Every once in a while, someone asks domain investors if there is a tool that would be helpful if it existed. I think it would be helpful if there was a domain name price monitoring tool. The tool would allow investors to keep a list of domain names listed for sale on Sedo, Afternic, Dan…etc. and notify them if the price hit a level they set or below. Investors could also have the option of being notified if a domain name gets listed for sale on a marketplace.

There are many names I see listed for sale on marketplaces that are priced above what I would pay for them. They are names I would love to add to my portfolio, but even the minimum offer is above what I would be willing to pay so I can’t express interest or make an offer at all. Domain name sellers may adjust prices from time to time, and unless I happen to come across the name around the same time, I will end up missing out on the opportunity.

Albert Schimmel, Owner and Founder of BuyMyName.com (and formerly of Sedo), shared a comic on LinkedIn that resonated with me. “A domain name is like a joke… if you have to explain it, it’s not that good”

You can see the comic on Albert’s LinkedIn page:

People don’t seem to understand that domain investing is a business, and domain investors run their businesses to make money. In the last handful of days, I was asked if I would be willing to ‘let [a domain name] go’ for offers that were not even close to what I paid to buy them.

In both instances, the prospective buyers were hopeful startup founders. Both of these offers, if you can call them that, involved two different one word .com domain names that have substantial liquid value.