What's the most important lesson you've learned domaining?

[vinsdomains.com]

Jumping back into the business after being out of it for many years. Seems like a lot has changed and there is an overwhelming amount of information floating about. Seems like a lot of sharks too! As such, I thought I'd solcit input from all of you fellow domainers regarding important lessons that you have learned along the way. What's your best piece of advice, so a beginner doesn't get burned? Thanks in advance for any educational responses you can provide!

 

[thx1138ga]

Don't reg anything you are not prepared to develop.

 

[HappyDay]

When you find a good name through registrar search register it within the shortest time because if you wait it will be gone.
I had this issue several times with different registrars and as I know many other peoples too.

 

[GiftedDomains]

My best advices for beginners would be:

1) immediately stop registering any domain (if you are doing it)
2) read as much as you can in domain forums for about several weeks up to few months
3) then start domaining, stick with .com /org/net ,and sometimes info. and/or ccTLD if you know the language and if you choose a name with the language of the country. for instance, not english with german tld
4) avoid other extensions until you know exactly what you are doing , or simply avoid them forever
5) Its better to invest let say 100 dollars in a good domain, than registering 10 useless domains each 10 dollars
6) register either generic domain names, or brandable .coms, avoid TM domains

there is of course a LOT more, but these are the most important imo

 

[Dorkside]

Quality is better than quantity.

You're better off spending more for a single premium domain than buying a hundred hand regs. Premium domains garner more interest, are more liquid, and you save a lot of renewal fees if you have 1 domain instead of 100. Also, the less domains you own the easier they are to manage and keep track of.

 

[Makis.TV]

Don't believe everything you read, no matter how "verified" the source is domaining has many black holes to cover fake sales and transactions.

 

[Name Trader]

Never believe it's a student trying to buy the domain for his studies/girlfriend etc.

 

[hopkism]

Never believe it's a student trying to buy the domain for his studies/girlfriend etc.

Does this really happen that often? Is it ever legitimate? :notme:

 

[techspecx]

I had someone contact me and said he was a lowly paid intern in India and wanted my name badly for his software development company and it was sent from his iPhone 4S.

Really? A low paid intern - software company - iPhone 4s = money.

It happens.

---------- Post added at 08:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:01 PM ----------

My advice is to know as much about what trends are hot - look for those domain names and their availability and reg them - then flip them for 60% profit. Do this 10 times a week and you have a paycheck.

 

[.X.]

"Patience"

Patience has been my best friend in this industry.

 

[ivansilvio]

As soon as you find a good name register it

 

[ommedu]

Never buy a domain that in the event you can't sell it, you wouldn't want to develop your own. A domain you can't sell and can't develop is just a virtual paperweight...

 

[Theo Goodman]

Pure domainers are few and far between imo,
most develop websitss as well as buy and sell undeveloped domains.

a-viod hyphen domains even if you are german
learn how to:
use the adword tool
develop websites
write content
pitch domains in emails and on the phone

Do some experiments
use a godaddy coupon code to hand register a domain that you think is good. Then try to sell it or develop it.

Buy a domain here on the forum and do the same.

Notice I said "a" domain ,not 10 50 or 500

Be a bug on the wall and learn how to read and listen to info. At the same time take things with a grain of salt.

Try things and see if they work for you.

 

[DU]

Ignore people in forums until you get to know them better, what their style is. Do your own thing.

 

[twomoon]

Some advices:

1. If you're a beginner , don't register domains (cause everything good is already registered maaaany years ago). If you think you're smart enough and could create (register) a great domain - forget about it. You won't. Buy domains on the aftermarket (domain auctions, forums)

2. If you purchased and now have good/great domains don't try to sell them fast. Wait for the right Enduser. If you purchased somewhere (auctions, forums) not very good domains - try to sell them (to Endusers, on the auctions, at forums) - be proactive in this case.

2. Read forums and try to figure out what's going on. Try to find your own niche.

3. Try not to buy exotic extensions (.tv is not an exotic lol)

 

[DubDubDubDot]

Jumping back into the business after being out of it for many years.

I took a look at the sales site in your username. Truthfully, it's one of the worst portfolios I've ever seen. You need to stop registering new domains immediately.

A very common newbie trap is being overly impressed with available domains. "OMG! I can't believe this isn't taken!" I remember the rush I'd get as a newbie when I'd search at GoDaddy and "____.com is available" would appear on the screen.

 

[richface]

Some advices:

1. If you're a beginner , don't register domains (cause everything good is already registered maaaany years ago). If you think you're smart enough and could create (register) a great domain - forget about it. You won't. Buy domains on the aftermarket (domain auctions, forums)

2. If you purchased and now have good/great domains don't try to sell them fast. Wait for the right Enduser. If you purchased somewhere (auctions, forums) not very good domains - try to sell them (to Endusers, on the auctions, at forums) - be proactive in this case.

2. Read forums and try to figure out what's going on. Try to find your own niche.

3. Try not to buy exotic extensions (.tv is not an exotic lol)

I don't agree fully. I have sold hand reg domains in the hundreds. As long as you understand keywords and know what you are doing you can still make money. BUT is requires alot of reading and researching. My opinion only

 

[briguy]

My biggiest mistake (hopefully my last) is registering a recently expired domain WITHOUT checking it history!

 

[Jawed]

There is no easy money in domains.

 

[SK1990]

My biggiest mistake (hopefully my last) is registering a recently expired domain WITHOUT checking it history!

May I ask what happened?

 

[webmango]

:great:

My biggiest mistake (hopefully my last) is registering a recently expired domain WITHOUT checking it history!

Doesn't history reset on expiry? I'vgot a few that expired/dropped and the history turned out to be spammy/crawling abuse type stuff.

From what I've read seems once your new site is up, ceate a sitemap, and once your site is recrawled your site is unbanned. Or if it is still banned you can resubmit it to google for reconsideration and explain you're the new owner.

I guess if you're domain has other high PR sites linking you saying 'scam!!!!' you're a bit screwed lol. Would be interested to know what has happened to your domain.

My things learnt so far - be objective, dont let yourself buy domains in an end user mode. Be in domainer mode; think "would a domain investor buy this from me for at least reg fee minimum?" in which case you're guaranteed to break even, and an end user would also be likely to pay you more for it

Also if you're new and unsure if you want to keep a domain once you've regged it, always find out the grace delete period at your registrar in case you want to delete it and get a refund. Good luck!

 

[Artwm]

The number 1 lesson I learned that appraisal services are scams.

The biggest waste of money is paying for their service.

 

[domainhacks-931385]

Don't buy a domain just because you think it might have value to someone else
Don't register any domain that you don't have any interest in developing.

 

[Federer]

There is no easy money in domains.

don't agree there.

It's not difficult to register 3-4 names daily and sell them for low $xxx within a few days.
A few hours work and some sharp research.

 

[MikeRibby]

don't agree there.

It's not difficult to register 3-4 names daily and sell them for low $xxx within a few days.
A few hours work and some sharp research.

Federer,

Can you elaborate more on this? You put up big numbers, frequently. Can you go more into your process? Research - Finding end users etc... 3-4 days turn around time is incredible!!!