Hi. I am trying to learn the ropes just like you and It's difficult to explain actually. I'll attempt to tell you why.
There are different types of domain names. EMDs, PMDs, Brandables, LLLs, Numbers, ... , WTFs. Some domain names fall under more than one type. First you must be able to identify the specific type(s) of domain name. Depending on the type, it is an art, it is a science, and/or a combination of both. Therefore, bots can be sometimes useful (science or metrics), sometimes clueless (art). Then comes the most important part: business sense or how a name can be used for a particular business. The name might be describing a business itself or used for branding, advertising and/or marketing of a product or service. Some names tell a story, some are catchy, others can be just mysterious. Some names give people an idea, some need an idea. Then there is need and desire which drives demand and hence value. Businesses in a specific sector have similar needs and different needs w.r.t to domain names. The domain names which can cater to the similar needs of businesses have higher demand and higher value. The more businesses agree with you, the higher will be the demand and likelihood of a sale. Then there is the probability. The number of names you have, the quality of names you have etc. along with the likelihood of a sale in a particular time frame. There are literally a ton of variables. It all comes down to your knowledge, capital and business model. Knowledge always has more power. That's why one man's trash is another man's treasure. CryptoWorld purchased for $15 7 years ago might be worth $195000 to a person today. Domaining is basically all about investment strategy and decisions, imo.
There can be no true appraisal of a domain name due to the art involved and highly subjective value (it can also be emotional value). It is important to note that along with domainers, 'end users' also make bad decisions and lose capital. Many highly valuable domains purchased for thousands of $$ are also dropped by owners. The domain cakecity sold for 3K is a partial match domain as well as brandable and was sold 6 years ago. It might have lower or higher value today. The domain caketoppers sold for ~12K last year is probably an exact match domain and used by the owner as a brandable. Both of these domain names as well as their values are not comparable. The value in both cases is highly subjective and merely represents the negotiating/bargaining power of the seller vs. the negotiating/bargaining power of the highest bidders (aka market value at a particular time agreed upon by a particular set of people only).
Hope it helps. Thanks.
