Mike Mann on Sedo .CO Auction

As you may or may not be aware, many of the domain names in yesterday’s .CO domain auction held at Sedo are owned by legendary domain investor, Mike Mann. Mike was the founder of Buy Domains, which he sold to NameMedia, and he currently operates DomainMarket.com. He remains the largest non-institutional shareholder in NameMedia, and he is an active philanthropist with Grassroots.org.

Aside from Sedo and perhaps the .CO Registry, Mike and his company had the most on the line with this auction. I asked him for some comments on it, and he was kind enough to reply.

“The domain auction space has always been a joke, one can buy 100,000 underpriced dotcoms at DomainMarket.com for $350 each without auctioning a thing; and the name will get transferred almost immediately at no charge.

If one wanted a real domain auction in this illiquid, poorly understood, occasionally fraudulent space it could only include the very best names, at the very best prices and be promoted heavily to the outside world. This is in fact what is represented in the winning domains of the .co auction, however its not clear if the incredibly good final prices had domainer buyers, or the outside world actually bought.

In general the outside world does not want to speculate in domains and if they did it would be .com 95% of the time if they were smart. (Its scarier than buying futures on Wall Street) And because the more people develop other TLDs, the more valuable the brand and traffic will be at the same dotcom. And dotcom super premium domains are almost a sure thing over time if they are as underpriced as they are now. Buy the very very best .Co and .Net and .Us, etc, but 95% of the time buy up all the best dotcoms if you want a future payout.

1. Smart people got fantastic bargains on auction:
2. Music.co $30,000 USD
3. Shop.co $22,000 USD
4. Love.co $20,000 USD
5. CreditCard.co $17,000 USD
6. Pizza.co $15,000 USD
7. Download.co $10,099 USD
8. Vodka.co $10,000 USD
9. Soccer.co $5,000 USD
10. Recipes.co $5,600 USD
11. MP3.co $3,350 EUR ($4,557 USD)
12. Touchscreen.co $800 USD
13. Distributors.co $250 USD

I think all those sales above are about 20% of what the names “should” be worth to a corporation who needs them in context, discounted to todays value. If they were .com they would be worth 100 times that, too big of a margin, should be about a 20 times spread

Elliot Silver
Elliot Silver
About The Author: Elliot Silver is an Internet entrepreneur and publisher of DomainInvesting.com. Elliot is also the founder and President of Top Notch Domains, LLC, a company that has closed eight figures in deals. Please read the DomainInvesting.com Terms of Use page for additional information about the publisher, website comment policy, disclosures, and conflicts of interest. Reach out to Elliot: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

59 COMMENTS

  1. I don’t get what he is saying!

    He spoke about dotcom being king, while implying that its a waste of time to buy other extensions, then he states how those buyers get a bargain by paying ridiculous prices for an extension that may go no where.

    what is sure is that either those buyers are extreme winners, or they are extreme losers.

  2. It’s easy for someone to say those are great deals when they own 100,000s of thousands of domains and can afford to hold those names until end users come knocking.

    For the majority of investors, $20k for a domain would consume their entire budget and is a huge liability if they can’t resell it or hold it for a long period.

    This is another example of someone who ‘go lucky’ during the 90s hand registering names and is clueless about today’s domaining strategies.

  3. Mixed message at best, only buy premium domains, unless your shopping domain market where the majority of domains under $100 are never going to get a single direct type-in.

  4. @ dcmike

    I disagree. Mike sold off BuyDomains, keeping a few strategic names. He then built up another significant portfolio, which now operates on DomainMarket.com. I would bet he sells tens of thousands of dollars worth of these names every single week, many of which have been hand registered in the 2000s, not the 1990s.

    I think you can ask any professional domain investor like Berkens, Schilling, Schwartz, Ham…etc, and they will agree that Mann is one of the best domain analysts there is today.

    BTW, I think Rick S once said something to the affect of, if I had a list of 10,000 domain names, there are only a few people who could pick the best 10 and those people would probably choose mostly the same names. Mike Mann is one of those guys who can really analyze names.

    I am sure he has some crappy looking names in his portfolio, but who doesn’t? In looking at Afternic’s sales report that had $460k in sales, I think the majority of sales were names I personally would deem crappy…. those are $10 names selling for $2k or more. You can earn a fantastic living doing that every week 😉

  5. @ mrx

    That matters very little to a guy who wants to start a business (or owns one) with the same name. He just wants to create his home online, and if he can get it for under $1k, even better for him.

  6. @ elliot

    End-user possibilities seem big with this extension. Taking people the names they wish they had in .com for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars is a dream for both end users and domainers. It may not be a sit-back-and-get-rich scenario in this market. But the opportunities abound.

  7. @ Elliot Agreed but most of the domains listed aren’t worth 1k, 4ever.net for $2,000? There are a few gems but Mike isn’t doing this to help some guy who wants to sell stereo’s.

    What’s mike really saying? Buy premium .com’s if you want a return.

  8. As for the July 20th, what we’ll see will be people dropping all the garbage they have and renewing only the valuable ones. At this point I’m sure many have already renewed some of their best domains using the Christmas promotions (for example at GoDaddy) like I did.

  9. People can spin it however they want. The auction flopped.

    There were $160K in total sales for the best of the best .CO.

    Domains like Pizza.co only sold for $15K, Music.co $30K. If that is the benchmark what is the average quality .CO worth? Close to nothing.

    Brad

    • I personally would rather see lower results now than big numbers that would be indicative of a bubble. IMO, names won’t have significant value until consumers adopt. Some people are making calculated risks that it happens, similar to when guys like Rick Schwartz were paying $10-50k for names in the 1990s that most people thought was crazy. Sure, they could have lost money but some of the biggest bettors made the most money by selling now. Perhaps in 10-15 years if domain names are trading for significantly more, we will feel badly that Rick sold Candy.com for “only” $3m. Had Rick paid $100k for Candy.com in the 1990s people would have laughed.

      I would bet .com pioneers like Rick and Mike and others were mocked and laughed at when they spent big sums of money back then. Just my opinion as an observer and not a buyer.

  10. With the .mobi fiasco still fresh in so many minds, I was not at all surprised by the results of the Sedo auction. The
    results were not bad, they were a disaster!

    I won’t be surprised if misleading statements such as calling .co (company, commerce, etc) leads to lawsuits later when investors realize they have been mislead.

    Lets start calling .co what it is, a ccTLD for Colombia!

  11. Mike Mann is very clever guy…….
    but just look when he registered his .co`s !
    I would like to see him registering these domains in July not in February.
    Guy like Mike lost contact with reallity years ago and they cannot understand average domainers.
    He forgot to say buy best, best for just as little as 800,000USD

  12. I agree with Elliot. If the auction had ended with huge sales to domainers like Flowers.mobi bought for $200,000 by Rick Schwartz, everyone would have said there’s a huge bubble waiting to burst (and they would have been right, since that’s what basically happened with mobi). In this auction I’ve seen savvy and cautious buyers paying what great keywords in a new and unproven TLD are worth. They were perfectly in line with the current market of .CO

  13. @ Peter

    “Guy like Mike lost contact with reallity years ago and they cannot understand average domainers.”

    If Mike is selling to and targeting end users, why does he need to understand domainers.

    Shit, I don’t understand some so called domainers either.

  14. @Elliot

    Once vanity TLDs hit (like .inc or .music), consumers and investors will completely forget .co. This pony has 1-2 years left at best before being drown out.

  15. @ dcmike

    And I believe once consumers start using vanity urls, they will understand the difference between .CO and .COM. Right now, most would not understand it.

  16. Curious Elliot as to why you have a ‘leaning’ towards ‘maybe theres a shot of this ext. being something’, than you have with older and other new extensions?!? It’s a mismarketed, overpriced, and obvious a typo/leaning ‘cctld’, plain and simple, that’s really more confusing than other extensions. By your statement(s) above, which can be applied for/to ‘any’ new extension scenarios, just made me curious to your reasonings, as I’ve never seen you post such for others.

  17. what i dont understand is, how come a guy like Mike went to the auction now with all this .co domains? Warren Buffet once said “buy when nobody is buying,and sell when nobody is selling”.I think the auction turn up for the better of .co.The extension needs to prove its self in the yrs to come.Belive it or not the auction turn in Mike’s favor,he’s better off keeping them,and sell them later.
    I have lots of .COs and i did not sell one.I want to wait,then sell.

  18. @ Elliot

    “If Mike is selling to and targeting end users, why does he need to understand domainers”

    I did not say he has to understand domainers…

    ” .. but 95% of the time buy up all the best dotcoms if you want a future payout.”

    I got impression he gave advice here and some people did not like what he said . If I am mistaken, sorry for that

    His advices are very good but first I have to buy his book ` make million, make change`( or maybe two books, as I need two milliinons) and then I take his advice and buy best, best dotcom. How many of you guys can buy best,best .com ?

    Elliot you said in other post

    “.Mobi doesn’t really make sense to most people, where .CO would. Keep in mind that there are already many .CO in use (.CO.UK, .CO.IL….etc).”

    I have been living in london and believe me single guy did not heard of .co unless domain investor. English culture is very specific and they do not change anything.

    Elliot you seems okay guy. I am new here and I am not english native but read a lot. I read your articles few times and I have noticed when any well-know person e.g Wardi, Schwardz, Latona ,Mann saying something you very strongly defend them
    In Europe some people would say you lick their asses.
    I know its good to get on well with those people, for many reasons but please do not be so visible.
    Of course I can be wrong . I really do not care about that but I thought you should know because you will be loosing in people`s eyes later on.

    Ps I believe .co has still big chance

  19. I sold

    Breakout.co

    yesterday for $550 to an end user.

    I was going to develop it myself this summer as a fun site but this business had Breakout in their name so they wanted bad.

    I’m going to keep an eye on what they develop it out to.

    Do you think this was a good sale at a good price ?
    or do you think I should have gotten more ?

  20. I personally think Mike Mann did this for promotion and marketing rather than actual selling. He may have priced those domains with such high reserves to either keep them or sell them quickly with his perceived value of it.

  21. @ Robert Cline real Name, James Kim

    Lying again! This crap is still registered to you BS punk ass
    —————–

    You could sell it to some one in Jail, NOT! (Ha)(Ha)
    —–

    Domain Name BREAKOUT.CO
    Domain ID D2291654-CO
    Sponsoring Registrar GODADDY.COM, INC.
    Sponsoring Registrar IANA ID 146
    Registrar URL (registration services) http://www.godaddy.com
    Domain Status clientDeleteProhibited
    Domain Status clientRenewProhibited
    Domain Status clientTransferProhibited
    Domain Status clientUpdateProhibited
    Registrant ID CR53798077
    Registrant Name James Kim
    Registrant Organization THIS DOMAIN IS FOR SALE
    Registrant Address1 1503 N. Regal, Suite 200
    Registrant City Spokane
    Registrant State/Province Washington
    Registrant Postal Code 99207
    Registrant Country United States
    Registrant Country Code US
    Registrant Phone Number +1.5098693989
    Registrant Email jkim@epier.com
    Administrative Contact ID CR53798093
    Administrative Contact Name James Kim
    Administrative Contact Organization THIS DOMAIN IS FOR SALE
    Administrative Contact Address1 1503 N. Regal, Suite 200
    Administrative Contact City Spokane
    Administrative Contact State/Province Washington
    Administrative Contact Postal Code 99207
    Administrative Contact Country United States
    Administrative Contact Country Code US
    Administrative Contact Phone Number +1.5098693989
    Administrative Contact Email jkim@epier.com
    Billing Contact ID CR53798102
    Billing Contact Name James Kim
    Billing Contact Organization THIS DOMAIN IS FOR SALE
    Billing Contact Address1 1503 N. Regal, Suite 200
    Billing Contact City Spokane
    Billing Contact State/Province Washington
    Billing Contact Postal Code 99207
    Billing Contact Country United States
    Billing Contact Country Code US
    Billing Contact Phone Number +1.5098693989
    Billing Contact Email jkim@epier.com
    Technical Contact ID CR53798085
    Technical Contact Name James Kim
    Technical Contact Organization THIS DOMAIN IS FOR SALE
    Technical Contact Address1 1503 N. Regal, Suite 200
    Technical Contact City Spokane
    Technical Contact State/Province Washington
    Technical Contact Postal Code 99207
    Technical Contact Country United States
    Technical Contact Country Code US
    Technical Contact Phone Number +1.5098693989
    Technical Contact Email jkim@epier.com
    Name Server NS03.DOMAINCONTROL.COM
    Name Server NS04.DOMAINCONTROL.COM
    Created by Registrar GODADDY.COM, INC.
    Last Updated by Registrar GODADDY.COM, INC.
    Domain Registration Date Fri Jul 30 20:02:29 GMT 2010
    Domain Expiration Date Fri Jul 29 23:59:59 GMT 2011
    Domain Last Updated Date Fri Jul 30 20:02:30 GMT 2010

  22. Guys, I always call it like I see it for worse or for worse. If I was merely promoting I would say .co is the best thing ever since I have the best of them, listed at aux.com and domainmarket.com. The $350 domains I was telling the truth about and everything else, in my opinion, which is all that was asked of me. As far as luck, I have worked more hours and taken more risk than anyone, tinkered, tried, tested, and hired everything and everyone. And my book is free if you want to make millions yourself MakeMillions.com. My team built BuyDomains.com the hard way, DomainMarket.com is very similar to it now. Copy me, ignore me, call me a liar, I dont care. But you should make millions and change the world while you are still here.

  23. I like and respect Mike’s knowledge, experience, and insight.

    But as someone above pointed out, this seems like a mixed message to me as well.

    Me thinks Mike may perhaps have come to a fork in the road … and took it.

    Which we all do on occasion; me included. 😉

  24. I work for Mike personally at domainmarket and while we do not always agree and sometimes I seriously don’t have a clue what he is talking about he knows what he is doing when it comes to purchasing domains that will sell. He has domains that are priced at what would seem outrageous prices 2-5k or more for a 3 word domain that I wouldn’t pay $25 for. 3 days later after I see the price I end up selling it to a company that thinks they are a getting a great deal. He is more about finding that right person or company for a specific domain instead of trying to find a common domainer or collector who is interested in the domain. He is very good at analyzing and purchasing what will profit him. Of course he will purchase domains that he may never sale but he definitely knows what he is doing. His take is that the .com will always be the number one choice but if you do purchase in other extensions make sure its only killer domains.

  25. Question:

    If Mike thinks these .Co domains – with the very best Keywords – are so great an asset….Why is he selling them?

    Answer:

    Because during the hype period he might make some kind of profit on them…

    ….His gut feel tells him what most of us already sense – ie that .Co domain investments have no sustainable future.

  26. The .co auction was disappointing, nowhere near the $800K + .tv sedo/verisign auction produced a few months back. I am surprised they did not have more spanish .co names in there.

    As always time will tell, and I will hold my 5 .co but won’t put even 1 more cent in .co

  27. @ Jim

    .TV was introduced way back in 1996 and Demand Media started marketing it close to 5 years ago. .CO has been around and marketed for around 7 months or so. I would expect sales from a well established extension to do better than this new one.

    It will be interesting to see how .CO catches on and whether it overtakes .TV in a few years, since .TV seems to be very specific to video/television and .CO is targeted to a more general audience.

  28. @Elliot,

    I hope your right because I am sitting on some gems in .co such as Peliculas.co (Movies in spanish) and Vacacion.co (Vacation in spanish) and I like to see people do well in new extensions.

    IMO, the best upside/ROI in .co is in the spanish language and they would of done much better in the auction in they had more spanish names to fit the language of the .co extension. I think 7 out of 15 of the spanish .co sold.
    As always, time will tell.

  29. Could someone please slap some sense in me BEFORE I go buying lots of these .co domains.

    Why? I just cannot help seeing the potential by putting a ‘The’ in front e.g.

    TheFood.Co, TheHire.Co, TheSandwich, TheDomain.Co…

    If I was a small business start-up…big graphics on the side of my van…etc etc

    Shoot me down purlease. I’m just about holding the buying mist at bay…

  30. I totally agree with Joe’s point of view :). By the way someone Rich has mentioned a great quote by Buffet “buy when nobody is buying,and sell when nobody is selling” that is one of the top rules of stock market.

    Ok the auction wasn’t great, but let time handle it. We can’t judge an extension only by one single auction. Otherwise we could also judge it according to the top sales that already have been made (o.co, t.co and so on).

    p.s: agree with Mike, I sold touchscreen but I have to admit that putting that domain in such an auction was a big decision for me. Finally I prefered some cash to do a vacation with friends 😛

  31. I did not list any of my .COs for this auction and deeply regret not buying up more lll.CO. That said, I would also like to have sold at least one at a price that covered both last years and this years registrations. Rejecting offers at this stage seems like as much of a gamble as buying the rascals in the first place.

    @Peter – Your whole “English never change” their ways is absolute nonsense. Every on-site news reporter has an iPad, even Vicars are giving sermons with notes on their iPhones. I would like folks to read my mini-essay which I posted a couple of days back. I would just like to copy and paste but Elliot would probably delete it as spam.

    I agree with Peter that not many of the public know of dotco yet. Emphasis on the yet. The superbowl is shown here but its on late and American Football isnt that popular. On the upside for ccTLD I’d say that .tv is SURGING in awareness and visibility right now. Our Channel 5 and its family of channels(which shows CSI, House, The Mentalist, Law&Order), sits at home on five.tv. Proportionally they take up about 10-15% of company URLs shown on televsion. No-one thinks “oh! Tuvalu”the same way no-one will think “oh! Columbia!”.

  32. @ Cline
    Thanks for that list. Good to see what people are doing with theirs.

    One interesting thing I’ve read here is the expected effect of vanity extensions on .com and .co. Now from my understanding, this will be in order to further personalise a domain, distancing it from the 3 letters:
    c o m OR n e t OR o r g, which are primarily due to the existing system rather than out of any exclusive desire for them. Thus surely in a new age of minimisation co will trump com for new registrations. Not only because of its length but because of the exposure that will be gained from these new .com alternatives!

  33. Just read that back. It sounded a bit robotic. Here are some inserts for clarity’s sake:

    -…my understanding, these vanity extensions will be introduced in order…

    -… are primarily there due to the existing system rather than because people want them there. Thus surely…

  34. @RH,

    I got Peliculas.co when it first became available through I think it was the Landrush period. I got 5 really strong .co spanish names, but the traffic sucks, maybe 1-2 type-ins a day, and I can’t even get my dog to make an offer on them. I will keep them, but I wouldn’t buy 1 more .co name IMO, better money spent elsewhere. That IMO, and good luck for those who do.

  35. Why am I selling the .co domains if they are so great? Am I really shorting them in that sense? Answer: Everything is always for sale, I have sold few because they are so very valuable and the market so illiquid that people havent paid me enough. Like I said only the very very best of the nondotcoms are viable for speculation in my estimation, but I have sold more names than anyone on earth so its probably a good bet. In fact I will sell you SEO.com or Phone.com if you have 25M. Selling in to strength not weakness.

  36. Well I think the .Co is great! I am looking at four or five years out anyway for the .Cos that I have purchased. As we all know the internet is just going to get larger. I will probably develop all into websites some day. I believe the .Co is here to stay and may have a great future.
    I own
    Cabins.Co ,
    EZ8.Co,
    Granbury.Co,
    Bigfoots.Co
    Screams.Co
    TieATie.Co
    Tie-A-Tie.Co
    Haunted-House.Co
    Plus a few more. All I can say is this has been a lot of fun and is a very interesting time for the internet.

  37. @ Mike Mann

    Yes, I agree, everything’s always for sale – at a price – and, its about judgement calls, at any one time, of course.

    I guess, if I owned the very best keyword .Co domains, like Music.Co, CreditCards.Co, or, Pizza.Co – and, I TRULY believed in the viability of a future market for .Co domains – there’s no way I would sell these kind of keyword domains – now – for $30k, or $17k, or whatever – even to take a profit……Like you say, with Phone.com – the right keyword – in the right extension – can be worth millions.

    I think you were smart to take your profit on those .Co domains NOW, Mike…. 🙂

    Btw….You can have my PHONE.Me for $100k – to go with your Phone.com – if you have the cash…

  38. chris@
    you wrote…”His gut feel tells him what most of us already sense – ie that .Co domain investments have no sustainable future”

    Then you wrote” I TRULY believed in the viability of a future market for .Co domains – there’s no way I would sell these kind of keyword domains – now – for $30k, or $17k, or whatever – even to take a profit”

    So make up your mind.Is there a future in .co or isn’t there a future .The way i see it you Chris are just envy.

  39. @ Rich…

    This sentence in my post above (” – and, I TRULY believed in the viability of a future market for .CO domains – …”), SHOULD have read:

    “… – and…IF…I TRULY believed in the viability of a future market for .CO domains…”

    I would have thought the context made it clear what point I was making…so, no inconsistency.

    Envy? Exactly the opposite, Rich….I’m pleased that Mike probably made a tidy profit on these great keyword domains.

    …My point, of course, is only that if an experienced domain investor like Mike lets a domain like Music.Co go for $30k now, it means that he doesn’t believe in the longer term prospects for the .Co extension (otherwise he’d hang on to a name like Music.Co until its worth 6, or 7, figures).

    I’m alerting .Co investors to the ‘between the lines’ message I see from Mike’s move to sell these high quality keyword domains now….ie take your profit on .Co asap….There is unlikely to be a great market for them in the future, when the hype dies down. That’s all.

  40. @Chris

    you wrote:”otherwise he’d hang on to a name like Music.Co until its worth 6, or 7, figure”
    That’s what i don’t understand too,but me and you and the rest of the world don’t need to know his motives.He and his 5,10 names that he sold did not make a dent in the .co platform.The power in .co isn’t in the best 100 names,but in the .CO it self.Please remember that.

    Another thing,maybe he figured that by selling music.co for 30k wich today is 4000 .co’s (7.49 a pc)domains he will sell that in next 4 yrs at 3,000 a piece and that is big return,by my math is $12,000,000, yes, minus 120k reg. fee.In 4yrs from know you can not get the same domains you get now,quality wise.
    On top of that if music.tld is comeing in the next two years he would take a risk in holding it.
    So if you truly feel that he is smart business men,then learn from this situation.I know i have.

  41. @mrx

    I disagree that domains under $1000 won’t get a single type-in. CustomResumeService.com produced a single few type-in. The domain also generates “custome resume service” searches.

    It’s far from the top resume name, but one person actually typed the domain into the address bar. The domain is worth under a $1000. 1932quarter.com gets type-ins.

    1 1.06% customresumeservice.com

  42. I think making the investment right now in the dot.co’s is the way to go… even mike isn’t that good…. cheap investment right now. People are getting aware of the co’s

  43. Wow, lots of haters on here.
    Mike is the man and you got to give him props for selling those domains, which in turn helps the .CO extension. Hopefully, some of those names he sold will now be developed.

    Elliot is not an ass licker as mentioned above, but gives respect where respect is due. You could say the same about me for this post, but frankly I could care less what Elliot thinks about me as he has never made me any money and we don’t have a working relationship (not that it’s all about money here). Elliot gives solid advice to all of his followers and leads by example.

  44. What kills me with the people posting negative comments about the .Co is that they acknowledge the fact that they have heard about the .Co. So what dose that mean? People are finding out about the .Co and by posting something negative should just be another vote that someone else out there has heard about it.
    I have found out that many people that I talk to have heard about the .Co now. Just look how many posts are on this blog about the .Co LOL
    Lets hear it for marketing folks. The .co will do well so just keep posting negative comments and oh yeah dont forget to tell all of your friends about the .Co ok. LOL

  45. Just because people heard of the .co extension, that doesn’t mean it will do good. In my opinion, the auction did exactly what it intended to prove – the .co is not as great as advertised.

    People can make the distinction that these .co were sold at affordable prices. However, as greedy as people are in this business, there is reason to believe there is less value in the extension. People don’t sell future investments for peanuts. They will honor their reserve price.

    In the auction, the owner should have rejected the final prices. He can convey he’s contributing to the industry. I don’t believe that after seeing a certain price on a homeless domain. He’s in the business to make money like any other.

    I inquired about a film writing domain I wanted. The domain is parked. It was registered back in 1999. I wanted the domain to write about screenwriting content. The domain is probably worth about $6k. The site never generated above 70 unique. It has no traffic. I would prefer the screenwriting version instead of the one this owned has in their inventory.

    The owner wanted to work out a lease deal to own. The problem is that he believed to domain would command 6 figures. How in the world would I lease a domain he considers to be valued at 6 figures? And that domain is not worth more than $8k. There are many domain hoarder that block entrance into online business.

    I have to accept a few film domains to write content, knowing that the one I really need is unattainable. The rest of the film domains are being used as sites. That’s frustrating. In order to make pennies, you have to pay in gold bars.

    I realized last year there are many people that could care less about others. (IMO) When a person says they’re trying to help an industry, that’s BS. They are looking out for their own interests. They would be helping others with donating a domain, or giving another a chance to contribute information to a mass
    audience.

    The domain industry is a greedy business like any other. People will step on you to get ahead. You have to be direct and be able to take criticism to survive. When people say they care, they really are thinking it’s all about the money.

  46. I’m sure most have heard about Porter’s Five Forces. The elite domainers block entrance into online business because they control the category. They can ask whatever they want for a .com, knowing that only a few can afford to acquire the domain.

    I will never acquire a one word domain. I recently won a one word domain, but a few are saying there can be conflict with the domain, even though I make the distinction that there’s no connection and that I selected the keywords very carefully.

    I have to take risks. You need capital to compete against most domain investors. They can afford to beat you in an auction. It doesn’t matter whether they own thousands of domains, they will want more to sell at higher prices.

    I want to increase awareness about homeless. I have a MA Degree in a field that is related to homeless. There’s no way I can afford a 6 figure price tag. I have a BA in Film, but I knowi can’t pay 6 figures for a 4 figure domain. Because I decided to take the education route, I set the tone for my struggles.

    I don’t look back at the 90’s and the early 00’s. I’m looking at the present time. I located some good domains to put in the hands of the end-user. Many got great deals. My success is limited. I put in a ton of work.

    The top domain investors work in a oliogopoly. They control the domain industry. There are a few resume domains Frank owns that I want. I won’t even attempt to make an offer. I don’t have enough capital to meet his price expectations.

    The domains I want are unattainable. I can’t start an online business with what I own. I have some good domains, but they’re not elite domains. The domains I want are parked and have no real value other than to make revenue. Surely enough, revenue is the goal, though I want to also write about a few topics to contribute information.

    There’s a difference between one that says they’re writing to help people versus another that is really helping people. Revenue earnings will determine the difference. Small business are blocked to enter the online business unless they pay the money to acquire a quality domain name, or spend a fortune on SEO work and adwords.

    I think the domain industry is fair. People deserve to make money, especially when they are intelligent enough to find the gems. However, I can’t compete against these people. I can only hand register domains. I located good domains in a few niches. I know that in order to succeed, I will have to acquire premium domains at an inflated price.

    Furthermore, there are many good domains that drop. It takes a good eye to spot the quality domains. On the contrary, knowing the right people that will buy a domain also works in your favor. As times move on, and these people can no longer afford to buy, then you have to climb through the rumble to find the next buyer. Many people are frugal. The auctions demonstrate that people are forking out less.

    Every domain investor wants to make a sale. You can only buy so many domains before you run out of chips. You have to cash in your chips to improve your inventory. In my opinion, I don’t think the .co is a good investment. The owner can that his gems can sense that it’s time to sell a few at a time.

    On the opposing side, his tactic may be to increase interest in the industry because he owns better .co that will sell at higher prices. For the most part, I don’t believe in the “I’m helping an industry or I’m giving back to the people.”

    I don’t get any free rides. I have a 6 figure education debt. I have a lot of information, but it does nothing to improve my situation. People will not buy a domain out of pity. They only want what will make them a roi. There’s very few people that actually care about others. These people will make the effort to help.

    The land rush proved that only a few could acquire the best .co. I purchased a handful, but they’re not going to translate into big sales. I rely on the .com to perform. I’m writing these long posts because I’m frustrated about the screenwriting and homeless domain. I’ll never be able to invest that kind of money knowing it will never work in my favor. We all have to work toward success.

    I’ll have to work with what I own now. Thanks.

  47. It will do great for others. However, I can’t take a risk to wait. I’m looking to sell Qrt.co, resumeservices.co, and a few other tourist spots. I would rather survive than wait on luck.

    I will only retain one .co to build. It’s a one word medical position. I can target jobs, programs, and tips. I believe it will be a good website. I can write content. I know many writers that can also contribute. I’m going to build my resume, job andeducation sites. Thanks.

  48. .CO won’t go mainstream but grat names would benefit the owner in regards to online marketing because they can display the url and not have to worry about people accidentally going to the .com. For offline marketing such as brochures , cards, etc. It has to be strong enough to stand on its own regardless if .co takes off or not. Generic 1 WORD like homes.co etc. work for Both aspects online and off. If your a realtor and say your address is imdabestrealtor.com which is open if someone wants to register it:) Homes.co would help you greatly soo many possibilities, Magazine ? Anyways IT has to be good enough to stand alone, So Even when and if .co flops .co’s will keep resolving not hindering you from using it.

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