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discuss What is happening to domaining? Is it in crisis?

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This is an observation based on the low activity I see in the domain forums and other venues. For instance, lately, I have visited other domain forums and there are instances where you can see zero or only a handful of registered members connected. Even here on NamePros, the level of activity seems to have decreased.

On Clubhouse, for example, there used to be a lot of activity, with auctions where participants could count on at least a few sales per week (wholesale price).

But that is no longer the case. I know the economic crisis has deeply impacted the business, of course, but I ask myself if there are many domain investors who have given up and moved on? What do you think?
 
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Actually, legal immigration does.

Most immigrants to UK are from Europe, particularly Eastern where I reside.
Not anymore, mate, all illegals here now are from South Asia / India / Albania / Africa. Europeans can't work in the UK anymore, need visa. Polish economy is booming and other EU economies doing relatively well, why would you wanna move to an overpriced , overrated Woke hellhole?
You obviously have no clue what dinghies are lol
 
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Not anymore, mate, all illegals here now are from South Asia / India / Albania / Africa. Europeans can't work in the UK anymore, need visa. Polish economy is booming and other EU economies doing relatively well, why would you wanna move to an overpriced , overrated Woke hellhole?
You obviously have no clue what dinghies are lol
Possibly. Things have changed in the last few years. Left UK in 2017 and I'm not eager to get back.
 
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It is true that most startups fail, however a certain percent succeed.

From Startup to Unicorn ... Locations
(The highest num of Unicorns ever produced was in 2021... 798 🦄 + 217 baby 🦄 )

(Learn: Geo & Business culture, Founders & Investors idea-vision + $numbers ... customer base, read articles, news, reports etc and price accordingly ... 5 fig+). Follow the money.

uncrns.png



Regards
 
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In today's world, a start-up needs a name the day they start-up. Not after waiting for others to fail.
Yes, FB has cut into the need for domains and that has been with us about ten years now.
But it has tapered off and why FB is not 'growing' anymore/4 years now except through merger and acquisition.
But to their credit, FB had eliminated the need for SEO at least through their system.
You only need the user handle. Like the internet was before google upended that.

An online presence is the cheapest way of getting the sale if you have included your 'easy to remember' domain in all your correspondence that entices folks to want to know more.
It's that second chance for you to tell them everything you can't fit on a billboard.
oops, there I go again, becoming a salesman for having a good name.

Perhaps some need to adjust their thinking, tactics, targets and even pricing.

To me, from what I have witnessed, most seem to think a potential buyer is a multi-national fortune 500 co.
But the name is a 'fortunate 100,000' type name. It may be a fair name to a small start-up, but when they see the numbers, they do not even ask. Next

Most start-ups have a range of $2k - $10k which can be made easier if you have a way to finance that for a year.

Conform to the market you desire is as short as I can say it I guess. If you try to force them to conform to you, you will loose more times than not.

All that said,
I contend much, not all of the drop in sales is related to investor buys being lower.
That is directly linked to the liquidity of the money markets.
If you think a market is 'hot', then look at how many charted sales went to end-use within a year after those sales.
So you can't really comapre now and then without taking investor charted sales out of the picture.
Start-ups are created every year. Some more than others. They need names 1st day.
If your market is just other investors, pay no attention to anything I have said. They are easily spooked up or down.
That can be an advantage if you want to target that. It' may be buying time for choice names.
 
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Possibly. Things have changed in the last few years. Left UK in 2017 and I'm not eager to get back.
Where do you live Twiki?
 
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Most start-ups have a range of $2k - $10k which can be made easier if you have a way to finance that for a year.

& a car, tv, vacation $, ..., daily burning $20 on snacks & soda, mouse and keyboard valued $200, whatever ... sell /give up something if you want your dream domain name. Ask close friends and family to jump in.

That's what they want you to believe. They should be a very happy if domain is undeveloped & not poisoned w PPC etc or used by scammers/spammers.

Regards
 
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Whats happening is INTERNATIONAL POVERTY !
 
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nice to find this thread, I'm pleasantly surprised by the quality and openness of posts here! Looks like many long time domainers still around. But do you guys still actively buy names on auctions, or just sitting on your portfolios?

I remember back during the 2009-> recession it was clear to me it would last for a few years, but the market would come back after, so I kept my best names and occasionally bought some more. But now It's unclear, as a lot of stuff is changing, with apps, AI, the value domains bring will be further diminished. Prices are holding and you may see numbers going up, but will it last into the next decade?
 
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Sales are stable for me.
Parking is terrible; this july has been the worst month ever.
Prices for new acquisitions are high.
So not the right time to restart to invest in domains.

However, if the majority of the new investors lose money, the rest makes money. It depends a lot on your method if you are a winner or not.
 
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There was a time, ~1999 - 2001, when folks shared a bit more.

As time passed those who did realized there were a fair number of folks who also "knew stuff" but kept such info to themselves. This caused many to question sharing useful insights, often insights that had a "learning cost" of time and money. This lead to "why give it away for free" thinking.

Then there was the time of STFU messaging, that is, "your sharing will kill the goose that is laying the golden eggs". Think: exact match domains. People keep talking about them. Google says "Enough already!" and changes their algo.

Then, as economies move up and down, folks also realize they have better things to do than "be chatty".

Then came wave after wave of folks want to make a name for themselves, to stand out from the crowd, and so much of the volume of content was just about the incessant need to publish. No significant value. Much parroting of one another. Etc.

Somewhere along the way domaining, competitive SEO of websites, etc. became global and the entire process became more competitive / challenging and, as a result, there was less time to kill chatting or even less desire to share.

FWIW, I learned a long time ago that once people began publicly chatting about ~keys to success those keys rarely held any advantage. Those who work hard on carving out or creating an advantage would usually already be 2 or 3 steps ahead of what the "public experts" were touting. (Heck, 20 years ago I learned that if any "secret" was so good at making money NOBODY - at least in their right mind - would be sharing that secret, even at a paid monthly fee rate).

FWIW, odds are you have no idea how others who are making coin domaining are doing. It invariably comes down to the quality of the domains that you hold and how rational your pricing is . . and how patient you can afford to be . . and what your personal cash flow is and how good you are at cash flow management . . which ties into patience. In other words, can you afford to be patient.

I see very little opportunity in the current market. I see the same old same old "shilling" of new TLDs. Anyone rememeber the hype about .mobi domains? Ditto .info for informational websites? The folks that buy the hype rarely have success in reselling the hype.

There's still the market for those attemtping to acquire a winning lottery ticket by crafting catchy or creative domains. As far as I can see that's just like the lottery: you can spend a lot of money on those lottery tickets and NEVER win or win back a small percentage of what you have laid out.

I wish everyone all the luck in the world but, AFAIC or AFAICanSee, the odds of success as a domainer in 2023 are more challenging than ever.

Lastly, I don't publcly report my sales, but I've had a few in 2023 so - after ~25 years - I'm still in the game . . but . . meh . . in some respects domaining is a bit more of a PITA than it was in 2007 or '08 or '13 or '15.

I wistfully remember the days when domain parking revenue could support a LARGE portfolio's renewal costs and still provide a nice net-revenue stream. Now? Meh.

Still, if you hold a number of decent domains, you can cover renewals fees . . up to the point where the registrars or central registry keeps jacking up prices . . and then, as you drop domains to conserve cash flow . . you watch . . sometimes painfully . . as noobs or machines pick up your droppings in hopes of better days. :-/ #SMH #Sigh
This post sounds (bluntly put) like: "don't bother entering domaining now cos the old timers have the market/best names tied up, and any tips given freely is pure misdirection to newbies".
 
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But do you guys still actively buy names on auctions, or just sitting on your portfolios?
I think it takes 5 to 7 years to reach the point where you can sit on your folio.
I mean to grow organically and not handreg unless something outstanding.

That's what I will do in 2 years from now, I will be buying VERY selectively.

My target is 1000 quality domains. I'm halfway.
 
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They should be a very happy if domain is undeveloped & not poisoned w PPC etc or used by scammers/spammers.

You do know there is a method for clearing that out of search engines don't you ?
Or do you allow someone to depress the price of your names because of it ?
Lessons can be learned everyday if you allow.
 
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You do know there is a method for clearing that out of search engines don't you ?
Or do you allow someone to depress the price of your names because of it ?
Lessons can be learned everyday if you allow.
I'm pretty sure you and I could learn some lessons from @Lox .
 
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I'm pretty sure you and I could learn some lessons from @Lox .
I am sure there is something.
But in this case, I pointed out a fact, or do you dispute it ?
Argue ideas/facts, not people.
 
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You do know there is a method for clearing that out of search engines don't you ?
Sure. End user/business is happy to spend a very precious time communicating w Mr.Google robot, Barracuda, etc or arguing over the phone, achieving nothing more than ... submit form and wait ...

Or do you allow someone to depress the price of your names because of it ?
Every unused -for sale- domain need to be free from any "bad use/ history". Prospect don't want to pay 5+fig for poisoned domain name. End of story. Only naive, unconscious of ____ buyer would puke 4fig on fu***up domain name and later on rebrand to something better / healthier.

I don't buy or re-register domains w dirty trails. Zero. I don't use drop catch or auctions. Hunting unused domains is what I do . I care about the future of clients and my network-ing. Direct recommendations are worth more than any aftermarket place.
Lessons can be learned everyday if you allow.

Everyday lessons are: research, collect and analyse projects + potential rebrands, acquire or register turnkey domains, follow / monitor and wait for the right moment - time - to sell ... when user base or $ funding is big enough ... without thinking too much, the buyer will cash out to get that uplifting name.)


Regards
 
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I don't use drop catch or auctions

Just curious,
you mention that you don't dropcatch or participate in auctions and that's in the same paragraph where you say that there is zero chance for you to go after a domain with dirty history.

Are you implying that, somehow, auctions and dropcatching may poison a domain?

Thanks
 
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Are you implying that, somehow, auctions and dropcatching may poison a domain?

Thanks

Question is: Why is domain dropping, Why is in auction.

There's many reasons for dropping but the most important is ... how many times ? Way Back - what kind of landers, ppc etc. If DN was developed and had lets say solid position (occupied cyberspace - read volume) for a very specific user base, I need to be sure there's prospect who is willing to expand in this particular direction or I need to be sure there's upcoming prospects worth waiting a decade + to sell domain name for 5+fig.

Auctions are dirty as F* and I don't want to participate in ping pong, shill aka pump up, etc, game.

5+Fig buyers are not stupid. If they're not familiar w the sh** show ... they'll hire pro to play w ___ .

I'm not saying you can't profit from auctions but a big % of auctioned domains are dirty, tired, butchered ... hard to sell for 5+fig

IMO


Regards
 
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I don't think it's in crisis just transitioning. As with any industry there is an instant boom, steady stride then a plateau before its trajectory moves upward. How business is conducted on the web has changed you have a more discerning consumer so its no longer the days of "if you will build it they will come." This causes companies to acknowledge that the name is more than "just a name" so this is something that requires a bit more finesse than letting the 16yr old intern register or purchase. Also there was an over exhuberance of FOMO when it comes to registering new tlds and trends. While a lot of the success in this industry early on was being in the right place at the right time just like any other business it must evolve. For those domainers that appreciate being able to add value to a prospective buyer/ end user it will be fine.
 
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Question is: Why is domain dropping, Why is in auction.

There's many reasons for dropping but the most important is ... how many times ? Way Back - what kind of landers, ppc etc. If DN was developed and had lets say solid position (occupied cyberspace - read volume) for a very specific user base, I need to be sure there's prospect who is willing to expand in this particular direction or I need to be sure there's upcoming prospects worth waiting a decade + to sell domain name for 5+fig.

Auctions are dirty as F* and I don't want to participate in ping pong, shill aka pump up, etc, game.

5+Fig buyers are not stupid. If they're not familiar w the sh** show ... they'll hire pro to play w ___ .

I'm not saying you can't profit from auctions but a big % of auctioned domains are dirty, tired, butchered ... hard to sell for 5+fig

IMO


Regards
You find value in the name in marketability, end user need. Domain History has no effect on a end user value in need.
That is on the plus or minus side. But that is not how some sell these ideas.

That is stuff domain flippers used to devalue names they wanted to buy for the past 20 years.

No basis in fact then or now. Just a perception that seems to have persisted. I'm surprised the idea is still around.

It only works if you want to believe it.

Would it have mattered to Apple if iphone.com had dropped 10 times before they needed it ?
How would this adversely effect them ?
The only way I can see history mattering is in this,
If the name was pointed to a porn site, 'and the name was well known by people for the same'.
That is something some may have to spend money to overcome in advertising or ?, hence could devalue it if they had to have 'that name'... But domain search issues can be cleared.

And you are not likely to know why it dropped anyway. Death, bankruptcy, investor with to much overhead, investor who misjudged the name value etc. So how could it effect value given any reason or number of times ?
It's still a domain name. Either it has value potential or it does not. No excuses. It's not a car.

You only bid in a auction what you are willing to pay. That should be where you feel a profit can be made.
If you just want a good name cheep, you should stay away from auctions and just low-ball offer on good names.
You likely will have the same luck. But probably less aggravation for you.
 
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Brother @AbdulBasit.com pls we would like to hear your opinion as experinced domainer in this field !

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There are so many options that there is no need to buy a dirty domain!
Why?
If it's faillisted, you cannot put G ads.
If it's marked as spam, emails will go in the spam.
If it has a poor rank, it will be hard to recove.

I will buy a domain that was an hospital, a parked domain and then expired.
I will not buy a domain that was an hospital, a chinese gambling website and then expired.
 
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Brother @AbdulBasit.com pls we would like to hear your opinion as experinced domainer in this field !

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I've seen obvious slowness in sales. Around 50% of my sales have been dropped considering I've doubled the portfolio since 2020. But I'm making some big adjustments in the pricing to turn things around and I'm pretty sure the sales will happen in the coming months.
Thanks!
 
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Marketplaces are getting worse, I think this is the main problem. They want lion's share from most sales by playing a mid entity while pretending to be the actual buyer or actual seller or both. They make landing pages invisble, hide them behind scripts, or hide price on landing pages, and instead say "call us", and actual domain owner will never know what the hell is going on. So we domainers are becoming slaves, and not complaining about it. Epik was great in landing page/marketplace sense, but unfortunately their only source of income is scam, and they refuse to correct themselves and insist on scamming, although they can no longer scam either.
 
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