opinion Hand Registering Domains Is Not Domain Investing

[DN Playbook]

Admittedly, this may be somewhat a sensationalized title. But hand registering is only a bridge or gateway to investing in domains. This article discusses why. What are your thoughts? Looking forward to them. Here is the link to the article:

Hand Registering Domains Is Not Domain Investing

 

[johnn]

Who care what the definition is.
Posting nonsense thread to get "likes" and wasting other people time is not investing.

 

[noneisnone]

edit: nvm

 

[VadimK]

Sorry guys, but the claim that hand-reg is ''not a real investing'' is absolutely, big way, 125% stupid.
If I reg the name for $8,50, it's absolutely not an unusual thing to sell it for $700, within a year. Well, you get the same ROI buying something for $700, wish you best of luck. That's if we talk ''investing''.

Now, is it easier to register auctions/drops? Of course. Will it bring more in absolute money? If you know what you are doing - yes, obviously.

But to claim manual registration is pretty much ''not worth it'' (to rephrase the original claim) just draws a portrait of a newbie, who's never really done hand reg, because someone (another newbie, of course) told him ''there is no money in it in 2021''.

And what about trends? If tomorrow the new cryptocurrency is out or new eco technology hits the world, 90% of you Pros here will jump on your small accurate thousand-word favourite excel sheets to strike a perfect match.
Not a ''real investment'', huh?

 

[Amit V]

2 Handregs sold this year for a total of $9.6k. Cost less that $20. That says it all.

 

[DN Playbook]

Let's be clear. Hand reg'ing is a thing and is completely part of domaining as a whole. You can make a business out of it and selling within a year or so if you are good at it. However most hand reg's are dropped before renewal. Why? Because no one sees a value in them, including the registrant. The moral of the story is that it's not a true investment unless you see the value of the registration by renewing it for multiple years and/or developing. Like real estate, quality domains will increase in value over time even if you don't actively try to sell them, taking into account ups and downs in the economy. However, the majority of hand regs are simply wishful thinking or playing the lottery, they won't sell even for reg fee. You can buy into stocks early and cheap because you have some insights into the company and the industry or market trends. But selling them early is not really an investment. So invest your money wisely.

 

[noneisnone]

@DN Playbook aftermarket domains get dropped also your argument is invalid also every single aftermarket domain was once a hand reg domain

 

[Igor Mironyuk]

We all starting from hand registering until enter to the next level: Buying names.

 

[DN Playbook]

@DN Playbook aftermarket domains get dropped also your argument is invalid also every single aftermarket domain was once a hand reg domain

Indeed. There is a lot of garbage on the aftermarket too. It is a shame when you renew a domain for 10 years but then decide to drop it. I have been there in my early days of domaining. You may also have a good domain but forget to renew in time and it goes to auction. Been there as well. Domain investing is not registering for a year just to test whether it can sell. The value has to been clear from the beginning. Otherwise it is playing the lottery. Those fortunate enough to hand reg great domains in the early or late 90's would wait 20 years sometimes before selling for a 6 to 7 digit payday. Not trying to paint with a broad brush here, but the point is what's the point in hand reg'ing a new domain if you don't see the value of hanging on to it. And if you sell before renewal for a price you are happy with, wonderful!

 

[DN Playbook]

But to claim manual registration is pretty much ''not worth it'' (to rephrase the original claim) just draws a portrait of a newbie, who's never really done hand reg, because someone (another newbie, of course) told him ''there is no money in it in 2021''.

This is a misrepresentation of the article. The claim has never been that manual registration is not worth it. This was never stated. Please read the article and my subsequent posts. The inference "there is no money in it in 2021" must come from your experience because no one has said that either and it was not even hinted on in the article. This is what happens when you skim over words and jump to conclusions.

 

[DN Playbook]

Posting nonsense thread to get "likes" and wasting other people time is not investing.

Why is it nonsense to talk about smart domain investing? And saving people money they might burn through in worthless hand regs? Do you secretly work for a registrar? Hmmm.

 

[bmugford]

I largely agree with the premise of this post.

Sure there are exceptions to the rule, but with more than 160+ million .COM registered, the vast majority of what is left is garbage.

You might find a decent one here or there, especially in emerging fields. However, it is hard to build a repeatable business model on that.

I think a lot of people go down the rabbit hole of buying domains because they were available. They are usually available for a reason. You end up collecting more liabilities than assets.

Brad

 

[bmugford]

@DN Playbook aftermarket domains get dropped also your argument is invalid also every single aftermarket domain was once a hand reg domain

It is simply undeniable that the average registered domain is higher quality (on average) than the average unregistered domain.

Sure, there are terrible domains regardless of age, but the older the domain the higher the average quality.

There is a big difference in quality of what was available to register when there were 10 million .com taken and 160 million taken.

Brad

 

[VadimK]

This is a misrepresentation of the article. The claim has never been that manual registration is not worth it. This was never stated. Please read the article and my subsequent posts. The inference "there is no money in it in 2021" must come from your experience because no one has said that either and it was not even hinted on in the article. This is what happens when you skim over words and jump to conclusions.

All right, let's go to your direct quote: ''At best, hand registering domains is speculating, at worst it is wishful thinking''.
Your basic point here is that you can't really hold a hand-reg fee for multiple years and then successfully sell it (that's why it's not an investment to you, - isn't it correct?).

Well, this idea to me is totally wrong. I have a number of domains I hand registered for 8,50 (me taking the first dot com tld,) which are now, just a few months later, are ''in the company'' of 6-7 other TLDs taken by different people. There are also other indicators that tell me I will sell such names in 1-2 years time for thousands % ROI.

The thing is that it's harder to find such domains on hand reg vs auctions/drops - that's true, but that's it.
It doesn't mean: ''Hand Registering Domains Is Not Domain Investing''. There is simply no difference in the selling process after you obtain a good domain (no matter how). I think you simply don't believe that it's possible to get a good domain thru hand-reg, which will ''mature'' during the time, - and I completely disagree with you here.

 

[Josytal]

Hand Registering Domains Is Not Domain Investing

Say this to xyz queen and let her lecture on 1cent domain investments, hand regs.

Rubbish!

 

[DN Playbook]

All right, let's go to your direct quote: ''At best, hand registering domains is speculating, at worst it is wishful thinking''.
Your basic point here is that you can't really hold a hand-reg fee for multiple years and then successfully sell it (that's why it's not an investment to you, - isn't it correct?).

Incorrect. Hand reg'ing is ultimately speculating if you register emerging trends or where the buyer pool is small. But it can also be wishful thinking, and mostly it seems to be, when you reg names that include certain keywords but also have superfluous words in the mix.

The basic point is that if you don't see the value in a domain to keep renewing it then it is not an investment. Because you don't just drop investments after a year or two. If you don't see the value in renewing a domain then how possibly can it be an investment. It becomes a liability. You might renew valueless domains but still that is liability. So you must do due diligence. Make an informed decision.

Well, this idea to me is totally wrong. I have a number of domains I hand registered for 8,50 (me taking the first dot com tld,) which are now, just a few months later, are ''in the company'' of 6-7 other TLDs taken by different people. There are also other indicators that tell me I will sell such names in 1-2 years time for thousands % ROI.

That's great. If you sell a domain for profit within a year or two then you got a winning ticket. Who knows how much that same domain can attract in 5 to 10 years. Maybe nothing. So you got a steal.

I think you simply don't believe that it's possible to get a good domain thru hand-reg, which will ''mature'' during the time, - and I completely disagree with you here.

Not true. Most of my domains were bought at reg price and sold at significant profit. But I had to invest multiple years in renewals which meant I had to be confident of their value in order to hang on to them.

 

[sbweb]

Completely disagree.

A domain becomes an investment when you see value in it

OK, don't we all register a domain because we see value in it to begin with?

sufficient enough to expend money to renew that domain for multiple years.

So you've decided that domain investing only happens when you renew for multiple years. You don't get to make the rules. Investing is investing. You're basically risking your money on an asset in hopes of making a profit. There is no time frame requirement to qualify. You know like how daytraders flip crypto or stocks for profit on a daily basis?

But it always must be with the certainty that the acquired domain(s) will lead to profit and material increase.

So you're saying it only becomes an investment if you make a profit? What about all those people who have lost money in crypto, stocks or domain sales? Are those people not investing? There is no guarantee in investing -- actually most people lose money in investing.

 

[noneisnone]

@bmugford his article was dismissing hand registration as not real investments not the quality of a name also he never specified the extension how many hand registered .co domains sold for x,xxx ? many to say the least

there is no doubt that an aftermarket name will beat a hand reg most of the time in quality but both are investments i personally rather go the aftermarket route but i don't like the dismissing aspect of op article from personal experience 60% of the domains i sold were hand reg go figure

 

[VadimK]

Not true. Most of my domains were bought at reg price and sold at significant profit. But I had to invest multiple years in renewals which meant I had to be confident of their value in order to hang on to them.

With this you just proved your whole article is wrong.

What you basically saying here now - you hand-reged domains, you saw value in them, held on to them, sold and won. Great. You knew exactly what you were doing. But that was an investment.

Now read your own article title: Hand Registering Domains Is Not Domain Investing.

It has nothing to do with hand-reg vs auctions/drops, it only has to do with whether you are experienced or not in domaining, if you are a pro or a newbie.

If you know what you are doing - it doesn't matter how you get the domain - and you just literally said the same thing.
But your initial claim was that ''hand-reg is not an investment''.

Feel the difference?

 

[DN Playbook]

OK, don't we all register a domain because we see value in it to begin with?

No. Many, if not most, register domains with the hope that someone else sees value in them and pull out their wallets. We're talking about hand regs still.

So you've decided that domain investing only happens when you renew for multiple years.

No. I am stating that investing happens when you see a clear value in a domain and are willing to hang on to it year after year when a fire sale does not occur.

So you're saying it only becomes an investment if you make a profit? What about all those people who have lost money in crypto, stocks or domain sales? Are those people not investing? There is no guarantee in investing -- actually most people lose money in investing.

Yep. With domains, like real estate, you have number of options to profit from them. Not just outright sale. When I write investment, I mean profit, not losses. So people who bought into stocks, crypto, etc, and then lost on those then it wasn't investment, it was junk. They speculated or rolled the dice just like hand reg'ing. Investment makes itself clear as valuation or returns increase over time. In the case of stocks or crypto, you can pull out early and minimize losses but then you don't see value in hanging on to them. Or, if you have understanding of the markets and can see the value, you may decide to storm the weather and hang on.

The bottom line is you have to have an understanding of the value of a domain. You have to see the way it can increase profit or material assets in a real world setting. You can play investing like you play slots at a Vegas casino but is that really investing?

 

[VadimK]

That's great. If you sell a domain for profit within a year or two then you got a winning ticket. Who knows how much that same domain can attract in 5 to 10 years. Maybe nothing. So you got a steal.

This one is hilarious, actually. What it has to do with ''winning ticket'' and ''got a steal''? I buy domains based on many different factors, that I found worthy and efficient for acquiring good names. And it doesn't matter how I buy them, it's normally via different ways - auctions, drops, hand-reg, from other domainers.
But your whole idea seems to me is that - ''oh, you sold a hand-reg domain? Lucky you!'' Although literally a post ago you claimed yourself that you in a cold-blood calculated your regs, bought, held them, sold and gained. What - other ''winning tickets''? We were both lucky in lotteries then, I guess...

 

[johnn]

What do we get out of this discussion: nothing.

 

[sbweb]

No. Many, if not most, register domains with the hope that someone else sees value in them and pull out their wallets. We're talking about hand regs still.

No. I am stating that investing happens when you see a clear value in a domain and are willing to hang on to it year after year when a fire sale does not occur.

Yep. With domains, like real estate, you have number of options to profit from them. Not just outright sale. When I write investment, I mean profit, not losses. So people who bought into stocks, crypto, etc, and then lost on those then it wasn't investment, it was junk. They speculated or rolled the dice just like hand reg'ing. Investment makes itself clear as valuation or returns increase over time. In the case of stocks or crypto, you can pull out early and minimize losses but then you don't see value in hanging on to them. Or, if you have understanding of the markets and can see the value, you may decide to storm the weather and hang on.

The bottom line is you have to have an understanding of the value of a domain. You have to see the way it can increase profit or material assets in a real world setting. You can play investing like you play slots at a Vegas casino but is that really investing?

But how do you know how someone else is thinking? What if someone sees value in 100 hand regs? They might seem worthless to you, but to someone there may be value there. For example, when I hand reg a domain, I not only look at resell possibilities, but also development potential. So it has value to me. Domain value isn't black and white, there's some subjectivity.

It sounds like you're trying to re-invent the meaning of investing to fit your narrative of "domain investing". Investing isn't guaranteed. Investing has risk no matter how safe it is.

 

[DN Playbook]

What do we get out of this discussion: nothing.

Sorry you feel that way. Maybe someone will go away re-evaluating their domaining strategy. Maybe invest in a few "investment grade" domains rather than spending thousands of dollars renewing hundreds of low quality domains. Just maybe.

But how do you know how someone else is thinking? What if someone sees value in 100 hand regs?

This is not about anti hand reg'ing. But buying smarter.

I think it is good to have a dialogue about this and each one has the freedom to do what they like and what works best for them.

 

[Clover]

My answer: Depends

If you have the foresight of a trend (NFT, easiest example), then buying up the hand reg "NFT Market" would be considered an investment (it is still the action or process of investing money for profit, that you believe to be prudent ...hopefully)

I give an exception to trends. They pop up, they get registered ...a handful do well

Yeah I was gonna say, claiming something like in the title is just something someone would say to start a debate, and loose. Hand-reg domains can be just as good as any other, you just have to had got them at the right time.

 

[DN Playbook]

Yeah I was gonna say, claiming something like in the title is just something someone would say to start a debate, and loose. Hand-reg domains can be just as good as any other, you just have to had got them at the right time.

You are half right. The title was to get attention. To start a dialogue. That's what titles are for.

But hand reg'ed domains available today are not as good as domains available over 10 years ago. But you can still find some good ones if you are alert and vigilant.