Domain Stories

[Nolz91]

I started domaining about two short years ago. I'm still learning a lot about this lucrative, volatile industry. I recently sold my 1st domain for 1200 euro to a law firm in Austria. I am hooked now, but learned to choose my new names wisely. I own about 70 names, with about half of them receiving decent traffic. I have learned a lot from this forum.

Most of my domains are not developed but parked with sedo. Still testing for the best parking revenues. The hardest part is finding buyers. It seems you really have to have some creative strategies.

I still think there is lots of money to be made in domains, I just have yet to learn how.

 

[Rockefeller]

Wow! Its great hearing everyones stories! Keep them coming!

 

[bdss]

I started around a year back. Heard lot of stories about some people making tons of money in this game but heard even more stories of people registering stupids domains and loosing tons of money.
So I was bit apprehensve initially. So have spent the good part of past year reading and reading ..trying to get the hang of this industry.
Havent made any money but trying to. Bought some domains here and there , realised they arnt that great and chance of making a profit is not great. So changed strategy and recently bought a couple of domains which are actually existing company names. (Not big companies but neverthless real companies)

Hope to make a sale to one of these companies. Till now havent been lucky..but well I will keep trying ...hopefully someday I will learn how to sell a domain.

 

[Rockefeller]

Anyone else want to share their story?

 

[ExpireGuy]

Started domaining approximately 6 years ago on a whim after reading some insights into the expired domain market via DomainGuru.com. Focused specifically on the expired domains niche and developed ExpiredDomainNames.com as an online expiring domain research tool which was up and running for less than a year.
To be honest didn't start profitting until 2005 when I sold my first domain for low 4 figures.
As of 2006 however sales collectively have totaled low 6 figures.....as a matter of fact I just paid off all my debt in one day this past week as a psuedo christmas gift to my family.
Yes Virginia...there is a Santa Clause.

Cheers and Merry Christmas.
Steve

 

[Rockefeller]

I was driving around downtown Denver the other day and seen countless homeless people asking for money. I always try to give them what I have. I was sitting at a stoplight and there was man sitting on the gound. It was sooo cold out. I thought to myself..Domain names could change this guys life. All he needs is $8 to get started and he can go to the library to use the computer. I wish more people knew about domaining. It could really change alot of people's lives!

 

[DropWizard.com]

I've offered to consider the price of Kevin.ca each year, she never replies. It's parked, shes a collector, and perhaps doesnt sell names.
Jack

Christine and Frank Schilling are Name Admin in the Caymans. They don't sell anything or respond. Frank says it costs them more to respond to offers for the 100k + names they own than it's worth.

 

[Jacksplat]

Christine and Frank Schilling are Name Admin in the Caymans. They don't sell anything or respond. Frank says it costs them more to respond to offers for the 100k + names they own than it's worth.

burp

 

[katherine]

I started domaining around 2000. It was past the early days of the Netsol monopoly.
I started registering in bulk at Namebargain (domains were priced at $6). I grabbed some domains for personal/business use. Of course like most of us I grabbed a few domains that were not so valuable. No big deal. Most of these names I no longer own.
I knew nothing about traffic monetization back then. I had no way to recoup the reg fee but develop. As a result I let at least two valuable domains drop, at the time I was not really aware of the value of domains, and the scarcity of strong domains in the .com namespace.
One of these domains has been held by NameAdmin since then. They don't have a reputation for collecting crap names or letting them go. That's a lesson learned.
While trying to recover names I used to own or get hold of expiring domains I learned about the drop game.
Then I found out about the domaining forums like DNF and NP.

I am both a speculator and an end user. It's not my main business at present but it's more than just a hobby. As a domain developer I understand the strength of a good domain. When buyers challenge me to justify the asking price for my domains I always like to say that with a strong domain you already have an edge over the competition
Since I often buy domains with a view to developing so I don't rely heavily on domain sales. My business-model is long-term.
Most of my domains are parked. I am trying to develop a few but it's hard to keep pace. I've just snagged 2 while posting !

I made some good sales recently. I think it's not hard to turn a profit after a short learning curve.
We all know about the success stories, some of which are reported on Dnjournal. Let's face it: the winners are the early players. It's a cut-throat business but there is still good money to be made from domains. At the same time it's getting harder for those who come in late to the game.

In spite of what mass media propaganda seems to suggest domaining is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It's a business like any other that requires research, dedication and understanding of the market… Even though some people consider us opportunists or scavengers we are still an essential part of the online world food chain.

Needless to say I'm hooked. And I want more. Happy domaining.
May your wildest dreams come true.