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What I've learned after a year.

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Futurewizard

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I'm still new, but I wanted to share my findings after a year in domain sales. This is a bit of a ramble, but I just had my first 2k+ sale on Afternic, and this may help at least 1 person. These are my views and they're not rules. I just wasted a lot of effort and money on the wrong things.
  • Keep your prices consistent across platforms
    • This is a pain in the ass, but you don't want mismatched prices on Dan vs Sedo vs Afternic
    • I am now focusing on 1 single platform (Afternic)
  • If you have .co.uk sites (and in the US), remember that your whois info is public
    • Never ever ever ever ever make your whois info public
    • I receive calls day and night because my number was listed on a co.uk domain for a day
    • Robots/AI comb new listings 24/7 and add whois info to a spam list
  • Afternic is the way.My real earnings all came from Afternic. I am focusing 100% on this platform.
    • The interface isn't my favorite, and the Fast Transfer opt-in is a bit confusing (for me at least)
    • Bulk utility / CSV upload is great but the regular(and beta) interface is almost too simple
    • Landing pages are ok, not as good as Dan -
  • Dan landings are the most aesthetic, but I've only made one sale
    • I wish Afternic's landings were as good as Dan's, but theyre not.
    • I like Dan's interface and platform, but again, I feel like Afternic brings $$$
  • Parking sounds great on paper, but don't get your hopes up
    • I've moved away from ad-based landings and parking pages as I haven't received any earnings from it (even on my AAA sites)
    • Ad Blockers (UBlock) will stop landing pages before they have a chance - keep that in mind
      • The modern user won't see your landing page. Especially if it's not an https:// For this reason, I keep it basic, clean and honest. The price, the views, my details and references
  • Google Domains sucks for bulk actions. I use NameCheap and it works for me. My experience is limited
    • Google has great infrastructure, but it's not an ideal place unless you're actually building a site
    • It's pricey but secure/trusted
  • I've had horrible experiences with Flippa - Great for selling businesses, not ideal for domains
    • The platform is great, the amount of scammers/bad actors/con artists outweighs the pros
    • Be very careful with Flippa. Use Escrow.com. Don't trust new accounts. Don't rely on feedback, scammers trade fake feedback/sales
      • Tons and tons and tons of scammers. Assume it's a scam until proven otherwise
    • Don't pay 10$ to list your account unless you're sure your domain is bulletproof. It will only bring bad actors
    • I've listed 8-10 Flippa auctions, 7 of those ended in scammers making bids and wasting my time for months via Escrow.com.
    • 1 legit sale through Flippa/Escrow - fees ate most of the profit. I love Flippa's biz model, but the LOE is too high for the ROI
  • I receive lots of views on Sedo, but 0 leads/sales
    • I use Sedo for any .net domains under 99$ - I'm transitioning out in favor of Afternic - still unsure of where to do landers
    • I really like Sedo's interface and level of customization, but the landing pages feel a bit amateur compared to Dan (bad first impression)
  • Customers already know the domain they want, and walk-ins are rare, so don't waste time with custom landers/ads/promotion
    • Landing pages should be simple. Dead simple.
    • If somebody wants your domain, they should be able to get it in under 4 clicks.
  • Stay organized. I went crazy and got 300 domains. Bad move but I'm glad I did it - learning experience
    • Quality is more important, but I've learned more from diversifying
    • You can't teach yourself the 6th sense of what will sell. Experience is the way.
  • Follow your gut and don't be influenced if somebody says 'NFT's are a scam, these names won't sell', or "nobody will buy .net domains"
    • Everything is possible and a new generation of Web 3.0 is about to burst.
    • People buy .net domains if they're quality - mix up your portfolio and learn from every sale
    • If you believe something is about to get huge, go for it -
    • There's a lot of naysaying on various forums, and a lot of the traditional domain folks will shoot down new ideas
    • My biggest sales were NFT/crypto/video game-related. I was told not to waste my time with these domains - I've been told the same about anything but .com, but the majority of my sales are .net and well above est value/purchase price
  • Stay informed in the latest trends - if something is labeled as 'overhyped' or 'a fad', that doesn't mean it won't make you tons of money in the short term.
  • Learn as much as you can, but don't worry about opinions. You're you, and there are no rules. It's luck and tenacity.
    • What do you know that nobody knows yet? Think 5 years ahead
    • Revinvent this industry, don't follow anybody. Don't pay for courses because everything you need is free (besides the domains)
    • There are more Big Personalities in this industry than I'm used to seeing. Lots of hard opinions and firm beliefs. Nobody is right or wrong, no matter how many sales they have.
I'm a newbie and I'm sure a lot of this is covered in countless beginner FAQs, but this is my experience. I'm heavily caffeinated and I'm sure this didn't need to be as long as it was. Trust your gut. There's no right/wrong. Tech is moving so fast that the traditional methods won't apply in a few months. If somebody says your domains won't sell, prove them wrong. Be smart and research as many past sales as you can. Stick to it, sales take a long time and dry spells will last for months. It's an amazing way to make a living.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Remember, all of this is my experience and these are all opinions, not facts.
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
Hi

nice post!

now that you got your feet wet.... do have any cash left, to buy more socks?

Good Luck!

imo...
 
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Learn as much as you can, but don't worry about opinions. You're you, and there are no rules. It's luck and tenacity.
  • What do you know that nobody knows yet? Think 5 years ahead
  • Revinvent this industry, don't follow anybody. Don't pay for courses because everything you need is free (besides the domains)
  • There are more Big Personalities in this industry than I'm used to seeing. Lots of hard opinions and firm beliefs. Nobody is right or wrong, no matter how many sales they have.
Thanks for a really well written post that I am sure will help many.
I particularly like some of the ideas expressed in the part I quoted - about you're you, think about what you know that others don't and how you can pioneer something.
Thanks again, and best wishes for success.
Bob
 
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It's pretty cool analytics for only one year of domaining. (y)(y)(y)
 
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Hey, I'm a beginner here too. What does parking mean and why should you not get your hopes up?
 
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Hey, I'm a beginner here too. What does parking mean and why should you not get your hopes up?
Hi

as a beginner, you should learn how to use the forum search function.
enter your question and read the results.
there is a whole section dedicated to domain parking

Good luck
 
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Thank you taking time to write all these points.

yes, i agree .net, .org do sell with good keywords

Could you elaborate on this point? "Revinvent this industry, don't follow anybody. Don't pay for courses because everything you need is free (besides the domains)"

thank you again
 
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I gave up on flippa for domains as sellers don't comply so stopped listing my names.
 
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Good luck on your sales. Welcome ; ]
 
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Do you use Afternic parking?
Afternic domains are hard to manage when priced.
All marketplaces suck one way or another.
Sedo: gives our name and address to fake buyers.
Dan: Domain parking is completely dead (great landing pages but loads extremely slowly,
and they say everything is ok: very annoying)
Afternic: Hard to manage priced domains. Only 50 domains per page. No useful sorting (by date, or price).
 
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Sedo is the same for me...0 sales. I've gone full on aftenic as that's where the $$$$ is...as you mentioned.

Glad I'm not the only one.

Good post!
 
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Sedo is the same for me...0 sales. I've gone full on aftenic as that's where the $$$$ is...as you mentioned.

Glad I'm not the only one.

Good post!
Keep up the hope... Price your domains with BIN... ( Too bad, I lesser practice what I preach )
 
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Keep up the hope... Price your domains with BIN... ( Too bad, I lesser practice what I preach )
Yeah I know...all my dns are now BIN. My sales went up.
 
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Thanks for sharing this, newbies like me got Ideas.
I am planning on buying a domain but I need to acquired information also the domain securities.
 
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Great post thank you. I ve been doing this for a short time and everything you said I can relate to. Good luck with the sales.
 
0
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I'm still new, but I wanted to share my findings after a year in domain sales. This is a bit of a ramble, but I just had my first 2k+ sale on Afternic, and this may help at least 1 person. These are my views and they're not rules. I just wasted a lot of effort and money on the wrong things.
  • Keep your prices consistent across platforms
    • This is a pain in the ass, but you don't want mismatched prices on Dan vs Sedo vs Afternic
    • I am now focusing on 1 single platform (Afternic)
  • If you have .co.uk sites (and in the US), remember that your whois info is public
    • Never ever ever ever ever make your whois info public
    • I receive calls day and night because my number was listed on a co.uk domain for a day
    • Robots/AI comb new listings 24/7 and add whois info to a spam list
  • Afternic is the way.My real earnings all came from Afternic. I am focusing 100% on this platform.
    • The interface isn't my favorite, and the Fast Transfer opt-in is a bit confusing (for me at least)
    • Bulk utility / CSV upload is great but the regular(and beta) interface is almost too simple
    • Landing pages are ok, not as good as Dan -
  • Dan landings are the most aesthetic, but I've only made one sale
    • I wish Afternic's landings were as good as Dan's, but theyre not.
    • I like Dan's interface and platform, but again, I feel like Afternic brings $$$
  • Parking sounds great on paper, but don't get your hopes up
    • I've moved away from ad-based landings and parking pages as I haven't received any earnings from it (even on my AAA sites)
    • Ad Blockers (UBlock) will stop landing pages before they have a chance - keep that in mind
      • The modern user won't see your landing page. Especially if it's not an https:// For this reason, I keep it basic, clean and honest. The price, the views, my details and references
  • Google Domains sucks for bulk actions. I use NameCheap and it works for me. My experience is limited
    • Google has great infrastructure, but it's not an ideal place unless you're actually building a site
    • It's pricey but secure/trusted
  • I've had horrible experiences with Flippa - Great for selling businesses, not ideal for domains
    • The platform is great, the amount of scammers/bad actors/con artists outweighs the pros
    • Be very careful with Flippa. Use Escrow.com. Don't trust new accounts. Don't rely on feedback, scammers trade fake feedback/sales
      • Tons and tons and tons of scammers. Assume it's a scam until proven otherwise
    • Don't pay 10$ to list your account unless you're sure your domain is bulletproof. It will only bring bad actors
    • I've listed 8-10 Flippa auctions, 7 of those ended in scammers making bids and wasting my time for months via Escrow.com.
    • 1 legit sale through Flippa/Escrow - fees ate most of the profit. I love Flippa's biz model, but the LOE is too high for the ROI
  • I receive lots of views on Sedo, but 0 leads/sales
    • I use Sedo for any .net domains under 99$ - I'm transitioning out in favor of Afternic - still unsure of where to do landers
    • I really like Sedo's interface and level of customization, but the landing pages feel a bit amateur compared to Dan (bad first impression)
  • Customers already know the domain they want, and walk-ins are rare, so don't waste time with custom landers/ads/promotion
    • Landing pages should be simple. Dead simple.
    • If somebody wants your domain, they should be able to get it in under 4 clicks.
  • Stay organized. I went crazy and got 300 domains. Bad move but I'm glad I did it - learning experience
    • Quality is more important, but I've learned more from diversifying
    • You can't teach yourself the 6th sense of what will sell. Experience is the way.
  • Follow your gut and don't be influenced if somebody says 'NFT's are a scam, these names won't sell', or "nobody will buy .net domains"
    • Everything is possible and a new generation of Web 3.0 is about to burst.
    • People buy .net domains if they're quality - mix up your portfolio and learn from every sale
    • If you believe something is about to get huge, go for it -
    • There's a lot of naysaying on various forums, and a lot of the traditional domain folks will shoot down new ideas
    • My biggest sales were NFT/crypto/video game-related. I was told not to waste my time with these domains - I've been told the same about anything but .com, but the majority of my sales are .net and well above est value/purchase price
  • Stay informed in the latest trends - if something is labeled as 'overhyped' or 'a fad', that doesn't mean it won't make you tons of money in the short term.
  • Learn as much as you can, but don't worry about opinions. You're you, and there are no rules. It's luck and tenacity.
    • What do you know that nobody knows yet? Think 5 years ahead
    • Revinvent this industry, don't follow anybody. Don't pay for courses because everything you need is free (besides the domains)
    • There are more Big Personalities in this industry than I'm used to seeing. Lots of hard opinions and firm beliefs. Nobody is right or wrong, no matter how many sales they have.
I'm a newbie and I'm sure a lot of this is covered in countless beginner FAQs, but this is my experience. I'm heavily caffeinated and I'm sure this didn't need to be as long as it was. Trust your gut. There's no right/wrong. Tech is moving so fast that the traditional methods won't apply in a few months. If somebody says your domains won't sell, prove them wrong. Be smart and research as many past sales as you can. Stick to it, sales take a long time and dry spells will last for months. It's an amazing way to make a living.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Remember, all of this is my experience and these are all opinions, not facts.

Thanks for openly sharing about your first year experience in domain industry.

I have shared it among our community for learnings.

Sending you a pm.
 
3
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Do you use Afternic parking?
Afternic domains are hard to manage when priced.
All marketplaces suck one way or another.
Sedo: gives our name and address to fake buyers.
Dan: Domain parking is completely dead (great landing pages but loads extremely slowly,
and they say everything is ok: very annoying)
Afternic: Hard to manage priced domains. Only 50 domains per page. No useful sorting (by date, or price).
I feel you on this. Each of these sites has something I love, but no one site has it all yet. I've found that Dan parking has the best success rate when passing through UBlock or another ad blocker. Due to lack of HTTPS certification/security, some pages may not display per user settings.

Afternic and Dan Bulk Tips to get around the 50-per-page limits
  • I do my work the Afternic Upload Template CSV in Google Sheets (princing, BIN, floors etc).
    • I upload the template it to GSheets (import), as I prefer it to Excel, and make sure the formatting matches
  • After saving and downloading as CSV from Google Sheets, double checking for mistakes, I upload to Afternic
  • Next, I head to Dan, download their template, and I make a new tab on my spreadsheet to match that format.
  • From here, you can usually just copy/paste from one template to another and move data around. Might take some general spreadsheet knowledge.
    • I add formulas to generate estimated bid minimums (65%) and I'll do a vlookup to pull data from other tabs... Not necessary, but automate what you can if you're comfortable, and build shortcuts in the future to work faster. Manual entry suuuuuucks.
    • My main tracker sheet has a lot of automated estimates based on appraisal, characters before .com/.net, etc. I have a lot of fun with this (data dork over here)
  • Bulk will help you bypass those limits (50 per page) and work on an entirely new leve
Be careful with csv uploads. Mistakes can be made during bulk updates. Check your data, filter by BIN price and make sure no AAA domains slipped through the cracks with a 100$ BIN. It will still take less time than doing it on the website, 50 sites at a time, field by field.
 
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  • I am now focusing on 1 single platform
Don't give up with SEDO, sales come expecially from European buyers. Not as much as Afternic but definitely not negligible.

Thanks for sharing your valuable experience!
 
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As a complete newbie, I really appreciate posts like these.
 
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Great post, I appreciate this. I spent around 5k on domains ONLY after spending a good week watching soon-to-be expiring auctions to see what were being bought and for what price. I advise anyone to do the same, watch the auctions, scale the prices, what was paid for what etc.

Good luck
 
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Good stuff. As you gain more years within the field, be prepared to adjust your approach to what you think works or doesn't and always use what's best for you, and don't be afraid to experiment. Seems you have a handle on it for what what you've experienced thus far.

A good or bad experience with a certain method isn't the be all and end all of that method, a change in pricing or domain quality can give drastically differing results to produce a completely different experience.

Nicely laid out post.
 
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Thanks for these tips, and best wishes for success.
 
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You feel right about all these mainstream aftermarket places. However, it is recommended that you use them at the same time instead of just choosing one, which can expand the exposure of domain names.
Good luck.
 
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Thanks for sharing this piece.
 
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