Drop zone

Finding An End User To Buy Your Domain Name Part 2

greg — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 20:29:26 +0000

This post is a continuation of Finding an enduser to buy your domain name part 1, if you haven’t read that article yet I’m very sorry but I will be unable to allow you read this one. Go ahead and click this link to be brought up to speed with the information presented in part 1. Before I continue with this lesson I will make a few assumptions as to what you have learned thus far. First, you should know what the difference is between an enduser and a domain reseller. Second, you should know a few steps of how to identify a potential end user candidate. Third, your still reading so I assume that you have a desire to learn. At this point if anyone has any questions please raise your hand and I will try to find the answers for you providing you don’t lower your hand. Ok folks, hold on, we’re ready to start cashing in on our domain names (oh yea, it’s that easy).

Who Do I Email

I am going to use LiteracyCenter.net as a potential candidate, so if you would like to play along at home go ahead and open that site in your browser. Once I am on the site the first thing I check is not the “contact us” link, the first thing I check is “About Us”. I do this for a couple of reasons. I am selling them a domain name that at the least is several hundred dollars, I should know a little bit about what they do and who they are. I have also found that often times there will be information about the CEO, CFO, Director of Marketing and even the Board of Directors, occasionally there will even be contact information for the above mentioned people. Using LiteracyCenter.net still, I am not so lucky to find all the information I need. I only am able to find two email addresses (Request/Information and Donate). In my experience these email addresses are pretty much worthless for my purpose. Time for a little digging….

Who or What is Whois

Simply put Whois is a way to find out who owns a particular domain by searching the registrant database. I like to use DomainTools.com as my Whois tool. The free feature provides a wealth of relevant information and even more information is available for a cost. For this exercise the free version will suffice.

If you plug LiteracyCenter.net into the “Lookup” section of DomainTools.com it will generate a wealth of information that may be of some use to you. Near the top of the Whois record you will see “Reverse Whois” followed by “Literacy Center Education Network” owns about 17 other domains. Great that means they understand the value of having multiple domain names!!! Directly below you will see “Email Search” followed by linda./hah ner @ out/of/the/blue dot com is associated with 75 domains. Even better!!!! Play around with this useful tool to familiarize yourself with it, meanwhile I am going to continue with the lesson…

So we just found our first possible email recipient, now we need to find out what role Mrs. Hahner plays in this organization.

So is everyone still playing along at home??? If so you may have picked up on another clue…Out/of/the/blue dot com. Maybe that is the parent company or possibly it is the website design company, we need to find out so go ahead and type Out/of/the/blue dot com into your address bar. Oh no, Web Design company. This is another dead lead but I’m not giving up just yet.

There is a little more relevant information in the Whois record. The Registrant is “Literacy Center Education Network”, the address is listed and so is a phone number.

We still have hope on this name….

Tune in for the next installment of “Finding An End User To Buy Your Domain Name” to see how this plays out because we may still have an opportunity to sell this name to LiteracyCenter .net.

Finding An End User To Buy Your Domain Name Part 1

greg — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:50:13 +0000

You have took the time to research several domain name selections and you have put together a pretty decent domain name portfolio, now it’s time to sell the those domains. In this article I will define what is an end user, my methods for finding endusers and the contact methods that I use. I am by no means an expert in this field but I have had enough success with end user sales to give you a little insight. So adjust your computer chair and join me for a knowledge filled journey into the mind of a domain name salesperson. This is Part 1 in a series on this subject:

What is an end user???

In order to define an end user you must first define a domain name reseller. A domain name reseller can be considered a middleman of sorts, someone who buys a name for one price with the goal of flipping the name at a later time for 2, 3 or 100 times the purchase price. The reseller may hold on to a name for 3 days or 3 years before flipping it. They may sell it to another reseller for a higher price or they may sell it to an end user who breaks the cycle and develops or redirects the name. The end user is someone who generally doesn’t buy the name and wait for the value to raise, they are a company that has a specific and immediate need for the name (even if they don’t realize it yet). The end user generally doesn’t know that they need to buy illiteracy.us. They were perfectly happy with StopIlliteracyInTheUnitedStates.com until you planted a seed in their head by contacting this enduser. Sometimes that simple contact is all that it takes to get the ball rolling….

Finding an end user that has a need for your name

I live in The United States where dot com is perceived as king and every domain name has to be a dot com to be taken seriously, or so the thought goes. However the reality soon becomes clear, many websites put many thousands of dollars into website design, thousands into PPC and many more thousands into SEO but they are using a crap domain name. As soon as you find that quality website using a non-quality name then you have your first end user candidate!

The easiest way to find an end user that has a need for your name is to plug your domain keywords into the Google search box (although it is not always that easy). I am using illiteracy.us as an example once again, this is the name that I would like to sell. My first step would be to Google “illiteracy” and see what kind of results I get, go ahead and follow along at home so we can call this an interactive experience! As you will see, there are several results that are not endusers (Wikipedia.org, Wikipedia.org, Merriam-Webster.com, NYTimes.com, Answers.com, etc) but there are a couple of possibilities (National Right To Read Foundation: NRRF.org, SIL.org). I purposely picked a difficult name to illustrate a point that I alluded to earlier, it’s not always that easy.

Sometimes you may need to search beyond the parameters. Let’s go ahead and Google “literacy“, you are still playing along at home, right? Look at the possibilities now!!! NIFL.gov, LiteracyCenter.net, LiteracyConnections.com, Literacy.org, Famlit.org. This list goes on and on, page after page, at first glance all of the websites could benefit from owning illiteracy.us. Broaden your horizons and think outside the box and you may see a whole new avenue for domain name sales. Of course, I will need to visit all of the sites to see if they are truly candidates but in a matter of minutes I am able to find a few end user possibilities (thanks to all of your help).

Now we have a few organizations that may benefit from owning this name and for our homework we (I) must get on the websites to see if they are a true candidate. In the coming days I will discuss how to find the right person to send the email to, what the email should say, how it should be sent and much, much more. Stop back for Finding an end user to buy your domain name part 2.

Are You A Fan Of Anything???? If So Your Name Is Dropping

greg — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:59:07 +0000

There are many kinds of fans in this world. I am not talking about the kind that blow cool air your way on a hot day, I am talking about the rabid supporters of their favorite activities. Recently we had the World’s Cup to show us how many soccer fans are spread throughout the world but you don’t need to travel to South Africa to see the United States’ own soccer fans, baseball fans, basketball fans or even football fans. Now thanks to a certain domainer from Mt Dora, Florida we have hundreds of “fans” domains dropping (I wonder if he would be interested in buying my MtDora.us). The Whois says that this domainer owns 189 domains, well not anymore as they are all scheduled to drop on July 31, 2010. So if you are looking for your favorite team, city, golfer, activity or anything else take a look at the drop list for that day. Who knows, I may just pick up BuckeyesFan.us or even GolfFan.us

Who Can Register A .us Domain Name (.us Eligibility Requirements)

greg — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:10:51 +0000

So you have scanned the .us available domain name lists and you have found the perfect name to start your .us domain name portfolio, all that is left is to register that name, right??? Not exactly, there are a few eligibility requirements that must be met in order to register a .us domain name. If those requirements are not met then you run a risk of having that name taken from you without a refund or any recourse to get the name back. It’s not as hard as it sounds, keep reading…

The usTLD Nexus Requirements

1.A natural person (i) who is a United States citizen, (ii) who is a permanent resident of the
United States of America or any of its possessions or territories, or (iii) whose primary place
of domicile is in the United States of America or any of its possessions,

If you are a United States citizen, have permanent residence in The United States or if your primary residence is The United States then you have just fulfilled the necessary requirements for owning a .us domain name. You can stop here, you have eligibility. Go register that .us domain name that you have always dreamed of. All the rest of you, keep reading….

2.A United States entity or organization that is (i) incorporated within one of the fifty (50) U.S.
states, the District of Columbia, or any of the United States possessions or territories, or (ii)
organized or otherwise constituted under the laws of a state of the United States of America,
the District of Columbia or any of its possessions or territories (including a federal, state, or
local government of the United States or a political subdivision thereof, and non-commercial
organizations based in the United States), or

If your company is incorporated in The United States or any US Territories then you are safe, although I would research this further if you are investing in high dollar .us domains or are planning on owning a large .us portfolio. All the rest of you, keep reading….

3.A foreign entity or organization that has a bona fide presence in the United States of America
or any of its possessions or territories.

This language is really tricky and for most domainers who don’t meet the first two requirements they feel that investing in .us domain names automatically gives them a bona fide presence in the United States. I’m afraid that is not the case. It is further explained here:

·Applicant must state country of citizenship.
·Applicant must also (1) regularly engage in lawful activities (sales of goods or services or
other business, commercial or non-commercial including not-for-profit activities) in the
United States; or (2) maintain an office or other property within the United States.

I personally do not feel that buying and selling domain names fulfills the definition of “bona fide presence” and could open you up to catastrophic loss if your eligibility is every questioned. Keep reading:

Prospective Registrants will certify compliance with Category 3 Nexus based upon
substantial lawful contacts with, or lawful activities in, the United States.
Factors that should be considered in determining whether an entity or organization has a
bona fide presence in the United States shall include, without limitation, whether such
prospective usTLD domain name Registrant:
·Regularly performs lawful activities within the United States related to the purposes for
which the entity or organization is constituted (e.g., selling goods or providing
services to customers, conducting regular training activities, attending conferences),
provided such activities are not conducted solely or primarily to permit it to register
for a usTLD domain name and are lawful under the laws and regulations of the
United States and satisfy policies for the usTLD, including policies approved and/or
mandated by the DoC;
·Maintains an office or other facility in the United States for a lawful business,
noncommercial, educational or governmental purpose, and not solely or primarily to
permit it to register for a usTLD domain name

If you think that you may stay under the radar and take your chances on registering a dot us domain name, you may be right. You may register hundreds of dot us domains without ever being questioned but that possibility is always there. I have at least one DropZone reader, a United States citizen, who nearly lost .us domains while trying to prove eligibility. I would love to see you have the opportunity to invest in .us domains but I would hate to see them taken away from you. Conduct your due diligence before registering .us domain names, there really is a lot to lose otherwise.

My view on .us domain names

Another .us Available Domain Name List For You To Enjoy

greg — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 01:02:28 +0000

I have a small stockpile of available dot us domain name lists building on my computer so I figured it would be nice to share a list with my dot us friends. These are not the latest .us drops, instead they are names that survived the first couple of weeks of June. I was really concerned that these names would never have the opportunity to be registered again nor would they ever have a chance to make an end user happy so I had to bring them back. So here they are, as usual please let me know if you enjoyed the list or if you registered anything.

YOUNGREPUBLICANS.US -Every city, township, county and state has a Young Republicans Club. Appeal to their patriotism and you may end up with an enduser sale, tell ‘em George W would want them to own a .us domain name.

WESTWING.US

CHICAGOSTYLE.US

SWINGVOTE.US -Citizens disenchanted with Obama will be this years Swing Vote.

POLITICALREFORM.US

LEGALGUIDE.US

REENACTMENT.US -8,000+ local monthly searches but you will get Civil War money for cpc

REENACTMENTS.US -I have a friend who participates in Civil War ReEnactments. It takes a lot of money to outfit a small division of your friends and drive up to Gettysburg for the weekend.

EASTERDAY.US -Seriously what day does Easter fall on next year??? I beat you will see some traffic peaks near the holiday.

ELFDUST.US -The holidays are coming.

INDOORCLIMBING.US

JAILHOUSE.US

BAGELSHOP.US -Where do you find that Everything Bagel with Veggie Cream Cheese??? Develop it so we will know.

SALESPRESENTATION.US

EMINISTRIES.US

CONCERNEDCITIZENS.US -This is a term with very low search numbers but a ton of upside.

JIBBERISH.US -What a great name for a blog that talks about…. well you know.

POLICEDEPARTMENTS.US -High search numbers, respectable cpc. I guarantee you that someone will register this name (which by the way dropped over a month ago) simply because they saw it on this list. That’s what the available domain name list is for, just let me know that you picked it up.

CLEANSMOKE.US

RIKKI.US -This name is not in the Top 1000 baby names any year but it is on the Top 5 drugged out rock stars names each year.

REPLACEMENTWINDOW.US -I broke a window at my last job and I had to pay for the replacement of it. That is the only reason I didn’t register this name. Otherwise a pretty good name.

PINKGRAPEFRUIT.US

CAPTAINHOOK.US

BLOGTALK.US -Are you still looking for that “blog” name.

ZONKER.US

FAMILYPET.US -Are you still looking for that “pet blog” name???

WINEFESTIVAL.US

CASHANDPRIZES.US

WIRELESSVIDEOCAMERAS.US -Borderline name for you developing types. 1600 monthly searches but a decent $2.86 cpc. I passed, will you?

JENNETTE.US

EARACHES.US

NEESE.US -There are a ton of businesses that have Neese somewhere in the domain name plus Neese is the high school that Tim Tebow went to.

DELIVERYDRIVERS.US

DELIVERYDRIVER.US

FRIENDLYFIRE.US -Friendly fire incidents unfortunately are a part of war. Can you buy this name and make a difference?

POKERTIP.US

GRASSROOTMARKETING.US -I like “Marketing” domain names. 1600 searches and $3.37 cpc. I passed but I may reconsider if you don’t take it. Then again if you don’t take it I may have to re-evaluate my criteria for picking names. (Always second guessing myself).

AFFILIATESBLOG.US -Here’s that “affiliate” blog domain name that you have always been looking for.

WIRELESSDEVICE.US

SURFTIME.US -It’s summer and I live a couple of miles from the beach.

SURFVIDEO.US -These 3 “surf” names would make a great network of sites.
SURFWATCH.US

Your Reward For a Hectic Week…A New .us Available Name List

greg — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 19:51:25 +0000

This has been such turbulent week for .us drops and I think we can all use a break. I have decided to put together a small dot us available name list from the last few days. While you may not find that powerhouse 50,000 exact search name on this list I do feel that there are some quality names on this list and some of these names can make you some money!!!

Before I show you the available domain list I have some quick business to tend to. It seems as if the dot us drops are being tasted. I know, I know, I also thought that practice was mostly over and certainly not for our beloved .us domains but it’s true. Most of these names on this list were registered last week and yet here they are available to register. I’m just saying that it will benefit you to review your drop lists a day or so after the drop. Alright, here are your names…Be sure to let me know if you found this list useful or if you registered any names:

LEGALDOMAINS.US
WASHANDFOLD.US
GERA.US
MNCS.US
SWFLORIDA.US
TNMT.US
CAES.US
OBAC.US
HUES.US
PRECEDE.US
LONDONBROIL.US
GRABBING.US
WOODTILES.US
DREAMJOB.US
TROPICALTREES.US
AMGA.US
FILIBUSTERED.US
LEGALDOMAINS.US
WASHANDFOLD.US
TOPHITS.US
SOTP.US
BREAKTHECYCLE.US
PLANE-TICKET.US
SKINGVACATION.US
MUSIC-FESTIVAL.US
FILM-FESTIVALS.US
RALLYING.US
AERONAUTICALENGINEER.US
GRUMPYOLDMAN.US
AMDO.US
GODSENT.US
LEAF-BLOWER.US
ELECTRICCHAINSAW.US
BUTTERCREAM.US
WATCHOVERYOU.US
DROP-SHIPPER.US
HONOLULUFORECLOSURES.US
MAGIC-TRICK.US
HAWAIIANISLAND.US
NOSUBJECT.US
MRSNACKIE.US
CASHBACKREWARDS.US
RESTAURANTSGUIDE.US
RESTAURANTGUIDES.US
3DTUTORIAL.US
NONPROFITGUIDE.US
KRISTIAN.US
STORYLINE.US
KITCHEN-COOKWARE.US
LOLL.US
GULFSHORESREALESTATE.US
9-IRON.US
9IRON.US
NINEIRON.US
OIL-WATER-SEPARATOR.US
WINEKITS.US
GARDENOFEDEN.US
HITMAKERS.US
NEMS.US
GLORIOUSWEDDING.US
GLORIOUSWEDDINGS.US
LABRETRIEVERS.US
COOLCATS.US
CIGARETTESTORE.US
UNSPONSORED.US
COLLEGERADIO.US
CASHPAWN.US
PICKOFTHEDAY.US
SUBLEASES.US
AMERICANBEEF.US
RENTNY.US
TOP-RATED.US
MYSTERYSHOPPING.US
AIRBRUSHED.US
ALCOHOLGUIDE.US
HAULITAWAY.US
DECORATINGTIPS.US
ROLLINGPAPER.US
CUSTODYBATTLE.US
SITECREATOR.US
N1H1.US
PAN-HANDLE.US
RUNFAST.US
DRYMARTINI.US
KITCHEN-DESIGN.US
CLOUDAPPS.US
FLU-MASK.US
PAIDRESEARCH.US
PREVENTWASTE.US
REDUCEWASTE.US
EASYCLICK.US
HOMECONCEPTS.US
DILATE.US

Now I Know Why They Call It A Drop List Part 2

greg — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:38:07 +0000

This is my 2nd edition of “Now I know why they call it a drop list”, in case you missed the 1st edition, don’t worry here it is. I’m not sure how well the readership enjoys these segments but it is almost therapeutic to me. I scan the drop lists manually so sometimes I can get burned out at looking for good, quality names. It is an entirely different perspective purposely looking for bad names. It also gives me an opportunity to showcase my finely tuned sarcasm (that statement in itself is sarcasm), which I keep mostly out of this blog. So sit back, relax and try to put yourself into the mindset of the original registrants of these names:

WhereHasCommonSenseGone.us Common sense would dictate that you need to register other variations of this name WHCSG.us is available, so is WhereHasAllTheCommonSenseGone.us. Nonetheless, I couldn’t find a more appropriate name from the drop list to start out with.

GoCowGo.us What’s worse? The fact that someone originally registered this name, the fact that this term has 260 exact searches per month or the fact that I bothered to check the search numbers??? Don’t answer.

Dancing-With-The-Stars.us I hear that the North Star has a bright future on the rave circuit, he’s apparently up all night.

TheMinnesotaPersonalInjuryAndAccidentLawyer.us There’s nothing wrong with this name, the only problem is that it’s the best of about 100 Minnesota Lawyer type names that this person registered.

CutiPatutti.us This is why Rosie O’Donnell shouldn’t register domain names any more, come to think of it there isn’t much she should be doing.

SwineFlew.us You can almost understand why this name was originally registered in 2009. It was registered during the height of a New York to LA flight featuring Rosie O’Donnell as a passenger.

ClickClickBuyBuy.us In an effort to protect their brand they also registered Click-Click-Buy-Buy.us (true story). It is too bad they just didn’t start with the obvious…ClickClickByeBye.

Soapranos.us Picture yourself in Hoboken during the formation of this idea….

” I says to myself, Vinnie, yous gotta do sometin to better yous self and bing!!!! I taught up dis ideas of carvin up da fricken Irish Spring soap. I hate da fricken Irish anyways, so anyways I carve up da soap likes my fav’rite Sopranos characters. I call it Soapranos. Get it????”

SpecialNeedScareLink.us Click the link and horrible Special Needs Caregivers do all kinds of bad things when your not looking. I hate when I go the brutally honest route.

OkSite.us Mediocrity Rules!!!! Oh wait, I’ve been informed that this could be considered OklahomaSite. Mediocrity Rules!!!!

ILoveAndYou.us I’m not sure why you would love “and you” but each to their own.

DoWellByDoingGood.us I am confused by this name. Maybe they mean DowellByDoingGood.us. I like that better.

AntiFrozen.us Also know as thawed. Note to original registrant…in retrospect it didn’t quit catch on like Anti Freeze.

UsedHomes.us People don’t mind buying a used car, some people don’t mind used clothes or furniture. But not a used home.

Well folks, that’s all I have for tonight. Thanks for tuning in!!!!

Ok people, enough is enough. Save some names for me to register

greg — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:16:00 +0000

I prefer to register dot us domain names because it is easier to acquire a great name then it is for dot com, dot net or dot org name. Or at least it was. Earlier in the week I wrote there is a lot of competition for .us drops and it hasn’t let up. Day after day I try to get my favorite names and each day I come up empty handed. Ok people, enough is enough. Save some names for me to register.

I could understand if it was premier names that are being scooped up, but they’re not. Don’t get me wrong, the premier names have always been scooped up but at least there were some scraps to chew on, now even the scraps are being devoured…and quickly.

Today I had 41 names of various quality on my initial list, some of those names were of very questionable quality. Here we are 3 hours after the drops and there are only 3 left (and all hyphens): Top-Rated.us, Pan-Handle.us and Flu-Mask.us. Here are the names from my list that were registered today:

AMERICANBEEF.US, RENTNY.US, RTW.US, LUU.US, MYSTERYSHOPPING.US, AIRBRUSHED.US, ALCOHOLGUIDE.US, ARISTOCRACY.US, HAULITAWAY.US, DECORATINGTIPS.US, ROLLINGPAPER.US, TEAL.US, THRIFT.US, COOKIEBOUQUET.US, CUSTODYBATTLE.US, SITECREATOR.US, WINDPOWERGENERATORS.US, HOSTINGSITE.US,
N1H1.US, COSMOTOLOGYSCHOOL.US, RUNFAST.US, OPENMARKET.US, DRYMARTINI.US, KITCHEN-DESIGN.US, CLOUDAPPS.US, OPPORTUNITIES.US, HIGHPOWERED.US, BLOWOUT.US, THEFTS.US, PAIDRESEARCH.US, PREVENTWASTE.US, REDUCEWASTE.US,
EASYCLICK.US, HOMECONCEPTS.US, DILATE.US, AIDEN.US, UMN.US and GUILLERMO.US.

There certainly are some very good names on that list but there is also some names that normally would sit unregistered. It’s alright with me, actually it is good news. Dot us names are gaining much more interest on the domaining level and that means that prices will go up as a result. It also means that I (we) may need to consider different strategies in order to secure some of these names. I’m in it for the long haul so I will do whatever it takes!!!

Your Reward For a Hectic Week…A New .us Available Name List

Several .us domains in Sedo’s (Not So Great) Domains Auction

greg — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:34:11 +0000

There are 5 .us domains in the Sedo/Great Domains Auction. They are anything but great, there are a couple that are decent but nothing really jumps out at me. On the other hand there are a couple of .us domains that are not a part of the Sedo/Great Domains Auction and I think they are of a much better quality. Anyway, you can decide….Here are the names on auction at Sedo right now:

Gamble.us Has one bid for $2000. The reserve price is between $1000-$4999. Ends July 22, 2010. This domain only has 27,000 local searches per month but someone would be happy to own it.

Womens.us Has one bid for $200. Auction ends July 20, 2010. This is an example of a numbers that don’t tell the whole story. Womens.us is a name that is awkward in usage but it has 74,000 monthly searches.

SolarCell.us Has one bid for $500. Auction ends July 20, 2010. This is a product domain name with 27,000 local search volume (74,000 Global) and has been continuously registered since 2002.

Dubai.us Has no bids. Reserve Price is between $1- $499. Auction ends July 22, 2010. Part of the Great Domains Auction. This would be a decent domain to own for the price although I think DubaiDebt may be a better name these days.

Tones.us Has no bids. Reserve Price is between $1000- $4999. Auction ends July 22, 2010. Part of the Great Domains Auction. I am the only beginning to think that the .us names represented are less than Great Domains????

Practicing.us Has no bids. Reserve Price is between $1- $499. Auction ends July 22, 2010. Part of the Great Domains Auction. Hmmmm, this is the third .us domain that is owned by Solomon Perlstein…He must know someone at Sedo because they let him in with some weak names.

Scientists.us Has no bids. Reserve Price is between $1- $499. Auction ends July 22, 2010. Part of the Great Domains Auction. Another Great Domains auction, another name owned by Solomon. At least this name is halfway decent.

Disk.us Has one bid for $307. Auction ends July 21,2010. Congrats to Recaptured Domains on this auction, you should get a few more bids for this quality name. Now stop beating me to the registration punch on the names that I want!!!!!!!

A Lot Of Competition These Days For Dot US Drops

greg — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 19:37:05 +0000

I have been following dot us drop lists very closely for a little under a year and periodically following .us drop lists for 8 months prior to that. I feel as if I have my finger to the pulse when it comes to the day to day activities of the dot us drops. I watch for what names are registered and then check the Whois to see who registered the names. Time and time again it was the same circle of people registering the names (of course with exceptions). However, a funny thing has happened in the last 30 days or so, more and different names are showing up in the Whois and the only name that I am seeing over and over again is SnapNames. There is a lot of competition these days for dot us drops and that is causing more back orders to be placed for these names.

The Unofficial Results

For today, July 11, 2010 I had 49 .us domain names on my initial list. Within 30 minutes after the drop started there were only 13 names left from my list. I tried to catch 8 names and all of them ended up at SnapNames.

Yesterday, July 10, 2010 I had 103 names on my initial list, here we are a day later and there are only 12 names left.

I am involved in 4 auctions at SnapNames with a combined 34 bidders. My favorite name, Sarasota is at $430 with 23 hours left. I knew it would go fairly high but this name is on pace to break through the $xxxx ceiling and then keep going.

Names that normally would not get back orders were back ordered with multiple bidders. I had to make sure that I wasn’t accidentally trying to get dot com names!!!

Tying It All Together

Historically this period of time from late May through early/mid July has seen higher quality .us domains dropping, what is different is how quickly some of the “lower-tier” names are being scooped up and the amount of names that are being back ordered. Here’s my theory on that:

Yes, I think there are more people buying dot us domains, certainly domainers who are diversifying their portfolio as well as learning the quality names that are available. I also think that those same people are used to getting “lower tier” dot com and dot net names and so a “lower tier” dot us (which is still a great name) seems that much better to them. I also think that people get caught up in the excitement and register names that they normally wouldn’t in order to get something, anything.

As for my investment policy, it has not changed at all. I only place a back order if it is a killer domain and then I set a limit as to how high that I will bid. I pick the names that I want prior to the drop and I don’t deviate from that list, if I get my names then great, if not then great. Too much of my early domaining career was spent impulse buying, I’m not going to relive those days.

What about you??? Leave me a comment and give your thoughts on this….