Trav’s List of Domains at Auction for April 27th, 2018

13 Replies to “Trav’s List of Domains at Auction for April 27th, 2018”

1. LOL I was hoping ElephantLabs wouldn’t be on this list. I’ve been looking at both ZebraLabs and ElephantLabs for the past few days now.

   1. Did you buy it?

      1. Nah, I passed on it. I did put in a lowball bid, but I got called into a meeting at work while it was ending.

2. Some names I am emotionally attached to and just can’t let go even though I have had them for almost a decade and never had an offer.

   Others are easier to part with, I think. For example past trends that don’t make sense anymore or domains in extensions that never became popular.

   1. Very true regarding trend names and unpopular extension names. It is the attached thing that I’m trying to overcome.

      1. I’m amazed sometimes when I see “VCR” domains and other long obsolete technology based domains hitting the expiration lists now in 2018! Plus to make things worse .. most wouldn’t even have been good domains 20 years ago!
         .
         VHSTradersClubOn9thStreetLittleTownUSA.org

   2. Michael, have you considered putting them out there for lower prices just to see what happens? I try to mix it up from time to time and see what happens. I personally think most domainers overvalue their names honestly. I see this on NamePros and GoDaddy every day where the prices are just insane (many times for junk I wouldn’t even hand reg)

      1. I have tried to lower the prices to $XXX, which I think is not a fortune if an enduser really wants them. But I guess it is time to admit I am the only one in the world who loves them 😉

         On the other hand, it sometimes feels really good once you have let a name expire and you know you won’t have to think about renewal costs and managing the name anymore.

3. Good topic! 🙂
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   That being said .. I think “creative algorithms” was actually my original biggest mistake when it comes to domaining. I’ve had domains for many years .. but always holding with the intent to develop. I started domaining with purely the intend of reselling without development about a year and a half ago.
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   So right now I’m at the unique point where I’ve seen some of my earliest newbie mistakes coming up for renewal a few months ago. Many of these domains I grabbed because of various values from CPC to monthly search to estibot to age, etc …
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   While looking at those stats most definitely does tend to get you RELATIVELY better domains .. it does not in any way mean they are good domains to hold as a reseller.
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   At this point I just look at each name one by one and ask … is this a domain that’s worth the risk to reward holding? In that it’s a very simple mental assessment of what I think the chances of someone wanting the domain are .. multiplied by the likely price range .. divided by holding costs. The result obviously isn’t an actual number .. but more of a relative comparison with an arbitrary cut off line that has evolved in my head over time as I learn more about what sells and what doesn’t and for what price range.
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   After the initial wave of my “domaining” purchases passed, where I dropped a higher percentage of names .. I’m finding that I’m now renewing a higher percentage of domains .. obviously because I was getting better at buying them in the widely changing period from month zero to month 6 of domaining.
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   So going back on topic .. I think the biggest difference between my month 0 and month 6 of domaining was that at the start I was too reliant on stats. As time progressed I found myself going further unfiltered into nightly expiration lists .. which yelded me better results because domain data doesn’t necessarily translate into a direct relationship of domains that should be bought as a reseller .. but secondly .. and I think much more importantly .. it also led me to find domains that most other people missed (because most people going through the lists apply a lot of filters) .. so the result was that I’m able to get better quality domains for dirt cheap ($12/$17 at auction, or $5-$11 at closeout).
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   While this might not obviously seem like it has anything to do with renewals .. I’m finding that as time goes by .. and domains that I acquired in my first year are hitting renewal .. I’m getting to the point where I’m renewing most of them. The domains I’m dropping are mostly ones that I no longer like because of applying something I’ve learned in the year since. Because just as the quality of domain differed between month 0 and month 6 .. there’s been a similar upgrade in quality between month 6 and now.
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   At the end of the day domainers need to ask if the domain has a strong chance of selling soon enough and for a high enough price, to cover the inverse percentage of domains they don’t sell over the same time frame (then add in a safe buffer so that you’re actually profitable). Sounds simple enough .. but much of that is very subjective .. particularly for a relatively new domainer .. but at this point it’s a gut feeling based on the above .. and it should be noted that the gut feeling can still change from day to day and can still be influenced by other names and sales. When looking at the possibility of renewing a domain it’s important to focus on the domain itself .. and if you’re going to compare it to other domains .. be very VERY sure the reasons are accurate .. because even with experience it’s much easier to wrongly associate a domain with another than to legitimately tie the domains together. “One offs” are a good example of that .. where an extra letter or wrong TLD not only hurts the value .. but also your chance of selling .. which should have a compounded effect for you to say no to buying/renewing.
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   It’s pretty funny .. because while overall I’m getting better at saying no to buying/renewing .. there are days when it’s super clear .. but other days I think I need to toss a coin because the arbitrary variables are too .. variable! lol
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   Hope that all actually made sense? lol

   1. I agree that your names should get better over time simply because you get better at picking names. An algorithm would be nice to assist in deciding what to drop. Of course, you could take the inverse of that and let the algorithm pick the ones that should obviously be kept based on stats.

4. At the beginning of 2017 I decided to try to drop about 10% of my domains per month (I renew on a monthly basis). A good way to be constantly re-evaluating the domains in my portfolio. I get rid of alot of junk as well as some that aren’t junk but which seem to not have any interest (or whose time has come and come).

   I think pruning on a regular basis is important – markets change and my strategy changes with time.

   1. Thanks for the comment Jackie. So what method do you use to reevaluate whether a name has interest? Number of inquiries / visits?

5. Yes, Inquiries and visits. But also some “soft” indicators, such as similar sales, coverage of the topic in the news, etc.