I'm James Iles: Q&A (Interactive Interview Session)

[James Iles]

Hey NamePros! I'm James Iles, I'm the lead writer for the NamePros Blog, where I've written about 630 articles since May 2015. I also buy and sell a few domain names and I operate as a broker, working with select startups and established companies regarding domain name strategy.

Away from domains, I have also worked as a photo retoucher (of course, I own PhotoRetoucher.com!) for an established portrait photographer. In my spare time, I'm an amateur runner, doing two 24-hour events this year.

Ask me anything! Post any questions here and I'll do my best to answer them

 

[DonDraper]

The first content i read about domaining has been your ebook, mid 2015

 

[barman]

Why do you think this industry is so toxic? Not necessarily the public figures (writers like Rick Schwartz, Andrew, etc) , but people "in the comments" always want to throw shade. Do you think this is just a part of the anonymity of the internet, or is there something off with so-called domainers (the unsuccessful ones)?

 

[James Iles]

Thanks for the reply. I'm going to my first domain related event this year so looking forward to meeting folks that do this in real life!

Hope you enjoy it! One rookie mistake that I made at NamesCon 2019 was not bringing business cards! (Due to last-minute arrangements)

 

[WatchDogue]

Enjoy your blog articles and these are well meant curiosity questions regarding your blog per se.

How long after you became involved with domain names did you begin to blog about domain names?

What inspired you to begin blogging?

What blog topic / subject brought you the most positive responses from your readership and likewise, which topic / subject brought you the most negative ( and surely undeserved ) responses from your readership?

And, what is your personal, all time favorite blog article you've penned?

Thanks for all you provide to NamePros!

 

[James Iles]

Do you buy any ngTLDs?

No, I don't invest in the new gTLD's. Although I did broker the sale of a .APP name last week.

Can you name any valuable resource you use on daily basis...apart from well known resources like namebio...dnw...domainsherpa and dnjournal...

DomainIQ. I use it every single day without fail.

What is the highest amount you paid for any domain ? And what is the highest sale price you got till date...

The highest amount I've paid for a domain is $13,000. Unfortunately I can't give the details of my personal highest sale due to a specific agreement with the buyer & broker. Otherwise I'd love to disclose it.

Do you think age tag adds any value to domain name...if it is not any one word/keyword...

I don't believe age matters with regards to a domain's value, even a one-word/keyword.

 

[James Iles]

Nice to see you. How i can sale my domain name in just 2 weeks? Recommend me any strategy or important points to consider.

Selling a domain in 2 weeks is a very specific time frame

It’s a tough task to sell any name inside 2 weeks, especially not knowing the domain. Outbound sales can sometimes produce a sale quickly but would likely compromise on the achievable price.

Auctions, NamePros listings etc are also possible way of producing a quick sale. Again, compromising on the achievable price.

 

[James Iles]

Hi James,

I've always believed that renting a domain is the best way forward but a few businesses i've approached have said: 'we would prefer to buy than rent'

I currently rent out 2 names:

1 .com £200 per month

&

1 .wales £100 per month

I would prefer to rent out .com but my portfolio doesnt meet top keyword criteria.

I hope to rent out further .wales domains as i own many top keywords: Golf - Hotels - Space - Bitcoin

I do love reading your posts and hope to be featured on one of your posts one day.

Totally agree with your view on .co & .io and i have been investing in these for a few years with some great sales!

I can kick myself for letting 790.co & Monaco.co drop

Keep up the good work!

Thanks! For the compliment

I believe that for certain names this would be the best move - maybe for a high value one-word name, with a motivated startup team with limited budget but a sound business plan with other considerations.

I’m sure we’ll see more publicised rental deals in future.

 

[James Iles]

May be you have the answer for this one
How can you stop the wife from whining and complaining?

I’m not married so I don’t think I’m the best guy to ask

Maybe sell a domain and go on a weekend break?!

 

[James Iles]

What is the best landing site?

Sedo has very bad landing pages: ppc links are not clicked, and pays almost nothing, but for some minimal trackig it is needed. Offer pages at Sedo are even worse.

Some other possibilities: Afternic, Efty, Bodis, Undeveloped. I haven't used any of these for landing or parking. Most people here praise Afternic. so maybe this suggests that domains should be parked there for more or better sales(?).

I believe that Efty provides excellent solutions that are well designed for the purpose, and I’m also a fan of Uniregistry’s landing pages and lead management.

For me, a landing page should be simple, clearly state that a name is for sale and should also convey some trust to the potential buyer. For example, when godaddy added their logo to Afternic landing pages, it produced a rise in inquiries and sales (I believe, from what I’ve heard Paul Nicks say).

I am not interested in the PPC ads of any network, I’m more interested in the design and effectiveness of landers.

 

[James Iles]

Question1: James do you have any more insight with regards to the domain rental business? I personally havn't seen any deals happen and I thought from buyer side owning always better than renting?

I personally haven’t any further case studies that can be made public. In most cases, buyers may prefer purchasing outright. But what if that isn’t an option?

At the moment, if you can’t afford a name, the options are either raise capital for a one-off payment, or lease to own. I just think this could be another option that domain investors with high value premium portfolios may be interested in pursuing.

Question2: if a domain's listing price is $2000 USD, how much is rental fee reasonable, and is it charged by monthly normally? And what about with a listing price of $20,000

There probably could be a standard formula for this. As someone earlier said, following the real estate market as a comparison could be a sensible approach.

I think it would be more worthwhile on high 5, 6 and 7 figure names rather than low range $2k domains.

Question 3: what do you see domain rental business in next 3-5 years

I hope I’m proven right and we have plenty more publicly disclosed rentals. It’s only really a theory right now as there isn’t much public data to back up my statements.

 

[James Iles]

James, what price strategy do you deploy that effectively gives you power over a domain sale, having a buy it now price or allowing only make offers only?

For end user sales I typically remove all BIN prices from any marketplace and I will usually ask for offers rather than state a price, especially if the name is high four figures or more.

Lower value names (more impulsive buys) in the $4k and under range I am happy to keep a BIN price.

 

[john888]

I also have tried rent or rent to own to buyers that really want the name, upgrades form another extension. I don't think they trust the systems that are involved for money and domain name transfer. They don't know what Escrow.com is. Maybe Escrow should start advertising like Godaddy to legitimize their business.

 

[James Iles]

@James Iles

My question is which domain name would you consider as the highest, the most valuable and the most expensive domain name of all time?

Feel free to answer (not).

Probably X.com

 

[WingMan]

The first content i read about domaining has been your ebook, mid 2015

And the rest as they say is history

 

[James Iles]

Hey everyone, thanks for taking part in the AMA! I’m going to stop it there - It’s been a fun experience.

Please feel free to email me james (at) jamesiles.co.uk if you want to connect etc.
Or DM me for any queries related to articles, suggestions etc.

You can also connect with me on LinkedIn

 

[briguy]

What were the biggest sales that you brokered.
Thanks

 

[barman]

Interesting question! I don't think that the industry as a whole is toxic at all. I think there are thousands of industry participants from all walks of life that have differing views, and forum discussions and comment sections are places where these differing opinions are typically aired.

This may have a correlation with Internet anonymity as a whole, I'm not sure. Personally, I aim to be transparent and accountable online - with my full name being used on NamePros, in comments, and on social media.

I went to NamesCon 2019 (my first NamesCon event), and the atmosphere was extremely positive and thoroughly enjoyable. All domainers I encountered were very welcoming.

Thanks for the reply. I'm going to my first domain related event this year so looking forward to meeting folks that do this in real life!

 

[vravis9]

Hi James...

Loved your articles...
Interviews and case studies...keep up the good work... learning a lot.

My question is how much do you value the various appraisal tools...do you check with them before buying or while trying to price your names ?!

What is your portfolio size?

What is your main registrar...and what landing page on your names?

Thanks,
Ravi

 

[WatchDogue]

Appreciate your prompt replies and your candor!

Thanks!

 

[bonin]

Hi James and thanks for the opportunity.

As a blogger and writing person, what do you think should be the best subject line when we promote domains via email to a potential buyers?

Please give an example

Thanks

 

[zeshi]

Nice to see you. How i can sale my domain name in just 2 weeks? Recommend me any strategy or important points to consider.

 

[James Iles]

This thread is a great idea James! I love your well-researched and written articles for NPs, James. It was an honour to meet you in person at NamesCon!

My question for you is the following. How do you see domaining in 5 years from now? What changes do you see on the near horizon, and do you feel overall the environment will be better or worse. I realize it is a big question, so feel free to answer any aspect you want.

Thanks again for your incredible contributions to the NPs community.

Bob

Thanks Bob! It was great to meet you too! Hopefully you’ll be at the next NamesCon event.

As I mentioned in another response, I believe that the renting of domain names will become more popular - due to investors looking to keep their most valuable names and the general price increase of 1 word .com’s, for example.

I think there will be a disparity between the 1% and the 99% - the top 1% of names will continue to rise in value, with some lower end niches struggling a little.

I would anticipate some consolidations of top portfolios (similar to the previous NameFind acquisitions) in the next 5 years too.

 

[SuperBrander]

Thanks for the AMA thread. You mentioned that you own 50 domains. Can you share them? Or the best ones?

 

[James Iles]

What company will rent a domain name. Spend money marketing their image to the domain name and then not owning it. Or, do you mean a rent to purchase plan with a final price payed years later.

No, I mean renting without a final sales price. Braden Pollock has just done this with Monopolize.com - getting a few hundred dollars per month for as long as the buyer needs the name.

For smaller startups, the possibility of renting a domain name would be highly beneficial, I believe - and this would be my target market.

Being able to launch their brand using a premium .com name rented at a few hundred (or thousand) dollars per month is win-win: it gives the owner passive income on a valuable name and it allows the startup to develop their brand on the best name available from day 1 - which can help with access to funding etc (Jason Calacanis took interest in Calm after realising they were using Calm.com).

Obviously contracts would need to be signed laying out the rights of both parties.

 

[Paulot]

sir, what are the features of great domain names ?