Lot 07 · Blog
Domain investing without the hype: how valuations actually work, what names actually sell for, and the playbooks for buying and selling well.
No. The IO code is still in ISO 3166-1, no retirement clock has started, and the policy that would govern one runs in five-year blocks. The real costs are renewals and audience fit.
Read the entryMost real business purchases land between $2,000 and $25,000. Here are the tiers, the five factors that set the price, and how to check an ask against comps.
Read the entrySell-through rate, average sale price, renewal cost. Run those three with pessimistic inputs and you know whether you have a business or a hobby with an invoice.
Read the entryGoDaddy folded Dan into Afternic and closed it in June 2025. Your names moved, but so did your commission rate. Here is what to check and what to do next.
Read the entryDomain brokers charge 10% to 20%, sometimes with a retainer on top. Here is what each model really costs, and the three situations where a broker earns it.
Read the entryThe exact name usually has no public sale record, and that is fine. Here is where prices are published, what the record misses, and how to price on comps instead.
Read the entryThree letters can be worth $2,000 or $200,000. The difference is meaning, not length. Here are the tiers, the market split, and how to buy one that is already owned.
Read the entryFlippa charges a listing fee before your domain sells anything, then a success fee, then optional upgrades. Here is every cost, with the math on what actually lands in your account.
Read the entryDrop catching is the race to register a valuable domain the instant it expires. Here is how the mechanism works, what backorders cost, and how to avoid overpaying on the drop.
Read the entryAuctions are built to find the highest bidder, not the smartest one. Here is how to set a comps-backed ceiling, use proxy bidding, and walk away with margin intact.
Read the entryGoDaddy Auctions takes 15% to 25% of the sale, plus a membership fee and a possible surcharge. Here is every fee, with the math on what actually lands in your account.
Read the entryMost expired domains are worthless, but a small share carry real value. Here is where to look, which signals matter, and how to price one before you place a bid.
Read the entryHumbleWorth is a fast, free way to triage a list, but its numbers come without the comps behind them. Here is where it is accurate, where it slips, and how to use it well.
Read the entryGood .ai names still command a premium, but the easy-money window closed. Here is what the extension is actually worth now, which names hold up, and how to price one without guessing.
Read the entryA domain is worth what a documented buyer will pay. Here is the practical method appraisers use, the five factors that move price, and how to read comps without fooling yourself.
Read the entryAfternic has the reach, Sedo has the international pool and a lower direct rate. Here is which one actually nets you more on a given name, with real fees and no hand-waving.
Read the entryA domain auction is a timed, open-bid sale with a reserve and a countdown. Here is what actually happens from listing to payout, for both the bidder and the seller.
Read the entryGoDaddy appraisals are a decent screening filter and a bad pricing authority. Here is where the model is directionally right, where it falls apart, and how to price a name properly.
Read the entryCommission, escrow, transfer fees and tax. Here is what actually comes out of a $10,000 domain sale at each venue, and the fees sellers only find out about at closing.
Read the entryThe name you want is registered. That is normal, and it is usually buyable. Here is the approach that gets a reply, and the one that gets your price quadrupled.
Read the entryA domain is worth what a documented buyer will pay. Here is how appraisal models estimate that number from TLD, length, keyword demand, brandability and real sold comps.
Read the entryDomain flipping is buying a domain below its market value and reselling it higher. It works, but not the way social media says it does. Here is the realistic version.
Read the entrySelling a domain comes down to five steps: appraise it, price it against comps, list it where buyers actually look, negotiate in writing, and close through escrow.
Read the entryThe .ai aftermarket matured fast. Most reported .ai sales now land between $4,000 and $50,000, with one-word names clearing six figures. Here is the price map.
Read the entryPut the reading to work: appraise a name and see the comps yourself.