Why it isn't always easy to sell your domains

Lately I’ve received a number of emails from domainers asking why it is so hard to sell their domain names. Many people are using listing services like Sedo or Afternic and are surprised that their domains don’t generate any interest.

The problem here is simple – simply listing your domain names on a listing service, does not mean they will sell anytime soon – even if they are great names. Many new domainers expect that they can register a few good domains, throw them on a listing service and viola! they will sell right-away. When this doesn’t happen they get discouraged and feel as if there is no hope for their domains.

The issue here is simple but it might not be the answer a new domainer wants to hear. You have very actively promote the sale of your domains if you want to sell them. This may seem like an oversimplification but it is amazing how many people miss this point.

So how do you actively promote your domains? Get proactive and start selling your domains through multiple services. With each listing or sales letter, make sure you are thinking about everything a potential buyer might want to know about your domain. Does it get any traffic? Revenue? Does the name contain any highly-searched keywords? You need to *Sell* your domain rather than expecting it to sell itself!

When making your Sedo or Afternic listing make sure you include every detail you can think of, the more effort you put into your listing, the more attractive it is to a potential buyer. Try selling domains through popular domaining forums, auction services like TDNAM or even marketplaces like Pool.com. You might find soon that you just had bad luck with Sedo but forums and Pool.com work great. The idea here is to get you names on the market, through multiple services. You can then learn which service works best for you and start to develop a list of buyers.

Once you have sold your first 5-10 domains you should have a good list of buyers that you can work with to help find more domains. Word-of-mouth is always a strong sales approach and if someone has had a good experience buying from you in the past they are much more likely to do so in the future.

My final point is simple: selling domain names might not be as easy as you think. It does take time, and yes, work, to sell your domains for a fair price. The most important thing for new domainers is to be persistent – if you continue to believe you can sell your domains, and put the time in – you will find the success you are looking for.

Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton