question Why are hundreds of thousands of Quality Domain's not sold?

[ThatNameGuy]

I've been at the domain game now about two years, and while that's given me time to accumulate about a thousand quality domains (told by NP brothers and sisters), the sell through rate is absolutely deplorable.

A lot of domainers like to compare the domain industry to the real estate industry, but there's no comparison imho. Why do you think the real estate industry, the insurance industry, the automobile industry, the financial services industry spend Billions (not millions) of dollars every year to sell their products/services?

It's pretty obvious that even quality domains don't sell themselves, thus if you're going to make it in this business you better learn how to market/sell your own domains or find someone who can.

The days of only "inbound" marketing doesn't work for most domainers, and it never will. Not having an "outbound" strategy is a lot like not having an offensive strategy in team sports. Can you imagine relying on your defense to score all your goals/points?

The point of this thread......there has to be a better way? and just like I know I have a portfolio consisting of quality domains, I know there's a better way to sell domains. I started a thread a few day ago based on the following Podcast; https://domainnamewire.com/2020/01/13/saw-com-dnw-podcast-268/ but few NP members noticed it However, one key and influential member Rob Monster of Epik noticed it immediately. The thread had everything to do with "outbound" strategy recognized by the founders of Saw.com when they referred to "Smiling and Dialing" and "Dialing for Dollars" as keys for their success.

I've reached out to help the founders of Saw.com, but apparently they don't need my help, or somehow they feel threatened by me...that's their choice. NP members, help me help them by sharing your thoughts It's time we went on OFFENSE!

 

[ThatNameGuy]

I think there's a lot of context you guys are missing here.

You talk about luck, but you fail to mention that you improve your chances of getting lucky with the names that you choose to buy and hold. Think of it like poker. Any poker player knows you'll have a lot more "luck" if you're holding pocket aces than you will if you're holding 7-2. In the short term, luck is always a big factor in poker, but in the long term a good player will always come out ahead if they continue to make the right choices.

If you're not profiting from your portfolio in the long term, I submit that you are not making the right choices of names to buy and renew.

BuyDomains does sell a ton of domains. They own hundreds of thousands of them. When you own that many, you're bound to make some sales that look pretty weird and lucky. But that doesn't matter... Are they making more money on domains than they spend buying/renewing them? That's what matters. Big picture.

Stay focused and use your own tangible results to determine if you're making the right choices or not.

Joe...in all due respect, have you EVER heard me mention anything about LUCK Luck is not part of my vocabulary...never has been and never will be....stay tuned

 

[ThatNameGuy]

I agree, but there might be some other factors that need to be considered here too, for one thing some domains need to mature so you should not get disappointed if you are not getting any offers right away, another thing is that in many cases it pretty much comes down to the end users' taste, since most end users are not domain experts they might choose to buy something that is totally unexpected from what domainers think are the most logical choices. Even those who have large portfolios are sometimes surprised themselves by why some of their best domains sit idle while they get more offers on what they might consider to be lesser quality ones.

So in my opinion aside from the obvious top tier premium domains the rest of it is pretty much a guessing game, because the people who are sitting at the poker table in your example are not all experts and do unexpected things that can not be predicted by any science or formula.

As we all know skill and some luck are required to be a successful domainer, but a big part of it is out of anybody's hands because what end users want and do is totally unpredictable and no matter how long you have been a domainer you might not be able to come up with an exact rules for domaining.

Perhaps that's why that we are still discussing such things in the year 2020 almost 20 years after domaining has become a thing.

Perhaps domainers can increase their chances of making a sale by giving more exposure to their domains either through popular marketplace listings or by doing promotions on social media or by outbounding and having their own domain store, but at the end there are no guarantees when a domain is going to get sold so staying power as far as being able to keep your better domains on a long term basis becomes a major factor too.

IMO

oldtimer...I'm reasonably certain that I don't own any "top tier premium domains" thus for me to sit by and idly wait for an "inbound inquiry" is absurd at this point. My strengths are more aligned with the "outbound" marketing of domains. Thus tools like trade shows, direct mail, email and partnering with groups like NFIB and NSBA. I've had enough experience naming businesses for the last 50 years that your average "end user" will see value in what I bring to the table.

I'll leave you with this, I have enough confidence in my naming ability that I truly think I can help anyone to either name or rebrand their business. I wouldn't have that sort of confidence if I didn't have a proven track record. Whats driving and motivating me now are my Pastors words; "True Wealth Is What You Give Away" oldtimer, those are profound and powerful words, and when my Pastor returns from a conference next week I hope to help him structure a book deal

 

[Indianad]

I have heard this a lot through the years, "Domain names are like real estate" Also "The Game""

Domain are nothing like real estate IMO And the industry is most definitely not a game.

I agree with @Bob Hawkes in the sense of many domainers are using ineffective marketing, domaining does not have a "one size fits all" when it comes to marketing. marketing domain names is something someone learns over time, there is no quick fix, no speedy user manual for this, It is a bit complicated and just takes time. using the domain name market places while someone is learning is the best option IMO. learning and understanding why the industry does sell domain names, how the process of elimination works by potential buyers and pricing domain names so that they will be looked at by potential buyers is very important just to start off with. patience while learning is a crucial part of what a persons future can be in the industry, many many many jump ship after they purchase up 25 to 100 names and have no sales within the time frame they think they should.

I hear many say , "That is just part of the game" "stay ahead in the game" a lot of game , when referring to the domain name industry, remove that from your vocabulary as soon as possible IMO, there is no gaming in the domain name industry, working hard and learning every day, and you never ever stop learning, and never want to stop learning either, because if a person takes that attitude, they will fall behind with the quickness.

Think of this, You buy a domain name from a market place or you hand register a domain name, will it sell within a week, a couple of months?? most likely it will not, what about 6 months?? probably not, a Year? maybe in a year, most certainly not always. but why? because if you purchased the name from a drop or ect marketplace you paid what the domain name is worth, you competed with other people to buy it, you were the high bidder while the others in the auction decided they would not pay the rate you bought it for, you must let it mature before you will get a return on your investment, aside from a quick flip making $20 , you must let that domain name mature, you know there are people interested in the domain name, the people that participated in the auction of the domain name you won like the name, but they are domain name traders, you want to give that name every opportunity possible to be sold to an end user, not a domain name trader if possible. so expect a hold time of up to 3 years when you purchase it. that is realistic.

There are exceptions to the rule, sales can and do happen fairly quickly, 3 months to 6 months time, but aside from selling a name to another domainer and making hardly beer money in profit, waiting on end user offers and enjoying the domain name industry is the much better option IMO

Thanks for your wisdom. It's appreciated!

 

[BrandCollectors.com]

Why are hundreds of thousands of Quality Domain's not sold?

cuz u can reg a good dawt com for $7.99

 

[oldtimer]

oldtimer...I'm reasonably certain that I don't own any "top tier premium domains" thus for me to sit by and idly wait for an "inbound inquiry" is absurd at this point.

My comments were made in general and were not directed at you personally, domainers operate at different levels so you have to pick the strategy that suits the most to the kind of domains that you have and what you plan to do with them.

I as a collector rather be able to keep my domains, but that doesn't mean that I am not interested in hearing and learning about all the different strategies that are out there when it comes to domaining.

IMO

 

[ThatNameGuy]

Why are hundreds of thousands of Quality Domain's not sold?

cuz u can reg a good dawt com for $7.99
That's true...do you hand reg like me? I'm learning more and more everyday about the industry that's hidden in plain sight. Mike Mann who was the founder of BuyDomains puts this on his Linkedin bio, and I'll let you be the judge if Mike isn't one of the "hoarders" Versisign was talking about. He may be a nice guy, but I'm sure he views me as the enemy. Enjoy!
Know thine enemy

• Published on May 12, 2018
• Founder of fabulous cloud corporations Phone.com, DomainMarket.com & SEO.com; Author: MakeMillions.com

"Understand the enemy."

"When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move."

"In conflict, straightforward actions generally lead to engagement, surprising actions generally lead to victory."

“Thus those skilled in war subdue the enemy's army without battle ... . They conquer by strategy."

“Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril. When you are ignorant of the enemy, but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain in every battle to be in peril."

“In war, numbers alone confer no advantage."

“To ... not prepare is the greatest of crimes; to be prepared beforehand for any contingency is the greatest of virtues."

“What is of the greatest importance in war is extraordinary speed: One cannot afford to neglect opportunity."

“The general must be first in the toils and fatigues of the army. In the heat of summer he does not spread his parasol, nor in the cold of winter don thick clothing ... . He waits until the army's wells have been dug and only then drinks; until the army's food is cooked before he eats; until the army's fortifications have been completed, to shelter himself."

“A sovereign of high character and intelligence must be able to know the right man, should place the responsibility on him, and expect results."

“If an enemy has alliances, the problem is grave and the enemy's position strong; if he has no alliances, the problem is minor and the enemy's position weak."

 

[BrandCollectors.com]

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[ThatNameGuy]

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Thanks BrandCollectors....I probably misnamed this thread...it probably should have read; "Why are Millions of Quality Domains not sold? According to Verisign, a handful of "brokers" hold a million plus themselves in their respective portfolios. Then there are millions more that haven't even been thought of yet, but they're out there for the taking. I picked up three more quality domains just an hour ago..

 

[InvestDigital]

I see you're in Germany and ironically I just registered a two word domain, first word French and the Second word German...send me a DM and I'll share it with you. Cheers!

Thanks, yes, seems so! Indeed, I alternate between here, the UK and Canaries Sure, not particularly looking for .de right now but will take a look. Cheers

 

[sellnow]

Self dropped domain = bad domain , whatever its extension

 

[bobo4us]

Reason is that it's overpriced, and when offer comes, you still want to be greedy and reject when you can make good gains and move on. Again, enduser see other good extensions for reg fee and take it, leaving you to keep holding it. Then when you have limited end users with high price, you hold it until you grow old.

 

[bobo4us]

You have been here 4 months and you are an expert on end user pricing and what is greedy? Worry about your prices not other people’s prices.

Names remain unsold for many reasons beyond price. Even very good names can take quite awhile. Maybe we aren’t greedy— maybe you are just impatient. Every newcomer thinks their great idea will sell at lightning speed. That is not usually how it works.

You may be right in your opinion but my numbers of year here doesn't matter. I have been around for many years, but lost my old account.
So I say it as my opinion and as what I noticed. Some good names do not meet buyers budget especially those with little end users that may see cheaper alternatives as I said. So don't get me wrong. Have a nice day.