I just wanted to comment on all the newbies hand reg domains

[Cmbilt.com]

It seems to me everytime I get on here now, there are newbies hand reg domains looking for that quick money. Hand reg is very hard to do now and you must stay way ahead of the curve to do it. I find it odd and surprising that so many newbies ask for appraisals for dumb domains and then ask why there domain is not worth anything. If each newbie would just take the time to read the guidelines for appraising domain names before they register, they would save time and money. This has just been on my mind recently since seeing so many domain names looking to be appraised. The wave of the future is buying already registered domain names at auction (i.e. LLLL.com) and holding, just like real estate. Anyways, just wanted to get my two cents in about this I guess.

 

[Mark]

Well , The easy answer is this .... Many of the newer folks find "Forums" After they have been convinced to Register domains with stories of "Gold Paved Streets" they read elsewhere. And you also have to remember, One mans "Junk" is another mans Treasure .... In other words - I've seen many Domains Appraised over the years for "reg fee" or worse that I know in fact I could sell for xxx->x,xxxx $

I do wish newer people would take time to not only read others words, But pay attention to who's words they are reading. Not only should they spend Months reading the forums , They should read sites like DNJournal.com (www.dnjournal.com) to see what the market has consumed already. Then they need to realize those figures are not always the "Norm"

 

[SimpleDomaining]

your two cents worth much more than that!
I agree, newbie have to read a lot before hand registering a name. there are 2 questions i always recommend newbie to ask himself before hand registering domain:
1. Why this domain was not registered yet by somebody else? You see, the chances that nobody thought about domain you are trying to register are almost equal to zero., So why nobody took this domain yet? May be there is a trademark issue? May be domain banned by search engines? may be it has too crazy keywords combination that not really goes together?
and second question i recommend to ask and to find out the answer:
2. When you see somebody sold domain name at high price, before starting to register similar names, first research, why someone paid that high price for that particular domain name. Was it a developed name, parked name, how popular keywords it had in it, what kind of traffic it was generating, etc. If you will be able to answer to this question on your own, than you are probably ready to start hunting for domains.
good luck.

 

[ClydeUS]

its easy to register junk yes..BUT

I sold nascaridol.com a few years ago for 3,300. and its appraisal value was zero at the time of the sale,so as far as perfect domain value formula's,well i laughed all the way to the bank,not at my customer,just at all those who think they know it all.they by the way are a nascar sponsor and a racing team. :sold:

 

[Phil]

I sold nascaridol.com a few years ago for 3,300. and its appraisal value was zero at the time of the sale,so as far as perfect domain value formula's,well i laughed all the way to the bank,not at my customer,just at all those who think they know it all.they by the way are a nascar sponsor and a racing team. :sold:

So, do you think "NASCAR Idol" would be a judging competition for people trying
out for NASCAR? If so I vote for Danica Patrick. :lala:

 

[kemjika11]

In terms of newbies registering sucky hand regged names, its really just a reflection of what they are : green domainers. Finding good, quality hand regged names requires knowledge and discipline. its pretty easy to spend $7 on a name- its almost what you'd spend at a fast food joint.

 

[nielsencl]

I think it's like playing the lottery. When you first start, you think your chances of winning are really good. Then after a few years to start to realize that while the odds are in you favor the longer you play, there is a very good chance you will die before you ever win...

I sold one domain for $1,000 that I bought here used for $5. I got lucky. Someone contacted me and wanted the domain. They offered me $450, but I got them up to $1k. 8 months, 600+ domains and one nice sale. If you look at what those domains are costing me to renew each year, you can see that my domain business in losing money. Well, I am making some money from parking, but not much.

A newbie CAN strike it rich, but probably won't. The best advice we can all give then is to learn as much as possible before buying many domains. Once you buy a domain you think is good, it can be VERY HARD TO DROP IT, and if it's not really very good, you won't be able to sell it. You will find yourself trapped into keeping that domain and you may or may not ever get your money out of it, much less make a profit.

 

[Mark]

A newbie CAN strike it rich, but probably won't. The best advice we can all give then is to learn as much as possible before buying many domains.

:bingo:

There are many Blogs and articles online about someone getting Rich off of their Domain Sale(s) - And many are true , But when you do the math on how many people have entered the "Domaining" Industry over the years ... Many of those sales are insignificant. The odds of someone striking it Rich right to begin with are very low. The odds of someone putting in many many many hours of research and making a living aren't that bad IMO though ....

 

[Ross]

My 2 cents:

I used to go in to the appraisal section and give appraisals until there were just way to many names to go around. So i stopped going for a while until one day i just clicked in and click on the first appraisal thread there. What i found in side was a gem. It was like when you open a cerial box and find that toy inside. Yeah that same feeling. Everyone in the thread was giving the domain reg fee and "no potential" type of listings. So instead of saying what i felt and giving a fair appraisal i made an offer instead. The seller gladly accepted my offer and sold me the domain. With in a week i found an end-user, yes and end-user not a reseller or domainer. Sold the domain for a hefty price.

Since then i pop in the appraisal section and i find domains that have potential and just plain good domains and make offers on them instead of appraisals. Kind a wierd route to take when buying domains but i like it and it has paid off.

Basically, as stated before "one mans garbage is another mans treasure."

 

[SimpleDomaining]

My 2 cents:

I used to go in to the appraisal section and give appraisals until there were just way to many names to go around. So i stopped going for a while until one day i just clicked in and click on the first appraisal thread there. What i found in side was a gem. It was like when you open a cerial box and find that toy inside. Yeah that same feeling. Everyone in the thread was giving the domain reg fee and "no potential" type of listings. So instead of saying what i felt and giving a fair appraisal i made an offer instead. The seller gladly accepted my offer and sold me the domain. With in a week i found an end-user, yes and end-user not a reseller or domainer. Sold the domain for a hefty price.

This is because most of appraisals in appraisals section are domain resellers. They see value in keywords and in traffic. You see, you found an end-buyer for that particular domain. And for the end-buyer domain worth as much as they are ready to pay for it.

 

[Ross]

This is because most of appraisals in appraisals section are domain resellers. They see value in keywords and in traffic. You see, you found an end-buyer for that particular domain. And for the end-buyer domain worth as much as they are ready to pay for it.

Just to let you know it was a generic keyword domain. I picked it for a quick flip and happened to find an end-user. I have done this with resellers buying the name as well.

 

[barefoottech]

Well , The easy answer is this .... Many of the newer folks find "Forums" After they have been convinced to Register domains with stories of "Gold Paved Streets" they read elsewhere. And you also have to remember, One mans "Junk" is another mans Treasure .... In other words - I've seen many Domains Appraised over the years for "reg fee" or worse that I know in fact I could sell for xxx->x,xxxx $

I do wish newer people would take time to not only read others words, But pay attention to who's words they are reading. Not only should they spend Months reading the forums , They should read sites like DNJournal.com (www.dnjournal.com) to see what the market has consumed already. Then they need to realize those figures are not always the "Norm"

Exactly
How many times have we seen "EXPERTS" sprout absolute garbage.
Poor old newbies have little money ,high expectations ,but get confused by all the drivel. No newbie will make instant millions from Hand-Regs, anymore than the rest of us.
Too much emphasis is placed on getting that elusive Gold-plated keyword rich
4L.com that will make you millions when parked,while awaiting that multi-million offer from an end-user who must have that name at any cost.
Will not happen.

 

[tinner666]

A newbie here. I took a different tack AFTER spending a few months here and elsewhere lurking. I found tdnam. I spend endless hours with one browser window open to the 'closeouts'. There, I learned what names were worhtless, or nearly so. I saw drops of all tlds and multiple variations of 'combos' that dropped; ie: newfount.com, newfount.net, newfountly.com, newfountly.net, newfountle. com, etc. ( Not that exact name, but similar) in multiples of 20-60- variations. Unbelieveable.
I figure somebody would hear of a 'hot sale' and buy anything similar they could reg. Astronomical amounts of time, effort, and money GONE.

Main thing is, I have the ability to understand some of what I'm seeing there, and have enough sense to not make the same mistake.
In many months of looking, I did see a 3-word combo come up that had potential. Now, somebody wants it and we'll see how that goes. ( enduser)

Another tack I also took was to steadily accumalate pennies instead of looking for the elusive and rare, quick, big buck. My sig has a clue about that.

 

[Brianwa]

As a newbie myself, I'm curious how people find endusers to sell to. It would be great if experienced sellers would post some of their experiences along those lines.

 

[cybermonkey]

The appraisal section or other so-called appraisal services don't make a lot of sence to me. Since they are all only guessing what the value of name might be from a reseller point of view when in actuallity it could be much higher. How many stories we heard about domainers getting the names appraised for regular fee and later sold for much more higher to end-users. I am telling you this from my own experience.

 

[Debt.tv]

I am a newbie (8 Months) and I didn't find namepros until november or something. I reg'd about 40 names and most were bad, some trademark issues (Cancelled immidiately after finding namepros) but I did sell two of them. One for $80 and one for $15. Most I will not renew. I have made money in my 8 months, net about $1,500. Not much but I am just learning.

I found the appraisal forum to be way off in all of my sales. Reg fee, reg fee, reg fee, reg fee.....$610 (.tv), $525 (.tv), $500 (.co.uk) and my best $2,500 (.cc).

I believe what really helped me is Estibot. I just wish I new how to find end users. I always feel like if I contact them, then they will know I am just out to make a buck off of them. I don't want to come off too strong.

There is alot to learn and namepros has really helped me, I don't register names like DaleEarnhardtJr88Car.com and .net anymore.

I have found it hard to get a domain that acutally makes money parking. But at least I can say I only have like 80 domain names, I didn't go to crazy.

 

[Jingles]

I once posted a 2 word .com that immediately got 2 bad feedbacks, until a few others came along and gave great feedback. What made the difference? The 2 bad feedbacks were from people living outside the US, the good feedback came from those living in the US. My 2 word .com is a "thing" that is hugely popular and heard on a daily basis, but obviously only in the US.

That made me look at the appraisal section in a whole new light. I can't say I put 100% faith in it. Btw, 99% of my hand reg's have come from the Available Names section from lists made by the pros themselves. So if these names aren't good, why are the pros listing them as available in the first place??

 

[Mark]

I think because of how much harder or time consuming it is for all of us to make a living in this Industry now , A lot of Veterans have little time to frequent the Appraisal sections on all forums now. Without some guidance from those with a little experience - It's hard for anyone to get into this Industry without making some serious mistakes .... But then again , Thats How I learned what little I know today. From making terrible decisions and learning from the school of hard knocks.

The point about different regions above is a good point as well. If you have no experience in a certain "Niche" or "Regional/Language based term" - You're not helping anyone by posting your opinion ......

If you have time to share posting in there - Stick with what you know already, It'll be appreciated more.

Btw, 99% of my hand reg's have come from the Available Names section from lists made by the pros themselves. So if these names aren't good, why are the pros listing them as available in the first place??

- I'd say most available names list are posted AFTER the OP has filtered out what they want In many cases - The names aren't useless, But are more along the lines of mediocre or decent enough for Development.
Don't expect someone to post Awesome names ... There really aren't many left out there to begin with that are above "Mediocre" status except for the occasional new niche that comes along.

That being said - 95% of my sales now are from Hand Reg'd names within the past year or two .... You just have to do your own research.

 

[Red Rock]

That being said - 95% of my sales now are from Hand Reg'd names within the past year or two .... You just have to do your own research.

That is very interesing!
Kinda put's another vote out there for hand-reg's.
Someone above stated It's kindof like playing the lotto.
I believe that, too.
As the demand for domains changes daily.
World changing developments, event's. technology, etc.
There HAS to be new hand reg's that would be highly useful,
to other's.
Also, think of the amount of internet users that are added to this world wide web on a daily basis.
They will all want a website, one day soon enough,
whether for business, or pleasure.
So, that name that we may own might not be appealing to anyone today, but what about tommorow?
I understand what you say about the many appraisals,
that may seem to be a waste of time...
but who knows, I have seen a few gems in there.
And I know what it feels like to think you picked something great,
then throw it in the appraisal section hoping someone will say
wow, great name,,xx,xxx, but to no avail, then thinking Hmmm.
maybe I could have done it with a diff, keyword, or not had a hyphen, etc.
So, it's exciting, but also a quick learning experience.
I try to stop by the appraisal section if I see there is a zero reply
thread and give that person a little of what I learned.
The knowledge from the vet's is great, but sometimes you need a
fresh look at an ever changing market.
Who knows, I just wouldn't be too pissed by the newcomers excitement.
I was there, myself,
Just my 2 cents,
Red Rock!

 

[nielsencl]

Free advice/appraisals are worth at least as much as you pay for them, but sometimes they are worth much more. It all depends on the person that is providing the information.

I've been in this crazy business for about a year now and also bought new and used domains in the early days that were not so good. I did buy one for $5 that I got an offer on and finally sold for $1,000. I was very happy as you might expect, but I later found out who the buyer was and realized that I might have been able to sell it for a lot more. I'm still happy, but it was a good lesson: "The more you know the better you will do in this business, and be happy with a nice profit so you don't lose a sale."

If you are just buying as an investment you have a lot to learn. Pay attention to what people are selling and the prices. Watch the sales thread to see what they really sell for once they have been offered. Some sell for the BIN, others (like some I was selling) drop in price over and over and then may not even sell. Keep in mind that NamePros is a mostly WHOLESALE marketplace. The place is lousy with domainers, not end users looking for a domain to put a site on. End user prices are much higher, but domains are generally harder to sell. If you are going to try and make a living buying and selling domains you need to know a lot, and have patience. But I do think that it is possible to buy new and used domains that can be sold for a nice profit, it's just not "easy".

I don't buy any domains now as an "investment". I may buy a few that I like, either because I really like it, or if I have a project planned. I'll park them and try to make a little money if I can, but for the most part I only buy domains to park them and get revenue. That way, I can have a business that is (hopefully) at least breaking even or making money on a most consistant basis. Then if I should sell any of the domains, that is a big profit boost, even if it's 2x the reg fee. If you are only investing, you have the yearly expense of the renewals, and as one friend found out, that can be a real killer.

One day in August he got fired up and registered 1,000 LLLL domains. He messed around building sites, but he was trying to do so many AdSense sites at once that the quality was not there and they didn't work well. So he has making a little money, but then when the renewal date came, he didn't have the $7,000 or whatever it was, so he sold some and dropped many of the others.