How many domains do you own?

[looks]

The market has changed with domainer to domainer filps on forums etc but is still very strong with end users. We proactively seek out end users so from our point of view the market is still the same if not better.

 

[humble pie]

I had about 1500, now about 400. The problem is I don't like selling them as I get some sort of sad emotional attachment to the really good ones.. even for really good offers. Theres only really one type of domain left to sell in this climate - the same sort of domain type half dozen people on here since year dot. I see a good few of my drops appear in people's portfolios, on Dl and here, and actually, now I'm happy for them.

 

[WalkinDude]

To be honest, if you couldn't make a profit from 1000 domain names, you must have bought a load of tosh . It's only like £3k a year in renewals.

We have been in domain names full time since 2005 i think and it has been very kind to us.

Well I didn't make a loss either. But yeah especially since joining acorn waaaaay to late in my domaining career I accept I went about it the wrong way for many years. But then I never even knew this place existed until someone I sold a car too told me about it.

 

[woopwoop]

@humblepie I definitely know what you mean about the attachment. It's been liberating selling them off though.

I still have these to go if anyone's interested!

Interesting thread so far, thanks everyone for sharing, interesting to see everyone's position.

 

[Admin]

About 800

600 .co.uk
200 .com
30 .es (some good ones! Domaining not really caught on here)

 

[humble pie]

Another sad thing is when you spend ages tracking a domain down, get it then do f'all with it. About 5 years ago I literally tracked this guy down to a barn in Dorset and paid him 9k for a geo domain. It's still pretty much undeveloped. I think sometimes there's more excitement in tracking a domain down rather than selling or developing it!

 

[accelerator]

Another sad thing is when you spend ages tracking a domain down, get it then do f'all with it. About 5 years ago I literally tracked this guy down to a barn in Dorset and paid him 9k for a geo domain. It's still pretty much undeveloped. I think sometimes there's more excitement in tracking a domain down rather than selling or developing it!

What domain is that?

 

[WalkinDude]

I think domainers need to work together. Domainers were in the ascendancy 10 years ago. I liken it to the TV industry where in the 1980's you had like 4 or 5 channels to choose from. Now you've got hundreds if not thousands to choose from.

Internet is this in reverse. Public have been sold the idea that if it isn't on the first page of the usual lots search engine results then it isn't worth visiting. Whilst the global number of sites achieving commercial levels of traffic is probably increasing seems to me that's more to do with the global expansion of people with internet access rather than the idea your typical UK surfer is visiting a wider range of websites.

Seems to me it's a cosy little club online now where search engines throw up the same results for the same big household names who spend most on advertising with them and in turn the same household names try and cover an every expanding range of niches in the knowledge they are getting all the traffic.

The search engines are too powerful. Private corporations deciding universally with hidden algorithms which sites can be trusted, viewed, and in what order and we're sold on the idea they do this all piously and wouldn't in any way manipulate things for self profit rather than the common good?

The domaining industry is what it is not because the public are better served with monolithic websites but because the resistance domainers have collectively put up has been non existent. If some manner could be found where the individual activities of domainers could be aggregated to mutual collective benefit the tide could be turned back in our favour, and serve entrepreneurs looking to start businesses with strong brands better, and generate more entrepreneurial activities. If domaining was seen as a service to entrepreneurs rather than a get rich scheme for the domainer for example. But the big websites we all use are now so overwhelming powerful most have just accepted the status quo.

Just sharing a few thoughts.

 

[humble pie]

Nice post good points. I'm thinking about something..

I think domainers need to work together. Domainers were in the ascendancy 10 years ago. I liken it to the TV industry where in the 1980's you had like 4 or 5 channels to choose from. Now you've got hundreds if not thousands to choose from.

Internet is this in reverse. Public have been sold the idea that if it isn't on the first page of the usual lots search engine results then it isn't worth visiting. Whilst the global number of sites achieving commercial levels of traffic is probably increasing seems to me that's more to do with the global expansion of people with internet access rather than the idea your typical UK surfer is visiting a wider range of websites.

Seems to me it's a cosy little club online now where search engines throw up the same results for the same big household names who spend most on advertising with them and in turn the same household names try and cover an every expanding range of niches in the knowledge they are getting all the traffic.

The search engines are too powerful. Private corporations deciding universally with hidden algorithms which sites can be trusted, viewed, and in what order and we're sold on the idea they do this all piously and wouldn't in any way manipulate things for self profit rather than the common good?

The domaining industry is what it is not because the public are better served with monolithic websites but because the resistance domainers have collectively put up has been non existent. If some manner could be found where the individual activities of domainers could be aggregated to mutual collective benefit the tide could be turned back in our favour, and serve entrepreneurs looking to start businesses with strong brands better, and generate more entrepreneurial activities. If domaining was seen as a service to entrepreneurs rather than a get rich scheme for the domainer for example. But the big websites we all use are now so overwhelming powerful most have just accepted the status quo.

Just sharing a few thoughts.

 

[Adem]

I had around 100 domains 3 years ago when EMD were king and easy to rank, but I've gradually been dropping domains and now down to 34.

I don't really sell domains and instead develop them myself but a couple of years ago it switched from quantity down to quality and no point in regging domains just for the sake of it.

 

[Murray]

I have about 100 .uks and 5 .coms

If I could have similar quality to the 100 .uk's I already have id happily scale it up to as many as possible.

 

[woopwoop]

I have about 100 .uks and 5 .coms

If I could have similar quality to the 100 .uk's I already have id happily scale it up to as many as possible.

I know what you mean.

Despite some of my trash I've done well at my level. Even the not-so-good names occasionally sell for a good price and I've always sold good-to-great names for more (multiples) than I paid.

The carrying costs of all the domains are covered by the handful of sales where:

• A reg fee purchase sells for £100-300 or
• A £50 purchase sells for £400-750 or
• A £500 purchase sells for £750-2000 or
• A £1500 purchase sells for £2-4k
• A £2000 purchase sells for £3-10k

Reading down the list the sales become more rare, and a few higher priced purchases I'm still holding on to.

The above aren't necessarily typical for me but they have happened often enough to pay for all my reg's, renewals, then drops...

I was recently chatting to someone who has done very well in completely offline businesses and they were interested in some of my sales. They had money to invest and wanted me to 'play' with their money.

I feel as though I couldn't scale it up any more (without it becoming a full time job). There's also the uncertainty/impact of .uk/gTLDs and only so many hours in a day - I have to hedge my bets with just a few websites and domains, my job and other ventures.

 

[Murray]

I feel as though I couldn't scale it up any more

Yeah my scaling up pretty much out of my hands because most of my domains are caught, so it's a lot of luck rather than skill.

Caught bluebridge.co.uk/.uk today though, happy with those additions