I need help understanding domaining

[shursight]

Hi everyone.

I consider myself a newbie. The idea of domain flipping has always interested me. I have registered a few names over the years but have never sold any and I usually just let them drop. The main reason I drop them is, I register a name and then ask for some input or appraisals and if I get negative feedback I usually just don't pursue a selling. But lately I have seen some of my old domains selling for hundreds or even being listed for a thousand or more. So I know my domain ideas can be sellable. I am beginning to register a few names again and would like some advice on how to market and sell my domains. My main question is about understanding what types of buyers are out there. Are they mainly other domainers? Also I don't want to develop domains into sites. I just want to register and sell. Is this possible? and is it possible to make good sales in forums like namepros? Plus can you maybe give me some ideas on what makes a good name in your opinion?

 

[ruzeen]

Hi shursight, I almost wrote "Welcome to NamePros" till I saw your Join Date :D

Domain "flipping" is becoming harder by the day. It's not easy unless you have very good negotiating skills. Most of the keyword-rich domain names are already registered and only brandables are left. Therefore, you can't really expect to register a domain today and sell it for even low xx tomorrow (chances are very slim), buying decent names from re-sellers and selling them to other re-sellers is a lot easier and much profitable.

Domaining is evolving to be a long-term investment. Flipping domains is great as a hobby and you'll gain some experience in the meantime, till you have mastered the art.

If you browse through the auctions on NP, you'll realize that every domain has a buyer. Mostly domainers/ re-sellers like you and me.

I've sold most of my domains on NP to re-sellers and I'm happy. It's a decent place to get started, I can assure you that! Your negotiating skills play a big role too. This is a secret I need not hide. That's what brokers do to make big sales. Big sales aren't magic, it's the way you market it.

There are several factors that make up a good domain name, few include: searches, CPC, age, if taken in other extensions, similar past sales, development possibilities, length of the domain, if it is pronounceable, if it is 4-letter - does it have acronyms, etc.You'll learn and understand better once you start making sales.

Last but not least, domaining is not a get-rich-quick scheme, it could eat up your money if you don't know what you're doing. You need a lot of patience and understanding. Keep reading the forum, you'll find abundant useful information from experienced domainers.

Good luck!

 

[shursight]

Thanks ruzeen for all the info. I enjoy searching for names and sometimes find some that I feel have potential but im going to take your advise and look into purchasing some older domains and expired ones too. you have been very helpful.

What about 2word domains, if they make sense are they something to look into? something like LegalVoting.com. Are names like this a good investment?

 

[ruzeen]

You're very welcome.

Most 2-word domains that make sense, have value. It also depends on what factors make a domain valuable, like I listed above.

LegalVoting.com doesn't make much sense, I would value it at $0. Why? It has no possible usage, no searches - no CPC, no age and illegal voting is a criminal offence anyway.

When buying a domain even for 99 cents, always analyze the domain, put yourself in an end-user's shoes. Why should I buy this domain, what could I do with it? Can I build a business on this domain name? Does it suit my business plan? Those are the few questions you should always ask yourself when buying a domain.

If you don't know anything about search, CPC, you can learn at http://www.adwords.com

 

[Name Trader]

I agree with ruzeen. I don't see any commercial use for LegalVoting.com.

 

[NameOmnia]

Hi,
I think what has been said above is right. I can also suggest to have in your portfolio names which have some intrinsic value that can be easily flipped / sold if you need some cash.
i am not here to destroy your dreams but I feel no one here will tell you their secrets...

 

[shursight]

im actually not looking for anyone to tell me they're secrets, I'm just looking to get a better idea of the types of names people consider sellable. I guess the big thing i don't understand is that i see names that get appraised here for x,xxx or higher that make no sense to me at all and don't even do well in a search tool like google keyword. cloudonline.com for instance. that name seems to be getting some good appraisals but to me it does not make any sense to me at all. when is anyone gonna search for online clouds or sell clouds. really doesn't make sense to me. That's where i need a little help. I'm not trying to put that name down because i guess it is a good name. i just want to understand why its a good name. thanks

 

[ruzeen]

im actually not looking for anyone to tell me they're secrets, I'm just looking to get a better idea of the types of names people consider sellable. I guess the big thing i don't understand is that i see names that get appraised here for x,xxx or higher that make no sense to me at all and don't even do well in a search tool like google keyword. cloudonline.com for instance. that name seems to be getting some good appraisals but to me it does not make any sense to me at all. when is anyone gonna search for online clouds or sell clouds. really doesn't make sense to me. That's where i need a little help. I'm not trying to put that name down because i guess it is a good name. i just want to understand why its a good name. thanks

Once again, like I said, what is sellable and for how much you can sell a particular domain, depends on the seller's skills. A domain's true value is what a buyer is willing to pay for it. The appraisals we give here are mostly re-seller values.

CloudOnline dot com IMHO is a good name because of it's wordings itself. Like EatOrganic dot com

Of some factors I stated, that make a domain valuable, search is just 1 out of many. And to a great brandable domain like Eat Organic / Cloud Online, search/ CPC doesn't matter at all because the name has a reputation for itself. And a business can be on it with high potential.

Again, this is only my opinion. What I may be able to sell for Mid xxxx someone else wouldn't even be able to sell for mid xxx and the vice versa can be true too.

When buying and selling a domain, different people think of a name in various different angles when giving it a value. Hope this helps.

 

[shursight]

thanks ruzeen you have been helpful.

 

[alien51]

cloudonline.com for instance. that name seems to be getting some good appraisals but to me it does not make any sense to me at all. when is anyone gonna search for online clouds or sell clouds. really doesn't make sense to me. That's where i need a little help.

"Cloud" is a technical term that pertains to computer servers bunched together by the hundreds or thousands, and then the disk space, server processing and bandwidth are rented out to various businesses so they don't need to buy computer servers of their own.

The probable reason why the domain was appraised in the $x,xxx range, is because the potential buyers for such a domain name are businessmen who have the money to cough up some big dough because they will be charged to company expense anyway.

I think your main problem is, you are not a salesman. You don't know the product you are selling. And you have no idea who your buyers are (which is natural, since how can you find a buyer for your product that you don't even know what it is).

I believe what you should do before you go into domaining, is to scan the internet and try to see what kind of domains people use to run their business.

Take for example your "LegalVoting" domain. Who on this Milky Way galaxy would use a domain like that? And for what? And if there is indeed a buyer for it, are they rich people, or people who merely survive on donations?

The wrong thing you are doing, is that instead of answering those questions yourself, you go ahead and reg the domain then go to Namepros forums and ask someone else to figure out those questions for you via "Please appraise my domain".

 

[shursight]

"Cloud" is a technical term that pertains to computer servers bunched together by the hundreds or thousands, and then the disk space, server processing and bandwidth are rented out to various businesses so they don't need to buy computer servers of their own.

The probable reason why the domain was appraised in the $x,xxx range, is because the potential buyers for such a domain name are businessmen who have the money to cough up some big dough because they will be charged to company expense anyway.

I think your main problem is, you are not a salesman. You don't know the product you are selling. And you have no idea who your buyers are (which is natural, since how can you find a buyer for your product that you don't even know what it is).

I believe what you should do before you go into domaining, is to scan the internet and try to see what kind of domains people use to run their business.

Take for example your "LegalVoting" domain. Who on this Milky Way galaxy would use a domain like that? And for what? And if there is indeed a buyer for it, are they rich people, or people who merely survive on donations?

The wrong thing you are doing, is that instead of answering those questions yourself, you go ahead and reg the domain then go to Namepros forums and ask someone else to figure out those questions for you via "Please appraise my domain".

ok then. I guess ive been told. :lol: That's why i said I consider myself a noob. I registered "LegalVoting because I thought it sounded good for a public service information site or something like that. I am not trying to be a salesman with this. I just like it as a hobby and was wondering what kind of names look sellable.

I thank you for telling me what "cloud" means. i seriously didn't know. But if i asked you what the meaning of "welalin" is you may not know either. its just something i didn't know. But now i do. Thanks.

So what ive learned here is that the word cloud possibly may be a good word to include in my searches. Seems to be well respected here. Im gonna go do some searching and may come ask for some input

 

[NameOmnia]

ok then. I guess ive been told. :lol: That's why i said I consider myself a noob. I registered "LegalVoting because I thought it sounded good for a public service information site or something like that. I am not trying to be a salesman with this. I just like it as a hobby and was wondering what kind of names look sellable.

I thank you for telling me what "cloud" means. i seriously didn't know. But if i asked you what the meaning of "welalin" is you may not know either. its just something i didn't know. But now i do. Thanks.

So what ive learned here is that the word cloud possibly may be a good word to include in my searches. Seems to be well respected here. Im gonna go do some searching and may come ask for some input

I like your attitude and you humbleness. Trust your intuition while gaining knowledge and experience; keep your head held high listen to advice but don't be a blind follower. You might know more than someone who is telling you what to do...
Good Luck.
My inbox is always open for sharing and learning..:wave:

 

[alien51]

ok then. I guess ive been told. :lol: That's why i said I consider myself a noob. I registered "LegalVoting because I thought it sounded good for a public service information site or something like that. I am not trying to be a salesman with this. I just like it as a hobby and was wondering what kind of names look sellable.

Sorry if it looked like i rubbed you the wrong way.

What i basically meant when i said "you are not a salesman", is that you cannot go into business without first understanding the business that you are getting into. It would be like someone saying: "Okay guys, i already put up a bakery. Can you guys tell me how to bake?" That's what i meant. It would be much better to reverse the process, and you will be right on track.

With your LegalVoting reasoning, "sounding good" can be a legit criteria for so-called "brandable" domains. Brandable domains don't mean anything (like Twitter or Vioxx), but because they "sound cool", it's "probably" a cool name to use as a brand. But these are lottery domains. Meaning, if you are able to sell one, it doesn't mean you found a magic formula that will keep your sales going. It just means you were lucky someone wants to pay you for it for some reason.

I did not ridicule you for not knowing "cloud". I simply explained to you in straight terms what a "cloud" is, and why i think others here appraised the cloud domain you mentioned as around $x,xxx.

 

[shursight]

I thank you for your input and advice alien51. No need to be sorry. I thank everyone for their info. This is how we learn new things. I am sure I will be back here posting more questions in the near future and I hope that my future threads will be this informative. thank you to everyone.

 

[NameOmnia]

Sorry if it looked like i rubbed you the wrong way.

With your LegalVoting reasoning, "sounding good" can be a legit criteria for so-called "brandable" domains. Brandable domains don't mean anything (like Twitter or Vioxx), but because they "sound cool", it's "probably" a cool name to use as a brand. But these are lottery domains.

Sorry but a brandable is much more than that.

 

[shursight]

Ok guys. I have just been playing around with some of the ideas you guys gave me. I did a little searching with "cloud" and came up with CloudStopper.com and figured that if I took the word "legal" and possibly got a brandable with StraightLegal.com. Again, Just trying to apply the ideas you guys gave me. What do you think.?

 

[NameOmnia]

Nice attempt but I don't really see the word cloud going together in any way with the word stopper....

Also no matter what other people will tell you : brandables are science,art and intuition all together not some words or vowels you randomly put together.
Also brandables are the names that End Users buy while EMDs are bought by domainers or by companies who want to redirect traffic to their brand.. Ask yourself why the first 100.000 website in the world have less than 10 characters and hardly any is a EMD

 

[shursight]

I was thinking that it sounded like crowd stopper so thought maybe a possible brandable. but was just an experiment. but StraightLegal.com. was thinking name for law firm or something. I didnt put too much time into it. was just trying to apply those ideas to see if I was understanding.

 

[NameOmnia]

The main problem here it's embedded in your words " I didn't put too much time into it ".

 

[alien51]

Sorry but a brandable is much more than that.

I never said brandable has only one criteria.