When I am honing in on domain names to purchase at NameJet, I like to do a bit of research on their history. I use FreshDrop and DomainTools as my primary sources of information to learn more about these domain names.
One way I determine end user value is to try and figure out why the domain name expired. There’s a difference between a domain name expiring unintentionally and a domain name that was intentionally not renewed by the registrant, and knowing the reason for expiration can be helpful to me in determining value.
If an end user lets a domain name expire intentionally, it’s likely that they didn’t find the value in renewing it. If that company wouldn’t pay $10 – $35 to renew it for another year, I need to analyze why I would pay a minimum of $69 for the domain name that wasn’t even worth that much to a company in that space to renew for another year. This alone doesn’t mean the name isn’t worth that investment, but it gives me pause.
The more valuable expiring domain names are usually the result of an unintentional expiration. Sometimes the person responsible for domain name management no longer works for the company and the renewal emails bounced. Sometimes the registrant’s email address on record has changed but was never updated. Other times the company went out of business and is no longer operating.
A bit of due diligence prior to placing a backorder or bidding can give you valuable insight into the end user value of a domain name. Taking the time to research expiring domain names is important. It can make you money and probably save you quite a bit of money, too.
