This weekend, in preparation for a scavenger hunt hike with our kids, I got a bit sidetracked and began looking up associated domain names. One domain name I came across stood out to me because of the landing page that was shown:
This was surprising to me because I know the longtime domain registrant, and I can see the domain name utilizes Bodis nameservers. Not only are there no PPC links like other domain names, the “for sale” inquiry banner and link are also missing from the landing page.
I have always appreciated how Atom.com CEO Darpan Munjal has been willing to share data freely. It’s helpful to see what types of domain names are selling across his platform and to understand how people are finding domain names to buy.
Darpan has also been willing to engage with domain investors on X. Yesterday morning, Darpan opened up an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on X. He invited people to pose questions to him, and he has been answering them. Darpan said he will continue answering questions through the weekend, so if there’s anything you would like to know about his platform or domain name sales / marketing in general, now would be a good time to ask:
The other day, I consolidated some .com domain names at GoDaddy prior to the most recent Verisign price increase. When I tried to approve the transfers at NameBright, I encountered an error message that prevented me from transferring the domain names to GoDaddy.
I reached out to NameBright support, and I was directed to try and approve the transfers on the legacy website. NameBright recently launched a new platform, but it still operates the older platform at Legacy.NameBright.com. I logged in to my account on the legacy platform, navigated to the transfer authorization screen, and the transfers were immediately released after I approved.
You are likely aware by now, but the price of .com domain names is increasing again on Sunday, September 1, 2024. Verisign is raising the wholesale cost by 7%, as permitted in its registry agreement. Retail domain registrars will likely pass along the price increase to customers, but it could be more than 7%.
If you want to take advantage of current pricing, you should renew the .com domain names before the price increase. You may also consider transferring domain names for the same savings. Domain registrars sometimes bill customers for transfers upon completion, so it may be too late depending on where the domain names are registered.
This past week, I transferred more than 50 .com domain names to GoDaddy that I held at various registrars following expiry auction wins. My preference is to keep nearly all of my domain names in one account to ensure they don’t get “lost.” The Verisign price increase is an impetus for bringing more of my domain names into a single account at one registrar.
Thanks to Brian Wick for the article suggestion.
Today is the (first) day. John Berryhill and I are riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge to raise funds for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. This is my 11th PMC ride and John’s 6th ride.
The PMC is making a difference in the lives of patients at Dana-Farber and around the world. The funds we raise support the innovative work of doctors, nurses, and scientists in their search for cures for cancers and related diseases. Dana-Farber is one of the top three cancer institutions in the world, and over the last 10 years, has helped develop nearly one in four FDA-approved cancer drugs in the US. The PMC is Dana-Farber’s single largest contributor, accounting for 62 percent of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue.
This year with the help of domain investment industry friends and colleagues, John and I have raised nearly $21,000. I would be delighted to add more people to our list of domain industry colleagues who are supporting us. My fundraising goal for the year is $18,000, and I am about $3,500 away from hitting it.
On Sunday, John and I will proudly wear a special domain industry PMC jersey with the logos of supporters. John and I appreciate everyone who has helped us help Dana-Farber. It is a fantastic organization with a critically important mission.
I would imagine the average sell through rate (STR) for most domain investors is below 3%. If you have a domain portfolio with 1,000 domain names, that would amount to 30 domain name sales per year. If the rate is much higher, I think it probably means the seller’s prices are too low. The trouble with this, in my opinion, is the difficulty in replacing these assets once sold.
Mike Cyger posted a poll on X asking people if they have self-doubt about their domain investing strategy and tactics:
Do you ever have self-doubt about your domain investing strategy and tactics?
— Michael Cyger (@MichaelCyger) July 30, 2024
