When to start calling someone a domainer

[wo]

There are many people who own many domains. What criteria do you use when deciding if someone is seriously a domainer or just a newbie wanna-be?

When they own X domains? What is X to you? and what if they own 1000s of domains but they're all worthless.

or when they've sold X domains? What is X to you? and what if someone never sold any domains but they own a few very high premium domains.

or when they've sold total domains worth of X?

or a combination of all these?

or something else.

So if you consider yourself a domainer, and someone says they're a domainer too, how do you decide who's really a newbie and who's really a domainer.

 

[infmoney]

What I consider a real domainer, is someone who sells domains for a living without the need for an additional source of income.

There are many people who own many domains. What criteria do you use when deciding if someone is seriously a domainer or just a newbie wanna-be?

When they own X domains? What is X to you? and what if they own 1000s of domains but they're all worthless.

or when they've sold X domains? What is X to you? and what if someone never sold any domains but they own a few very high premium domains.

or when they've sold total domains worth of X?

or a combination of all these?

or something else.

So if you consider yourself a domainer, and someone says they're a domainer too, how do you decide who's really a newbie and who's really a domainer.

 

[Archangel]

Otherwise, 96% of every member of this forum is a "wannabe," right? Domaining is a HOBBY and a BUSINESS both. Most ppl I know do this as a hobby (me included). Is there criteria for the moniker? Nah. You could just as easily be a "noob domainer." A domainer is really nothing more than a person who buys and sells domains. We are not all equal9, no, but we do the same things.

What I consider a real domainer, is someone who sells domains for a living without the need for an additional source of income.

 

[wo]

What I consider a real domainer, is someone who sells domains for a living without the need for an additional source of income.

Good point infmoney, but I think it takes years of experience, and trial and error, and lost money picking bad domains, before someone could start making 5K a month steadily from their domain business like they do from their regular job.

 

[Archangel]

Speaking for myself, I've lost at least a thousand dollars before I ever learned to make a dollar.

Good point infmoney, but I think it takes years of experience, and trial and error, and lost money picking bad domains, before someone could start making 5K a month steadily from their domain business like they do from their regular job.

 

[NLP]

I think a domainer is something one calls themselves - a lot of people outside the industry don't know what that term means. I like the term investor, and I feel like the term is warranted once you've earned something from what you've invested in.

In terms of full-time domainers, those are rare - something like 500 or fewer people around the world make their living by buying and selling domains (at least that was the stat from a couple of years ago; it could have increased slightly now).

I think the term fits for hobbyists as well as full-timers. A lot of people have some development going on, as well, so I don't think it's necessary to split hairs. Personally, I call myself a domain investor and at this point, it's a side business for me.

 

[alien51]

Whether you are a hobbyist, an investor, or a wannabe, doesn't matter.

A Domainer, is simply someone who buys domains with no intention of using those domains. About 5% of these domainers buy domains as part of their collectors item (Non-Profit Domainers). While the rest of the 95%, buy domains simply to resell them to those who genuinely need them at a much higher price tag (Commercial Domainers), so they could profit from the price difference.

 

[infmoney]

Speaking for myself, I've lost at least a thousand dollars before I ever learned to make a dollar.

Luckily, I haven't lost a dime YET, :o. The first 10 hand-regs I bought, I sold one for $1,200 and have only used a portion of that to keep buying and selling with the profit I initially made.

I wouldn't say we're all wannabes, but I do this as a hobby so I wouldn't claim to be a domainer. I'm definitely a "noob domainer"

I have much to learn, but thanks to all the nice people on this forum, I have learned MUCH quicker than I would've on my own.

 

[Keith]

What I consider a real domainer, is someone who sells domains for a living without the need for an additional source of income.

I'm not a pro golfer but I still consider myself a golfer.

 

[Sam]

Anyone who can substain his lifestyle through parking and sales

 

[tomcarl]

To me a domainer is a person who is actively involved in the domain industry, one way or another.

How many/how little domains they own, how much income they make, etc. irrelevant.

Just like collecting baseball cards, comic books, etc, can you really call yourself a collector if you have an old box of them sitting in the attic and never think twice about it?

The numbers/figures don't matter, it's the time/passion involved. Just like collectors, you have some more passionate/serious than others, but it's all the same IMO.

 

[cache]

very simple, anyone who has paid me $88.88 can call him or herself a domainer +

 

[twomoon]

If you lost around xx,xxx on domains, I guess you could call yourself a domainer

 

[Fonzie]

Anyone can buy gloves, get in the ring an call himself a fighter.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dADz2E5xcmc"]The Man From Shelby - YouTube[/ame]

If the industry standards are low enough (as they were for the USA Network Friday Night Fights in 1993), you can get noticed, even if you have no talent.

The question should be, what makes a winning domainer because nobody wants to be noticed for sucking.

 

[Archangel]

For the 1st time ever, I actually agree with one of your posts. "Domainer" is just a moniker, keep in mind. There is no certification required to enter the domain industry. Anyone could call themselves a domainer. But one could look at a person's portfolio, sales etc. to get an idea of what the other party really is: the type of domainer one is dealing with. Looking into my portfolio, for example, I have a few CCC.com's, some brandables etc. And money-wise, I tend to make $10-20 investments balloon into several hundred. I'm a good domainer, one could tell, but I'm not a great one or a big one. But I am, still, a domainer (even if this is just a hobby to me). I'm pretty sure there are many others like me out there, too.

Anyone can buy gloves, get in the ring an call himself a fighter.

The Man From Shelby - YouTube

If the industry standards are low enough (as they were for the USA Network Friday Night Fights in 1993), you can get noticed, even if you have no talent.

The question should be, what makes a winning domainer because nobody wants to be noticed for sucking.

 

[eurorealtor]

I tried to make an "inventory" in my domain hobby "investing" and I may consider myself as a looser domainer, as I figured out, I am still loosing around under $10k.

Speaking for myself, I've lost at least a thousand dollars before I ever learned to make a dollar.

 

[Archangel]

There is always the element of what one chases. I profit these days because I can see cheap investments & weigh their potential quite well. I like the CCC.com in your sig but if you have a lotta names like the other in your sig, I can kinda see where the losses are coming from

I tried to make an "inventory" in my domain hobby "investing" and I may consider myself as a looser domainer, as I figured out, I am still loosing around under $10k.

 

[dompro]

there obviously can't be a cut of by the size of portfolio (size matters?) to call someone a domainer. Blowing load of money for bunch of worthless domains, selling few, dropping the rest in a year does not make you domainer. But understanding values and trends, and consistently making positive returns does.
:imho:

 

[alien51]

If you have read blog posts around the internet, they define a domainer as someone who takes domain names hostage. Then asks for ransom money from people who actually need to use those domains (a.k.a. end-users) to build websites that will benefit the internet community.

Domainers do not add anything of value to the domains they own to justify the astronomical increase in their reselling price, other than the fact that they got those domains first, and would gladly put them into auction to the highest bidder.

 

[Archangel]

I'd call someone with 3 category-killers a good domainer & someone with 1,000 crappy ones a bad domainer. But IMO both are still domainers, even if the one who LOSES loads of cash is a vad domainer.

there obviously can't be a cut of by the size of portfolio (size matters?) to call someone a domainer. Blowing load of money for bunch of worthless domains, selling few, dropping the rest in a year does not make you domainer. But understanding values and trends, and consistently making positive returns does.
:imho:

"If I'm walking down the street & see a house for sale, then I'm entitled to be given it. If I'm not, then it'd make the owner an asshole He's not using it so why should he own the damn thing? It's only fair to give it to someone who needs it. The owner has no right to hold it hostage to someone with a lotta money."


The above is the basic argument of those who believe domainers are evil--that we shouldn't own what we aren't using & prefer to sell it to someone who does.

If you have read blog posts around the internet, they define a domainer as someone who takes domain names hostage. Then asks for ransom money from people who actually need to use those domains (a.k.a. end-users) to build websites that will benefit the internet community.

Domainers do not add anything of value to the domains they own to justify the astronomical increase in their reselling price, other than the fact that they got those domains first, and would gladly put them into auction to the highest bidder.