Where am I going wrong?

[Hvweight]

Hi all,

I decided to open this topic in search of help, to understand why nobody answers my DM's in in the Domain Buyer Requests section or nobody is interested in my domains in all the markets I have listed.

It happens even though I have some good domains that match perfectly with request. Is it some kind of prejudice against the domain registration date or my forum registration time?

I know that a big mistake was to have ventured into domains without studying, where I spent a lot of money on several horrible domains registered by hand but after discover this, I even got some good domains.

Some things I tried: Send e-mail to several companies in the niche of a domain I have (zero return!),
List in the Godaddy, Sedo, Epik and the Brandables on Brandpa, Brandbucket and SquadHelp

I think SquadHelp VERY dishonest, declined my 5 best brandable domains and has several approved on the site worse than mine and that are considered horrible out here. The only criterion is take your money.

These days I saw a domain request on the forum in which the buyer did not want domains registered by hand but bought at some auction. I did not understand, what difference?

If anyone can help me I will be very grateful.
I'm almost offering my domains for free to someone.

 

[alcy]

your doin nothing wrong

most people you see on this forum have been here for years, and it took them months or years of hard study for many of us to even begin to see profits... there is a very long and difficult learning curve in domaining... and most people in beginning simply lost money.

it is months or years of trial and error and most of all experience to get a hold of things and start to make some profit if you do it properly.

do not get discouraged. the biggest mistake, which sadly we all made, is to expect results too easily and too quickly.

all u can do is keep reading namepros. and learn. read daily the sales thread here. and namebio. like many things in life, you domain success will be directly proportional to the time you spend reasding, learning, searching domains on expired lists etc etc.....

all the best.

 

[NETdomain]

Hi Hvweight!

A lot of people have this guide or that guide out there to help in regards to names.
But if you would like a crash tutorial on how to pick better names -- here is my advice.

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To any domainer who is new to the business -- these are your best friends.

NameBio.com
ExpiredDomains.net
Whois.net

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At a minimum -- you should be atleast consulting past and relevant sales history for a name before deciding to register -- especially if it's hand reg'd.

You should invest about an hour or two playing with the search features on ExpiredDomains.net -- get really good at these search features, learn what is being registered quick on the drop and always second guess your purchase if you are starting out.

Keep in mind of the timeframes when domains drop -- check quickly and check often the moment the domains come live and check immediately for very relevant statistics like how many other extensions your desired domain is registered in -- or creation years to determine if it was a name that was registered back in 1999 -- or 2019. Get to know what is valued or taken in other extensions -- and ask yourself not just once, but twice if you can see the same value in what you invest in.

Filtering your search results and finding names to sell is just the start of the process -- and you need to get proficient at this if you want to go anywhere as a domainer.

Odds are, higher quality names in whole should typically have older registration dates.

Words are also important to your research -- you need to know the difference between.
CatFood.com and WholesaleCatFood.com

One of these is SUBSTANTIALLY more valued than the other.

If you are new -- please -- please -- please stick to .COM

No offense to any other investor's portfolio out there -- but it is the most friendly extension across the board.

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You will make mistakes -- domains are a long term investment. If you are looking for short term returns, consult the stock market. You will fall in love with a name or have a handful of names that were not worth your registration. Most domainers do not sell everything that they own -- that is not how they make money.

They make money from the 1-2 that they do sell at a price that was significantly higher than cost of registration or acquisition.

You need to also register within your means -- your forum registration here will not bar you from sales. The first thing I look at on NamePros or elsewhere online is the name itself.

Then I do all the research I can about the name unless it was one that I was so absolutely sure about -- I had to register first before somebody else snatched it.

If you are looking for more specific help -- feel free to ask anything. You need to get familiar with MarketPlace Closeouts on GoDaddy which is also a tab under ExpiredDomains.net to find names that may cost a little more in registration -- but typically provide a higher quality amount of names that you can filter.

Also -- take advantage of DISCOUNTS. Porkbun.com is currently discounting many extensions as a new account. Give it a try.


When you find your names -- you will engage in stage two of the process.

Selling them.

And if I told you from A-Z here in this post. It would be quite extensive and into TLDR territory.

 

[Pay.My.id]

Its not about "domain buyer requests section" on Namepros, list on domain marketplace ( epik , sedo , dan , afternic , squadhelp , brandbucket , brandpa or other brand ). I would prefer to invest money in my mind than to invest in worthless domain

Learn step by step , analyse many other domainers mistake and write personal goal and I commit to reach my goal in certain time . Its doesn't matter what is promotion method , like outbond or inbound , but I must sell and find right buyers to close every sales.

COM or other com is okey as long as I could make profit and then invest more based my mindset , I challenge my self to do everything and give best solution for the buyers.

 

[werejack]

It happens even though I have some good domains that match perfectly with request. Is it some kind of prejudice against the domain registration date or my forum registration time?

Same here. Have same challenge but most Buyer requests state that they get a large number of DMs and it is not feasible to reply to every message so if they don't respond then your domain is something they are not interested in. Don't take it personal. Also many requests will have a set budget like $1,000 to buy 10 - 20 domains at a budget of $50 or $100 each so they will choose from submissions what they like. IMO

Some things I tried: Send e-mail to several companies in the niche of a domain I have (zero return!),

Outbound marketing is very challenging in practice. I tried it with no success so far (not even a response or enquiry despite 50% of 14 emails I sent being opened). Some outbounding threads here on NamePros show that some users send as much as a 100 emails just to receive two or three responses or enquiries but that can be risky if a number of recipients mark your emails as spam. Also the outbound process involves establishing contact with first email, hopefully beginning a conversation with follow up emails and then negotiations with emails after that. A number of emails required to close a sale by outbound but it takes work and knowing what to do. Also ANY sales process from the time a client interacts with a product for the first time up to the time a decision to buy is made has a process with multiple steps. Some services even offer free trials so that you can try a product or service with ño obligation to buy... Rick Schwartz in his blog said "You are not trying to sell umbrellas in the rain. You are trying to sell them one of the biggest decisions they will make regarding their online business. It will take a bit of time." Again, don't take it personal.

List in the Godaddy, Sedo, Epik and the Brandables on Brandpa, Brandbucket and SquadHelp

Yes some names remain listed on marketplaces for years before a sale is made. It is normal in this industry. Also the landing page for your domain should have a for sale sign with details how to purchase or contact you.

I think SquadHelp VERY dishonest, declined my 5 best brandable domains and has several approved on the site worse than mine and that are considered horrible out here. The only criterion is take your money.

I don't know about dishonesty but I have made about 10 submissions to squadhelp and nothing has been accepted yet. I am still refining the names I submit to them (unregistered) but some names listed are terrible IMO. Not sure what their criteria is for some names.

I'm almost offering my domains for free to someone

Same challenge I am facing. Two years into domaining thought in all honesty after first year with no sale I didn't register anything else and I have been learning and learning again. Forums want decent domain names for $20 - $50 which have possibility of selling at even $1,000 or more which is 2% - 5% of retail price. At least some sre willing to pay $100 for a decent name. Now I too am wondering what buyers in forums really want.

It is an uphill battle and I am also trying to figure things out.

 

[werejack]

@Hvweight
https://www.namepros.com/threads/how-to-get-rich-selling-domain-names.890240/
https://www.namepros.com/threads/outbound-process-for-beginners.1101291/
Your hand reg domain names that sold for $xxx or $x,xxx

Some NamePros threads that I think may be worth a read. Just came across them and want to read them.

 

[jim h]

To be honest, many second-hand domain names are cheaper than applying for a new one.

In addition, many platforms are selling domain names themselves, and it's also for their own sales to suppress others' domain names. This is the reality. A good domain name can always definitely be found.

 

[Peak.Domains]

Which names were rejected on squadhelp?

 

[Brian L.]

Regarding domain buyer requests, totally constructive criticism here, but your sniper scope guy profile pic might be a little off putting. Maybe something a bit more lighthearted would help.

 

[werejack]

Regarding domain buyer requests, totally constructive criticism here, but your sniper scope guy profile pic might be a little off putting. Maybe something a bit more lighthearted would help.

True. I changed my profile picture from Deadpool to my current one after the issue regarding the profile picture for one of the NamePros users that sparked a very heated discussion. In the end a link to the rules and regulations was posted again and one part states that no celebrity or a parody may be used as a profile picture without express permission. That makes it a delicate issue even if the image is a fictional character as it could also be argued that the owners of the property never gave their consent. IMO

 

[Brian L.]

True. I changed my profile picture from Deadpool to my current one after the issue regarding the profile picture for one of the NamePros users that sparked a very heated discussion. In the end a link to the rules and regulations was posted again and one part states that no celebrity or a parody may be used as a profile picture without express permission. That makes it a delicate issue even if the image is a fictional character as it could also be argued that the owners of the property never gave their consent. IMO

Interesting. I had no idea about the celebrity or a parody rule.

 

[werejack]

interesting. I had no idea about the celebrity or a parody rule.

https://www.namepros.com/threads/guidelines-for-usernames-and-profile-photos.1027786/

Above is the link to the updated rules and regulations that were posted in the thread I mention earlier by one of the moderators. It is possible that the celebrity and trademark rule could be a new addition hence why you may not have heard of it but it is now there. I read it again and can't see the parody rule but I remember reading it somewhere. But the rules explicitly talks about celebrities and trademarks are not allowed unless there is consent from owners of the trademark or celelbrity.
Also I have realized I have gone off topic so let us get back to What am I doing wrong?
Cheers @onni

 

[Bob Hawkes]

A good question well posed @Hvweight , and a lot of right-on responses offered by various people above.

Sometimes even good names take a long while to sell. Typical industry wide sell-through rates are of the order off 1%. so if one has 20 names odds are it will be about 5 years before the first sale. Obviously that is just a statistical overall number, and as was recently a community favourite some names sell in hours.

Re requests, keep in mind that most are buying one or a few names, and typically get 40 or so replies, most with multiple names suggested. Also, in most requests they have a very narrow idea in mind. Just because your name does not get selected does not necessarily say anything about quality. Most of the time I don't have success with requests, but enough times names do sell for enough that it is worth my while.

But your overall goal is to sell at retail prices, so the main focus should be listing on the main marketplaces like DAN, Afternic, Sedo, etc. And of course to have a lander operational.

Having the right pricing is important, too low and even with sales you will lose money overall on your domain investing, too high and the chances of sale go down even more. A couple of domain socials back there was a good discussion from lots of major domain investors who hold thousands of names and sell at great prices regularly. What I took from the discussion was a general feeling that one should BIN price domain names that are being sold below something like $5000, but Make Offer for high value names.

I think that payment plans may also help to make more sales.

Some find that social media connections such as professional posting on LinkedIn can help sell names.

Best wishes for success, and thank you for starting the discussion.

Bob

 

[Dave]

It isn't just about the quality of any domain itself. It's about whether there are buyers out there who want your domain(s).

Domaining is NOT a safe investment unless you're only buying highly liquid domains (LL/LLL/LLLL/numerics/premium one word). Outside of highly liquid domains the absolute safest form of investment you can do is finding domain names that already have end users using the domain on another tld or something similar.

If you're just buying domains because they sound good, but have no existing end users, then of course you're going to be waiting a long time. Plenty of us do this, but it isn't safe at all. Domaining at this level is pure speculation.

So my advice to you is look to the safer form of investments if you're just starting out. Playing the speculative game may land you in financial difficulty and you should only be doing this when you already have a keen eye after a long time of domaining.

 

[King]

I think SquadHelp VERY dishonest, declined my 5 best brandable domains and has several approved on the site worse than mine and that are considered horrible out here. The only criterion is take your money.

That sums up Squadhelp in a nutshell. Don't use them.

 

[werejack]

It isn't just about the quality of any domain itself. It's about whether there are buyers out there who want your domain(s)

Earlier this year I struggled with this and found it contradictory as one Domainer would say "that domain isn't worth much. Find a better quality domain" but similar or worse domains would appear on sales list on NameBio or DNjournal. I eventually concluded that "quality" has a different meaning depending on the domainer and the prospective buyer (though certain universal principles can be agreed on).

 

[werejack]

. I eventually concluded that "quality" has a different meaning depending on the domainer and the prospective buyer

Important thing is to satisfy the need/criteria of your prospective buyer whether it's a domain investor or an end user.

 

[biggie]

Hi

before anyone can answer the question below, they must know what thread you replied to and what domains you submitted or listed, along with asking price if given.

help, to understand why nobody answers my DM's in in the Domain Buyer Requests section or nobody is interested in my domains in all the markets I have listed.

Is it some kind of prejudice against the domain registration date or my forum registration time?

to the question above
there may be a preference for domains that have NOT been registered within past 2 years.
as the buyer may want names that have been active for a longer period than yesterday.

the buyer may also want to deal with someone they can trust
they need to have confidence that you will follow thru, especially if they are paying via Paypal
as this is where your Trader Rating comes into play.
members can view it to see number of deals and whether it was positive or negative

if you're just walking in the door, without posting in other area of the forum, so members can get a feel for where your head is at, then no one knows much about you

so that may be something to consider to relax that apprehension, if any exists​

These days I saw a domain request on the forum in which the buyer did not want domains registered by hand but bought at some auction. I did not understand, what difference?

the difference is,
a domain purchased at auction, can either be currently registered, while being sold by it's owner.
or it's an expired, expiring, or pending delete domain that is held by the registry and being auctioned to highest bidder on an "aftermarket" platform.

a hand registered domain is one where you go to the registrar and enter the domain and if it's available, then you register it.

the biggest difference between the two is that:
when you register a domain, the date you perform that action becomes the "creation date"
for domains in auction, they may retain their original creation date, even if the domain was originally registered in 2002.... as long it is continuously renewed, it will retain that date.

such domains that have been continuously renewed year after year or years in advance, are sometimes labeled "aged domains"

I will be very grateful.

we will see

the biggest mistake, which sadly SOME OF US/we all made, is to expect results too easily and too quickly.

I edited the quote a tad,
but yes... many newbies have high expectations when they get here and the harsh realities and truths, are sometimes hard to swallow.

To any domainer who is new to the business -- these are your best friends.

to a newbie coming here, there best asset is the search feature.
learn how to use it
write your questions down and type them in

sending newbies off to other sites, when they don't know what the frick to look for when they get there,
will only give them more questions to ask, than answers to their questions.

Learn step by step

I agree
learn step by step, and keep 6ft apart
cuzzz….you don't want to be stepping on nobody's heels.

analyse many other domainers mistake

that's a good way to learn a few tips, without losing any money.

Regarding domain buyer requests, totally constructive criticism here, but your sniper scope guy profile pic might be a little off putting. Maybe something a bit more lighthearted would help.

personally, I reject this notion
as it's suggestive of selective discrimination

if one has to pre-judged, then
why can't one be judged by the content of their contributions, posts, transactions, etc
and not the complexion of their avatar

I have a dream!

If you're just buying domains because they sound good,

been doing that for years Dave
nah, seriously though, I see that quite a lot, where new entrants purchase because it sounds good to them
but don't consider uses for it or how it sounds to others.

in the end, for the OP, it's not so much about what you're doing wrong, but what are the things that you are doing right.

asking for help, is the right thing to do, when you can't find the answers yourself.

Good Luck!


puff puff.... ahhh

imo...

 

[werejack]

puff puff....

 

[Bob Hawkes]

With respect to the domain age part of your question, @Hvweight, this posting by @Eric Lyon is a clear concise explanation. Some who are buying domain names use it as a screening tool for reasons indicated, but age by itself does not mean a domain is good. Many highly aged domain names don't get picked up on expiration.

The age of a domain can be an indicator that a domain name may be good because a lot of the best domains were registered long ago and if someone kept renewing it for many years, then there's a good chance they believed it was good. However, the age by itself doesn't make the domain better.

The full post goes on to mention that it used to be true that SEO favoured aged domains, but that is negligible now. He also mentions if past use was unsavoury, age could even be a negative.

You only need read the Report Completed Sales thread, to see that many newly registered names do sell, as do of course well aged domain names. It is the quality and how valuable it is to potential users that matter.

But some buying domain names only want to look at aged domain names. Which is their right.

Bob