Should I quit domaining?

[katerleonid]

I need your advice.

A friend reached out and said something that really made me think:

Should I move my domains to somewhere else… or just get rid of them? They don’t actually sell.

And honestly, that question hit me harder than I expected.

Because I think every domainer - beginner or veteran - has faced this moment.

You buy domains. You believe in them. You refresh marketplaces hoping for offers. You tell yourself, “one of them will sell soon.”

But days turn into months. Renewals keep coming. And your passion slowly turns into frustration.

You start thinking...
Maybe I should’ve never gotten into domaining in the first place.

And that’s when I remembered my own story.

In 2021, I got into daily stock trading.
At first, I made money. Everyone wasm, remember the 2021 GME madness?

But when the wave broke, I started losing. Still, I kept going. Because I didn’t want to quit.

Until one day, I saw my wife’s face - tired, frustrated - watching me lose money every day while calling it a business.

That’s when I learned something most people avoid talking about.
And that brings me back to my friend’s question:

When’s the right moment to quit domaining?
Or should you keep going… hoping for that one domain that changes everything?

 

[HotKey]

If I was your friends friend, I would say; no one can can decide that for you.

I would then take a look at his portfolio and give an honest opinion based on the names, with some input on what their vision is. Sometimes the truth hurts, sometimes it shows its face many years away.

 

[bmugford]

What does "quitting" even mean really?

Assuming someone has a decent portfolio it's not like you are just going to drop every domain, the good with the bad.

I could see quitting meaning not actively buying. But, most investors probably have several domains worth renewing long term.

So, it's kind of hard to fully quit unless you have a small and/or terrible portfolio where nothing is worth keeping.

Brad

 

[j2630971]

I am waiting to sell a couple more domains to quit forever. I have lost countless hours researching. Had I put all that time into studying and I might already have another degree. I have made sales, yes, but it’s not worth it for me. I began on 2017 and I have sold something between $6 to $7 thousands. Having to deal with dreamers wanting the “perfect” domain and only having a $25 dollars budget get into my nerves. So many “buyers” low balling or worst, never buying, have gotten the very best of my patience. Domainers for me are (really personal view here) the troll in the way that can’t produce anything of value and simply blocks the bridge to suck some blood out of true entrepreneurs. I hate it and I hate having being part of it. Right now I am doing my day time job (sourcing) and at lunch time I trade stocks and sell weekly options. It’s another type of pain (trading) but at the end I think it’s better. You don’t have to convince anyone for a sale and according to your risk taste you can make money daily if you want. Here I have to explain myself on why I chose to buy and hold RealEstate.cam (although it works the same as the .com version). I feel I am going now on circles… The point is I am glad I found out that domains are not my thing. I feel value is not created unless you actually take part on developing them (or your crew). I refuse to be the Troll blocking the path. Thanks and Good Luck.

 

[bmugford]

Domainers for me are (really personal view here) the troll in the way that can’t produce anything of value and simply blocks the bridge to suck some blood out of true entrepreneurs. I hate it and I hate having being part of it.

I have a different view.

You could say the same thing about real property.

There are not enough high quality locations to go around, land or domains.

You start with the best location you can afford, and over time successful ventures can upgrade.

If anything, domain investors help good domains eventually find their way to strong end users.

Brad

 

[fades37]

I refuse to be the Troll blocking the path.

Well said, essence of domaining is very non spiritual.

 

[tradenameNet]

It’s about timing and your insights. If you bought AI domains 2 years ago or bought AI stocks last year, you will be doing great
And everyday there is opportunity somewhere, it’s up to you to explore. Try it and you may succeed. But if you never try, you will never succeed

 

[domainsaurus]

I do agree that the idea of “never give up” can be counterproductive. If someone had told me to give up in certain situations, it might have actually helped. But on the other hand, we need some failures to become who we are today, and who we’ll be tomorrow.

For example, when I traded penny stocks daily for three years, even though I failed, I learned things I never would have otherwise, like PATIENCE.

There is always a third option, instead of quit / continue, why not go small. Stay small, reduce the losses, don't buy any domain, until you learn the game. Impose a limit, don't buy more than 1 domain per week/month. That will force you to do your homework and give you time to promote it.

 

[Syed Hassan Raza]

Well said, essence of domaining is very non spiritual.

bro you didn’t reply me?

 

[MasterOfMyDomains]

Blind leading the blind. Thats why
Don’t quit >Retire. Its more graceful

 

[Kenny How]

In 2021, I got into daily stock trading.
At first, I made money. Everyone wasm, remember the 2021 GME madness?

But when the wave broke, I started losing. Still, I kept going. Because I didn’t want to quit.

I have invested in my country's stock market for 12 years. I don't buy and sell, I buy and hold for dividends gain. Capital gains are an icing on my cake though. In my opinion, one important factor that separates a winning investor to a struggling one is one's ability to tolerate drawdowns. Everyone wants a 1,000% gain in a given trading year, but not many can tolerate an unrealized loss of 90%, me included. Thats why I only buy and hold counters that fit my risk appetite. The past 3 years have been bad on my stock portfolio due to the US Fed Reserve interest rate hikes, but now the tide is about to change.

I have been fortunate enough to be in a financial position to invest in domains, but I am still learning despite having 2 sales this year. Hopefully next year and the year after, I would be able to break even and start making profit.

 

[Altetra]

I am waiting to sell a couple more domains to quit forever. I have lost countless hours researching. Had I put all that time into studying and I might already have another degree. I have made sales, yes, but it’s not worth it for me. I began on 2017 and I have sold something between $6 to $7 thousands. Having to deal with dreamers wanting the “perfect” domain and only having a $25 dollars budget get into my nerves. So many “buyers” low balling or worst, never buying, have gotten the very best of my patience. Domainers for me are (really personal view here) the troll in the way that can’t produce anything of value and simply blocks the bridge to suck some blood out of true entrepreneurs. I hate it and I hate having being part of it. Right now I am doing my day time job (sourcing) and at lunch time I trade stocks and sell weekly options. It’s another type of pain (trading) but at the end I think it’s better. You don’t have to convince anyone for a sale and according to your risk taste you can make money daily if you want. Here I have to explain myself on why I chose to buy and hold RealEstate.cam (although it works the same as the .com version). I feel I am going now on circles… The point is I am glad I found out that domains are not my thing. I feel value is not created unless you actually take part on developing them (or your crew). I refuse to be the Troll blocking the path. Thanks and Good Luck.

I agree with half, the solution for domainers is to price accordingly the domains, not expect 1Million on a 5$ hand reg, then everyone will be happy.
The big fake sales are a trap, domainer in his head thinks he have million of worth domains, gets offers from 100 to 20K and ignores them, the result he renews like me in a never ending cycle, registrars get rich, would not be surprised this whole community is funded by registrars to have it's hand into all this, as I said some years ago, when the moment comes that I lost lots of invested money, that is when I bring hell to domaining and it will be the end of it for everyone involved!

 

[Vertibox]

"I had a dream, and I never stopped following it. When things got tough, I thought about quitting. But, instead, I kept going. Everyone told me 'let it go, it will never work', but I didn't listen to them. I sold my car, mortgaged my house, went broke, borrowed more, my wife and kids left me, and now I live in a cardboard box."

...but I still have my dream!!

 

[Vertibox]

It is not possible for anyone to advise you with worthwhile advice, never mind to a silent 3rd party, on matters that are purely judgment and opinions, especially when the full facts about your friend are unknown.

My judgement/opinions are different to yours, to Dave’s, Susan’s…
The attitude to risk, available funds, aims/plans are all different for each person.
There are also many smaller and less obvious aspects to this, plus subtleties and nuances that can’t be taken into consideration in order to provide a proper reply.

All of life is a risk, despite efforts by “civilisation” to try to condition people into believing otherwise.

There is no real safety or security for humans (same for the rest of nature) and even if you follow the rules about what you should do in life (go to school, learn things well, work hard, comply, follow the rules and the law, behave as you’ve been told, blah blah blah), you are still subject to risk.
And if you were to end up in some bad situation, like being laid off, being assaulted or your home being burgled, you come face to face with the stark reality that safety and security are not what they are touted to be.

My tepid and limp suggestion is for your friend to figure out how much he is willing to lose each year by holding onto his domains. Once such a figure is determined, a judgment call about holding onto the best domains for the budget needs to be made (not easy) and the rest can be allowed to expire.
The portfolio can be culled further if the funds available decrease.

Domain name investing is a long, long game, often over many months but mostly over many years, even decades. Your friend needs to understand that. If your friend is not actively trying to sell the names they have, they should begin to do so, preferably by having for sale pages or landing pages that show the domain is for sale. They could also try listing their domains on marketplaces, but I am not a fan of the offerings around with that so this is not an avenue I pursue myself.

 

[Corey]

Consider learning new skills, like developing, it can sharpen your registration skills when you have to spend time & money on them.

Cheers
Corey

 

[NameCup]

I have the same question

 

[Kass]

The problem is that if quitting it is the right choice, will he be able to quit it if he chooses it?

 

[katerleonid]

Being able to quit something you’ve invested in emotionally (not just financially) is actually the hardest part.

 

[Kass]

And in general — the fewer domains, the better. imo

 

[Kass]

Being able to quit something you’ve invested in emotionally (not just financially) is actually the hardest part.

Sometimes a good emotional punch does the trick.
Or maybe a few microdoses — with a provider around.

 

[phaethon]

I am waiting to sell a couple more domains to quit forever. I have lost countless hours researching. Had I put all that time into studying and I might already have another degree. I have made sales, yes, but it’s not worth it for me. I began on 2017 and I have sold something between $6 to $7 thousands. Having to deal with dreamers wanting the “perfect” domain and only having a $25 dollars budget get into my nerves. So many “buyers” low balling or worst, never buying, have gotten the very best of my patience. Domainers for me are (really personal view here) the troll in the way that can’t produce anything of value and simply blocks the bridge to suck some blood out of true entrepreneurs. I hate it and I hate having being part of it. Right now I am doing my day time job (sourcing) and at lunch time I trade stocks and sell weekly options. It’s another type of pain (trading) but at the end I think it’s better. You don’t have to convince anyone for a sale and according to your risk taste you can make money daily if you want. Here I have to explain myself on why I chose to buy and hold RealEstate.cam (although it works the same as the .com version). I feel I am going now on circles… The point is I am glad I found out that domains are not my thing. I feel value is not created unless you actually take part on developing them (or your crew). I refuse to be the Troll blocking the path. Thanks and Good Luck.

Don't be bitter, because you didn't do well in domaining. Your point of view is result of your luck of success. Domain investors are important and definitely not trolls. They keep the market dynamic by offering the best digital assets to businesses.
If you cannot afford to spend a few thousands on a good domain, you should not have a business at all.