What are your WORSE domain investments that lost you money!?

[buohcom]

Share your biggest domain losses.
Mine was support.mobi, won at auction for $1k and let it expired.

 

[Duk]

Sounds terrible.

 

[Duk]

Mine is many little cheap domains that turned out to be worthless. Then there is the typical very good domain that seems that none actually agreed it was good... And then some cheap domains that got cheap but, unbeknownst to me the registrar increased the price and I did not know and they got autorenewed with a senseless extreme fee.

 

[bmugford]

Mine are mainly handregs that receive no interest and I end up dropping eventually.

Mainly lower tier GEO or long (and too niche) EMD.

The cost is low on a per domain basis, but they all add up.

It's harder to let a domain go than buy it.

Though in fairness, I have done well with that type of domain overall.

If I am paying any serious premium for a domain, I make sure it is one I plan to keep long term.

Brad

 

[GoKaizen]

Totally!

That's why learning to drop is really important.

It's harder to let a domain go than buy it.

 

[bmugford]

Totally!

That's why learning to drop is really important.

Yeah, before you know it you can have (10) years of renewals into a marginal domain.

All of a sudden that $10 domain has cost you $100+.

I am sure I drop way more domains than I sell, but I still do very well with a standard STR.

Drop marginal domains. Replace with better domains.

That is a tried and tested business model.

Brad

 

[BaileyUK]

Mine were all in the early days 1999 to around 2004. one prolific bad move was investing in a big bundle of 4 number dot nets and then keeping them. Dumb me hadn't realised why numbers with a four in the sequence were still available. The Chinese, the biggest buyers of number domains wouldn't touch the number 4. then compounded the error by thinking I still had something with dot Nets.

Little bit of early day confusion with American and English spelling .com's. Thankfully I turned out to be fairly successful in word and letter art creativity.. Eye-catching rather than particularly descriptive have served me well. Learned to stick with what I'm good at

 

[Mikeyboy]

.cm auctions when they first came out

 

[HotKey]

Mine were all in the early days 1999 to around 2004. one prolific bad move was investing in a big bundle of 4 number dot nets and then keeping them. Dumb me hadn't realised why numbers with a four in the sequence were still available. The Chinese, the biggest buyers of number domains wouldn't touch the number 4. then compounded the error by thinking I still had something with dot Nets.

Little bit of early day confusion with American and English spelling .com's. Thankfully I turned out to be fairly successful in word and letter art creativity.. Eye-catching rather than particularly descriptive have served me well. Learned to stick with what I'm good at

Ouch

"stick with what I'm good at" excellent but I do fear this is what holds back many from diversifying even in thought experiments. Being said, we do have safety in what we know and what works for us.

 

[BaileyUK]

Ouch

"stick with what I'm good at" excellent but I do fear this is what holds back many from diversifying even in thought experiments. Being said, we do have safety in what we know and what works for us.

Oh I certainly do diversify in 'Thought experiments' mostly in emerging technologies. But very rarely am I willing or able to capture those thoughts in domains.
Mostly because somebody has already got there first and I certainly know the pitfalls of second best and also rans.
If I can picture a creative trade-related domain on the side of a van or business heading, then I'm normally in there. Categorize them correctly on Sedo, buyers turn-up.

Whatworks in co.uk was one of mine

 

[BaileyUK]

It's harder to let a domain go than buy it.

Oh yes. My days of random domain searches are long over. Not good for your posture, bank balance or mental wellbeing. If I can't visualize a domain in my head then torn-apart objectively, then it certainly isn't going to appear in any shopping-basket.

That's the problem with just random or general searches. your brains reward system is always going to compel you to push the Buy-button on something

 

[NickB]

Damn.....I went on a major splurge when I first found about domains...........dropped all but one after being told and more importantly researching and seeing why they were absolute garbage....cost me a fair bit......but you do learn quick when the initial curve is steeper than normal, stopped me holding onto shite for longer than necessary though - always look for the positives......

 

[Casey L]

once bought a name for $8k, sold it for $3k to put towards a house down payment, ended up buying it back a couple years later for $3k again. still own it so it's not definitively terrible yet

 

[buohcom]

once bought a name for $8k, sold it for $3k to put towards a house down payment, ended up buying it back a couple years later for $3k again. still own it so it's not definitively terrible yet

Been there myself... seller's remorse.

 

[SixFigures.ltd]

ended up buying it back a couple years later for $3k again

I wonder was that seller in debt too, ha

 

[Lakshan]

Mine was heavy investment of LLLL.net domain names, just after LLLL.com buyout happened. Didn't sell when the demand was high in hope of more demand in future. But there were no demand after few months

 

[DomainRecap]

That's why learning to drop is really important.

I prefer "learning to not buy in the first place".

 

[Igor Mironyuk]

I bought Sweepstake .cc for $16 and sold for $1.01 in Dynadot auction.

 

[Charac]

Ditto on the .mobi's

Not so much monetarily, as time and effort spent developing a major city site in xml. And a couple other niche sites.

 

[QDomains]

Invested huge money in hand register domains and at the end i have dropped almost 400 domains....

 

[damance]

sold tulsastore.com for $1 at namepros
few months later it was sold for $2000

 

[Armageddon]

6 .xyz LLL premium by registry
One i drop because dont have standard renew price
The rest of 5 is standard 9.99$

So for all 6 - 2150$

One lost remain 5 but are renew until 2026 & probably i will renew until i sell

 

[BaileyUK]

Mine was heavy investment of LLLL.net domain names, just after LLLL.com buyout happened.

I feel your pain. Hope you didn't hold onto them for years like I did with the four number. nets. I do remember that four letter mass .com buyout. Took all of us a bit by surprise, like something subversive was going on right under our noses without our knowledge. Seemed very Secret Squirrel at the time. Lots of debate and speculation. Came right at the hight of the 3 letter re-seller dryout and peak prices

 

[GoKaizen]

Death by a thousand cuts.

It adds up.

All of a sudden that $10 domain has cost you $100+.

 

[biggie]

I drop way more domains than I sell, but I still do very well with a standard STR.

Hi

when ppc income started to shrink, i started dropping names that didn't meet hold criteria, to sustain the portfolio.

didn't really lose money per se`, as those acquisitions were paid for, with ppc revenue.


some i'd call a loss, are those offers i passed on, when i should have taken the money and years later end up dropping that name or keep renewing it while waiting/hoping for another higher offer.

imo...

.cm auctions when they first came out

Hi

i remember those... the hopes of snagging a good com typo in .cm extension.

imo...