Let's Discuss My Domain Portfolio

[accelerator]

Hi Guys

Over the next few weeks I would like to try raising some cash relatively quickly from my domain portfolio. I'm going to be looking for end user level sales through some active marketing, and I'm already doing this for some names. However, I thought I'd ask others here which names you would pick out to market, and where you might try selling them, e.g. which online auction. This is partly to have an interesting discussion, and partly to encourage me to do some active selling, otherwise I get distracted building affiliate sites.

If you want to make any comments on any of my names, feel free. Equally, if newbies want to ask why I regged a particular name then feel free.

Thanks

 

[wb]

Out of all those, there are many I would disregard spending any time promoting.

I think you'll probably have the best luck in trying to sell the below. Whether you will achieve "end user" level sales though is something I'm not as sure on.

1. BasketballBetting.co.uk - Betting companies may want it as a 'vanity' domain if it's a decent enough price (Ladbrokes for example own FootballBetting.co.uk, although that probably gets not bad type-ins). If not, advertise in the usual places.
2. CheapCarInsurance.me.uk - Good search volume, but insurance companies won't be interested for obvious reasons. Someone on here would probably have it off you though.
3. ComedyDVDs.co.uk - Perhaps the person who bought your singular may want this.
4. DiningFurniture.org.uk - Has some search volume, could be profitable for an affiliate website. Either rank it and sell it to a merchant or let someone else build an affiliate website and do the work.
5. ITForums.co.uk - A lot of effort needed to start a forum, but you may find a taker on here with there being plenty of people involved in the industry.
6. JetHire.co.uk - Pitch it to the companies advertising on the term. Failing that, perhaps Sedo auction?
7. PaternityTest.org.uk - Extension doesn't look too bad for this one, try contacting the companies bidding on the term.
8. RareWines.co.uk - As with the jet hire domain, pitch it to the companies advertising on the term. Failing that, perhaps Sedo auction?

 

[WealdDomains]

Hi. Here are my initial personal thoughts on which ones are worth pursuing for a reasonable return :

- bundle the glucose/medical monitor(s) and approach Boots/Superdrug/Lloyds
- find some other Amazon DVD category names and bundle them with Comedy DVDs and approach HMV and Smiths
- there must be ambulance chasers out there willing to fight over free injury claims
- look at who is based at Biggin Hill and other highly executive-focused airports to find targets for the jet hire
- find a list of the second tier set of marketing companies through, say, the Institute of Marketing and approach them with expert marketing
- speculatively contact, say, Oz Clarke or Jilly Goolden to see if they would be interested in doing something with rare wines through their contacts/partnerships in the industry, or contact the Worshipful Company of Vintners in the City of London
- flog the xCode.biz ones quickly to jump on the bandwagon
- contact Cat Deeley's agent with a strategy to popularise the me.uk suffix for celebrities

There are several of the other names that I quite like, but I don't see how to make money in such a clear way ... and I was beginning to flag towards the end as you will have noticed ! Something like XML feed could be a basic Amazon books affiliate site or could be something worthy - but unremunerative - to do with open data. You might hit lucky with estate agents in Sandbanks too, but it depends who owns the killer domain names there already.

Oh, I nearly forgot two things :
- Tagger is the new UK successor to Facebook and Foursquare, and by encouraging you to hang onto it I would appreciate a ten percent shareholding in due course
- keep renewing the best of the hologram stuff as a potentially-wasted speculative approach so you don't kick yourself in the years ahead

Regards,
David

 

[WealdDomains]

Oops. Just re-read your post and realised you are asking for EXPERT advice rather than input from opinionated but unproven members. Therefore please ignore my previous reply !

David

 

[accelerator]

wb / WealdDomains - That's great feedback guys, thanks a lot. To provide some feedback:

BasketballBetting.co.uk - Have turned down a lowball offer on Sedo for this (£100 or so), nothing since, haven't been able to sell it on Acorn. I don't usually promote gambling so picked this up as an anomaly. I'm hoping basketball gets more popular!!

PaternityTest.org.uk - I am going to actively market this to companies over the next few days. Decided to use e-mail rather than letter in this case.

CheapCarInsurance.me.uk - I bought this on Acorn, but would only sell for a decent offer as too good to let go on the cheap. Would like to develop it myself time permitting.

Rgds

 

[accelerator]

Oops. Just re-read your post and realised you are asking for EXPERT advice rather than input from opinionated but unproven members. Therefore please ignore my previous reply !

David

Ha! I've amended the post to say "others" rather than "experts" as all comments are welcome!!

 

[accelerator]

WealdDomains - Re Tagger, do you know something I don't? Could this be big payday at last (oh please God, let it be so!!!)

Rgds

 

[accelerator]

JetHire.co.uk - I have offered this to a lot of companies by letter, couldn't get a sale. I think it's a great name. I will try ranking it (better), and then hope for the sale.

Rgds

 

[WealdDomains]

Sadly not ! However, it instantly gelled with me as a brandable domain in the social/geo space. Doing a quick UK Google on the word tagger brings up surprisingly poor exploitation of the word (generally I mean : that's not a personal dig) and the .com appears to be parked. I haven't looked into trademarks though.

PS : It's five percent per question, so that makes fifteen percent

David

 

[inbound]

A bit of negative stuff followed by positive...

I'm sorry to report that I don't see that many domains there that have decent sales potential, so building sites on them is probably the best way forward. The non .co.uk and .com domains are already hampered by their TLD/SLD because, being realistic, .co.uk and .com are where it's at.

The ones I would concentrate on selling:

ComedyDVDs.co.uk

GlucoseMonitor.co.uk / GlucoseMonitors.co.uk / MedicalMonitor.co.uk / MedicalMonitors.co.uk

JetHire.co.uk

All of the above suggest that they are "authority" sites on the subject area because they are the generic description.

My suggestion, to add to those of others, is to market directly to Adwords advertisers on the fact that the domain should increase click-through rates (which has numerous benefits for the CPC/position etc over time) - although there is the issue of changing from their current domain to the new one... getting a good grounding in adwords would probably help many domainers.

 

[doodlebug]

cashcompetitions sounds nice and could go to womans magazines such as real people and take a break, most of them magazines are owned by the same publisher so they could use it across the board so to speak.

bikeinsurance would be great for a tv ad, explain to the insurance companies that by using .tv they can easily keep track of how effective their tv marketing campaign is.

cruiseoffers as bikeinsurance

paternitytesting is brilliant, what a nice extension it sits on.

propertysandbanks is another nice one and with the prices the property goes for there I'm sure an agent could afford to buy the domain.

 

[lethal0r]

i used to have womensjewellery.org.uk, which was slooooooow to sell and got about £20 from what I recall. so i guess your .me would have similar difficulty.

 

[accelerator]

i used to have womensjewellery.org.uk, which was slooooooow to sell and got about £20 from what I recall. so i guess your .me would have similar difficulty.

It's womensjewellery.net that I have. I think this is one of my stronger domains which would appeal to an affiliate, but I'd have to put it into a prominent auction to achieve a good price I reckon.

Rgds

 

[accelerator]

bikeinsurance.tv - I've had a go at e-mailing companies, but didn't get a reply. I think in this case e-mail was probably the wrong method, and another go via letter might be attempted in the medium term. I think it's a great name, and hope to sell it eventually.

Rgds

 

[accelerator]

paternitytesting is brilliant, what a nice extension it sits on.

It's paternitytest.org.uk I have, but yes, I think it's a strong name, the extension suits it, and I'm going to send off some e-mails today to see if I can make a sale.

Rgds

 

[doodlebug]

It's paternitytest.org.uk I have, but yes, I think it's a strong name, the extension suits it, and I'm going to send off some e-mails today to see if I can make a sale.

Rgds

Why the hell did you not make an offer on Cazs' dnatest.org.uk last week and tests.org.uk recently went for free on Acorn what a nice set that would have made :|

Anyway good luck 8)

 

[accelerator]

Why the hell did you not make an offer on Cazs' dnatest.org.uk last week and tests.org.uk recently went for free on Acorn what a nice set that would have made :|

dnatest.org.uk - A good name as well, I didn't see the thread, must have been off the computer that day. Anyway, trying to have a selling phase rather than a buying phase.

Rgds

 

[Edwin]

Just a comment about presentation: I would have thought it's counter-productive to have an explanation of each domain name's potential use next to the name (e.g. "Br*t*shConcrete.co.uk - Name for a concrete business.") . Either they're generic enough to "speak for themselves" or they're not worth hanging on to. That applies more if you're trying to sell to end users, of course.

 

[accelerator]

Just a comment about presentation: I would have thought it's counter-productive to have an explanation of each domain name's potential use next to the name (e.g. "Br*t*shConcrete.co.uk - Name for a concrete business.") . Either they're generic enough to "speak for themselves" or they're not worth hanging on to. That applies more if you're trying to sell to end users, of course.

Well, I take your point. When I started adding names to the page, I thought it would be nice to give a little bit of a description. I agree that for some generic names you end up stating the obvious, but I decided to do it for consistency, so that all names had a bit of description. Some descriptions might get revisited when time allows.

Rgds

 

[Edwin]

Again from an end user sales perspective, you'd be better off with 2 completely separate sites. One can highlight the best of your .co.uk names, the other can have all the miscellaneous extension domains. Otherwise it's a bit like a jewellers that sells diamonds and costume jewellery on the same shelf!