that was the number zero. It stood for Zero Down. I had a website built for $2000. And soon I was generating 400 to 1000 leads a day for Real Estate agents and lenders. I was offered $7 per lead.

 

[EZPZYO]

I like the question. There are those that are innovative, imaginative, hard working and willing to start at the bottom and work their way up. I believe that most people who start in this business with only $100 are doomed for failure. But there is a possibility a lesson will be learned. So many people go from cradle to grave without taking chances. Either way the $100 is insignificant. Whether the $100 is lost on a domain name investment or spent in a bar the money will eventually be consumed. But I believe the new investor will gain a valuable lesson. This is like learning to swim. I love to watch a child go from testing the water with his toe to diving in and making a splash.

There are those that can't handle the challenge. But there are those that thrive on it.

Some of the members here have pointed out the challenges, the snakes and the rats. But I would also point out the various websites and tools available on the internet that can be used for free. To determine value, traffic, PR, availability etc. If there is a place to turn a profit on a small investment. Domains are one of the most popular place to take a chance.

Well said!

 

[Willox Perez]

Anybody who has made it in the industry or is somewhere where they wanted to be, I have this small question.

If it were today to start off again in domaining from scratch and a $100 and all the info that you have today, how would you start off?

As for me, I'd go ahead, do thorough research, wait for some coupons and buy like 15 geo domains.. Try flipping 2-3 of them at $250-$499 kind of price and scale up by rinse and repeat process.

How about you guys?

When it comes to GEO Domains would you simply do outbound for them? Or where would you be looking to sell them at?

 

[Arpit131]

When it comes to GEO Domains would you simply do outbound for them? Or where would you be looking to sell them at?

Mostly outbound.
Whatever doesn't sell, putting it on Sedo or preferable Afternic just in case someone comes up.
Outbound is a game of numbers I believe

 

[Chris Hydrick]

Buy something you could see yourself developing -- even if you're not a developer.

If you don't see a vision for the domain, then you're gambling (usually on domain metrics)

Ask yourself what could the domain be used for, and who would want to use it. If you yourself want to use it, then you answered your own question.

Should an inbound inquiry come your way, you won't have to lie when you say you bought the domain for a project. Then when asked for the price, the price will be at a cost you are willing to give up the project that may or may not have materialized.

This way, when you continually renew the domain, you're renewing it because you genuinely want it, not solely because you are hoping to sell it.

 

[tjl92]

I dont know but how long will domain name investors continue to tollerate udrps taking their digital property off them for free

Businesses will always need a digital address

It was telex then fax then email then domain names then socialmedia usernames etc

The skills of finding quality keywords or inventing brandable words etc won't go away although the,technology they exist in will no doubt change as technology gets better in due course

I reckon keeping domain names for the long term although the preferred method for some of the long term investors can be profitable it could also prove costly if technology accelerates past domain name on to something else leaving domain name investors with very large domain name portfolios standing to lose a,considerable fortune

Many an industry that was thriving back in the day no longer exists today

It could be likened to fuel type

car retailers at some point will have fields of diesel and petrol cars sitting in fields that cant be sold because fuel technology will change

Who knows where domain names will be in a few years

But domain flippers wont get stuck holding large portfolios

A bit like day trading the stock market etc

Eg in a trade for 5 mins and made a profit and sold 5 mins later etc

hmmm...interesting viewpoint.