|
Cruising through the forums, time and time again I come across posts from people arguing the merits of short domains. There are too many arguments about minimum values, what makes a good pronouceable, what letter's are premiums, etc., and not enough valuable discussions. This is very frusterating for me. I started 4LTR.org because I could not find enough information about investing in LLLL.com domains so I began posting anything and everything I could find here. However, now days their is plenty of information, however, most of it is tossed in with a lot of garbage, making my job even harder. People are spamming the forums with heated debate about the strangest things. I've read 20 posts in a row about whether the minimum price is $18 or $25 dollars. What a waste of time. Now, could you imagine a successful domainer like Rick Latona or Frank Schwartz running around stating the "sky is falling", the "sky is falling", everytime they saw a low sale? Nope, they'd swoop down and pick one up and enjoy it, then get on with more important business like how to market and sell their new aquisition. Now, this is the place that I plan to be at someday, however, honestly, like most of the rest of you, I'm not sure how to get there.
I want to learn all I can about this business, however, when I visit the forums, all I hear are prices and putdowns, buildups and let downs. I believe in my heart that there is an art to domaining and that it is more than just a way to pump and dump domains. But, uncovering this art, and especially as it pertains to the short domain business, is very difficult. Is there a secret domainer's forum somewhere where people whom are generally sincere about turning domaining into a full time business converse? Perhaps while I'm muddling through threads and blogs, there are real people out there discussing the best marketing strategies for short domains, giving eachother advice on how to sell their domains, talking about the best marketplaces, hottest niche's, critiquing eachother's sales websites, etc.. A place where LLL.com, L-LL.com, L-L-L.com, LLLL.com, LLL.net, CCC, NNNN, etc., are all welcome, however, negativity and pesstimists are banned. Now, your probably thinking, yeah sure, it's called Domainer's heaven. And, your probably right.
Well, since their are no secret LLLL.com societies out their, I guess it is up to all of us to follow our own intuition in this make it or break it game. We all have to make our own rules, play by ourselves, and try and keep focused in face of the naysayer's, friend's and familiy who don't understand why we are busy typing away like mad people, staring at a brightly lit screen. Most of us have to work overtime, just so we can afford to pay the regsitration fees for our "portfolio's, using money that could have gone for new toys, trips, etc.. Just what is a domain anyway, you can't wear it, you can't play with it, you can't hold it, you can't put it in your safe desposit box. It does not glitter like gold, shine like a diamond, Vrrroooommm like a Maserati or Lamborghini. It just sits there, waiting, doing nothing and then expecting you to feed it more money every year or threatening to move to someone else's home (kind of like a bad relationship.) Ahhh....but you gotta love them. Each one is unique and all hold a promise of wealth. They are hope for the poor, a way for people to make money from home, or perhaps if they are really lucky, a domain could bring you lots of wealth.
Okay, enough with my philosophizing and back to curing the domaining ills of the world. I think that domaining would be a lot better if we all learned to get along and helped support and educate eachother a little more. I promise to do my part by posting everything I learn here or on my other website DNCollecting.com. However, you need to do your part. Stop arguing and start getting along. (Sorry, I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about the other person, you know who it is, that person whom argues non-stop. No, not the person whom just disagrees, or the person whom is very educated and offers a wealth of knowledge that doesn't fit with your beliefs. But that person who just say's one or two dumb remarks, here and there that get's a whole conversation off track.) To that person, I am not buying into your bullshit, don't tell me that my domains are worthless because they are not quadruple premiums or that their worth only pennies because their not VCVC but anti-premiums. Instead, give me some advice and information I can use. Constructive criticism is great, however, criticism alone is like opinions and you know what they say about opinions.....they are like axxholes, everyone has one.
Let's stop arguing about the small stuff and EVERYONE agree to think like me. Okay, here are my opinions, call me a axxhole if you wish...
1. There is NO minimum or maximum. A domain that sold for $22 at eBay, could sell for $150 on another venue. Or, if it was sold by a great broker, it could go for a couple thousand or more with the right marketing. If a domain sold for less than it should have, I would blame the seller more than anything else. Some people are lazy, other's are inexperienced, some get in over their head and allow everything to drop so yes, their will be some good deals now and then. But, these deals are far and few between when you consider there are 456,796 LLLL.com domains.
2. You CAN'T LUMP single premiums with other single premiums, double premiums with other double premiums, triple premiums with other triple premiums, etc., and arrive at any real price. There are just too many possibilities to consider. For example the letters e,i,w,n, thrown together make 256 possibilities, and all 256 are "triple premiums."
(Note: all prices are just made up to demonstrate a point and based only upon the English language.)
wine.com $3,000,000
ewin.com $30,000
iwen.com $2,500
wein.com $1000
wien.com $1000
weni.com $1000
wnie.com $50
wnei.com $25
enwi.com $200
and 248 more possibilities to go...thus, complaining that a triple premium sold for more than it was supposed to or less, makes little sense and the same goes true for single premiums and anti-premiums. Again, if it sold too low, it was more likely the fault of the seller who chose to sell that low.
3. There are NO BAD LETTERS. Around the world, different cultures prefer different letters. Some love Z's and Q's. So then why aren't they bidding on your qzsi domain at Namepros? Well it could be simply because your not advertising to the right crowd. Just because you can read "Low priced LLLL.com for just $29.95." Not everyone speaks great English, to lots of people your ad looks like this; XCVloi sdoindfs xdosinn ss zd ddok sdfoi xdcq aado0i. Or, your not approaching the right people. I doubt that qzsi.com Quality Zoo Supplies Inc. shops at Namepros. Or, you're selling too many similar domains at the same time which tends to devalue their uniqueness. Whatever the case, for people who go out and register thousands of domains that they don't know what to do with or how to market them, then to complain how hard it is to sell them. Why did you register them to begin with?
4. Big sales don't happen overnight. You could spend years waiting for one. Therefore if your short on cash, spend less time complaining and worrying about minimums and put that energy into developing the domains you plan on keeping. Try to make your domains pay for themselves so you can have the luxury of keeping them as long as it takes, rather than selling too early and regretting it later. Those who held onto their LLL.com's over the years did pretty well. IF and only IF LLLL.com's follow in their footsteps, it might be best to hold onto them, rather than sell. But remember not to get in over your head. It's better to hang onto a few good ones, than have lot's of sleepless nights worrying about registration fees you can't afford to pay. Plan for the future, but live for today.
|
