Biggest players are wasting money - or are they playing games?

[nitronet]

IMO most of the names for sale in the forums in the last several months have been crap, maybe they are just smart.

 

[friday]

Dropped domains come with a clean bill of health so to speak, or at least the majority did until recently. Basically any question marks over previous ownership of a domain was removed once the domain dropped.

Nowadays, with some registrars and drop services allowing domains to be auctioned after they expire but before they drop, the new domain owner may inherit any problems regarding previous ownership problems with a domain.
Since some domains are registered from 1994 onwards, and with the advent of domain pushes between accounts etc, it is very hard to know the complete ownership of a domain. And as the value of domains increase disputes over domain prior ownership is only set to increase.

I would rarely buy a high value domain from a forum anymore purely from a domain history perspective, almost impossible to know if it has a chequered history even if the present owner is legitimate. I do however purchase from the likes of buydomains.com as they have acquired most their names from the drops process.

 

[mike031]

namemogul... i don't think you know what you are talking about, go ahead and re-read your last post and see if it makes any sense.

 

[JMJ]

Your point is they know what they are doing more than everyone else. My point is that even with the automated scripts and all the money they are burning they don't know everything. I can't elaborate futher sorry..

My other point is with all of the money everyone as a whole and the bulk consists of them are spending on the auction process and feeding the current screwed up system. Could possibly cover the entire registration costs of all .com names.

This ofcourse wouldn't need to be done. So idealy if the money flowed through the domain market on those names which were for sale instead of into a few bank accounts of the large corporations that it does it would create an even more thriving domain market. Less names would drop as a result. Eliminating the need for a expired drop auction altogether.

Sure there would be drops here and there but much less than you see now because of the economy created. Now this will probably happen anyway as more investors enter the market. But if it was happening now or even before now we wouldn't be discussing CLS.

 

[ShaunP]

Bottom line, anyone can bid on the dropping names. If you think the names are to expensive, then don't bid! If you think the big players are misguided ...so what, I'm sure they could care less what you think, and are laughing alll the way to the bank.

It does not matter what system is in place, the bigger and/or smarter players will get the majority of the names... as was shown in 1999 - 2000 goldrush of names dropping, and is continuing to this day. Funny, this is similar to most business' in the real world. Besides, playing the drops is not the only way to acquire good names.

As for buying names in the forums...have you looked at the names being offered over the past few months? Very few good names for all the slop you have to wade through to find the very few decent ones.

My 2 bits.

Shaun

 

[JMJ]

Bottom line, anyone can bid on the dropping names. If you think the names are to expensive, then don't bid! If you think the big players are misguided ...so what, I'm sure they could care less what you think, and are laughing alll the way to the bank.

As are the companies they are feeding in the auction process. HAHA That fool just paid me $20,000 for a name I have $6 into.

As for buying names in the forums...have you looked at the names being offered over the past few months? Very few good names for all the slop you have to wade through to find the very few decent ones.

Well I guess this place is no longer any real use to us anymore then eh?

 

[mike031]

with the auctions it is a win-win situation. if it wasn't then none would exist and/or stay in business.

being greedy doesn't get you far... :wink:

 

[JMJ]

with the auctions it is a win-win situation. if it wasn't then none would exist and/or stay in business.

being greedy doesn't get you far... :wink:

Win-Win for the registries. noone else. If we as a whole don't put a stop to it the greed of certain powers could again taint the industry.

You have Netsol proposing a very flawed auction. You have them looking the other way while registrars abuse the deletion process. You have them looking the other way while those with access "taste and dump" well beyond the policy. And all of this in your best interest? Give me a break.

 

[ShaunP]

In most industries, as in life, 20% of the people, make 80% of the money. And, as in most industries, the 80% whine and complain about the 20%. It's just human nature.

Shaun

 

[JMJ]

In most industries, as in life, 20% of the people, make 80% of the money. And, as in most industries, the 80% whine and complain about the 20%. It's just human nature.

Shaun

Personally I'm quite satisfied with my income and the boards have totaled probably a few hundred dollars over the past year. Outside of the boards in the tens of thousands. Every name I've sold has more than likely been posted on the boards. So what does that tell you about the logic behind junk on the boards? Or not buying at reseller pricing from other resellers even?

 

[sasquatch]

Case in point:

A few days ago Xedoc Holdings paid $2,600 for a TM typo snap (MinnisotaVikings.com) which shows only 60 ovt w/ext and is only really good for half of the year?

Beats me.

 

[nitronet]

Case in point:

A few days ago Xedoc Holdings paid $2,600 for a TM typo snap (MinnisotaVikings.com) which shows only 60 ovt w/ext and is only really good for half of the year?

Beats me.

I'v heard via the grapevine that sports teams can sometimes make a wee bit of money.

Don't know if it's true though.

 

[Chaiki]

That vikings one looks like somebody screwup. I think bigger guys get to cover more ground and quicker by buying at expiring auctions. Try to make a deal with one fellow board member and you could go round and round for days, then another few days for escrow and transfering name. In that same week they could buy hundreds of names in the auction expiring market. There must be an opportunity cost if they do not participate.

 

[Sarcle]

First of all who cares what a person buys a domain at? If that is what they want and are willing to pay for it so be it. It actually helps us as domainers raise the value of domains with traffic in general.

The reason we see this happening on drops is because this whole process is visible.

Next, there are millions of names. I don't know about you, but who knows who; has what; when; and where to buy? If you have the money, these auctions are time savers, instead of chasing down every single person that may or may not answer, these names come to them.

 

[hifi2]

I think Chaiki hits the nail right on the head. Auctions are easy, much less time consuming, and hassle free, even fun at times. You bid, you win, and the name is yours, no negotiation, no paypal, no transfer needed. The bidding process could sometimes go on for a while but for many of the big guys the process is either automated or done by an employee anyway.

Besides, $xxx or even a low $x,xxx names are just pocket changes for these guys. They don't want to have to spend more than a minute on them. I imagine they only get serious for names in the $xx,xxx range, and there are really not that many good names in the drops these days anyway, so I'm sure they don't mind spending a few minutes weekly on these auctions when they are not on the beach (or even when they are!).

 

[Biggie]

Case in point:

A few days ago Xedoc Holdings paid $2,600 for a TM typo snap (MinnisotaVikings.com) which shows only 60 ovt w/ext and is only really good for half of the year?

Beats me.

this is why you have those who know, and those who don't know ...yet!

the point is....

why buy a name that's "only really good for half of the year"

but this is "short term" thinking!

you forget, that although it probably gets most of it's traffic during a six month period........however this is year after year, after year!

the true value is that, it is not a fad, or a popular game typo.
that will eventually "play out"!

 

[dvdrip]

I sold a domain to ULT about two years ago.
I posted the name here and he PMed me.
We used escrow.com.

 

[Shaggy]

Well, I think the real reason that this post was started was that sasquatch was outbid by one of the big guns. Its happens to all of us sasquatch.

 

[sasquatch]

you forget, that although it probably gets most of it's traffic during a six month period........

The football season is at its peak right now and the name apparently has only 60 ovt. I shudder to think of it's traffic in March.

however this is year after year, after year!

Year after year? You sound like that is guaranteed, but I'm afraid on TM names it's anything but.

the true value is that, it is not a fad, or a popular game typo.
that will eventually "play out"!

What?? The name has an obvious TM issue, so it's damaged goods already. Will that eventually "play out"? Or PPC providers that don't accept TM-related names which is already happening (though they still might, the weasels they are, turn a blind eye on "big player" TM portfolios)? Or the whole PPC concept going to hell?

How many years it will be before they see a meaningful return on this particular "investment", even if they only payed $2,600 for it?

Bottom line is names like this are on sale here for couple of hundred almost daily. No need to pay 10x that much. This purchase was a risk that doesn't pay that well. For the same amount of money that risk could have been significantly decreased and the "investment" much better diversified. That is all I am saying.

Now multiply that by hundreds and thousands of often weak names that these guys snap, and you will see the trail of expensive "crap shot" game they are engaging in.

Yes, the smart asses will say, "Of but guys like them make so much money; look they made x amount in just November" - and I say" "Fine, but that number in November could have also been higher too, maybe much higher had they only varied their predictable patterns once in a while."

Just because you paid x amount for a domain will not necessarily guarantee anything, nor will you be any smarter for it. Domains have a life independent of the price we get them for. Whether you paid $20 or $2,000 for one domain - that domain will make what it will make (provided it's parked in both instances) irregardless of your acqusition cost. Therefore why rush and fight with others to spend more in the same brain-box game, when we could sometimes (and I repeat, sometimes) do for less?

 

[ShaunP]

That's a great story for TM'd names, what's your stategy for buying generic traffic names?

Shaun