opinion Investing in Generic Three-Word .Com Domains

[SheikhOvais]

After seeing so many three-word domain sales every now and then, I am beginning to think why not invest in three-word .coms?

Here's what I am thinking:
- Investing in Generics: Product-defining .com
Example: LeatherLaptopBag, CarSeatCovers

- Investing in Generic + Word (and the other way around): A product/category defining domain with an added word at the start or end.
Example: MegaCarDeals, CarSalesNow

Disclaimer: None of these are my domains, just used as examples here.


I am pretty much convinced about it but have to admit that the only thing I am worried (a little) about is that the domains would be 3-WORDS-LONG .COM

Does it make any sense or should I drop the idea, as I am willing to invest in fifty of those?

 

[biggie]

now that you've alerted everyone to your idea...


wonder how many domainers have been there before you, or how many will pick what's left, before you make a decision


imo.....

 

[Kuffy]

I'm wondering how much he would pay for some of mine.

 

[SheikhOvais]

now that you've alerted everyone to your idea...


wonder how many domainers have been there before you, or how many will pick what's left, before you make a decision


imo.....

I am sure there will be enough for everyone. lol

Would appreciate if you could share your professional opinion if I am thinking right or would waste my money on doing this.

Thanks

 

[biggie]

Would appreciate if you could share your professional opinion if I am thinking right or would waste my money on doing this.

Thanks

Hi
not going to tell you what to spend your money on,

just telling you what has already been done and what is still being done, while you're still thinking about doing it.



imo....

 

[DNaddicts]

Some are valuable... I own FlightTicketDeals.com

 

[SheikhOvais]

Hi
not going to tell you what to spend your money on,

just telling you what has already been done and what is still being done, while you're still thinking about doing it.



imo....

I was asking in terms of what "current" market holds for three word .coms. I had previously bought couple of three worders in the past, and still own few, but nothing fancy.

These days I see a lot of sales of such domains. That's why I was hoping to seek advice from the pros about the market, their personal experience of selling such domains to customers, mentality of end-users that why they opted to use a three word domains, you know all the "insight" stuff.

 

[SBS66]

I was asking in terms of what "current" market holds for three word .coms. I had previously bought couple of three worders in the past, and still own few, but nothing fancy.

These days I see a lot of sales of such domains. That's why I was hoping to seek advice from the pros about the market, their personal experience of selling such domains to customers, mentality of end-users that why they opted to use a three word domains, you know all the "insight" stuff.

Well, speaking from my own experience, if you're going to buy them thinking buyers are going to knock themselves over the names then I would say rethink that. But if you will be actively marketing, it may work. (Note: "actively marketing" is not listing the domain for sale and waiting.)

When you say that you see a lot of these domains selling, take a look at what is being done to sell them, if possible.

 

[SheikhOvais]

Well, speaking from my own experience, if you're going to buy them thinking buyers are going to knock themselves over the names then I would say rethink that. But if you will be actively marketing, it may work. (Note: "actively marketing" is not listing the domain for sale and waiting.)

When you say that you see a lot of these domains selling, take a look at what is being done to sell them, if possible.

Exactly, I am willing to do the marketing and waiting thing. Also I do realize that such domains are not something for which I can expect inbound offers, but still if I play my cards right, there's hope. But I won't be relying on "hoping", instead will keep things motivated and on-going.

 

[garptrader]

Competition for three-word domains will be much lower than for the hyper-short names everyone seems to be after these days. However, with a thousand new extensions, low-budget buyers can easily avoid the aftermarket when all you have to offer is a high-priced three-word domain. I have been dropping some three-word domains as I realize with so many new extensions they are more easily replaced. Most end users do not want to pay premium prices for domains. I would suggest limiting your choices to situations where the combination is not so easy to subtsitute a word. For example,

SuperbVideoGames.com would have many alternatives for the word "superb" and even video games one could use other phrases.

MiamiRealEstate.com would not be so easy to replace (OK MiamiRE.com maybe but that is probably taken as well).

Keep in mind that Bing and Yahoo still rank exact match domains rather well so you could probably launch a simple site, get it ranked, and that might help to promote it (i.e. this site is for sale $XXX)

 

[SheikhOvais]

Competition for three-word domains will be much lower than for the hyper-short names everyone seems to be after these days. However, with a thousand new extensions, low-budget buyers can easily avoid the aftermarket when all you have to offer is a high-priced three-word domain. I have been dropping some three-word domains as I realize with so many new extensions they are more easily replaced. Most end users do not want to pay premium prices for domains. I would suggest limiting your choices to situations where the combination is not so easy to subtsitute a word. For example,

SuperbVideoGames.com would have many alternatives for the word "superb" and even video games one could use other phrases.

MiamiRealEstate.com would not be so easy to replace (OK MiamiRE.com maybe but that is probably taken as well).

Keep in mind that Bing and Yahoo still rank exact match domains rather well so you could probably launch a simple site, get it ranked, and that might help to promote it (i.e. this site is for sale $XXX)

Thanks mate.

Question: Does this strategy still works, what you mentioned in the last para? Developing a mini site, ranking it, and then offering to potential end-users.

 

[garptrader]

Out of dozens of such geo sites, I did sell one last year. The buyer didn't even bother to change the nameservers but I still received an email from the contact form after I sold the site because the form was set to direct inbound leads to my email

However, I would still say it is early to say whether this is working or not (time has a value and it did take time to set these up) - but I still believe I have some good names regardless.

 

[SBS66]

... However, with a thousand new extensions, low-budget buyers can easily avoid the aftermarket when all you have to offer is a high-priced three-word domain. ...

I agree with most of what you wrote, but even low-budget buyers who have a business may not be keen on alternative extensions. I can offer you one example: I sold a 3-word domain to someone who wanted a related 2-word come one. I approached the owner of the .com but he would not consider any offers below $53k. I let my buyer know that the .co was available, and her response was that for some reason she didn't like that extension and that she thought all these other ones she had read about were kind of confusing. This was a business owner with a low budget, and she was settling for a 3-word .com rather than what she wanted in .com.

 

[alcy]

checking namebio on daily basis for most recent is nice way to get idea about current sales trends etc

 

[garptrader]

Most end users have low budgets even though they will spend many thousands of dollars on ordinary recurring business expenses. I work in finance so I know end users are full of *&^%$! when they cannot pay more than $200 for a domain. How about that five-figure legal bill or those $150/hour IT consultants or the business trip that cost five figures or that Adwords campaign (at $7-$10/click)? What did you accomplish with that spend?

 

[biggie]

Most end users have low budgets even though they will spend many thousands of dollars on ordinary recurring business expenses. I work in finance so I know end users are full of *&^%$! when they cannot pay more than $200 for a domain. How about that five-figure legal bill or those $150/hour IT consultants or the business trip that cost five figures or that Adwords campaign (at $7-$10/click)? What did you accomplish with that spend?

i pretty much agree, but all end-users are not corporations, nor do all have five figure budgets to appropriate for a domain name.

particularly if it's one that may not bring in as much traffic, viewers, buzz and/or sales, versus traditional advertising campaigns.

$200 is a reasonable price, if you're offering something of value that the end-user can justify in their mind, but how many who solicit are only asking $200 and what "domain names" are they peddling?


an example:

we looked at "pink/kids/ com" for product line, which was parked and asking price was 5 figures

so, as an alternative, we just added the company's name as prefix to that, for $10 reg fee.

and yes, i feel you on the "IT expenditures and business trips", but they are traditional expenses, much unlike domain purchasing.

imo....

 

[Joe N]

I decided to take a stab at regging three word EMDs and doing heavy outbound marketing as well. Only regged 10 to start, but they were all pretty solid. Here's a sample:

Dallas/Executive/Recruiters
New/York/Civil/Litigation
Parking/Lot/Design
Cast/Aluminum/Furniture
Flower/Garden/Designs

So far no bites on any of them, and I've been asking between $299-$399.