- Impact
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Years ago, when the so-called "Dot Com Bubble" burst in the 1999-2003 period, many domain speculators starting dumping domains, as things were looking a bit bleak.
At the same time, out of a conviction that the hype about all things online wasn't so much wrong as simply ahead of itself, I waded into the collapsing domain aftermarket and started buying. I'm fairly certain I had company.
Premium .Com domains weren't being dumped, in volume, but a few of the more prescient domainers choose to hold limited portfolio fire sales, selling off some of their less than top tier domains. I took a calculated chance and picked up several such .Com domains. These calculated investments have worked out over time, especially in the past 5 years.
Considered lesser domains by many .Org domains were also being dumped, but by a broader cross-section of the domainer / aftermarket buyer-seller players. Once again, I waded in and started buying up .Org domains. However, my actions we tightly focused on .Org domains with a high commercial intent, high search volume, and pricing that was in line with then current "collapsing market" valuations. That meant values between $500. and $2500. USD, with a small handful of acquisitions in the $2,500. to $7,500. USD range. I invested a good bit of capital, taking on considerable but calculated risk.
Most of what I acquired I did so with a mind to eventually develop websites that could generate residual or passive income, once modestly developed. This was pre-domain-parking being opened up to the masses.
20+ years later I continue to hold onto most of these 1999-2003 acquisitions, developing a handful and still intending to develop more now, especially given the evolution of the domain development market space - such as lowered coding costs, lowered hosting costs, AND the use of AI to as least seed a website.
During those same 20+ years I also learned a good bit about the aftermarket value of .Org domains with a high "commercial intent" AND utility, lessons I have kept sale info to myself but have hinted, repeatedly, about values by stating that the domain values generated by automated domain appraisal systems are skewed lower - depending on reported sales in their algorithms - but lacking in robustness due to countless unreported high value aftermarket sales.
Here's the lesson you need to learn about .Org domains, ones that might accurately be considered "premium", and NOT because they are simply one word domains or domain-words with high incidence numbers in search.
Premium .Org domains have high commercial utility built right into the domain. They are typically industry defining. The domain-word relates to a product or service of high value and considerable demand. The domains possess inherent "messaging" or self-branding quality, saving on brand building costs. They reduce advertising costs, since they are easy to remember and have ease of use across multiple channels of advertising and marketing. They also possess an inherent degree of trust and high credibility, as they are viewed as a domain and website likely operated by an industry leader, where the use of .Org domains is fairly common. Lastly. although a .Org domain may suggest "non profit" there are innumerable "organizations" that have budgets in the tens of millions or channel leads and traffic to industry players that do billion$ of dollars of commercial transactions.
I could say more, but the last thing I have to say is this: If you ACTUALLY are the registrant of a "premium" .Org domain, one that truly fits within that I have just described, then you would be foolish to rely on automated appraisal tools when considering a sale.
Unless you are teetering on being broke, you would also be a fool to sell such a domain - today (unlike 20 years ago, when things looked dire) to aftermarket buyers. Why? Because as ALWAYS such buyers seek to acquire it for 1/10th, 1/20th, or even less of that domain's likely aftermarket value to an end-user.
Unless you are self-deluded about whether or not you hold a "premium" .Org domain, again one that fits my description, you should be prepared to sit tight, consider starting to develop the domain, and wait for an end-user buyer to come forward.
As the Web and search engines and "discovery" - via search or AI or other "agents" evolves - such truly premium .Org domains will only increase, significantly, in value.
$35k ($35,000.00 US dollars), $45K, $65K, $75K, $100K+ are numbers you don't see every day when it comes to .Org resale values, but that doesn't mean such sales aren't happening.
Such sales will only happen for YOU IF you truly hold a premium .Org domain and you are both patient and savvy to the inherent value-in-use of what you hold, as that domain's registrant.
I've done my best, expecting and likely gaining nothing in return, except to help you succeed by offering a bit of insight and education If sharing a bit of insight proves to be of value to you remember to "pay it forward". Despite appearances, humankind - including domainers - are "all in this together".
At the same time, out of a conviction that the hype about all things online wasn't so much wrong as simply ahead of itself, I waded into the collapsing domain aftermarket and started buying. I'm fairly certain I had company.
Premium .Com domains weren't being dumped, in volume, but a few of the more prescient domainers choose to hold limited portfolio fire sales, selling off some of their less than top tier domains. I took a calculated chance and picked up several such .Com domains. These calculated investments have worked out over time, especially in the past 5 years.
Considered lesser domains by many .Org domains were also being dumped, but by a broader cross-section of the domainer / aftermarket buyer-seller players. Once again, I waded in and started buying up .Org domains. However, my actions we tightly focused on .Org domains with a high commercial intent, high search volume, and pricing that was in line with then current "collapsing market" valuations. That meant values between $500. and $2500. USD, with a small handful of acquisitions in the $2,500. to $7,500. USD range. I invested a good bit of capital, taking on considerable but calculated risk.
Most of what I acquired I did so with a mind to eventually develop websites that could generate residual or passive income, once modestly developed. This was pre-domain-parking being opened up to the masses.
20+ years later I continue to hold onto most of these 1999-2003 acquisitions, developing a handful and still intending to develop more now, especially given the evolution of the domain development market space - such as lowered coding costs, lowered hosting costs, AND the use of AI to as least seed a website.
During those same 20+ years I also learned a good bit about the aftermarket value of .Org domains with a high "commercial intent" AND utility, lessons I have kept sale info to myself but have hinted, repeatedly, about values by stating that the domain values generated by automated domain appraisal systems are skewed lower - depending on reported sales in their algorithms - but lacking in robustness due to countless unreported high value aftermarket sales.
Here's the lesson you need to learn about .Org domains, ones that might accurately be considered "premium", and NOT because they are simply one word domains or domain-words with high incidence numbers in search.
Premium .Org domains have high commercial utility built right into the domain. They are typically industry defining. The domain-word relates to a product or service of high value and considerable demand. The domains possess inherent "messaging" or self-branding quality, saving on brand building costs. They reduce advertising costs, since they are easy to remember and have ease of use across multiple channels of advertising and marketing. They also possess an inherent degree of trust and high credibility, as they are viewed as a domain and website likely operated by an industry leader, where the use of .Org domains is fairly common. Lastly. although a .Org domain may suggest "non profit" there are innumerable "organizations" that have budgets in the tens of millions or channel leads and traffic to industry players that do billion$ of dollars of commercial transactions.
I could say more, but the last thing I have to say is this: If you ACTUALLY are the registrant of a "premium" .Org domain, one that truly fits within that I have just described, then you would be foolish to rely on automated appraisal tools when considering a sale.
Unless you are teetering on being broke, you would also be a fool to sell such a domain - today (unlike 20 years ago, when things looked dire) to aftermarket buyers. Why? Because as ALWAYS such buyers seek to acquire it for 1/10th, 1/20th, or even less of that domain's likely aftermarket value to an end-user.
Unless you are self-deluded about whether or not you hold a "premium" .Org domain, again one that fits my description, you should be prepared to sit tight, consider starting to develop the domain, and wait for an end-user buyer to come forward.
As the Web and search engines and "discovery" - via search or AI or other "agents" evolves - such truly premium .Org domains will only increase, significantly, in value.
$35k ($35,000.00 US dollars), $45K, $65K, $75K, $100K+ are numbers you don't see every day when it comes to .Org resale values, but that doesn't mean such sales aren't happening.
Such sales will only happen for YOU IF you truly hold a premium .Org domain and you are both patient and savvy to the inherent value-in-use of what you hold, as that domain's registrant.
I've done my best, expecting and likely gaining nothing in return, except to help you succeed by offering a bit of insight and education If sharing a bit of insight proves to be of value to you remember to "pay it forward". Despite appearances, humankind - including domainers - are "all in this together".
