question Is it possible to be very successful in domaining only with handreg domains ?

[Domain Name Invest]

I often hear that handreg domains are for beginners (often because they are just starting out and it's better to fail with domains registered at handreg fee) and that as the domainer progresses, they move almost exclusively to dropreg domains...

Do you know of any examples of successful domainers who have built their fortunes largely on handreg domains (except for the early investors in domaining of course) ?

 

[Kuffy]

It's a few years since I was active in trading names, but I've kept a few hundred, and sold a couple for £x,000 in the last few months. I really ought to do some reading to get back up to speed, but I thought I would try a hand reg because of this thread. I resigned up for expired domains, and sorted by backlinks.. The name LimoCat.com caught my eye, so I reg'd it to see if I can flip it. I haen't done any research into its toxicity, or any of the other things one should do. I'll put half a dozen pages on the name, and then list it for sale.

I'll keep you guys informed if anything exciting happens. GD thinks it is worth $1,227, but I'm not sure that I'd trust that valuation, as it has been sitting on the expired list for almost a day.

 

[magnificentdomains]

I think to be very successful in had reg domains the key ingredients would be time and self discipline. You would also need to be very good with data and have multiple parameters that each domain has to pass through before registering. This way you overcome most of your own bias when selecting domains. If instead you are just picking domains that look good to you then I think it would be a waste of time and money. I think to do it right you would need 1-2k/MTH to invest and 20-30 hours/week.

 

[Kuffy]

I agree if you are trying to do it for a living. However, many people seem to deal in domain names as a side hustle. If you are one of those, then you may be prepared to wait a couple of years to get a return on your reg fee investment.

 

[Recons.Com]

Don't do it unless you know what you're doing.

Don't do it unless you are sure you know what you're doing.

 

[MKA]

Of course it is possible! Just ask the guy who hand registered fb.com and sold it to Facebook for 14 million$.

fb.com was registered in 1990, facebook.com was registered in 1997. Granted, all domains were hand registered at one point or another. But the situation is a bit different today from what it was 30 years ago.

 

[Kuffy]

Don't do it unless you are sure you know what you're doing.

I'm a suck it and see sort of guy. I think it is better to try domain dealing with a couple of hand regs for $20 or so, and see how you get on. Even if you only sell them for $50, you have made a profit and learnt a lot, probably. If you haven't sold them in a year, then just write them off and let them drop. You can ask for opinions here as well, and that will boost your knowledge.

 

[frank-germany]

I often hear that handreg domains are for beginners (often because they are just starting out and it's better to fail with domains registered at handreg fee) and that as the domainer progresses, they move almost exclusively to dropreg domains...

Do you know of any examples of successful domainers who have built their fortunes largely on handreg domains (except for the early investors in domaining of course) ?

yes

 

[bematic]

I think the beginner mistake is to hand reg 100s of names in domain extensions that don't have established markets yet. I love GTLDs because that's where most of the growth will be, but if you hand reg random 2 word names in .whatever, they might never sell. And you're still paying all those renewel fees, so only the registrar will make money. It's better to get a couple of good one word domains for $xx or $xxx in those new extensions and just wait a few years. If you factor in renewal costs, it will also be cheaper then getting 100s of names. Exceptions to handregging might be the landrush phases, but new registrars started to market or auction premium domains themselves, so I think that strategy is dead.

 

[ThatNameGuy]

I think the beginner mistake is to hand reg 100s of names in domain extensions that don't have established markets yet. I love GTLDs because that's where most of the growth will be, but if you hand reg random 2 word names in .whatever, they might never sell. And you're still paying all those renewel fees, so only the registrar will make money. It's better to get a couple of good one word domains for $xx or $xxx in those new extensions and just wait a few years. If you factor in renewal costs, it will also be cheaper then getting 100s of names. Exceptions to handregging might be the landrush phases, but new registrars started to market or auction premium domains themselves, so I think that strategy is dead.

"I love GTLDs because that's where most of the growth will be"......i agree, especially having a background in all sorts of startup's. Come to think of it hand regging a domain is a lot like a startup in that it needs nurturing and exposure in order to be successful

 

[poweredbyme]

Biggest problem with hand regs for most people is the amount of capital needed.
Anyone who reads for 2-3 hrs a day for 10+ years can predict future trends more or less correctly. That part is not very difficult for those who are 30+ years old. The difficult part is the money needed to register a few hundreds of domains and renew them for 5-10 years.

Most people who try their luck in hand regs face with that reality with money. The reality is that you need to throw minimum $10k in next 5-10 years and most people can't. That's the #1 reason of why most hand reg dreamers fail. #2 reason is to predict future trends without enough knowledge on markets, background, experience, expertise. So, hand regs is not for those who are under 30, maybe 40. #3 reason is bad luck.

I wish best of luck all those who try.

 

[eyedomainous]

^The way I figure it... the low end price for a decent .com in the aftermarket would be around $500.

That cost would cover around Fifty Years of $10 annual renewals. So I like the math, and the payment plan.

 

[poweredbyme]

^hand reg is priced different, unless the domain hand registered is an exact match to a demand, to a problem of today. Those domains are already taken. Hand reg is usually a domain that has no use today but might have a use in one day in the future.

 

[Joe drake]

id have to say your better off spending a little more and buy up a domain in auction with 4 bidders max ,this way you dont over pay and you have 3 other domainers now that want it,and that should lead to at least 20 end users who will come looking for it or at least a few who will respond to outbound . dont overpay there is millions of auctions a week

 

[Joe drake]

^The way I figure it... the low end price for a decent .com in the aftermarket would be around $500.

That cost would cover around Fifty Years of $10 annual renewals. So I like the math, and the payment plan.

only problem is in 50 years its gonna cost 500 bucks to renew a domain

 

[eyedomainous]

only problem is in 50 years its gonna cost 500 bucks to renew a domain

Yeah... if the cost goes up 100% YoY, the emerging market disappears, and I'm still holding the domain.

But, if I am the still holding it in 50 years -than there is a market, especially with $500 .com renewals. So even if I sold it then, at $500, I would still make a profit -based on past and current renewal rates.

 

[kor]

So even if I sold it then, at $500, I would still make a profit -based on past and current renewal rates.

If you calculate the renewal fees cumulatively, how do you make a profit?

 

[Kuffy]

Selling a name is not the only way to make money from hand regs. If you park the name, and make money from the traffic, then that can cover the reg fee, and maybe even make a bit of proifit. It can also increase the value of the name if you can increase the traffic.

 

[Joe drake]

Selling a name is not the only way to make money from hand regs. If you park the name, and make money from the traffic, then that can cover the reg fee, and maybe even make a bit of proifit. It can also increase the value of the name if you can increase the traffic.

hard to make money from parking ,if you take 3000 typical domains owned by members here and parked them,your looking at 10-30 bucks a month ,better to just point them to an afternic lander and try to sell

 

[eyedomainous]

If you calculate the renewal fees cumulatively, how do you make a profit?

As stated earlier in the thread, I work some domains to (more than) cover the cost of all my domains.
That aside, did you see the "-based on past and current renewal rates" part of my post?

This means the past renewal rate was less than the $10 a year rate in the $10x50=$500 calculation.
And, that that past renewal time period: 15+ years (again from my earlier post) would leave a profit if I sold the domain at the (absurd) reg fee of $500 in fifty years.

 

[BrandEntrance.com]

I just handregged 'investment opp' in king. Imagine that. Never registered before.

 

[Joe drake]

I just handregged 'investment opp' in king. Imagine that. Never registered before.

nice .there are a lot of great domains to be hand regged,but being how addicting it is,there should be a balance of selling along with buying because you will end up owning 200 domains for every one you sell.

 

[miabaker]

Hi, I think handreg domains can be successful, but hard and risky. Handreg domains are domains you register yourself, not buy from others. They have good and bad sides.

Good:

• You can find gems or trends.
• You can register domains with good keywords or names.
• You can register domains with good extensions.

Bad:

• You have to pay and renew each domain.
• You have to avoid bad domains.
• You have to deal with competition and low offers.
• You have to market and promote your domains.

So, you have to be smart and careful in choosing and selling your domains. You also have to spend time and money on your domains, and accept failure or loss. But if you do it right, you can also enjoy finding and selling great domains.

Best regards, Mia from CodeIT

 

[marijuanadomain]

All My hand reg domains are priceless and worth millions $$ to me because they bring me joy happiness and emotional stress free .. hobby
Domains like bulllshitwebsites.com, marijuanaguy.com,squarely.com

 

[magnificentdomains]

All My hand reg domains are priceless and worth millions $$ to me because they bring me joy happiness and emotional stress free .. hobby
Domains like bulllshitwebsites.com, marijuanaguy.com,squarely.com

I really like squarely.com Definitely one to hold to and wait for the right offer.

 

[BrandEntrance.com]

nice .there are a lot of great domains to be hand regged,but being how addicting it is,there should be a balance of selling along with buying because you will end up owning 200 domains for every one you sell.

To be quite honest you need a lot more domains than that if you are going to sell any.