Category: Domain registration

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Whonami-Pair of Six-Figure domain names sales during March 16, 2015 – March 22, 2015

Pair of Six-Figure domain names sales during March 16, 2015 – March 22, 2015.
DomainNameSales led the way with a $150,000 sale of CurrencyConverter.com. DNS broker Alan Crowe moved that name for seller Garry Chernoff. DNS came through for Garry on a second name too, with broker Mohammed Khan moving #3EscapeArtists.com for the legendary Canadian domain investor at $60,000.

Sandwiched in between those two was the week’s second six-figure sale – one of those very popular 3-letter .coms – this one an ultra-rare repeating letter version – VVV.com – that went for$136,400 at NameJet.com. The other four 3-letter .coms on the leader board were all sold by Sedo with #8 JUR.com leading their acronym quartet at $16,055.

Sedo, who swept 16 chart entries overall, also accounted for all five of the ccTLDs that crashed the Big Board. #6 VisitDubai.ae (representing the ccTLD for the United Arab Emirates) led that category after changing hands for $29,800 in one of the ten biggest country code sales reported so far this year.

Two other venues helped power the .com onslaught with Mike Mann’s DomainMarket.comselling #5 MissCandy.com for $30,000 (a name the Mann said he acquired for just $75 in 2012!) and Michael Berkens’ MostWantedDomains.com moving #7 MakeItPop.com for a cool $25,000.

(Reported by DNJournal)

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Whonami-The Non .Com gTLDs didn’t have any five-figure sales reported this week – Mon. Nov. 2, 2015 – Sun. Nov. 8, 2015

DNJournal reported: Non .Com domain names sales during Mon. Nov. 2, 2015 – Sun. Nov. 8, 2015

The Non .Com gTLDs didn’t have any five-figure sales reported this week but the top sale -JRR.org – just missed, going for $9,888 at Sedo. Sedo wound up sweeping all 20 positions on our latest weekly Non .Com gTLD Top 20 Sales Chart. We have seen them do that before in the ccTLD category (one they traditionally dominate) but it’s a first for this category.

They were aided by 13 three-letter .net sales. While Bigan.net took the #2 spot at $4,500, the next seven in a row were all 3-letter .nets, led by #3 WRJ.net at $4,140.

With all of those 3-letter .net sales, the .nets obviously scored an easy win in the extension race, taking 15 of the 20 entries. The remaining five spots all went to .orgs. Here’s how all of the Non .Com gTLD leaders stacked up for the week ending Sunday, Nov. 8:

No Domain Sold For Where Sold
1 JRR.org $9,888 Sedo
2 Bigan.net $4,500 Sedo
3 WRJ.net $4,140 Sedo
4 BYS.net $3,000 Sedo
tie
4 TZB.net $3,000 Sedo
tie
6 BJW.net $2,999 Sedo
tie
6 BJY.net $2,999 Sedo
tie
8 RLR.net $2,599 Sedo
9 KSD.net £1,700 = $2,584 Sedo
10 Cong.net $2,377 Sedo
11 6G.org €2,051 = $2,195 Sedo
12 GWN.net €2,000 = $2,140 Sedo
13 KJP.net $2,111 Sedo
tie
13 RTY.net $2,111 Sedo
tie
15 HQC.net $2,050 Sedo
16 776.org $2,000 Sedo
tie
16 KrollBondRatings.org $2,000 Sedo
tie
18 JHT.net $1,955 Sedo
19 BDJ.net $1,933 Sedo
20 HealthSpark.org $1,850 Sedo
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Whonami-Short Domains Names Continue to Dominate – Week’s Top 5 Sales .Come in at 4 Characters or Less

Highest Reported Domain Sales – Mon. Nov. 2, 2015 – Sun. Nov. 8, 2015 by DNJournal. Short Domains Names Continue to Dominate – Week’s Top 5 Sales Come in at 4 Characters or Less.

Short domains Names have always appealed to domain buyers but their popularity has never been higher than it has been over the past year. That trend continued this week with the top five sales and 11 of 20 entries on our latest all extension Top 20 Sales Chart coming in at four characters or less.

A representative from the always in demand 3-letter .com group -DCR.com – set the pace with a $42,000 sale at Sedo. One of the year’s ten biggest ccTLD sales, single letter X.de, was right behind at $40,000, followed by another country code domain,Wine.mx at $25,001. Sedo posted the latter two sales as well.

NO Domain Sold For Where Sold
1 DCR.com $42,000 Sedo
2 X.de $40,000 Sedo
3 Wine.mx $25,001 Sedo
4 7076.com $25,000 GGRG
5 1104.com £10,000 = $15,200 Sedo
tie
5 InnoChina.com £10,000 = $15,200 SnapNames
tie
7 Vertrag.de €12,000 = $12,840 Sedo
8 7256.com £7,500 = $11,400 Sedo
9 ChallengerBrands.com $10,000 Sedo
tie
9 Crave.io $10,000 Park.io
tie
9 FriendsNeighbors.com $10,000 Sedo
tie
9 Pose.co $10,000 Sedo
tie
9 XXJR.com $10,000 Sedo
tie
14 BeTheChange.com $9,988 Sedo
15 JRR.org $9,888 Sedo
16 JP.tv €8,200 = $8,774 Sedo
17 CigarOfTheMonthClub.com $8,500 TVAds
18 DraftPicks.com $8,000 Sedo
19 QBIT.com €7,350 = $7,865 Sedo
20 Maixia.com $7,760 SnapNames
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Whonami-You can sell domain names on auction sites

You can sell domain names on auction sites

Auction sites can sometimes give sellers a huge advantage, even propelling the selling price far above the market value for a domain name. Alternatively, it can leave the seller without a single bid. While auctions can be quite unpredictable, there are a few things you can do to pull the odds in your favor.

If you’re selling a quality domain, you should use an auction site known for selling domains, not a consumer-based auction site like eBay. If it’s a good investment domain, other domainers are more likely to see a domain’s real value than the end users.

On the other hand, if you are selling a name that comes with a developed website and if the domain name itself has very little investment value, then an eBay auction might be more promising.

The starting price for an auction is instrumental in determining whether or not anyone will bid. Starting very low seems like the ideal way to start a bidding war, but a very low starting price can just as easily create a low-value perception in the minds of bidders. If you’re auctioning off a number of domain names, you want the bidders to perceive your portfolio as valuable and worth their money. If all your domains have rock-bottom starting prices, people may simply assume that the names are worthless, especially if the auction involves many inexperienced buyers.

Experienced buyers will price the domain name on its own merits, probably ignoring the starting bid or the reserve price. They’ll decide on the highest price they’re willing to pay for the name and use that as their top bid. The more experience the bidder has, the less likely they are to enter into a bidding war with other bidders, though that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.

Domain auctions, like any other auctions, can create a water-hole mentality that drives people into a bidding frenzy. When an auction has zero bids, the name is more likely to be ignored by both the experts and beginners alike. But several bids on a name can attract attention. When people see that other people are interested in something, they’re much more likely to become interested themselves. If nothing more, they’re more likely to take a moment to investigate.

This behavior pattern often tempts people to bid on their own domain names for the sake of raising interest. Not only is this a questionable technique, but it also often fails. If no one else bids on the domain name, the seller/buyer ends up paying a commission to the auction company just to keep their own domain. If there are several domains involved, and if the bids are high, this commission could add up to a sizable amount.

When selling at an auction, play it safe, play it fair, and earn yourself a reputation among the other domainers as someone who can be trusted. It might not help you make a lot of fast bucks, but it will help you build a solid domain name business and add overall value to your portfolio.

(Written by Igoldrush)

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Whonami-The way to sell your domain names via a broker

The way to sell your domain names via a broker

A number of different companies provide services selling domain names. As the market for domain names is still somewhat young, it is difficult to rank the services offered by these companies in an absolute way. Not only that, but the brokers with a lot of experience and who have a good track record, often won’t deal with a novice or anyone without a large number of premium names.  Follow this three-step plan to help you select which company to use.

-Visit the various brokers ; explore their sites thoroughly to get a feel for layout and mode of operation.

-Send an exploratory e-mail to the contact address on each site. Explain your interest in selling your domain names, and ask any relevant questions. Check how long it takes for a representative to contact you, and how appropriate their reply is to your requirements.

-Choose a site after reviewing the information acquired through steps 1 and 2.

You may decide that none of the companies fit your exact requirements, in which case you’ll have to trust your own instincts and skills, and sell your domain name independently.

Less and less people are using domain brokers, but they still serve a vital role in the domain name industry. If you own a large number of domains, you might try splitting them up between yourself and a broker, to see which option will work better.

Now let’s discuss the most important part of buying and selling in the secondary market – negotiating.

(Written by Igoldrush)

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Whonami-#1 Luxe.com at $172,500 of Top 20 domain names sales during March 2 – March 8, 2015

#1 Luxe.com at $172,500 of Top 20 domain names sales during March 2 – March 8, 2015  by DNJournal.

No Domain Sold For Where Sold
1 Luxe.com $172,500 Heritage Auctions
2 Generational.com $70,000 Sedo
3 SmartWatches.com $35,000 Heritage Auctions
4 MNB.com €22,500 = $23,850 Sedo
5 AdTheory.com $23,688 Sedo
6 Expekt.gr €20,000 = $21,200 Sedo
7 Sell.org $20,000 Flippa
tie
7 Titin.com $20,000 Sedo
tie
9 True.co $17,000 Sedo
10 Getir.com $15,000 Sedo
11 BusinessInsider.de €14,000 = $14,840 Sedo
12 MyLearning.com $14,000 Sedo
13 MyHomeValue.com $12,000 Sedo
14 Himtec.com €10,000 = $10,600 Sedo
tie
14 IrishWhiskey.com €10,000 = $10,600 Pvt Sale
tie
16 Shiting.com $10,001 Sedo
17 BabyBottles.com $10,000 Flippa
tie
17 Recharger.com $10,000 Sedo
tie
17 SolarMill.com $10,000 Sedo
tie
20 EGB.net $9,888 Sedo
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Whonami-Trio of six-figure sales of top 10 domain names sales – Feb. 23, 2015 – March 1, 2015

Trio of six-figure sales of top 10 domain names sales – Feb. 23, 2015 – March 1, 2015 . That trio, led by NL.com at $575,000, fills the first three slots on this week’s all extension. HA claimed the next two spots on this week’s elite list with Classic.com at $172,500 and 8.co at $115,000. 8.co is the 2nd biggest ccTLD sale.

No Domain Sold For Where Sold
1 NL.com $575,000 Heritage Auctions
2 Classic.com $172,500 Heritage Auctions
3 8.co $115,000 Heritage Auctions
4 Buying.com $69,200 NameJet
5 SIE.com $27,600 Heritage Auctions
6 YRY.com $25,022 NameJet
7 Xixia.com $19,488 NameJet
8 ZIC.com $18,400 Heritage Auctions
9 EZPR.com $14,500 Sedo
10 QUK.com $14,301 NameJet
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Whonami-Top 10 Country Codes domain names sales stacked up for the week ending Sunday, Oct. 11 by DNJournal

Top 10 Country Codes domain names sales stacked up for the week ending Sunday, Oct. 11 by DNJournal.

Sedo’s $10,000 sale of  domain name Lola.co set the pace to claim the top spot on our Country Code Top 10 Sales Chart.  The biggest sales from this group that you haven’t seen yet are #4 TShirt.nl at$5,415 and #5 Eating.de at $5,130 with Sedo booking both of those sales.

No Domain Sold For Where Sold
1 Lola.co $10,000 Sedo
2 Fede.es $8,550 Sedo
3 LM.uk $6,123 DomainLore.co.uk
4 TShirt.nl $5,415 Sedo
5 Eating.de $5,130 Sedo
6 Juwelier.be $4,902 Sedo
7 H.ai $4,788 Sedo
8 Salma.ch $4,001 Sedo
9 Moov.in $4,000 Sedo
10 Allergie-Ratgeber.de $3,990 Sedo
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Whonami-There are different ways to buy used domain names

There are different ways to buy Used Domain Names

Of course coming up with a list of domain names and then looking to see who owns them is only one way to find good domain names. There are several other methods that have become standard in the industry. Online auctions, name listing services, and domain brokers are all great ways to find good names at bargain prices.

Dealing with Appraisers

Appraisers and consultants can be very useful when you’re buying or selling domain names. Their expertise in the industry could save you thousands of dollars when considering a domain. But beware – no matter what an appraiser says, your domain is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Many domains appraise for hundreds of dollars, but really aren’t worth much at all (perhaps not even the registration fee) simply because there isn’t a market for the name. Novice domainers often go through a phase where they buy several such non-valuable domains only because an appraiser or automated appraising service (which we recommend avoiding) told them that the name was worth a sizable sum.

Choosing the Right Appraiser

It’s important to choose a good appraiser that won’t try to inflate a domain price just to promote other services, such as domain brokerage, escrow, or listing services. The position of an appraiser who doubles as a broker has a very precarious relationship with his/her clients. It is very easy for an appraiser to give a potential buyer a higher price than a domain name is actually worth. While there are a number of variables that consistently help predict the value of a domain name, there are just as many unpredictable factors, and therefore it’s virtually impossible to come up with an accurate price.

Using our previous example, if the owner of the domain name carparts.com has the site listed on SEDO for $10,000 and you want to know if the domain could be worth much more before investing the money, use an appraisal service other than Sedo. Sedo will get a percentage commission for the sale, so the higher the sale price, the more money they stand to make. Check out our resources section for recommended Domain Appraisers.

When Appraisers Get In the Way

While an appraiser can help you bring down a domains price while negotiating (or help you confirm a domain name’s value), they can also hinder your negotiation strategy. If an appraiser has convinced a seller that a domain is worth more than your offer, you will have a much harder time convincing that person that your offer is reasonable.

Sometimes the easiest thing to do in such cases is use a brokerage service, which will be discussed later.

Auctions

When using an online auction (or even an offline one), try to keep in mind that while you can get lucky and find a great bargain, it’s just as easy to over-pay for second-rate domains. Auction goers can get into bidding wars where pride suddenly becomes more important than their search for a bargain. As a matter of fact, an appraisal company recently published results showing that people paid up to seven times more than a domain name’s market value in one of the industry’s most popular auctions.

At the same time, there are plenty of domains that go virtually unnoticed at such auctions and can be purchased for very reasonable prices. If you’re hunting for domains at auctions, make sure you remember you’re there to get a quality domain for a good price. Don’t chase a purchase if it gets driven out of what you consider to be a reasonable price range.

Domain Listing Services

Domain Listing Services are a great way to pick up good domain names, but they are also full of worthless domains that you must sort through. Use precaution before jumping into an expensive sale and remember what you’ve learned about what makes a good domain.

Once you’ve learned how to discern a good name from a bad one, searching through a listing site’s directory will pay off. You might find one or two good names someone has had listed for a long time and make a low offer. This is a great way to get decent domains with minimal investment.
Now that you know how to buy domains, let’s look at ways to sell domain names.

(Written by Igoldrush)

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Whonami-How to find the right names to buy and weighing prices?

How to find the right names to buy and weighing prices?

When looking for domain names to buy on the secondary market, you may find it productive to undertake the same research process you would follow if you were going to register an available domain name, such as keyword research. However, once a third party becomes involved, other factors must be taken into consideration, including:

  • How important is it for you to secure this specific domain name?
  • What kind of budget do you have available for purchasing the domain name?
  • How quickly do you want to complete the transaction?

Here’s a specific example: in your research, you find a piece of new software that will make it very easy for car parts dealers to take their stores online. That information, coupled with your own experience, has shown you that the likelihood of finding a simple, memorable domain name relating to that industry is zero. However, you decide that you can afford to spend up to $10,000 on securing a suitable domain name because there will be a higher demand for it in the future. So, you draw up a shortlist of names that you’re absolutely certain would have a high resale value by next year (none of which are currently available). This list includes:

carparts.com
car-parts.com
carparts.net
autoparts.com
automobileparts.com

Now it’s time to start honing your list down to the top one or two candidates. To do so, you need to examine the use to which the name is being put. Try and visit each domain name on your shortlist by typing it into the address bar of your browser to see if it currently has a website associated with it. If there is a site associated with the domain name, is the site:

A) Related to the domain name, and associated with a successful business that is using the domain name as its primary URL?

In the example, if you were checking the domain name “carparts.com” and you found a site belonging to a company selling car parts, with “CarParts.com” as its company name or in its main logo, with an up-to-date News section and copyright statement on it, then clearly the domain name is being put to very good use by its current owner. BUYING DIFFICULTY: 10/10.

B) Related to the domain name, and associated with a successful business that is NOT using the domain name as its primary URL?

If you checked out “carparts.com” and found an up-to-date site belonging to a company selling car parts, with “AutoParts.com” as its company name or in its main logo, with an up-to-date News section and copyright statement on it, then while the domain name is clearly being put to good use by its current owner, the owner is not using the domain name as the primary domain name for their site. This may make it a little easier when it comes to negotiating a purchase. BUYING DIFFICULTY: 9/10.

C) Related to the domain name, but containing clearly out of date material?

If you checked for “carparts.com” and you found a site with broken links, missing pictures and a 4-year-old copyright notice, then things are looking more promising. While the domain name owner clearly made good use of the domain name at some point, it is not being used very effectively right now. BUYING DIFFICULTY: 6/10-8/10.

D) Related to the domain name, but essentially linking to one or more affiliate programs?

If you checked for “carparts.com” and you found a single page with a few affiliate program links relating to car parts sites, your attempt to purchase the domain would be very closely tied to how much revenue the domain is currently generating. In other words, the current owner is monetizing the domain name by sending its traffic straight to an affiliate program and receiving a commission from the transactions generated by visitors. Therefore, the value of any sale must reflect this loss of income in addition to the value of the domain itself. However, the current owner is less likely to have any deep or long-term attachment to the name. BUYING DIFFICULTY: 5/10-7/10.

E) Unrelated to the domain name, but linking to a generic affiliate link or parked with PPC ads?

Using “carparts.com” again as the example, if you visited the site to find a generic “Hottest Sites on the Web!” page filled with affiliate links to gambling, credit card, cell phone, loan and other ads, then any transaction will likely be based on primarily on how much revenue the domain is generating. It’s also clear the current owner isn’t too sure what to do with the domain name, since they’re not targeting it at an appropriate affiliate program. BUYING DIFFICULTY: 4/10-6/10

F) Showing a generic “Registrar” page or a blank “Under Construction” page

If “carparts.com” directed you straight to a page advertising a Registrar’s services or an Under Construction page, then clearly the owner hasn’t “moved in” to the domain name yet. At the same time, they are not currently doing anything with the name to generate revenue, so it may be easier to persuade them to sell it. BUYING DIFFICULTY: 3/10-5/10.

G) Pointing to a “Domain for Sale” page

This could be your hardest challenge or an easy transaction. The domain name is owned by somebody who, at the least, understands that desirable domain names can have value. The prospect of closing a sale will depend on the desirability of the domain in question, the current owner’s expectations and experience in the domain name resale market, and your negotiating skills. BUYING DIFFICULTY: 4/10-10/10.

H) No website at the domain

If the domain name is not currently pointed at any website, this at least tells you that its owner is not making any money off of the domain name right now. Maybe there used to be a site at that domain name or maybe the server hosting the site is offline. Whatever the reason, the domain name is currently gathering dust, which should make it a little bit easier to close a sale. BUYING DIFFICULTY: 2/10-8/10.

Now that you know a little about the difficulty in picking up names from website owners, let’s look at how domainers usually try to buy the names for the right prices.
(Written by Igoldrush)