Can domaining become a real job?

[DomainM]

I've been playing with domains for several years as a hobby, I've made some good xxx sales and met many interesting people.

I work as a designer/developer for a day job and have a real passion for branding. I enjoy developing brand concepts and helping businesses to find apt domains.

I would like to develop my interest into a real business. I have a few short questions for leading board members who have already turned their passion into businesses.

1. Is domaining a viable business in 2015?
2. Is it best to specialise in .uk only, or play the field with a mix of .uk and .com, .net, .org, .co etc?
3. Is it best to build your own domain brokerage website/brand or use marketplaces such as Sedo. Or best to use both?
4. Fixed pricing or price on application, which generates more sales?

 

[accelerator]

1. Is domaining a viable business in 2015?
2. Is it best to specialise in .uk only, or play the field with a mix of .uk and .com, .net, .org, .co etc?
3. Is it best to build your own domain brokerage website/brand or use marketplaces such as Sedo. Or best to use both?
4. Fixed pricing or price on application, which generates more sales?

1. That depends entirely on your personal skill level.

2. .com is best, just look at the prices.

3. Best to build your own domain brokerage website and be actively contacting end users.

4. Price on application. Setting the price of a domain is, in my opinion, somewhat arbitrary. Therefore, pricing high and then sussing out whether the buyer can afford it or not is a good strategy. If you offer fixed prices, you risk losing out on a potentially much bigger sale.

 

[DomainM]

Best to build your own domain brokerage website and be actively contacting end users.

When developing a brokerage website/brand is it best to use .uk even if you're looking to market other TLDs.

(I have a great single word brandable domain but only in .co.uk)

 

[accelerator]

When developing a brokerage website/brand is it best to use .uk even if you're looking to market other TLDs.

(I have a great single word brandable domain but only in .co.uk)

If I was starting again, I would use a .com for my domain portfolio site. However, the brand of your domain portfolio site plays a relatively small part in how successful you are. More important is how you identify domains and how you market them. So, going with a .uk would be fine, unless you are trying to be a Sedo or something, in which case I would go for the .com.

Rgds

 

[Adam H]

If you can sell Ice to eskimos you can probably make it sustainable with mediocre small sales with plenty of outreach ( although I doubt the UK market would be a focus ).

With a decent portfolio id imagine you'd have to rely on the big sales few and far between unless you had a continuous turn around of good domains.

Ive seen a number of people constantly selling high XX low XXX domains for small profit on a large scale but whether it actually makes money I couldnt be so sure as they must have huge surplus of domains which don't end up selling at all and huge amounts of time to turn them around.

 

[DomainM]

AdamH

Thanks for your honest feedback. As making money via domains seems unlucrative what keeps your interest going?

 

[Adam H]

AdamH

Thanks for your honest feedback. As making money via domains seems unlucrative what keeps your interest going?

Domains are more of a hobby for me, I'm no domainer and I do no outreach what so ever. I personally only aim to make 1 maybe 2 reasonable sales per year of average value high 3 figure low/mid 4 figure.

On top of that I cant sell Ice to Eskimos Id sell my entire stock if i thought it was a reasonable price.

 

[DomainM]

Thanks AdamH

 

[scottmccloud]

Does anyone think people on here are developing more rather than just out and out domaining?

 

[baldidiot]

4. Price on application. Setting the price of a domain is, in my opinion, somewhat arbitrary. Therefore, pricing high and then sussing out whether the buyer can afford it or not is a good strategy. If you offer fixed prices, you risk losing out on a potentially much bigger sale.

From a buyers perspective (we only really buy to develop, not sell) you're much more likely to get us to bite with a sensible fixed price.

Without a price if it's something we have alternatives for we'll go to those first and not even bother getting in touch. Unless it's something that would be very valuable to a project and in which case our first, and only, question will be: how much.

It may be different for end users who are emotionally attached to an idea though...

 

[accelerator]

I would say a key to profitable sales is to contact end users, then wait and see if you can find a motivated potential buyer. Then quote them a high price, and if they want it they'll buy, or otherwise make you a counter-offer. I would say this technique is quite important to making high profits, because otherwise, you can accidentally sell domains without maximising potential revenue. This can be the key to success as a domainer. The price of a domain is not fixed, it is an agreement between buyer and seller, so make sure you maximise your deal prices.

 

[scottmccloud]

I would say a key to profitable sales is to contact end users, then wait and see if you can find a motivated potential buyer. Then quote them a high price, and if they want it they'll buy, or otherwise make you a counter-offer.

Or they'll think you're a complete joke who doesn't have a clue about the value of what they're selling or you're trying to rip them off. Either way, you've much less chance of a decent sale than coming out with a well researched, competitive and fair price.

 

[DomainM]

Thanks for the feedback. It's great to have so many diverse opinions. What may work for some may not for others

 

[accelerator]

Or they'll think you're a complete joke who doesn't have a clue about the value of what they're selling or you're trying to rip them off. Either way, you've much less chance of a decent sale than coming out with a well researched, competitive and fair price.

Whether they think you are a joke or not, will depend largely on the quality of the domain you are offering them.

 

[BeachLife]

4. Price on application. Setting the price of a domain is, in my opinion, somewhat arbitrary. Therefore, pricing high and then sussing out whether the buyer can afford it or not is a good strategy. If you offer fixed prices, you risk losing out on a potentially much bigger sale.

If I was starting again, I would use a .com for my domain portfolio site.

I would say this technique is quite important to making high profits, because otherwise, you can accidentally sell domains without maximising potential revenue. This can be the key to success as a domainer.

Perhaps you could link to your domain portfolio site, as you appear to speak with some authority on this subject? Or have you never made a living as a domainer?

 

[accelerator]

Perhaps you could link to your domain portfolio site, as you appear to speak with some authority on this subject? Or have you never made a living as a domainer?

My portfolio site is given in my profile.

 

[BeachLife]

My portfolio site is given in my profile.

I shouldn't have asked, and I'm sorry I looked (my eyes!). I really should know better by now. I'll unsubscribe from this thread. It's just that your constant apparently reasonable sounding replies with no background of knowledge annoys the hell out of me.

I'm going on the 12 steps program. First step, admitting I am powerless over Accelerator's claptrap..

 

[Skinner]

Domaining as a pure domain only trade, if you have a wedge of cash to buy in and flip and you have an eye for it, you could make a borderline living but you need capital.

Domaining from minimal cash, starting today is hard work, and not sure its possible without starting as a hobby.

Domaining these days includes some developing, some holding, some flipping, and you can make a reasonable living from that.

*these views related to .uk, .com I don't know these days I'm out of touch.

 

[accelerator]

The other thing is, you're asking the question way after the big opportunities were available, i.e. the early days of .com, and to a lesser extent .co.uk, when you could pick up very good domains relatively cheaply. Now everyone has regged most of what is good already.

 

[DomainM]

The other thing is, you're asking the question way after the big opportunities were available, i.e. the early days of .com, and to a lesser extent .co.uk, when you could pick up very good domains relatively cheaply. Now everyone has regged most of what is good already.

Good point, I already own a selection of reasonable domains so my question really relates to whether marketing these domains via a portfolio is a worthy exercise and whether I should be looking to expand this hobby into a business.