A rant about fishing.co.uk

[matthew1471]

This is a frustrated rant from a passionate fisherman / web developer / Internet geek.

I'd like to combine these "lives" and build a portal for fishing news, fishing clubs, tackle reviews but most importantly I want it to be a portal where people who are interested in taking up the sport can find out about their local clubs and the places they can fish; getting youngsters involved in the sport is very important to me.

So I started investigating domain names. As you might expect, the first one I checked was fishing.co.uk.

Woo hoo! The domain is not parked! The last content published to the site was in 2001! It's got a very "unloved" design! There's no adverts! The owner can't be making money from this, so surely they'll be interested in selling?

I did some investigation and tracked down the owner.

After a chat with the owner in summer 2015, it became clear he's not (and never has been) a fisherman and doesn't have any plans for the domain. I made him aware that whilst I do have funds, I'm not in the position to be offering huge sums of money for the name and that I was hoping that he could see the bigger picture and that he would come to a benevolent decision.

The owner had to chat with his investment partners before making any decisions. "Excellent, maybe it'll happen.", I thought!

I didn't hear anything back from him. I've since tried twice to engage in further discussions, but without any replies.

The website is still the same as it was in summer 2015. Unused, unloved and wasted.

I know a domain name is "just a name" and with the right amount of work the same portal could be built around any brandable domain name, but as a fisherman who sees such a perfect domain being wasted in this manner, by somebody who clearly has no interest or love for the sport, I'm gutted.

Anyway, sorry for the whiny rant, but I'm so frustrated and annoyed with this situation.

PS. I'd probably be happier if it WAS parked; at least he'll be making some use of it!

 

[ian]

VELVET are a prolific investor in domains, as many others are too. Some see value from holding pages bringing in small revenue, where as others look solely at the end-game, i.e. selling to a wealthy end-user. I suspect in this particular case, the domain is for sale, but the price tag will be 5, maybe 6 figures! That's domaining!!! Out of interest, how much did you offer?

 

[Admin]

This is a frustrated rant from a passionate fisherman / web developer / Internet geek.

I'd like to combine these "lives" and build a portal for fishing news, fishing clubs, tackle reviews but most importantly I want it to be a portal where people who are interested in taking up the sport can find out about their local clubs and the places they can fish; getting youngsters involved in the sport is very important to me.

So I started investigating domain names. As you might expect, the first one I checked was fishing.co.uk.

Woo hoo! The domain is not parked! The last content published to the site was in 2001! It's got a very "unloved" design! There's no adverts! The owner can't be making money from this, so surely they'll be interested in selling?

I did some investigation and tracked down the owner.

After a chat with the owner in summer 2015, it became clear he's not (and never has been) a fisherman and doesn't have any plans for the domain. I made him aware that whilst I do have funds, I'm not in the position to be offering huge sums of money for the name and that I was hoping that he could see the bigger picture and that he would come to a benevolent decision.

The owner had to chat with his investment partners before making any decisions. "Excellent, maybe it'll happen.", I thought!

I didn't hear anything back from him. I've since tried twice to engage in further discussions, but without any replies.

The website is still the same as it was in summer 2015. Unused, unloved and wasted.

I know a domain name is "just a name" and with the right amount of work the same portal could be built around any brandable domain name, but as a fisherman who sees such a perfect domain being wasted in this manner, by somebody who clearly has no interest or love for the sport, I'm gutted.

Anyway, sorry for the whiny rant, but I'm so frustrated and annoyed with this situation.

PS. I'd probably be happier if it WAS parked; at least he'll be making some use of it!

Very frustrating, I've had similar experiences a number of times. I'm probably also guilty of it! BTW have you seen the closed (active but private) fishing forum that I manage...last link on the right navigation menu >>>>

 

[martin-s]

Imagine it will take an offer of at least £15-20k to get this one.

 

[matthew1471]

the price tag will be 5, maybe 6 figures!

:shock::shock::shock:

I didn't offer anywhere near that :/ (as far as money goes, family commitments rule my bank account, unfortunately!)

Low 4 figures would be a maximum for me.

I'll carry on with other options for the name

 

[matthew1471]

BTW have you seen the closed (active but private) fishing forum that I manage...last link on the right navigation menu >>>>

Oh, I haven't seen that. I'll take a look

 

[matthew1471]

Imagine it will take an offer of at least £15-20k to get this one.

I'm well out of the game, then!

 

[ian]

I'd suggest you aim for a fun brandable name instead. If forum rules allow, you may want to post a wanted ad for a fish related domain. You may get a "catchy" name offered within your budget. Just be very specific otherwise you'll get a load of "carp"

 

[philiporchard]

I'd have thought it was worth more than that to the right person.

 

[matthew1471]

Just be very specific otherwise you'll get a load of "carp"

:-D:mrgreen:

 

[RobM]

I don't think it's his plaice to be making jokes. He cod do batter. On a serious note I think fishing.co.uk is worth 5 figures to someone who is into the sport. I can see that being recouped quite quickly.

 

[Lovekraft]

by the same token, i'd really love a large 3 / 4 bedroom house for my family but all these nasty property investors bought all these houses back in the day before my day and are now wanting more than three times what they paid...

It's just the way life is.

 

[Edwin]

by the same token, i'd really love a large 3 / 4 bedroom house for my family but all these nasty property investors bought all these houses back in the day before my day and are now wanting more than three times what they paid...

It's just the way life is.

Yes. As I posted as part of a longer blog post a while back...

------------------------

You wouldn’t go into a car dealership and expect to emerge with a new vehicle for a fraction of its market value because you were a poor student and that was “all you could afford”. Nor would you expect a jeweller to magically hand over his diamonds for pennies because you were a charity or non-profit. Yet for some people the usual rules of capitalism seem to fly out the window when it comes to domain names.

We receive more than our fair share of enquiries from people who make the fundamental mistake of believing that because they can’t pay much for a given domain name (due to being poor / students / a charity / a non-profit / a startup / cash-strapped – DELETE AS APPROPRIATE) therefore we should sell it to them at a knock-down price.

While it’s true some businesses do offer preferrential rates to certain groups such as students or older people, these discounts are inevitably minor and designed to provoke repeat business. Domain sales on the other hand are one-off transactions, just like most other large-ticket sales.

Bottom line, the price of a domain name is not predicated on the ability of a particular buyer to pay for it. Cause and effect are preserved.

 

[BeachLife]

This is a frustrated rant from a passionate fisherman / web developer / Internet geek.

I'd like to combine these "lives" and build a portal for fishing news, fishing clubs, tackle reviews but most importantly I want it to be a portal where people who are interested in taking up the sport can find out about their local clubs and the places they can fish; getting youngsters involved in the sport is very important to me.

You can do all those things with a FTR domain, or one of the many decent names that go for £xxx on the forum and DomainLore these days. Try to think laterally about a name that means something to those in the sport.

If what you create is good enough to really interest those in the sport then it will attract attention with time, the domain will not matter a damn.

 

[DomainM]

Once you have a successful website you can always upgrade. Many people use a prefix/suffix, this then allows you to shorten the domain once you've identified where to make the money. Use the funds to build your project.

 

[spiderspider]

You can do all those things with a FTR domain, or one of the many decent names that go for £xxx on the forum and DomainLore these days. Try to think laterally about a name that means something to those in the sport.

+1 on this.

If you create a wanted ad, as previously suggested, you'll see what members have available and the pricing. Some members will offer domains that are 'thinking out the box' others will offer domains that are so far out the box their in another galaxy and you're left wondering they offered you dogfoodchoices when you wanted fishing domains.

But it might help get the brain ticking, and you may find a good one, or a good idea for a FTR one.

EMDs are still good (debate in another thread), but brands can also work well

 

[doolallys]

I tried to purchase the same name a few years ago. The site hasn't changed since then either!! No joy - they're happy to sit on it and let it appreciate.

 

[martin-s]

let it appreciate.

Interesting question that though. I would say that domain prices are a long way from their peak.

 

[Kari]

i tried to purchase this years ago ( about 8 ) , he wanted 12k for it back then

 

[Kari]

wow looks like the site hasnt changed at all