Can gTLD / nTLD Pre Registration Lists Help You Find Good Domain Names?

Elliot Silver
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With the new TLDs coming soon(ish), domain registrars like 101 Domain, 1&1, Name.com, and others have been taking pre-reservations. While these are non-binding, it gives the registrars and TLD applicants some decent data about what the demand will be like when these TLDs come on the market. I wonder if this data would be helpful to domain investors today who want to find domain names that will be in demand in the future.

Rick Schwartz posted an article today that got me thinking about something related to these pre-registrations. He mentioned that he was surprised that .Online appears to be popular because of the little traffic his various -Online.com domain names receive. I am sure that will change once .Online domain names are available and used.

That said, I wonder if there’s an opportunity today for

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Place Your Backorders Everywhere

Elliot Silver
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18

On occasion, an exceptional domain name will expire and enter pending delete status. Most often (from my perspective), one of the leading auction websites, like NameJet or Snapnames, will catch the domain name, and it will be entered into an auction with many bidders.

Sometimes, neither one of these large auction houses will capture the domain name, and it will be caught by another auction house, by a private company, or by a drop catching service that awards the domain name to the first and only backorder. This happens when the

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Have Numeric Domain Values Peaked?

Elliot Silver
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22

 

Just before the summer, I wrote an article about the increase in demand for (and value of) numeric domain names. It seemed that just about every domain aftermarket and broker newsletter had 3 and 4 number .com domain names for sale at prices that continued to increase week in and week out for quite some time.

I just saw the above embedded tweet from Ryan Colby, a seasoned domain broker and founder of Outcome Brokerage. It seems that Ryan may have observed that the numeric domain name aftermarket has hit its peak and may be in a decline (possibly short term). As a domain broker, he would likely be in a good position to observe this, as he is in contact with buyers and sellers all day.

I personally do not own any numeric domain names and haven’t been looking to buy any. I have seen auctions and sales posts for them, and it seems the prices continue to rise. Perhaps more are coming on the market as a result of domain owners wishing to cash out a high prices?

Whatever the case is, it is interesting that Ryan has made this observation. I am interested in knowing what you think about the market for numeric domain names right now. Has it hit a peak? Is it “resting?” Is Ryan wrong?

What are your thoughts?

When Bidding on an Auction, See Comps to Find Better Deals

Elliot Silver
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One of my primary domain acquisition sources is NameJet auctions. I have found some good deals when buying on NameJet, and I am involved in many auctions each day. I want to share a tip that I use to help guide some of my purchases.

When I am bidding on an auction, I use comparable sales and comparable sale listings to help guide my purchase, in addition to my own gut feel for names. If I notice other recent sales have been for much more money, I might be willing to spend more on a particular domain name.

Comparable sale listings on marketplaces like Sedo and Afternic are also important data points to consider, and I will share my rationale with you using two of my company’s domain names as an example.

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Stay In Touch With a Domain Owner

Elliot Silver
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If you are really jazzed about a particular domain name that isn’t for sale, you should do your best to keep in touch with the domain owner in the event that circumstances change and the domain name goes on the market.

I’ve been looking to buy a particular domain name for several years. It’s not an amazing domain name, but it’s a pretty exceptional category defining domain name, and there are thousands of professionals in the field. The domain name has never been developed (or parked), and it is owned by an end user who thinks he will use it eventually, although it appears unlikely.

Every few months, I send the guy a

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Include a Trademark When You Buy a Domain Name

Elliot Silver
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A friend in the business told me about an exceptional domain name he had just acquired, and as we were discussing potential buyers, he noticed that the company had an abandoned trademark for the domain name. It was the exact .com trademark, and had it been live, it might have made a nice extra piece of intellectual property to include with a subsequent sale.

I hadn’t really thought about doing this before my conversation, but when you are buying a domain name from someone who has owned it for a while, it might behoove you to do a trademark search at the USPTO to see if that person happens to have a trademark. If there is an active trademark, be sure to include it in the deal.

One reason this is a good idea is

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