How Do I Check If A Domain Is Available
To check if a domain name is available, just type it in GoDaddyâs search bar and weâll tell you immediately if someone else already owns it.
We also offer a Domain Backorder service, where you purchase a backorder credit to give you a chance to get the domain you want when it goes to auction.
How To Sell Domain Names
The first step to selling a domain is to prepare a list of the domains you possess. Now shortlist the ones you need to sell. Next, . Though it’s not mandatory , having a base price in mind makes it easy with the selling process.
Now, you need to list your domain for sale. You can visit websites like GoDaddywhich provides the option of putting up domains for sale. Once your domain is listed, now watch how people place absurd bids to purchase your domain.
If you’re thinking so, you’re wrong. It takes time for a sale to happen unless you have an extremely visible and profitable domain name. It will take weeks or even months to receive that first purchase offer.
How To Make Money Flipping Domains
If you havent heard of domain flipping yet, dont worry, many people havent. Flipping domains can be an extremely lucrative side hustle capable of making you thousands of dollars per month by acquiring the right domains and selling them for a profit.
Need a reason to give domain flipping a try?? Its EASY! Super easy. And it requires as little as $10 to get started. Thats right. For the same cost as your next lunch, you could get started flipping domains.
The process is simple. Just like flipping furniture or anything else, youll need to purchase your inventory before selling it for a profit.
In this post, Ill explain how you can get started flipping domains, how to pick the perfect domain names, how to sell a domain name, and much more. Keep reading to learn how you can start making money in no time!
Recommended Reading: Is A Domain Name A Trademark
What Is Domain Name Flipping
Domain names can be extremely lucrative, and companies are willing to pay top dollar for some of the premier names. For example, a domain with a name like sidehustles.com might be worth significantly more than another domain. Typically, shorter domains will be worth much more than longer domains. More on this below!
Domain flipping is the process in which you purchase a domain and sell it for a profit. The price you can sell your domain for is completely arbitrary.
Carefully Select The Domain Names You Buy
The most important thing to remember is that buyers only purchase domain names that are valuable to them. Just because tinymonkeyart.com is available doesnt necessarily mean anyone will want to buy it.
Smart domain name sellers buy in areas where they have some expertise. Your insider knowledge of the industries youve worked in gives you an advantage over others who can only guess what words and phrases are valuable. Start by making a long list of all the words that relate to your expertise so you can check their domain name availability later.
Another option is to consider the audience you want to target with domain names. Are you interested in pets? Maybe a specific breed of dog? The more you can narrow it down, the easier it will be to learn details about them and the types of domain names they may want.
Don’t Miss: Can You Change WordPress Domain
How Much Money Can You Make Domain Flipping
Some people have made hundreds of thousands of dollars flipping just one, yes ONE, domain! Domains such as z.com, toys.com, and slots.com all sold for over $5 million, just for the domain name!
Now, theres a good chance you wont run into any of these domains in 2021, however, the ability to make money still exists. Even if you can purchase a domain name for $10 and sell it for $100, thats a $90 profit. Multiply that by 100 domains and you can easily make an extra $9,000 annually from this side hustle.
Domain flipping can be as profitable as you can make it. Every time you flip a domain name you can then reinvest your profits and buy another domain to flip.
Sell The Domain Name Privately
The first option is to sell domain names without involving any third parties. When making a direct sale, one of the best ways to inform buyers about the domain sale is by creating a landing page for the domain.
Add a domain for sale message and consider including a domain portfolio, an inquiry form, and contact details so potential buyers can reach you.
We recommend using a website builder like Zyro to help build and maintain your landing page easily. Several templates are available for landing pages, and you dont need coding skills to use them. Zyro has a visual editor, so you only need to drag and drop elements to design the page.
Don’t Miss: How To Transfer Domain From Godaddy To Squarespace
This Brings Up A Really Interesting Common
If all these domain names you’re buying are worth hundreds of dollars, why are they all available for $15 a year? Or less, depending on the sale price.
A domain name is worth what someone will pay for it. Period.
These companies have a financial interest in claiming high values, but it’s like the old baseball card guides that said all common cards were worth a nickel.
Except that no one ever wanted the common cards, so in reality, they weren’t worth anything.
Don’t trust these tools at all. They don’t even work for general guidance.
Appraise The Value Of Your Domain Name
Before pricing a domain name and make money online, check whether its valuable to the market. After all, people will be interested in purchasing a domain if it has the potential to generate revenue in the future.
Here are some suggested approaches to help you achieve an accurate estimated value for your domain.
Pro Tip
Trademark infringements can cost you a lot. Before selling or valuing a domain, ensure that the process is legal. For starters, you can check out USPTO to find information about registered and pending trademarks.
Read Also: Can I Use My Own Domain With Wix
Set A Price For The Domain
After you have a good idea of what your domain name is worth, the next step in how to sell the domain name is setting a price for potential buyers. Many aftermarket domain sales fall in the $2,000 range. Some sell for more, but the majority sell for under $5,000.
However, if youre sitting on a premium domain, domain investors may be willing to pay a lot more, perhaps even five or six figures. If this is the case, we highly recommend setting a realistic buy-it-now price. Research from Sedo, todays top domain name marketplace, suggests buy-now domains are 300 percent more likely to sell than domains with a make offer listing.
That said, if your domain name is a good one and you dont mind a little negotiating, it may be worth going the make offer route instead. Doing so will allow you to receive multiple offers on the domain, perform a little due diligence on potential buyers, and see how much theyre willing and able to pay for it.
With a lot of potential money on the line, this is one of the most important and exciting steps in how to sell a domain.
Make Your First Domain Name Sale
Congratulations! Youve made it through the buying and selling process. At this point, review the steps you took to get here and evaluate what worked and what didnt. You want to find areas where you need to improve. There are a lot of ways to make money in this industry, including buying and selling domain names for someone other than yourself. Keep learning and youll eventually find your niche.
Also Check: How To Take Domain Name
Find Strong Domain Names To Sell
The first step in flipping a domain is to find the right domain. This can take hours of research and some good old fashioned luck.
To find a domain name, go to any domain registrar and search based on topics you think would be a good candidate.
Some domain flippers have software that helps to analyze a domain name to lessen the time it takes to vet a domain.
Once youve found a good domain name, purchase it with a registrar. It typically costs around $10 annually to keep a domain. Not sure if your domain is a good candidate? Dont worry, Ill help you decide below.
Looking to make more money? Check out my complete post on making money online for beginners!
Related: Best Items to Flip
Put The Domain Name Up For Sale
With pricing all sorted out, the next step in how to sell your domain name is to put it up for sale. To do so, especially if youre interested in how to sell a domain name fast, you need to create a For Sale landing page.
Why? Its simple. When someone is looking for a domain name to buy, they usually type it into their browser to see if its available. If you have a large message saying This domain name is for sale along with your contact info, the potential buyer will know its available and be able to reach out to you.
It may not necessarily be the best way to sell a domain name as you might have better luck listing it with the domain marketplaces like Sedo or Afternic, but in situations like this, it could keep you from losing out on a great selling opportunity.
There are a number of ways to create a For Sale landing page. You can create your own using any landing page builder software, or you could use one of the For Sale landing pages available at Sedo, Afternic, or one of the other domain marketplaces.
Just know, if you go the latter route, youll have to pay a 10-30 percent commission on the sale price of the domain, even if you acquired the buyer directly from the landing page and not the marketplace.
Another option is to use Efty or another commission-free domain selling platform. The landing pages on these platforms are specifically optimized to sell domains.
Recommended Reading: How To Turn A Domain Into A Website
Income Tax Calculator: Estimate Your Taxes
Set Realistic Goals
You need to have a target price in mind for your domain names that you’ve based in reality. Once you understand the idea of brandability, look for domain names that you assess as being of similar quality. At this point, the main obstacle in your path is being honest with yourself and not giving in to the desire to overstate it.
Different Ways To Sell Domain Names
There are essentially two ways to sell a domain name, although the second option encompasses a handful of different but related methods. Your first choice is selling entirely privately without so much as using a registrar website such as GoDaddy. If this is the path you want to take, then you’ll need to handle your own advertising, arrange a secure payment method and handle negotiations on your own. While you can outsource all of this to a third party, this comes with a considerable commission fee.
Sell your domain name privately. The good news is that it’s not actually so difficult to sell domain names on your own, though it requires some measure of technical knowledge. Your advantage is that the perfect customer is already looking for you, and all you need to do is put in a bit of effort to help them find you. When someone decides they want to buy a domain name, the first thing they do is put it in their search engine of choice.
Trusted Places To Find A Premium Domain Name For Sale
First things first, you must realize that no one person has a monopoly on premium domain names.
GoDaddy is one of the worlds largest and most visited domain name registrars that manages millions of domain names for their customers from all over the planet. They provide several domain services like web hosting, domain auction, domain marketplace, and domain brokerage services.
Premium domains are always on auction on their domain marketplace and their expired domain auctions. However, note that GoDaddy charges between 10 20% commission for domains sold on their platform.
Squadhelp is a reliable giant in the world of domain sales, with a unique approach to naming that makes them stand out from the rest on the list. They engage the creative minds of thousands of experienced naming experts from all over the world to generate premium domain names for their customers.
But theres more. Squadhelp not only sells premium domains, but they also offer highly valued agency services like audience testing, trademark research and filing, and many other services to help your brand succeed. Squadhelps site is very easy to use and comes with 24/7 customer support.
And considering the fact that Squadhelp has helped entrepreneurs name over 35,000 businesses, its clear that the platform is the smartest and fastest way to name a product or website.
Consider NamePros as DNForum 2.0 in terms of leveraging the strength in numbers from their community in finding premium domain names.
Recommended Reading: Can I Have A Org Domain
Is Buying And Selling Domain Names Legal
Absolutely! There is nothing wrong with buying and selling domains for a profit. There are many domain flippers who make a full-time income buying and selling domains.
The only legal trouble you could face is if you purchase a domain that is obviously related to a current business.
For example, if for some reason Apple forgot to renew their domain name, I could purchase the name although because of UDRP laws, I could face a legal battle that could cost a fortune.
Ultimately, you won’t face any legal trouble as long as you don’t purchase a domain name that has obviously been copyrighted.
Pros Of Domain Flipping
Domain flipping can be a profitable side business or full-time business. Dont expect to go into it making millions, as that is extremely rare, yet some people make a very nice living buying and selling domain namesthe best make six figures a year. If the idea of coming up with creative new domain names or hunting for bargains among the many expired domain names available sounds exciting to you, domain flipping could be a good money-making avenue for you.
Don’t Miss: What Is My Local Domain Name
Where Will You Sell
When its time to sell your domain, you need to consider where youll be selling it. There are several options for this. In fact, there are so many options available that it might be difficult to decide on one. Thats why its a good idea to become familiar with some of the heavy hitters.
Kinsta spoiled me so bad that I demand that level of service from every provider now. We also try to be at that level with our SaaS tool support.
Suganthan Mohanadasan from @Suganthanmn
Flippa
Flippa is a service you can use to sell domain names and entire pre-built websites and businesses. This premium service charges a lot of money to list based on the size of your sale. On top of that, it takes a 5% commission on successful sales.
BrandBucket
BrandBucket is a curated marketplace, meaning you must submit a domain and receive approval to list it there. After approval, your listing will include a description and a custom-designed logo. Theres a $10 fee to list a domain, and if youre listing on BrandBucket, youre not allowed to list anywhere else. It also takes a 30% commission.
Sedo
Afternic
Protect Your Domain Sale With An Escrow Service
Once you get an interested buyer, its normal to feel eager. However, try not to let your excitement get the best of you. Its almost impossible to be too cautious with an online sale.
Unfortunately, not everyone on the internet is looking for an honest deal. Theres always a chance of losing your domain to a scammer. Fortunately, an escrow service can go a long way towards preventing that.
Escrow is a legal agreement where a company acts as a neutral third party. They hold your domain name until theyve received the funds. Then they execute the trade to ensure that both parties get what they agreed on.
There are plenty of high-quality escrow services out there. Were particular fans of Escrow.com, given its stellar track record and popularity:
However, any other secure service will do the trick. Just take a look at how much they charge in commission you probably dont want an unwelcome surprise. The customer service may also be worth investigating, in case you ever need support.
In our opinion, the only way to go wrong here is to not use an escrow service. It can be tempting if youre not excited about paying a commission, but that discount comes with a pretty severe risk to your security.
This goes double for any suspiciously high bids. Scammers may offer you an unreasonable amount of cash for your domain, but insist that none of it goes through escrow. That way, they can take the money and run. We recommend that you avoid these kinds of deals at all costs.
Recommended Reading: Do I Need Hosting To Redirect Domain
Domains With Similar Names Can Be Sold For A Profit
Now here is something you need to understand when it comes to flipping domains successfully just because someone spends an enormous amount of money on a domain name does not necessarily mean they will throw big bucks to get a similar name too. Never base your domain flipping strategy on such assumptions because that rarely ever happens.
Every domain name piques the interest of the buyer due to a unique reason and the sale that follows is just as unique as the reason why the buyer wants to spend a huge sum of money on that particular domain name.