Sell your unused domain names. Do you have domain names that you aren’t using? Many people purchase a domain, intending to accomplish all kinds of great things with it, but time passes and the domain remains uselessly inactive.
Or perhaps you built a website around it and found the niche wasn’t as profitable as you’d hoped. Either way, it’s a waste to let inactive domains just take up space when you could be making money from them. In this article we’ll be looking at how to sell domain names.
Placing a Value on Your Domain Name
If you want to sell a domain name, you first have to have some idea of what it’s worth. This can be trickier than it first appears. There is no way to place an exact value on a domain name, as ultimately it’s worth what a buyer wants to pay for it. However, there are certain factors that add to the value of a domain name.
1 . Extensions
.com domains are still considered the most valuable. After this, .net and .org and then .info. There are now many different extensions, and new ones come along all the time.
Aside from .us, .co, .mobi and .tv, there are many obscure ones associated with various countries. While these are less desirable, if your domain fits some other criteria (such as being one word), it could still be worth something.
2 . Shorter Names are Worth More
In general, the shorter domain names are more valuable. This is especially true if it contains an actual word or term (as opposed to just a bunch of letters, like wtxyz.com). Hyphens also reduce the value of domains.
Let’s check some examples:
Webhosting.com should be more sought after compared to GoodWebhosting.com, simply because webhosting.com is shorter!
3 . Popular Keywords
Domains that contain “money” keywords are often sought after by buyers. Exact match domains still have some value, although with Google’s recent updates this is not as true as it was a few years ago. Example of exact match domain names are webhosting.com, bestwebhosting.com, and topwebhosting.com.
4 . Local Domains
Some domains have value to local businesses. If you have a domain that has the name of a city and then a type of business – such as Londonaccountants.com or japanwebhosting.com, these names will be attractive to businesses in that region.
Be Careful With Valuations and Estimates
There are quite a few free online tools to estimate the value of domains, but these are notoriously unreliable when it comes to predicting the actual price you can get for your domain. You might try a tool such as Estibot.com, for example, and get excited that your domain is worth over $1,000 (according to them). When you try to sell it, however, you may find that it’s only worth a fraction of this to real buyers.
There are also paid domain evaluations. These are more reliable, but you have to decide if you want to spend money and possibly cut into your profits by having your domain professionally evaluated. The marketplace itself is often the best way to determine the value of a domain.
Sell Your Unused Domain Names – Where to Sell Domains
So where do you actually find buyers for your domain names? There are a few ways to do this. Let’s discuss them below.
1. Auction Sites
You can always try to sell your domain on eBay. The advantage to this approach is that it doesn’t cost much to list it there, unless you choose many extras such as a featured listing.
There are other auction sites as well, such as Sedo.com, which is a site that specializes in buying and selling domains. Sedo.com is very popular and I myself have sold a couple of domain names through the marketplace.
2. Forums
You can list your domain on various forums. Dnforum.com and Namepros.com are both forums that are dedicated to the topic of domains. On these forums, you can either have a free membership or gain additional privileges by becoming a paid member.
There are also other forums where you can list domains, such as the Warrior Forum and Digital Point. These are both internet marketing forums where you can also sell domains and even complete websites!
3. Target Potential Buyers
Another approach is to contact potential buyers directly. This is very good if you have local domain names (see above) that are appropriate for certain types of businesses.
In addition to the above methods, you can also target websites and blogs with domain names similar to the one you own. If you own a more desirable domain, someone in that niche might be interested in acquiring it.
Sell Your Unused Domain Names – Closing the Sale
Once you start getting offers for your domains, you still have to make sure you know how to handle the most important part of the transaction – closing the sale.
Make sure you negotiate for a fair price. As with any type of transaction, many buyers will try to offer you a much lower price than you are asking for. Don’t be too quick to lower your price, especially if the domain hasn’t been on the market for very long. On the other hand, if you repeatedly get low ball offers, it could mean that you are pricing it too high!
You also have to make sure you are protecting yourself, as selling domains can be a little risky. There are scammers who will try to get your domain without paying for it. One of the most common types of scams is when the buyer pays via PayPal or another payment processor and then requests a refund (while keeping your domain).
The best way to protect your interests is to use an escrow service such as Escrow.com. If you sell your domain through Sedo.com, escrow is mandatory. However, it’s a good idea to use it whenever you are selling a domain (or website), especially if it has a high value!
Make Money From Your Unused Domains
Selling your unused domains can be a great way to earn extra money online. Some people even turn it into a full time business. Once you’ve sold a few domains, even at modest prices, you’ll become more comfortable with the whole process.
Domains will never go out of style, as long as there’s Internet. You may own one or more domains right now that someone else will be eager to buy from you. It also doesn’t hurt to keep your eyes open for available domains that you think you might be able to turn over quickly.
