Daily Poll

When I first started buying and selling domain names, I learned about DNJournal’s weekly sales reports, which archived the top publicly reported domain name sales. I had always wanted to have a sale that was large enough to be listed on DNJournal, and I was fortunate to have a few domain name sales listed a long time ago. These days, I keep my deals private, and it has been over six years since I last reported any sale publicly.

Although I keep my deals private, I am sure that others look at having a sale listed DNJournal as an honor and a mark of success. Some sales in DNJournal are reported by the marketplace, broker, or auction house (if privacy is not requested), and others are reported by one or both parties in the deal.

Have you had a sale published yet in DNJournal?

Each day, tens of thousands of domain names expire, and many will go to auction at GoDaddy Auctions, NameJet, SnapNames, and DropCatch.com. There are a number of tools that can be helpful for finding domain names coming up for sale in expiry auction.

I use the Basic account subscription at Dropping.com (I pay $49.95/month) to provide a customized list of domain names coming up for auction each day. The list is emailed to me first thing in the morning, and I scan the 1,000 or so domain names that meet a set criteria I have. I am sure there are plenty of other tools to find domain names, but that is the one I use every day.

Do you also use tools to find expiring domain names to bid on?

At many domain registrars, Whois privacy is a nice upsell opportunities. Some domain registrars, like Uniregistry (and now Namecheap) offer free Whois privacy for domain names registered there.

I have never been a big user of Whois privacy, but there have been times I used it at Uniregistry when I wanted to keep an acquisition or sale even more private than usual.

How often do you use Whois privacy?

Last poll question: Will Uber Buy Jump.com?

According to a Bloomberg article published this morning, “Uber said Wednesday it aims to bring its Jump bike rental service to Berlin before the end of this summer, with other European cities to follow soon after.” Jump uses the JumpBikes.com domain for its website. The brand match Jump.com domain name is owned by Microsoft, although the domain name does not resolve.

In my opinion, Jump.com is worth high six figures to low 7 figures. Its value lies in its brandability, but its price is dependent upon Microsoft’s interest in selling it (or lack thereof). When Uber needed Uber.com, it was able to buy the domain name. In addition, Microsoft seems to have a willingness to sell domain names on occasion.

Do you think Uber will buy Jump.com from Microsoft?

Yesterday I wrote about a conversation I had that made me feel a bit guilty about investing in domain names. It doesn’t happen often, but on occasion I will feel a tinge of guilt about domain investing. I think there is a parallel between investing in domain names and investing in real estate, but most people probably don’t look at it that way. When someone has had a bad domain name experience – I occasionally feel guilty for being a domain investor.

Do you ever feel guilty about the business of domain investing?

Last poll question: Do You Enjoy the Business of Domain Investing?

The business of domain investing is interesting. Some find the thrill of buying or selling a great domain name to be exhilarating. Some love the negotiation and dealmaking process. Some enjoy the camaraderie found at conferences, in domain forums, and even in blog comment sections.

Believe it or not, I know of a few people who invest in domain names but abhor the business. They don’t really find domain investing to be enjoyable beyond the money. On one hand, that seems a bit silly to be a domain investor but hate the business of domain investing, but on the other hand, there are tons of people who absolutely hate their jobs.

Do you enjoy the business of domain investing?

Last poll question: How Much is GDPR Impacting Your Domain Business?