Domain Appraisal – What’s Your Domain Name Worth?
There’s a lot of confusion about domain name valuation. Some domainers believe it all depends upon traffic, some domainers believe it all depends upon revenue, some domainers believe brandabilty is the key, others believe its the commercial potential.
In the end the definition of selling price remains the same whether it’s real estate or domain names. The selling price is the price at which a willing seller is willing to sell the name and a willing buyer is willing to buy it.
Software tools or web sites that try to give a valuation only give a very, very rough indication of what the value is. There are many examples of domains given very low valuations by automated valuation tools that sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars and those that were valued for such high amounts that the owner thought he had a lottery ticket when he priced it to sell. The only problem is no one else agreed and he’s still holding on to it. If you really want to get a good idea of domain name values look at some of the auctions – or rather look at some of the completed auctions and see what the names sold for (not what people were asking) The market will give you a better indication of value than an automated valuation tool.
Remember that willing buyer? Well its your task, if you are looking to sell that domain name, to find that willing buyer. It might be easy. You just put it up on an auction and people flock to bid on it. Or it might involve a little more. Look around – who might be interested in that domain name? Then contact them and see if they are interested. Make sure if you are sending out an email you follow all of the CAN-SPAM regulations like including your contact information so you can’t be accused of spamming people. Approach in an open and friendly manner, be open to negotiation and don’t set such a high price that you turn people off immediately. A good first step is to see if there is interest and then as the conversation proceeds introduce and negotiate price. Above all if they have said no stop calling or emailing and go to plan B. You do have a plan B don’t you? That will the the subject of another post. I’ve sold domains this way, rented domains, and developed some into business partnerships.
Start out by visiting some of the domain auctions like the ones you can find at HotDotAuctions.com Get a sense of what the market is willing to pay for domain names. It will give you an idea of what domain names sell and what don’t and guide you in the type of names you purchase. I’ll also include a sampling of some ebay auctions following this post. Happy hunting.
All the best,
Ted Sudol
TheDomainHunter
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Cheap Disney Vacation.com DOMAIN NAME FOR SALE Web NR! US $9.50 (10 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 4:12:42 PDT Add to watch list |
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HairDresser Services.com DOMAIN NAME FOR SALE Web NR! US $5.50 (2 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 4:12:49 PDT Add to watch list |
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How Do i file For Bankruptcy.com DOMAIN NAME FOR SALE! US $18.50 (4 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 4:12:54 PDT Add to watch list |
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Lipitor Online.com DOMAIN NAME FOR SALE Web Pharmacy! US $5.50 (5 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 4:13:04 PDT Add to watch list |
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OptionsBooks.com Options Books Premium Domain Name US $9.99 (2 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 6:00:04 PDT Add to watch list |
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Beisbol.CO Spanish for baseball domain name US $38.20 (9 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 7:04:49 PDT Add to watch list |
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Premium Domain Names | WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS | GoDaddy. US $7.00 (6 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 7:30:57 PDT Add to watch list |
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NewestToys.com Newest Toys Premium Business Domain Name US $9.99 (3 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 8:49:01 PDT Add to watch list |
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All Business Logos.com Premium LOGO DESIGN Domain Name! US $18.50 (7 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 9:25:22 PDT Add to watch list |
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Baby Jogger City.com Premium BABY STROLLER Domain Name! US $31.00 (18 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 9:55:59 PDT Add to watch list |
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Baby Newborn Clothing.com Premium BABY SHOP Domain Name US $5.50 (2 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 10:07:51 PDT Add to watch list |
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Buy Clay Poker Chips.com Premium POKER SHOP Domain Name US $20.50 (11 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 10:46:42 PDT Add to watch list |
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Dalton Haul Road .com DOMAIN NAMES Alaska Ice Road US $62.00 (5 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 10:57:51 PDT Add to watch list |
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FindTire.com Find Tire Premium Auto Parts Domain Name US $12.50 (6 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 11:00:26 PDT Add to watch list |
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NetPorns.com Web Domain Name For Sale (no website) US $10.50 (3 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 11:05:54 PDT Add to watch list |
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RiverwalkBar.com - keyword rich aged domain name US $16.50 (10 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 12:06:08 PDT Add to watch list |
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Buy Sell Laptops.com Premium COMPUTERS web Domain Name US $5.50 (4 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 12:45:32 PDT Add to watch list |
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YPRP.com 4-Letter LLLL com Short Domain Name LLLL.com US $11.50 (7 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 13:39:56 PDT Add to watch list |
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UPOJ.com 4-Letter UP LLLL com VCVC Domain Name LLLL.com US $11.49 (4 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 13:42:03 PDT Add to watch list |
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ZERJ.com 4-L LLLL Pronounceable Domain Name LLLL.com US $9.50 (5 Bids) End Date: Sunday Aug-01-2010 13:44:30 PDT Add to watch list |
what do you think of the domain name flameless-candle.com
How do i get a fair value for my domain name when i find someone that wants to buy it??
Hi,
Thanks for visiting TheDomainHunter. Determining the value of a domain is made up of many factors existing traffic, brandability, commercial potential, etc. What are your goals are you looking for a quick sale or longer term income.
What research did you do before you purchased the name? How many searches are done on that term a day? Was it an existing site and you can show some history and traffic statistics to a potential purchaser? Of if it was an existing site does it have some traffic and links you can tap into?
Do some research on this name. Answer some of those questions for yourself and you’ll have a better idea of what is a fair value.
I think one of the best uses for this domain might be in developing it into what my friend Brian Johnson calls a revenue domain. It’s not as daunting as it may seem. It basically means writing some good content articles and putting up a Wordpress site so that google will see you have a valuable resouce that people will want to come back to. This will take some time and effort on your part but you can develop it into a site that will bring in several dollars of adsense and ebay affiliate income a day. I’ve been working with Brian in a pre-release copy of his domain revenue method. He’s writing an ebook which will be supplemented with videos and Camtasia shots. It’s a great step by step blueprint to the domain revenue method.
If you are looking for a quicker sale you could always put it up for auction. That way the market will tell you what they think its worth. Take a look at some of the ebay actions that follow this post to see what people are paying for various domain names. If you like what you see write your own auction listing. It’s not difficult and the fees aren’t that great. One of the things I’ve found on ebay (in fact any auction) is your listing and how you promote it. Look at some of the most popular auctions and emulate how the best are written. If you have a minimum value you feel you must have you can post a reserve. Set a time – 7 days is the most common. And then sit back and wait to see what the market feels you name is worth. If you are not a member of ebay or want a more complete ebay auction domain listing go over to http://www.HotDotAuctions.com.
I’ll be writing some more posts on the subject within the next two days. Thanks for stopping by TheDomainHunter.com If there is something you would like to see here let me know.
All the best,
Ted Sudol
TheDomainHunter.com
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