Why I Rarely Hand Register “Trend” Domain Names

3-D was hot last year, and some might argue it’s still hot. Everywhere you went, people talked about 3-D televisions and movies, and practically everything else 3D. From my perspective, that chatter seems to have died down a bit and consumers aren’t buying 3D tvs as much as expected. Too expensive, ugly/annoying glasses, not enough programming…etc all contributing to this.

There are tens of thousands of 3D keyword domain names in many extensions that have been registered by a good number of domain investors. Some of these may be worth something if 3D comes to every household (or many households), but most will end up in the scrap heap, with 3,4,5+ years of renewals down the drain. They’ll be discarded like the losing lottery tickets they were hoped to be by their owners.

The problem is that picking up on trends early is difficult. To make matters worse, you could literally register thousands of domain names in a specific vertical, and only a few might actually have meaning and be worth something. When it comes time to renew thousands of names that you’ve invested time and money into, how do you choose which to keep and which to drop, when there may be the same  likelihood  of success (or failure) for each particular name as of the time of registration?

Many domain investors who are buying these domain names are buying a significant number of them at once. This is expensive, and even if a couple of the domain names are sold at a premium price, they may not cover the acquisition and carrying cost for the full lot of names bought.

I personally don’t usually register many trend domain names because it’s easy to get caught in the hype. One minute you have a couple and the next you find 25 similar unregistered names that you have to own. Soon enough, you become one of those people that feels the need to tell everyone else about this big trend, otherwise, there won’t be anyone to buy your names.

When you buy “trend” domain names, make sure you don’t spend more than you can afford to lose. There may be trend domain names that become valuable in time, but there are many more that are worthless and aren’t even worth the price of hand registration.

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

106 COMMENTS

  1. I am unsure why you have singled out 3d names when there are many trends that domainers follow, i still some good hand regs these days because people think outside the box
    You could have used the ‘roulette’ craze as well as an example….. and so on and so on

    • @ Sunglass guy

      Firstly, this blog is no follow, so you get no added bonus from search engines by embedding your link to cheapsunglasses.me. I don’t understand why you chose .ME for that domain name, but that’s besides the point.

      Anyway, you are right. 3D seems like a “trend” now for some domain buyers, and I would say that roulette names are somewhat similar, although that petered out much more quickly and had shorter legs than 3D. I do think some 3D names will have value, but not very many, IMHO.

  2. Best 3D post ever – kudos – people would be smart to abide by the quotes from shane and elliot in the comments – they have been true since the beginning of time – but hey, just like las vegas there has to be a lot losers so people can win

  3. Agree 100%. I browse that 3d thread on DNF from time to time and the crap people have registered is unbelievable.

    I almost feel sorry for some of them

  4. I won’t link to it, but it’s in the General Domain Name Discussion section

    It’s coming up to 1000 replies and not for the faint of heart

  5. I certainly agree that it can get quite expensive to put stakes in the ground for trends or future technologies – so you should be cautious about it, as you say. And 3D isn’t something I (personally) jumped into.

    However, there are some very legitimate reasons for making strategic ‘bets’ on future trends.’

    First, the business world has reached the stage where technologies that were unthinkable in previous generations are receiving (massive) funding – think clean energy and algo trading.

    Second, if a domainer places a $2000 bet on 250 domain names in an up-and-coming vertical, (if they’re smart and do their research) it’s a better bet than putting those funds into the latest ‘hot’ stock tip: primarily because in the case of the stock, you have no control over the outcome; but any or all of the domain names can either be re-sold or developed into sites.

    Third, by purchasing a large block of names in a particular vertical with real potential, you will become “the house” if/when the technology matures and that vertical is front page news.

    Last, for anyone who hasn’t been domaining since 1996, it’s really the only – or, at least, the best – way to stake his claim in domaining. The idea of buying domains from other domainers (i.e., wholesaling) has never appealed to me; and, frankly, I wish the entire industry would stay away from it, and only sell to end-users.

    Anyway, thanks for the post.

    Gene

  6. @ Gene

    I haven’t been investing in domain names for that long (circa 2003) and I don’t feel like I am handicapped in what I do.

    In lieu of spending $2,000 on new domain names, I spend the money on one better name in the aftermarket.

  7. I mostly agree with what you have written elliot. However I do believe that if one wants to take an educated guess in future trend domains then one should at least try to buy the best in that niche. If you think really ahead of the curve you can definitely pick up some great deals that way.

    Problem is that most of these newbie 3d domainers are not following the basic principles of supply and demand and are instead just hand regging whatever is left over.

    It takes good old fashioned legwork to find future trend domains as well. There are very few opportunities in ootb unless you have inside information or are looking way way into the future.

  8. Just to add to my previous post look at the recent sale of 3dprinting.com. This is a fine example of a future trend name sale.

    I have a number of 3d domains myself and can offer this advice: for future trend domains always buy the dot com. Always buy the top level of the category or move on (for example 3dtvs.com not glassesfree3dtvs.com). And always always do your research first.

    • @ Cheese

      Maybe, but .CC still sucks as a domain extension and means nothing to anyone. But I am sure you’re going to get tons of traffic because there must be some 3dprinting community college or whatever.

  9. @ Cheese

    I want to make it clear that I am very much in favor of ccTLDs when used correctly. I think most domain hacks are stupid, hence the companies then need to register the .com to avoid traffic loss and confusion.

    But this post is about trend domain names and not cctld.

  10. @Elliot,

    I wanted to help you with the following info. I noticed that you’ve taken the preaching of buying after-market domains to a crusade level, and I believe it’s a prudent investment strategy, however, like all things, extreme, and/or absolute stance is often questionable. I know you are familiar with ImpulseCorp.com, he is one of the most honest domainers in the world, and he is blessed with over 9000 domains, most of them dating back to the late 1990’s, and close to premium grade, he wrote an article that exposes the lack of track in general, when it comes to domains, whether new or old. You can find it here:

    http://www.impulsecorp.com/what-to-do-with-my-9000-domain-names

    So, whereas it is better to buy after-market older names, you will agree with me that, for example, if sex.com was a virgin domain, never been registered, and you stumble upon it, and had a choice to buy havingsexeveryday.com that is 5 years old, you will break your word and register sex.com.

    Correct me if I’m wrong.

  11. @ Uzoma

    You are right.

    The big issue and why I am adament about things is because I get many emails every week from people who “urgently” need to sell names that were just registered. It seems that some people new to the business spend hundreds of dollars on hand registered domain names, and then find that selling those names is very difficult. If a couple people read my blog before doing that, all the better.

    I’ve bought names from Eric before (like ActingCoach.com), and while has some good ones, he also carries ALOT of subpar names (IMO) that may or may not be worth anything. However, when you have names that are 10 years old, it gets tough to drop them out of fear that someone else will pick it up and do something with it.

    If you have 1,000 names that you’ve continued to register at $10,000/year, how do you then start letting some drop? Mentally, it’s difficult to do.

  12. @Elliot

    True.
    If anyone really wanted to help a n00b domainer, one will advise them not to register, or get into domain business at all. Domaining is not a business. I sold all my domains in 2004, except for one, and went to do something else, it’s only recently that I returned to find that this business has been cornered. Unless you own the super premium .COM’s it’s only a tid-bit better than buying some chips at Caesars Palace, or Bellaggio and try your hands at the high-roller areas in those casinos. My apprach to it is similar. For instance, I hand registered ROUL8.COM a few days ago, my thoughts being that Roulette is very awkward to spell, if someone shelled out millions of dollars to buy Roulette.com, someone could promote a brand on the internet for far less with Roul8.com, especially since roulette.com is take. It may not workout, but it’s better than Roulette.VC or CC etc

  13. Gotta agree Elliot.

    I think there is a place for buying trend names but you have to A) Buy the top tier names and B)Have the cash to carry them.

    When new technology or other things come out I’ve always found that those top domains have been registered for years. So if you aren’t willing to do A or B . . . it’s ultimately useless.

    I can’t believe what domains people are registering. Just because it starts with 3D doesn’t make it valuable (now or in the future).

    You have to take a step back as a domainer and look at a domain as an end user.

  14. @ Adi

    No, but I think SmartTVs.com is a very good domain name and I similarly believe 3DTVs.com is very good as well.

    I don’t think names like Smart3DTelevisionSets.com or SmartTelevisionRepairs.com are good buys. I am primarily referring to hand registered very long tail domain names that people seem to think are good for reasons unknown to me.

  15. @TheBigCheese

    Perhaps.
    My approach to domain investment is whatever happens to be the case, I have a little interest in it. If you end up being right, I too have super premium names in such ccTLDs such as:

    Transponder.TC
    Vitamin.AM

    and so on… but, my opinion is that the chances are remote of those making it to mainstream. If you want those types of domains, email me. Transponder goes very well with TeleCommunications, hence the TC, and Vitamins are best taken in the morning, hence the AM. That is usually your way of thinking 🙂

  16. Nice post, and you’re right that some people get carried away with purchasing and handregging these types of names, to the tune of thousands of dollars. I don’t care about 3D technology at all (I think the movies are a rip-off), and only own one related name: 3DProgramming.co.

    It seems like too big of a risk to put all your eggs in one basket. I own a couple of “eco” and “green” names, and a few “solar” ones, but to register more than a couple at a time can really add up, and could turn out to be a waste.

  17. “I am unsure why you have singled out 3d names when there are many trends that domainers follow, i still some good hand regs these days because people think outside the box
    You could have used the ‘roulette’ craze as well as an example….. and so on and so on”

    //////////////

    3D is probably the worst right now in terms of domainers throwing money at it on a large scale. The chat roulette craze was nothing like this. Comparable trends over the years were 3g (early 2000’s), voip (early-mid 2000’s), dubai (2005-2008) – lots of money was lost on those.

  18. Snoopy, You missed Blooks, 101 and 360, although a really nice one – Brand360.com sold on snap last night for cheap cheap, Mr Shop360.com won it….grrr

    dubai (2005-2008) – LOL, I’m still buying a few now and again even though I have’nt sold any.

    I think DubaiGolfCourses.com was the last one…I’m 100% sure I will develop it…and I’m 100% sure I’m not the first or last person to say that 😉

    I guess with most things moderation is the key

    Happy Hunting

  19. Thank you for the advice.
    I have a few 3d domain names: 3dpc.net for a while now, and I hand registered 3dlivestreaming and 3dlivestream dot com after they expired last week. I’m not sure if 3D live streaming will become a reality any time soon but I think i’m happy with such investment (reg fee)

  20. Interesting thread here. We started in December of 2009 after seeing commercials for Avatar, We right away made the typical mistakes like reging McDonalds3d etc But very soon after we started thinking out of the box we picked up some huge gems All.coms and top tier names, We did not jump and just put the 3d in front of words as some made no sense
    So we put the word first and the 3d.com second Does 3Dyoga.com make sense or yoga3d.com? We went with yoga3d.com. Then we thought of branding websites and came up with 3DMobileNetwork.com to us that is the top tier domain name in 3d Mobile then with that said we flipped and flipped and came up with Mobile3DNetwork.com which to us was number 2 in the 3DMobile industry, So far we have 120 3D.coms with just 2 in the .org category , 3Dmammogram.org which if you have looked is the top tier in that category seeing that the FDA just approved 3Dmammograms. I do not believe that all the 3D.coms are gone NO WAY we just registered.
    We just nailed 3DEscort.com perfect spank site for the lonely guys looking for a 3D Date on there computer,
    Bottom line Elliot do npt worry about the people who are wasting 7 bucks on names in 3-4 years if there not sold they will be dropped, All the Best

    • @ dm partners
      “Bottom line Elliot do npt worry about the people who are wasting 7 bucks on names ”

      I am worried about the people hand registering 50+ names each.

      I am all for gambling… I love blackjack. But I wouldn’t go out and spend $25,000 in a night of black jack because that wouldn’t be a wise decision. Similarly, I don’t think people who are late to this party (ie who have been registering 3d names for the last few months and continue to do so) should be spending hundreds of dollars mining 3d names where the good ones are long gone.

  21. Hi People, I wonder if this late in the game since late 2009 a strategy to buy and buy and buy and throw $$ at every OOTB until one learns the business might not prove worthwhile. Hundreds I registered will whittle away as worthless ones drop, but it might be there are some premium dot coms in the bunch [pilotkits dot com, oxygenunits dot com, limit salt dot com], besides some funny [nappiest dot com] and cool ones [esspressocloud], so I wonder if there isn’t room to develop a portfolio that way . . . Time will tell.

    Lately I registered: S3dMobile dot com, USBDTV dot com, SmartSubstrates dot com and MobileTVReceivers dot com, DualScreen3D dot com, and Handheld3DTV dot com, just in anticipation of the handheld / consumer end user market and some futures I am following. It seems like amazing opportunities there!

  22. It’s a glass half full/empty dilemma. The technological tsunami that is upon us will leave no industry left untouched.
    3D is only a small fraction of that wave. Any investment carries a reward/risk factor. Why not buy a few “lottery tickets”
    you may loose your ass or you may win, but if you never play
    you will never know.

  23. Look, this is turning into a 3D comments section like on thedomains.com…

    People, wake up.

    The only 3D domains that have value are like:

    3dtv.com
    3dtvs.com
    3dgames.com
    3dmobilephones.com
    3dcellphones.com
    3dporn.com
    3dporno.com
    3dmovies.com
    3dpc.com
    3dpcs.com
    3dprinters.com
    3dprinting.com

    All the rest are S***. Sorry, but that’s the cold, hard reality of it. Stop wasting your time. It is hard enough to convince an end user to buy a top-tier category killer generic let alone hawk your 3dtvwebappstore.com names. It will never happen. You need to realize this. I am not trying to be an a-hole but maybe some straight talk will do you good.

    Spend your time and energy on development (you’re gonna need it), hire an article writing service, and hire a programmer (or learn yourself). This is the only way your 3D domains will be worth anything.

  24. I’ve been considering writing an article on this very subject – not so much 3d domain names, but hand registering vs. buying premium.

    This argument should come with a disclaimer because, much like a used car – they’re BOTH risky ventures with no safety nets… unless, of course, you spend the BIG money on a SUPER PREMIUM domain name and even then.
    …but i have seen it a thousand times where a domain investor comes around and buys a certain name for say, $5,000 – $8,000 only to sell that same name at a 25% – 50% loss a year or two later… to this i say – a loss is a loss – hand regged or premium… the major difference is how fast your time is up… there is no guarantee just because you risk more money at one time.

    I also think you fail to realize that some people – like myself – want to get involved in the domain business and don’t have $20,000 to buy a domain name that will still come with risk… i’m guilty of being one of the ‘n00bs’ you all speak of… virtually every single name listed on my website was handregged.

    Is there some garbage there?.. yes, absolutely – matter of fact, i simply can’t wait for them to drop just to make the portfolio look leaner and cleaner – but i’m sure every last one of you here has hand regged crap before and in some way or another – every last one of you here has had to pay for your education somehow or another – and if not – you’re a member of the elite crowd
    i still think that hand registering future trend domain names is a safer bet with many more opportunities if your research is proper… but yes – you still have to have some form of intelligence in what you grab…. haha .. i have also seen some REALLY bad 3d domain names being posted.

    … don’t forget also .. Drop Catching is technically a hand reg and i have done extremely well in this area also… always watching the drops.

    i also 100% agree on the lower level extensions… this was a year one rookie mistake of mine that i have already learned from.. i haven’t grabbed anything lower than a dot org since march, so that trend is out of my system now but talk about a tease and just like you pointed out – what the heck am i going to do with all these heart breakers? … it’s pretty hard to just let names like these drop, especially when you consider the sale of 3dPrinting.com and 3ddating.com for over $4,700:
    3dMobilePhone(s).us… 3dPrinting.us… 3dDating.info… Travel3d.info… 3dCAM.us… 3dScanners.info… 3dMobilePhone.in… just to name a few.

    talk about age…
    … i still think real 3d is about two good years away from REALLY being what a 3d domainer envisions it to be…. yes, some products will be rolled out, and some features will be added here n there… but the point of the 3d domain name was to focus on representing your company in a website using 3d images and graphics…. 3d domain names, to me anyway, was a way to let someone know that they are about to have ‘an experience’ on your website
    … i don’t think true 3d web development will be ready for a while – at least not widespread AND affordable where even a small business can get in on the fun… that’s still some time away and by then, these domains will have some age, and what happens when these names are three to four years old by the time they mature?… are we morphed from dumb to genius?… often, this is the case in these incidents, but i guess time will tell.

    example of diligence and research…
    … i hand registered 3d Building Projection (.) com in June… maybe it doesn’t look like much to many of you who don’t know, or even maybe it’s too long for some…. but research told me this was a winner..
    … three and a half months later i sold that name for $650 to an end user… i’m not bragging – i think i sold this too low – but just pointing out that there is LOT of opportunity in 3d domain names that many people are just not aware of – 3d is seriously, seriously deep into a hundred or so niches – i promise you.

    and in closing – while all of these are not dot com’s and by far, not all of what we have, but consider every one of these names were hand regged within the last year and then consider how much i would have to pay for these names today – and one step further – how much i will have to pay for these names in two more years: 3dHolographics.com, 3dHandhelds.com, 3dTablet.co.uk, Net3d.co.uk, Games3d.co.uk, Travel3d.co.uk, Vacations3d.com, Free-3d.de, 3dDatingSites.com and i’ll fittingly close with… Gamble3d.net

    Thanks for your time kind sir…i always enjoy your articles.

    • “but i have seen it a thousand times where a domain investor comes around and buys a certain name for say, $5,000 – $8,000 only to sell that same name at a 25% – 50% loss a year or two later”

      Really? A thousand times? You’re hanging with the wrong crowd if you’ve witnessed that many high value domain names sold at a loss!

      I’ve only sold one high value name at a loss ever. Fixes.com.. lost a couple thousand, but that was before I was a full time investor, and I used the funds from a sale to buy another name which was profitable.

  25. Elliot

    Your right the window is almost closed 50 plus domains in the 3D.com realm doesn’t exist. All that is left are foolish drops. I have been looking at one for almost 2 months and it won’t drop. Its been expired since November and its still not released,

  26. “…where the good ones are long gone”

    this is subjective and depends on the individual’s idea of ‘good’ and ‘worth’

    to some.. $650 per name is more than ‘good’
    .. to others… $650 per name maybe not be worth their time.

    – – – – –
    and maybe not exactly a thousand times, but i have seen plenty of reported sales that are not favorable for the lower-end premium name

  27. Trend domaining is risking business, you can use google trends to catch search terms which falls into trend marketing area but this can be applied to domains as well and to a certain extent gtlds like the current .CO trend or perhaps it will stand the test of time.

    Personally I stay away from trend domain names the window of opportunity is very small so you really have to be ahead of the curve.

    Some time you have to fully your hunch, four years ago I was deliberating over the domain cashparking.com actually around this time 2006 godaddy went on to use this as their parking program.

    When this name was freely available so it’s a tough call, now I study the market carefully before going for the plastic.

  28. This is the best advice that any newbie could read.

    I know that I’ve spent way too much money chasing crap trends. The reg fees add up, and 99.9999% are, as Elliot aptly describes them, “lottery tickets.”

    It’s a shame that there are so many bogus threads hyping the living $#!+ out of these “trends” instead of giving the sage advice above. Save your cash and buy a few good names instead of a lot of crappy ones.

  29. @George
    i believe this became a ‘3d’ topic because of the original content written by the administrator. I also bought in to solar, holographics and a few other emerging ‘trends’ but i easily admit to not knowing everything going on in all sectors… i would love to hear of other trends that you believe in taking a second look at. (seriously)

    and with all due respect… in regards to the ‘only’ names you see value in for 3d, i think you may be incredibly mistaken.. even on the ones that you think will have the highest value i would question.
    ‘Cellphones’ as a ‘hot’ term is on the way out, if not, already ‘out’ and holds no long term value. That’s been replaced with mobile phone, which led to smart phone, which is already evolving again as the Super Phone, so i believe ‘Cellphone’ will probably have the least value of all the communication devices…
    you could probably even make the same argument that the term ‘PC’ is bordering with extinction in about two years or so as well. The news about ‘The Death Of The PC’ may be a little premature, but an obvious inevitability nonetheless.

    and if i could ask… how could you leave Tablets off of that list?.. or Advertising and Marketing since i’m asking… or Streaming 3d and 3d videos… or Games?. (JUST ‘3dGames.com’ is worth something?)… nothing with scanning and imaging… or real estate?… or geographical names – 3d in front or back?? (That’s 100 names using US States alone) … what about dating, chat worlds, social sites and SPORTS?.. (how many sub categories does sports have?)…. cameras and camcorders? .. gps’, maps (as in roads) and mapPING (as in models) … how about shopping… online shopping? (no?)
    … how about the careers and services associated with everything just mentioned… like photography, website development, architecture, animators, editors, supplies and suppliers.. education?.. teachers?… online marketeing?…videographers, video editors…

    ya see… this is apparently the ‘big secret’ about 3d and 3d domain names in a nutshell that some people either just choose to ignore or just simply don’t know…which is fine… but the fact remains…

    3d, somehow… just seems to keep on going.

    it’s amazing, really, but that’s what’s happened here…
    this is the reason 3d related domain names have become this kind of a phenomenon – it’s not just hype or even by accident… it’s because 3d… just somehow keeps on going.

    i mean look at that list of products and services i just listed (and that’s not even everything) and the next thing you know, there’s fifty top level categories with killer 3d applications … and then another hundred or so second level categories… and these will ALL be industries opening up for merchants, businesses and services all over the world…. put a few alerts on all those strings and you’ll see nothing but progress, spending and on-going developments in all of them.

    Honestly..
    … the better argument against ‘3d’ domain names is the point that the term ‘3d’ will eventually be phased out and 3d will just be assumed… well, yes.. in most cases, this may possibly be the case… but that’s really such a long ways away, so no need to really concern ourselves with that for quite some time
    .. for now…
    .. njoy the ride

    – – – – –

    @Pat
    were you chasing FADS or TRENDS?

    “A fad by definition is a short-term event, what some may call a ‘flash in the pan’. A trend, on the other hand, has the potential of becoming a long-term influence on the future of a market.
    {snip}
    Some say that the difference between a fad and a trend is the number of industries it affects. A fad often appears in a single industry and rarely crosses over into others.
    {snip}
    Another difference between a fad and a trend is industry acceptance. Investing in a fad item can be risky for companies known for setting trends
    {snip}
    Fad items are rarely expected to endure, but trends tend to survive the decade in which they were created”

  30. @3ddomainnames,

    There are definitely some categories that I left off that list. I was merely trying to make a statement that people need to start thinking of the top-level. I agree, there are many industries tied into ‘3d’… it has been a term that has been used in video games, animation, printing, and drawing for years. The ‘new’ meaning of 3d now includes tvs, computers, and movies.

    I just get tired of reading people’s posts about their ‘latest acquisition’ which usually turns out to be garbage.

    I also believe in future trends, and there are many. I’m just advocating for people to be smart about it.

  31. I believe it is too early stage for 3D tv market. I am sure the 3D tv would become cheaper and in near future millions of people would have TV at home.

    I haven’t bought 3D tv yet but I enjoy watching live football matches on 3D tv (at the pubs) when there was a trial.

    I believe there is no harm registering may be 2 or 3 domains related to latest trends esp if you could get hand on quality trend domains.

  32. The drops will be FULL of 3D names in the near future.

    My business is build around purchasing dropped names and marketing to end users at a price they can afford.

    So keep doing what you are doing.

  33. Thank you guys for answering my question indirectly. I guess 3dpc, 3dlivestreaming and 3dlivestream are not a bad ideas after reading all the comments and find them listed in a way or another 🙂

  34. Two words: Commercial Intent.

    Someone earlier in this thread mentioned they sold ‘3dbuildingprojection.com’ for $xxx. Well guess what? That was a smart reg because it actually exists!

    It’s the type of domain where a company who sells that service/equipment can use it for direct nav, SEO, taking traffic from competitors, etc. Nothing new, just classic generic domaining. (Btw, I speak from experience having sold a generic in this exact niche, end users definitely exist and that’s why it sold.)

    But 99.99% of the 3d domains in the Successclick thread are 100% worthless. There’s names like 3dsafari, 3DpdpTV, 3dballoon, net3-d, etc. Pure crap. They got caught up in the hype and wasted their money. They’ll never sell, unless to a greater fool.

    Imho, that’s Elliot’s point.

  35. I agree the 3D thing, just like many next big things, is overhyped and imo will never be the next big thing. I only own a few of these, like hidef3d.tv .Its true 3d is kinda neat, and some of the handheld devices will even make it to mainstream production. But this is a slow burn tech, due to the massive technical challenges needed to overcome in order for socially acceptable home 3d to be feasible, and affordable. That means no headaches and no glasses.
    It will continue to seep into the world and those left holding hundreds of 2nd rate speculative 3d domains will be sat there wondering why they wont sell even tho ‘3D is improving’ . Im so glad I spotted this as a red herring even 25 years ago when the other kids in the playground were running around with the red and green glasses!

  36. History repeats itself. You can simply compare the transition 2D TVs -> 3D TVs to Black-and-White TVs -> Color TVs.
    I’m sure back in those days, having a color TV was a myth.
    I guess it’s called evolution and the wheel is simply spinning.

  37. @SL

    Personally, I am from Africa and I love 3DSafari.com

    I think it would be a great name for a tour company where you can go and watch safari tours, wildlife and anything african in 3D. Its a great advertising tool and the perfect name for such a site once 3D websites are commonplace

    Can you imagine watching clips of you in the pilots seat soaring over Victoria Falls, the Okovango delta and Mount Kilimanjaro, not to mention watching movies i n3D of the “Big 5”

    Just my opinion, but being from Africa, I would be a bit biased here.

    I have these 2 which I had the same ideas for..

    3DAfrica.net
    3DBotswana.com

  38. @ Adam, being that 3D is coming to mobile, as is DTV live streaming, I think you have winners with 3Dlivestreaming! Also with 3DPC, as Cybernet & Fujitsu just came out with their glasses-free 3D LCD PCs.

    Talk about trend, I added:

    DualScreenPhones.com to go with DualScreen3D.com

    in anticipation of Sprint’s big February 7th announcement of an “industry first” to which it invited Android groups, with David Blaine as guest.

    Dual screen phones are practical to read an email from a list, play games, and move data from remote or cloud services to local: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcCTEZDoh7c Is this a cool video? 🙂

  39. Good article Elliot. I purchased domains based on instinct. I did purchase too many NYC names last year. However, 12 sales in that category made my decision to target that area a success. I will either sell the remaining cheap, or let them drop in the next 3 weeks.

    I focused on 5 niches, which all paid off. I dropped two of the niches after I sold those domains. I’m focusing on 3 niches, which several sold, and one produced a nice sale. I didn’t get into the 3D hysteria.

    I did take a few pointers from you a year ago. Read more, buy to sell, and .com. So thanks. I’m confident that my recent sales will result in many more in the same category. I stocked up on the three niches. I do manage to find random service .com domains sitting around. I never purchased a domain in any auction other than the first I won last year.

    My advice is choose a niche you know best. If you can select the related keywords with ease, then you know the vertical well enough to become successful. Thanks.

    J

  40. The “3d Domainer Trend” was a failboat from the word go- everyone who has ever made a dime doing this saw that.

    Not to say that there might not be a tiny handful of “3d keywords” that may become relevant to someone, somewhere, at some point, but this idea that the emergence of 3d as a potentially desirable technology translates into spastically registering domains with “3d” in them as a desirable domaining strategy would be hilarious to watch, if it weren’t so sad. They still don’t realize that newspaper and blog writeups on 3d technology doesn’t mean a damn thing to the domains they unfortunately own…

    Sometimes, there’s a time and place for “future trend” domains. Matter of fact, I register one “future trend” domain on New Years Eve, every year, since 2004. Last years pick- CoolTablets.com- got three cold inquires over 2010. To succeed at picking relevant domains for relevant future trends, you first must know your ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to speculative domaining in the first place. The 3d thing was amateur hour from the start.

  41. @LS Morgan

    I detect a hint of sarcasm in your post…or is it sour grapes, not quite sure yet??

    If so may 3D names are selling and so many more offers are being made, I cannot understand how you can laugh it off, when there are people making profits before the technology has even become mainstream

    An you don’t think 3D is a “desirable” technology, even with it being pushed by some companies called Sony, LG, Samsung and Panasonic, maybe you’ve heard of them??

    Maybe you need to research your new year’s eve domain before registering it, or register it before getting on the beer??

    Good luck

  42. @Giles: I think LS’s definition of amateur hour is similar to mine.

    Assuming it’s not a troll, guys like “trickytobeat” in the successclick thread are going to be facing $4k a year in renewals. On a pile of domains that will never have a direct value to anyone. Even 3-5 years from now when the names are “mature”.

    That’s $10-20k which could have been used to buy one of the very few quality 3d names now. Or lots of cash for developing a really nice site around a single 3d-related domain that is set up to generate cash flow down the road (affiliate sales, ads, etc.) Not to mention all the lost time.

    In general, domaining is a lot tougher than it looks (especially future trends) and I don’t think the new guys realize that.

  43. @SL

    I agree with the registration of bad names and how a lot of people will realize come renewal time that they made some bad choices..I mean who hasn’t made some bad choices of buying names. I agree that development is a good option and I plan of developing a few of my better 3D names when I find a decent developer to help me with the project.

    My argument is with people saying the “3D domains were a failboat from the word go”…thats just ignorance in my book and people making comments on topics they either know nothing about or haven’t bothered to research.

    Good luck everyone

  44. Domaining is relatively easy, especially when one figures out what to buy and how to find a buyer. Self explanatory. Everybody makes mistakes. There is a lot of bad information out there.

    New domain investors don’t have to jump into trends right away. They don’t always have to buy what others are buying. It’s better for them to find a few niches to build confidence. They shouldn’t be too hesitant to make a sale. Holding out for a big sale will delay the selling process, which will restrict their ability to gain experience.

    There are still many good domains available. They may not be worth a fortune, but they’re good enough to turn a good profit in a short amount of time. In my opinion, domaining is about buying domains and flipping them quick. If you have to let many drop, look at what you gained making a few dozen sales. Why Park is a good place to earn back some money in the process.

    You have to be an active seller. You can’t wait until a month before renewal fees are due to begin selling your domains. If you buy 50 domains in one category, and sell 5 that make you 5 times the cost of registration for all 50, then letting 45 domains drop will not hurt as much. Good way to avoid having too much inventory is to sell your domains in lot deals.

    J

  45. @ Domaining

    I didn’t monetize my blog when it was first started. My goal was to get traffic there. Anyway, please stop doing it or I will delete your link going forward (see newest blog post about the topic). Much better when you used your real name.

  46. @Elliot,

    You’re too much of a conformist. i.e. the grocery article. The owner of the website pulls up, and you don’t challenge him as you did in the article. Everything has to be done a certain way – almost like a business office with a shirt and tie.

    I don’t have a goal to get traffic. I write enough articles on selling. I don’t benefit from people reading them. It’s their choice whether they want to sell now, or wait two years later.

    For the most part, I lack website developing skills. My blog will not be monetized now, or later. I upload content on Why Park. I can effectively use the domain apps to generic traffic. No need to build traffic to my blog. It’s a simple page.

  47. @ Jason

    I am not a conformist, I am a capitalist.

    I said my piece in the article and don’t need to challenge him. He said his lawyers believe he’s in the clear, and why would I challenge their legal opinions with my non-legal domain opinion. That wouldn’t be sensible, would it?

    I accomplished what I intended – gave a warning to him and others that my belief was it could be problematic. There was no reason for me to get on a soapbox and lambast someone after already saying my piece, especially when his legal counsel advised him that he was in the clear.

  48. @Elliot,

    It’s like one of those situations where you challenge someone when they’re asking a few questions, and then tell them this is not kindergarten. What happens next? You start a domain question site. 🙂

    When the website owner dropped by, it appeared that you were stunned he showed up and left a comment. It was like :0 dam. I know you did the right thing with communicating with the site owner regarding possible legal issues. The website actually pulls in good traffic for being a local site in a small area.

    A conformist can also be someone that plays by the rules. You’re a capitalist that has a business. You’re a good at making revenue. However, you’ll only challenge certain people to follow your rules. i.e. Domaining

    You would be surprised on how good of a seller I am. I’m not going to brag, or even share the sales, but hand registering a good domain is easy. If you know what to buy, you don’t have to worry whether you’re losing money.

    Selling is probable as easy as buying a domain. I adopt professionalism, persistence, and patience to build long-term business relationships.

    I may lack web developing skills, but I know others that can help me. In return, I help them make a sale. For the most part, I’m more into domaining than domain investing. Domaining compliments my approach.

    You should have any one of those selection processes again to help a person register a domain, and then let them sell the domains to an end-user. Would be interesting.

  49. @Elliot,

    Typical response. The topic is domain blogs always writing about bad names, but never sharing what they think are ‘bad’ or ‘junky’ names. Because when they say the name is junk, someone may go out and sell that name.

    The mention of the domain being junk will be linked to a blog. Then, another blog tells everyone to drop all their domains under $100. They have to use Estibot to appraise their domains. Bad advice. I wouldn’t drop 10 domains that appraise for $0. They are popular services, and a few generate 2 million average keyword results. You have to set your own prices.

    I always hear domain investors mention bad and junky domains. I never see an actual example. Are they the domains people list on this blog to ask advice on?

    • @ Jason

      No, the topic is why I rarely register trend domain names, such as 3d related domain names.

      There have been plenty of names I’ve been asked for advice on that I think are junk. There have been plenty of high dollar sales of names I think are junk. What’s junk to me may not be junk to someone else. I suppose that’s why people keep registering junk like longer tail 3d names.

  50. @Jason,

    According to Elliot’s past comments, the following domains registered by us are “junky domains”:

    Burbank.CC
    Cheeseburger.TV
    Bahamas.VC
    Jamaica.VC
    Caribbean.VC
    Earthquake.WS
    Sportsbook.VC
    LasVegas.VC
    3DSantaTracker.com
    d8.tv
    3DChalkboard.com
    Insurance.AC
    PepperGrinder.co
    CollegeFootball.WS
    (and I’m sure there are more)

    Bottom line, I believe Elliot is the wrong person to whom one should pay heed when attempting to have a frank, open discussion regarding ccTLD’s or new trends in domain purchases or ideas…from our perspective, he seems to have the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality regarding domains.

    Elliot is a good writer and has had measured success with a few domains, but we have yet to see any evidence of the type of foresight that typically accompanys a forward-thinking person.

    – TBC

  51. @ Cheese

    (IMO) Those are junky… LOL.

    “Elliot is a good writer and has had measured success with a few domains, but we have yet to see any evidence of the type of foresight that typically accompanys a forward-thinking person.”

    LOL to that, too. I am a far superior domain investor than I am a writer, but I do appreciate the compliment.

    I think Bahamas.co might be fairly “forward thinking” by your standards.

    BTW, since I am the wrong person to whom one should pay heed, perhaps you should find another place to spend your time. You are really annoying and I haven’t seen a track record of your success. I am very open about my successes, failures, and strategies, but you seem to think you have some sort of authority but haven’t commented on your past successes.

    Half the time when you post hand registered names, I can’t tell if you’re joking and if this is all one big joke.

  52. @ Elliot,

    I’m someone who has been fortunate to realize and capitalize on my innate, God-given gifts – yet I don’t believe I’ve ever had the hubris to proclaim myself to be “superior” at anything, to anyone. Humility is a trait we should all seek as much as we seek those things the world around us consider to be hallmarks of “success”.

    You were given Bahamas.co, how much thought did you put into getting a free domain and then throwing up a mini-site?

    You are right. Since my respect for you has essentially eroded away to almost nothing over these past couple of months, I have little reason to continue reading you content, or to continue posting my comments.

    Elliot and friends, goodbye and good luck. I wish you nothing but the very best.

    – TBC

  53. @ Cheese

    If you followed my advice and applied for the .CO Founders Program, which is how I was awarded Bahamas.CO, you would have seen a very comprehensive Request for Proposal application I had to complete. This contained all of my development and marketing plans for the website.

    Thanks for all of your contributions, and I wish you all the best in your domain ventures.

    The funny thing is, I looked back at the history of your comments, and prior to December 2010, I have nada.

  54. @ Cheese… lol. Seriously dude. Put your time and energy into development, it will do you some good.

    There are tons of great SEO blogs out there. SEOMoz is a great place to start your SEO education (I’m not affiliated with them in any way, just trying to help). That is where I’ve learned so much about developing my sites. Spend some time reading, it will do you good.

  55. @ Cheese said: Humility is a trait we should all seek as much as we seek those things the world around us consider to be hallmarks of “success”

    Actually, I believe that statement – nicely said!

    Best wishes! 🙂

  56. @ Louise

    I agree with that.

    I also think people have the right to know if a person is an authority on a topic and has actually used the advice/recommendations or if someone simply speculating.

    Unfortunately, I feel that sometimes I need to prove myself as someone who has had success and can give advice based on experience rather than speculation.

    There are a lot of people who talk and give advice without any experience or because they have a hidden agenda. I am as open about my business as possible, and I would feel badly if someone took bad advice based on something they read on my blog.

  57. I detect a hint of sarcasm in your post…or is it sour grapes, not quite sure yet??

    Giles, based on the sorts and types of names you own and the bandwagons you’re prone to jumping on (per your own accounts), I think it’s safe to say that you don’t nor will you likely ever “get it” when it comes to domain names.

    Sorry.

    No sour grapes whatsoever watching idiots fail. It’s no different than .tel, .mobi, what we see today with “3d domains” or .co… Suckers who are being warned that they’re making a mistake really insist it’s coming from people who are just bitter they missed the boat.

    LOL. OK, Amigo. Good luck.

  58. @Cheese: George said “Cheese… lol. Seriously dude. Put your time and energy into development, it will do you some good. read about seo ” – Seconded. So much of what you say here, and I read a lot, is absurd. Big huge mahoosive companies have a challenge populating their websites built on great domains. You seem to have some magic method of getting traffic onto ‘junk’ domains, with stiff competition. Good luck with it but you won’t see me buying your stock anytime soon.

    If you were able to prove me wrong I would call BS but since thats unfeasible I’ll stick to this:
    I half agree with what Elliot said “Half the time when you post hand registered names, I can’t tell if you’re joking and if this is all one big joke.”
    – only for me its ALL the time. tbh Ive been wondering that each time you post.

    Im not interested in offending you or putting you down, you clearly have at least a certain amount of intelligence but I do find your incessant spamming and worthless backlinking to be rather annoying, not to mention some of the ridiculous and out there comments you make! Peace.

  59. @ ls morgan
    maybe you should state what you say on your blog about using estibot to appraise your 3d portfolio lol
    worst piece of advice made by a domainer i have ever seen
    this is morgan linton aint it 🙂
    no hint of sarcasm here

  60. Giles, based on the sorts and types of names you own and the bandwagons you’re prone to jumping on (per your own accounts), I think it’s safe to say that you don’t nor will you likely ever “get it” when it comes to domain names.

    Sorry.

    No sour grapes whatsoever watching idiots fail. It’s no different than .tel, .mobi, what we see today with “3d domains” or .co… Suckers who are being warned that they’re making a mistake really insist it’s coming from people who are just bitter they missed the boat.

    @LS Morgan

    I rest my case…..you obviously havent got a clue what 3D names I own or you wouldn’t have said that, you are going to run out and check the WHOIS and post some of my names to prove me wrong arent you….go ahead…but you should have done that before posting the above lol

    And please fill me me in on these ‘bandwagons” I tend to jump on, Im just interested lol….maybe you are talkig about the 5 .co names I own, is that it?? You going to have to do better than that..I always get 5-10 names in some new extensions…and flip them for a nice profit

    Sour grapes it is then, because anyone can see that .TEL, .MOBI, .CO etc are domain extensions and this is a technology/products…there is a big difference….Im glad I don’t own any .MOBI lol

    Good luck to you AMIGO!!

  61. I just registered (at a reg premium I think) a very ‘trendy’ domain. Suprised it was there tbh
    ngp.tv

    It stands for Neon Party Girls TV and is currently forwarded to one of my main sites 🙂

  62. Hi All, To give you an idea what kind of culture Neon Girls Party is, here is the Google Image Search for that term.

    Pretty neat trendy, @ LindaM! You have to go into into the field and shoot video for that one!

    Sad, but I caved on a trendy hologram, which I didn’t even know what that was: HologramPostcard.com

    Figure, if postcards become 3D, tourist attractions would be fun in 3D. Little did I know a REAL hologram is so much effort and expense, only small objects can be hologrammed right now. Here is a sample of a Japanese postcard with a REAL hologram: holographica.blogspot.com/2010/01/japan-hologram-postcard.html

    You know, @ Linda, if you’re talking fake hologram, it’s not so far from neon clothing!

  63. UPDATE:

    Bing now ranks 5G.VC (after only 3 weeks) #1 for 5G-Video-Conferencing. 4G.VC is on page three with several BIG advertisers for that search term.

    Point being, ccTLD’s will rank, and rank well. Elliot, please don’t remove this post as it is very relevant to a discussion we had a couple weeks ago.

    – TBC

  64. @Cheese: I just checked 5g.vc and there’s no content; just a broken page with random links and a pay-day ad (!). So there’s definitely something misconfigured with your CMS.

    Just an FYI, might want to get that fixed before being spidered again…

  65. “Bing now ranks 5G.VC (after only 3 weeks) #1 for 5G-Video-Conferencing. 4G.VC is on page three with several BIG advertisers for that search term.”

    There is no search volume for “5G-Video-Conferencing” anyway, Not much point saying you can rank for terms that nobody looks for.

  66. @SL,

    It’s a temp-park page to which we point our domains. The payday ad pays well, by the way 😉

    My only point was, .vc, .ac, and all other obscure ccTLD’s will rank just as well as a .com once you develop them. Elliot and I disagreed on this point a couple weeks ago. I did not come to say anyone was wrong, but just wanted to point this info out to those who may have wanted to buy a good keyword ccTLD, but were afraid it would never rank.

    – TBC

  67. Ok, I see. In fairness though, Google would sandbox/deindex it in a heartbeat. “site:5g.vc” returns nothing for the datacenter here. So the term “ranked” is relative.

    Also, given the recent revelations about Microsoft’s wholesale copying of Google’s rankings into Bing, it’ll be interesting to see if it stays in there.

  68. @SL,

    You are missing my point. Once a .vc site/domain is developed, it will rank. That is the entire basis of my earlier discussion with Elliot.

    Bottom line, I couldn’t care less if these domains get dropped in Bing’s rankings next week. I now KNOW they will rank well once we put time and money into developing them. ccTLD’s WILL RANK.

    – TBC

  69. “By the way, I hand-reg’d 4g.vc & 5g.vc for $39 each. Go take a look at what Estibot values them at – I was shocked.”

    ///////////

    Personally I’ve dropped a lot of names with similar valuations in the past. Estibot is typically way too high and a 4 figure appraisal doesn’t mean the name is actually worth anything.

    Have one named valued by estibot at $840,000, it went to auction last week and got $13,000. Out by 60 fold.

  70. @Snoopy,

    You’re definitely right on target. I recently wrote a few articles on the same subject. While I was influenced to buy hundreds of overvalued domains, I also made a good decision to buy a handful of specific domains that enabled me to find good niches.

    Domain valuation tools and custom appraisals are only tools. I missed out sellling domains because of overvalued appraisals. Estibot is an excellent keyword tool. (IMO) People depend on finding high search domains, when in fact the low search domains with good names are selling.

    You can’t expect to get what an appraisal system or a price suggestion recommends. Whereas, I’m letting hundreds of decent domains drop, I know not to renew because I depended on appraisal value to purchase them.

    I believe having the ability to do well in a few niches can improve a domainer’s buying and selling skills. Low search names are selling to an end-user. Don’t pass up on a .com just because it only has 350 local searches. You never know how valuable thaf domain will be when presented to an end-user that operates in that vertical.

    Domains have to use appraisals as tools and not as the standard value. They can help one to find good names, but can also hurt them with buying names they think are in demand. It’s not good to buy domains you don’t plan to develop or to sell. A domainer can measure their success through buying, selling and developing domains (I lack developing skills)

    Congratulations on the auction.

    Con

  71. The ‘con’ is a mistake. I was going to write content, but somehow the characters went unnoticed. I think comment turned our good, considering I’m typing on my Iphone in the car. Of course, I’m parked and ready to go inside a store.

    Only correction is the last paragraph – domainers instead of domains. I think evaluating a domains overall value requires several tools. If I owned a 6 figure domain that only sold for 5 figures, I would be content with the sale it was more than my investment.

    We can’t ponder on selling a domain cheap, only to see it resell at a major profit. I don’t look back on would’ve and could’ve. I
    use what strengths and resources I have now.

    You may waste money buying hundreds of domains, but you can easily make back your investment with a few gems. IMO, I would rather own 80 good resume domains than to own one $10K generic name that I paid that amount to acquire. I’ve tried to sell generic domains for others, and I met heavy resistance from frugal companies.

    You have to know the background of a company. You can do very well with hand registrations because people overlook good domains. Even a company will overlook a domain they should have purchased long ago.

    However, businesses are too busy to look for these domains. I depend entirely on hand registrations. I only purchased two 3D names I know will be good in the future.

    I think it’s better to find domains you know will sell. They don’t have to be high search keywords, or the most valuable. A good name with low appraisal name can easily attract a buyer. I have 4 domains that Estibot says are worth over $20K. I wouldn’t buy these names again. If you buy domains based on appraisal value, you’ll lose the domain game.

  72. In my opinion, Estibot is low on certain domains, especially many in the 90’s. Many Visit city.com names are undervalued. In essence, many domains are overvalued.

    You will lose big on domain names you believe are worth thousands when a buyer won’t pay $200.

    I don’t mind selling a dozen names at 6% of Estibot value. I look at what I invest to acquire them. Furthermore, I can sell a domain at 10x the value due to the importance of the service. You know the company will hold onto that domain, especially when their business promotes it.

    I believe it’s a sale by sale basis. I won’t ask 10x on a domain I know is not worthy of that price. I don’t get attached to my domains. I accommodated a buyer on Sedo, even though our prices were way off at the start of the negotiation. The buyer had a price in mind, and they would not pay a dollar more. I compromised to get 100% of the Estibot appraisal value.

    I believe many aged domains and developed .org domains are undervalued. It really depends.

  73. Hi El,

    Personally I don’t recommend hyphenated domains at anytime unless you have two strong keywords that back up another full domain for SEO purposes. (Some people claim that they get better PR with a hyphenated domain. I personally have not seen a difference).

    I promote domains with the sole purpose that their true value comes when an “end user” takes that domain and points it to the relevant prodservs the domain represents. A hyphenated domain is not a good brand, standing alone, so I wouldn’t look at it as an “end-user” domain. I avoid them.

  74. Hi everyone,

    Ive been collecting 3D Domains for over 2 year’s now and have built up a nice collection. I stick with tech domains, like 3dconsole.com, 3dsmartphone.com etc etc. I have found plenty of quality 3d domains over at go-daddy expiring auctions, I picked up 3 last week, they dont land in my account till the 20th March so cant say much till then, but one of them is of super high quality and would have held value before the 3D rush over the last year or two. With all the 3d gadgets due out this year, a lot of domainers will jump on this wagon and not by choice.

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