Tips for Selling a Domain Name

08 Jul

Domain Name Owners: Tips for Selling a Domain Name

Read on for a variety of tips for domain name owners for selling domain names

Domain Name Owners: Tips for Selling a Domain Name

Domain Names are the names of websites on the Internet. For example, 'www.buzzle.com' is the domain name of this website.

To purchase a domain name, one must make a purchase from a Domain Name Registration Service Provider who is accredited with the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers).

Nowadays, it has become a very profitable business to acquire domain names and then re-sell them in the Internet marketplace for a profit. This can be done as a very lucrative business if one is not violating Cyber Squatting Laws or Intellectual Property Laws.

To give a brief overview, Cyber Squatting involves buying a domain name with the express intention of extorting a higher than market price value from a prospective buyer. Violating Intellectual Property Laws with regards to domain names involves purchasing a domain name which has a name similar to that of a person or a company that is well known, again with the express intention of exploiting the price value of that domain name in the market.

All these activities are punishable by law and must be avoided, especially if one wants to build a good business and reputation as an Internet Domain Name Reseller.

Selling a Domain Name: Tips for Reselling Domain Names

Selling a Domain Name involves a lot of research and hard work, especially if you want to establish yourself as an Internet Domain Name Reseller.

It helps if you compare domain names with property locations or real life addresses. Obviously, an address of a particular location will help define the price value of the property when it goes for sale. In the same manner, names of particular domains will gain relative price value depending upon their address. This means the names of your domains have to be something that other people may want for themselves at some point of time in the future.

As a domain name reseller , you have to remain abreast of the latest developments and purchase relevant domain names which you feel will become valuable somewhere down the line. Of course, all this has to be done while ensuring that there is no violation of Laws mentioned before.

Domain names expire after a certain period of time, depending upon the time period that you purchased it. So you may have to buy the domain name for a long period of time so that no one else gets it in the in-between period. Or you have to ensure that you renew your ownership before it expires. This can be an investment, which you will have to factor into your costs while reselling the domain in the future.

Another thing that you have to consider which kind of Top Level Domain (TLD) you are purchasing. Different TLDs tend to command different prices. For example a '.com' TLD will often have a higher price than any other TLD. That is not to say that the other TLDs don't attract high prices, but often the name of the domain will help you determine which kind of TLD will attract more price.

Once you have acquired the domain name(s) that you want to resell, you must now decide on a strategy for how to resell those domain name(s). Here are some tips which will help you formulate a good plan for selling a domain name:

There are many sites on the Internet which offer a variety of services which can help domain name owners determine the prices that they can expect for the domain names that they want to sell in the marketplace. Some sites may offer to front for the domain name owners to act as go-betweens for a certain fee. These sites may also offer domain name appraisal services which will help you evaluate the value of your domain name.
You can also sell the domain name on your own. One of the things you can do in order to do that is to alter the WHOIS entry for Admin Contact to include a 'For Sale' in the details.
You might also consider adding a price option (which may or may not include the word 'negotiable') in these details instead of a standard 'Make Offer' statement. This will help the potential buyer of the domain name to understand what your asking price is before he / she contacts you.
Ensure that the contact details that you provide in the WHOIS directory details are relevant and up-to-date. Potential buyers must find it easy to get in touch with you when they do want to purchase the domain you are selling. If you change your telephone numbers or business e-mail id, make sure you make these changes in the WHOIS directory as well.
Eventually you will be on your way to create a portfolio of sorts for the domain names that you own. The idea is similar to holding a stock portfolio. Some domains might find buyers right away, while some domains will take some more time to find buyers. You must be patient and persevere. Just like any other business, this one has its risk factors too.
Be very pro-active with all your potential customers. Keep a business-like tone with all your potential customers. Reply to all their mails even if the initial offer that they are making is not what you are looking for. This is because some potential buyers will contact you with a low price in order to approach the table from the point of view of negotiating for the best price.
Negotiation is always the key to a successful sale - whatever you may be selling. Domain name selling is no exception. Depending on the price value of the domain name, determine a price value below which you will not sell it. This helps you negotiate effectively with potential buyers of your domain name.
Another idea is to market the domains for sale aggressively and properly. You can include a list of these domains for sale in your e-mail signature line or make a website or blog where you post links for these domains for sale.
You can post your domain names for sale in forums, message boards, search engines and directories. This is somewhat akin to Internet marketing - the idea is to reach out to potential customers where they are likely to see your listing and contact you.
Towards that end you also need to post your listing in relevant forums and sites. For example a domain name connected with a name suitable for the Heavy Machinery Industry would probably not find a potential buyer in a forum that deals with Renaissance Art.
Last but not the least, when you do find a buyer for the domain name that you are selling, do take care to provide good after-sales service. Help or assist him with the domain transfer process. This always creates a good impression in the customer's mind. He / She won't mind coming back again to deal with you if you have left a good impression.

Domain name reselling has thus become a lucrative business for many who are able to judge future trends on the Internet well.

Can I Sell A Domain Name That I Lease From Godaddy.com?

“Can I Sell A Domain Name That I Lease From Godaddy.com?” Yes you can! just join Go Daddy auctions on they web site, it costs around 4.99 a year, and you can bid buy and sell your domains.

Make Money Online For Living With Domain Name Sale Business

In this way you can make very good money by selling domain names. Even when you have the domain name parked and are waiting for the best price, you can use it in various ways to generate money.

Make Money Online by Buying and Selling Domain Names

The idea is simple, you buy a domain name e.g. ZitBusters.com, you list it for sale, at the industry auction sites such as Sedo or Afternic (or possibly even eBay) someone offers you a vast amount of money for it and you sell it.

By Madhavi Ghare
Published: 12/14/2007