Let me be honest with you, I love hand-registering domain names. It’s a thrill. I come across something that is available and has a valid application in the market and the adrenaline just flows. It excites me to visualize how the name could be used, who the potential buyers are, and how they will benefit from purchasing it and putting it into action. If it’s a really good day, I will fantasize about how I might develop the name and build a business on it myself, or at least a minimal income stream. While the dream is that each one is a diamond in the rough and will eventually sell, the reality is that I never get around to reselling most of them.
It’s not because I’m lazy. It’s because the effort needed to sell a hand reg can be costly compared to what you will make selling it. Let me explain. I have sold hand-registered domains for as little as $69 and as much as $5,000. The top end of the scale is not typical, in my experience. The average sale price is somewhere between $250 – $500 for those that actually sell.
Now, hand regs don’t sell like premium exact-match names. The former requires lots of leg work on my end while the latter is more of a “sit and wait for offers” situation (not completely, but to some degree). Hand regs typically require that I do some research, and find out who would be a good fit for the name and how to contact them. Then I need to briefly show them that it will bring value to their business without making my email too wordy.
Then I typically personalize each email and send them to my prospects. Each step requires quite a bit of time. Knowing from experience that only a few names per hundred will sell, I will not put that type of effort into every name I buy. I will list them on the marketplace sites, but I would not heavily engage in trying to find a buyer. I reserve that for those names that I really think will sell if the right buyer sees it.
I can’t possibly put that much effort into every name I have. I occasionally circle through the inventory and do some targeted emails. For some names I will target a small number of potential buyers, say 5 to 10. Others have a broader appeal and I can send to dozens of potential buyers. Some, I’ll admit, I don’t send any. Sure, I hope a buyer will spot the landing page or see it on the marketplace, but I leave it at that. If it doesn’t sell, I eventually part ways with the name.
What to do with hand-regs you don’t sell
You have a few options when it comes to deciding the fate of a hand-reg that is no linger adored by you. Let’s run through them:
- Drop that name – Obviously, you have the option of not renewing. If you are looking to save money in tight times, this is often the best solution. Make sure those autorenewals are turned off for the names you no longer want and let them return to the Earth… or to space…. or wherever they come from.
- Renew It! – Sometimes you are just not ready to let it go. Maybe with a little more time and love you can find the right home for that name, at a decent price.
- Liquidate – You may recall my interview with Daniel Sanchez of NameLiquidate.com. The site is a platform designed for domain name owners to quickly sell their unwanted domain names. It provides a marketplace where sellers can list their domains at discounted prices for a short, fixed duration, typically seven days. It helps domain owners liquidate their inventory efficiently, reaching potential buyers who are looking for bargains in the domain market. Brilliant!
- Send a last effort email – If the name ever had any interest from a buyer but you could not agree on a price, reach back out to them. Let the buyer know that while you wanted $1,000 and they were only willing to pay $100, that the name is going to be dropped and likely moved to auction where it will sell for far more than $100. Negotiate around what they were willing to pay but take a chance and bump it up a few bucks higher (see the email template here).
Despite the thrill of hand-registering domains and the potential they hold, the reality is that most of them will never sell. The effort and resources required to market these domains often outweigh the potential returns. However, for those passionate about this endeavor, there are several viable options for handling the inventory that doesn’t sell. Whether you choose to drop, renew, liquidate, or make one last attempt to sell, it’s crucial to have a strategy in place. By understanding the market and your own motivations, you can make informed decisions that balance your passion with practicality.
