DomainTools Blog

Following up on our previous post about our new website and membership options, we wanted to take a moment to talk more in depth about our new Learn section on DomainTools.com. In our continuous effort to help more novice visitors of our website who often write in to our support team asking questions such as “What is a domain name?” and “How do I buy or sell domains?”, we wanted to start a resource section of our website that talks about these topics more in depth. You may recall our article on domain valuation that we posted back in January on this blog – that was a sneak peak at the type of educational content to be featured on the relaunched website. In fact, the domain valuation article was one of our top performing posts in terms of the volume of people who read and shared blog content via Twitter, Facebook, etc. compared to other blog posts over the past year. We took that as a sign that we should be producing more valuable “How to” and “What is” focused articles.

Here’s the collection of educational content we have shared in our Learn section so far:

• What is a Domain Name and What Does it Do?
• What is Whois Information and Why is it Valuable?
• What is ICANN, and How is it Related to Registries and Registrars?
• How to Select the Right Domain Name for Your Business
• How Do I Register a Domain Name?
• How Do I Buy a Domain Name Currently Owned by Someone Else?
• How Do I Sell a Domain Name?

We hope to generate more insightful articles over time, continuously adding more advanced topics to our Learn library.

Do you  have any ideas on content you’d like to see? Please feel free to comment on this blog post.

GeoDomain Expo 2009 Auction – Inventory Announced via Map, Bidding Now Open

Breaking with standard protocol, and our own schedule, we decided why not announce the inventory catalog – and open it up for bidding at the same time. We also thought it might be more fun to ‘explore’ the inventory rather than scan as usual – so check out our GEO-Domain Map for full lot and details. Click on any ‘marker’ to see location information and demographics on the interactive map.

And so it is, you can bid right now on any of fifty (50) premium GEO-domains selected for their rarity and unique pricing in the space. Start bidding NOW for the GeoDomain Expo 2009 Auction!

Catalog highlights include:

…. and many more!

Tired of scanning lists? Then explore the inventory and the details behind each name and location via our innovative GEO-Domain Map.

And remember that all the names are now open for bidding and will be until the LIVE finale on April 25th at 3pm PST – make sure to join us for what promises to be an entertaining conclusion to the GeoDomain EXPO 2009 in San Diego.

Starting bidding RIGHT NOW!

The DomainConsultant team is putting together quite the event for Domain Madness auction. DomainConsultant launched the auction with a twist implementing a bracket contest. Taking it a step further, Domain Madness is now being broadcast live from the Palms in Las Vegas. If you are interested in attending, RSVP to the auction team (admin @ domainconsultant.com).

The auction is getting quite a bit of visibility. The domains up for auction are a fully sourced list with good reserve pricing. Searching and sourcing for quality domains is more effort. But, it resulted in the outstanding list at competitive prices the community demand. The full catalog list is available for convenience.

The pricing for the domains selected includes a private ‘reserve price’ and a public ‘opening / starting price.’ The catalog and each lots’ individual fly-out lists the starting price, not the reserve. Bidding must reach the reserve price in order for the domain to be sold. The Aftermarket.com auction interface adapted to this format and is creating a visible excitement of the bidding. An icon is placed next to names that have hit its private reserve: Reserve Met

The auction has started with active bids in place – some already at Reserve Met status! Get in on the action. Place proxy bids now to not miss your opportunity. Set your proxy with the maximum willing to pay. The system will place bids for you as competitive bids come in, up to your maximum. Once a domain is active with the auctioneer during the hosted live auction, though, the only way to win the domain is to accept the asking price set by the auctioneer (Bid Now button). That means you must be present in the room or online to participate.

Don’t miss out on this innovating auction!

• Get registered to bid – Eligibility form
• Get Alerted on auction start – SMS Alerts
• Get online and bid – Domain Madness Auction
• Get in the room and bid – RSVP Admin @ domainconsultant.com

DomainConsultant.com announced today the official opening of its Domain Madness Contest – which lets anyone vote on whether or not the domains in the Domain Madness auction will sell and the winner receives a $1,000 grand prize.

In conjunction with and necessary to the contest, DomainConsultant.com also released its official auction inventory for the event to be held from March 26th through March 31st – concluding with a live finale beginning at 2:15pm CDT during the official Domain Madness auction, powered by Aftermarket.com.

Final overall inventory consists of forty-eight names. The full inventory is available on Domain Madness auction home page. But, some highlights include:

Visitors can enter and vote on the inventory from March 19th through March 25th at 11:59pm CDT. Entrants can follow their votes and the auction results and tally their score using the contest Pool Sheet available on the site. Once the contest closes, the inventory will be open for bidding.

To enter the contest and see the inventory, go to the contest form or Domain Madness auction headquarters.

Good luck!

The Aftermarket.com Auction held at Domainer Mardi Gras last month produced another successful auction. Teaming with Domain Consultant’s, the auction maintained the approach of a smaller list of good quality names appropriately priced. The effort to construct this valuable list proved effective for sellers and buyers – and Habitat for Humanity. As a result, celebration ensued at Mardi Gras, the conference and the auction as the numbers indicate:

$469,054

78% Sell-through rate

Over $2,000 raised for Habitat for Humanity – New Orleans

The full details are available at Aftermarket.com in the Domainer Mardi Gras results tab. In addition, Domain Consultant detailed data on the auction and activity in their analysis. The numbers speak for themselves. As Andrew Alleman, Domain Name Wire, stated “Aftermarket.com is again proving it is the king of sell-through rate in live auctions.” Aftermarket.com strives to continue to be king.

We’d like to thank Parked.com and Modern Domainer for hosting and organizing Domainer Mardi Gras conference.  In addition, Domaining.com, Eric Rice of Domains for Media for their support and Pralines.com for donation to the Habitat for Humanity fundraising.

Stay tuned for more exciting news!

Domainer Mardi Gras Auction wraps ups soon but continues doing good along the way for New Orleans.

At 4:00pm CST today, February 27, it all comes to a rousing conclusion with the end of the Extended Afterparty Auction – but there is time to bid and deals still abound. You can still attend the party!

Below is the list of the 27 names available for bidding – only available until 4:00pm Friday, February 27! Don’t miss this opportunity to get a great deal – register, bid and win a great domain name.

GolfSet.com *
Engrossing.com
DNSales.com *
Music365.com
PHO.com *
BathMirrors.com
Credenzas.com
PhotoPapers.com
GoCart.com
PurchaseOffer.com
Mahogany.com
HealthyMenu.com
Trays.com *
BasketballPants.com
Favorites.com
CustomSites.com *
ElectronicToys.com
XXXFilms.com
Operable.com
TheFrenchQuarter.com
CozumelIsland.com
CashForSites.com *
MovieBuff.com
DownAndDirty.com
VirtualServer.com
RentalVillas.com *

*Remember that names with an ‘asterisk’ above are available for six month 0% financing once they reach $5000.

Also note that Aftermarket.com and Domainconsultant.com decided the extended auction should continue the trend of doing good for the New Orleans community by donating proceeds to the Habitat for Humanity. We will each be donating $50 for every name sold in the Afterparty auction to the local NOLA chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Help us make a difference!

Thanks to all who took part live and in NOLA and don’t forget you all have to go home at 4pm!

Domainer Mardi Gras Auction Afterparty – ‘No Reserve’ Names, Habitat for Humanity Invited

From DomainConsultant.com

What’s an after party without those great, fun ‘No Reserve’ names to add some fresh fever and flavor to the mix? Aftermarket.com and DomainConsultant.com are proud to announce the addition of ten high-quality, keyword-rich domains – at the perfect price! This includes premiums like Engrossing.com, HealthyMenu.com, PhotoPapers.com, Music365.com, Operable.com, CozumelIsland.com, BathMirrors.com and more.

These names have been added to an auction that already includes premium generics like RentalVillas.com, Mahogany.com, GolfSet.com, Pho.com, DNSales.com and more- many with 0% financing available (denoted with * below).

Third-Party Valuations Included
In an effort to help identify value, we chose third-party data and comparables aggregator Estibot.com (with which we have no affiliation) to provide snap valuations for each name in the inventory.

The result is we found some of the names valued below price, yes (brandables rarely produce good comparable figures) but also noticed that most of the names are being offered at figures well-below their current market value and resale potential. Valuation figures are included next to prices and should be used as informational only – not as set valuation.

Here is the current rundown of availability with fresh comments from DC analysts plus Estibot valuations:

Domain	Price	Estibot	New Notes
Mahogany.com	$25,000.00	$88,000.00	$2 bids, lots of ads – $88,000 valuation. Mountains of resale value on this name – huge buyer pool for a RARE brandable AND premium generic.
Pho.com*	$25,000.00	$75,000.00	Rare, uncompromising LLL that looks and sounds good and has lots of advertisers. VERY popular restaurant/dish in many areas. Financing available.
xxxFilms.com	$10,000.00	$460.00	Few things still do well in adult but adult video and dvd stores and VOD sites are one of them. They still convert, this is a major term in a segment that produces lots of return customers.
CustomSites.com*	$15,000.00	$2,600.00	Major brandable for template service or design and development firm – priced right for industry margins, financing makes ROI short and efficient.
MovieBuff.com	$15,000.00	$1,800.00	The e-commerce potential for known term such as this is massive. Consider posters and memorabilia, videos, apparel and more. Name for the most loyal of a massive global industry.
Credenzas.com	$13,500.00	$35,000.00	TONS of advertisers on a very specific, targeted industry domain. Valued at $35,000 and previously priced much higher. This is someone liquidating, take advantage!
Golfset.com*	$4,500.00	$26,000.00	Frequent term for a set of clubs – many advertisers, rare seven L golf domain. With 0% financing too! Valued at $26,000.
TheFrenchQuarter.com	$24,000.00	$5,100.00	I imagine the cost of anything with a roof in The French Quarter (correct saying) is far more than this name. Sell one property and recoup.
VirtualServer.com	$50,000.00	$77,000.00	One of the best domains in the offering (beyond voodoo.com) – $6 bids, $80k valuation. Emerging, growing and spreading – likely never see this name as affordable again.
GoCart.com	$75,000.00	$180,000.00	Lots of usage and frequency, traffic and potential sales – big ad term and commercial marketplace.
ElectronicToys.com	$33,000.00	$110,000.00	More ads on this name than any other in the auction. Better ads, better advertisers, better price and value than that ‘other’ one.
DownandDirty.com	$5,000.00	$19,000.00	Seriously, for $5k – this is a great, known and recognizable term asking to be a hip brand. Resale value galore on names like these.
Trays.com*	$25,000.00	$120,000.00	Valued at over $120,000 because of the sheer size and scope of the marketplace. Lots of ad competition – with financing too!
RentalVillas.com*	$9,000.00	$9,600.00	Phenomenal two-worder covering a vast and profitable travel biz. Advertisers and financing to boot.
DNSales.com*	$5,000.00	$1,200.00	With DnJournal, DNNews, DnForum, etc. – where is this name? Has likely traffic and financing is available!

Here is the new guest list for the after party but don’t forget – it all ends Friday, February 27th at 4:00pm CST. Bidding is now open on these NR names.

NEW! ‘No Reserve’ Guest List

Each Domain Sold Benefits Habitat for Humanity
Building on the success of raising over $1000 in donations with the Mardi Gras gift packages benefiting the local Habitat for Humanity, we thought we’d continue the effort and donate a portion of each name sold to this worthwhile and highly needed cause. We are donating $100 for each No Reserve domain sold – no matter what the sales amount is. If we sell each of the 10 additional domains, that will be an additional $1000 for Habitat for Humanity!

Many who were in NOLA were affected by some of the conditions, including us – so we’d like to do more. You can do more too by visiting Habitat for Humanity – New Orleans website.

After Party Ends Friday, February 27th at 4:00CST

Bidding is open! To bid on any of these premium names, simply login or register before it all ends at 4:00pm CST on February 27th, 2009 and everyone is sent home.

DomainConsultant.com continues highlighting domains selected for the Aftermarket.com auction. The auction is open now for bidding with the live auction scheduled for February 21, 2009, 2:45CST at the Domainer Mardi Gras conference. The selections below further draw attention the overall value of the catalog.

Domain Consultant Team
Jobless.com
Stunning to see a domain like this surface at a time like this and listed at this price. It’s been a very long time since I came across a good, affordable job domain. And this one is a one-worder! Not only that, it’s a word on the lips and minds of TV anchors and analysts, politicians and ordinary folks. Still amazed we were able to get it for the auction – it’s an exceedingly rare breed.

VirtualServer.com
Targeted and growing, necessary and premium – virtual servers are environments as well as the newest, hottest option in hosting services. This domain is one of a kind, beyond just keyword-rich. It’s one of the best in an industry with high conversions and high margins – the opportunity to make revenue are endless when we’re talking about $200+ commissions. We’re also talking about a term with $6 bids and no lack of advertisers. And with those bid prices, you are almost assured a healthy profit on resale – people are spending tons on this phrase!

TextLinks.com
In considering all the high-level ‘advertising’ domain sales of late, it’s hard for me not to point to this domain as the finest value of them all. Text links are an integral, effective media option (applicable in mobile as well) – used regularly by web marketers everywhere. Ask Google in fact. Truth is this domain simply screams to be developed into a service – targeted traffic, SEO value, patented need. Amazingly low price considering it gives you the ability to eat up market share (of a multi-billion dollar pie) starting on day one.

CustomSites.com
As a long time web designer and site developer, I can tell you that building sites for third parties is a profit machine. By the time I ended I was making anywhere from $150-$300/hr. doing designs for corporations. That is why you see so many logo and site design ads around the internet – if you get the hosting along with the site job, then you add residual income. This doesn’t even take into account automated options like templates, site systems and industry-specific product offerings. Right person with the right network or skills could turn this expense around in a couple months.

As part of DomainConsultant.com continuing effort to help all understand why names were chosen for the Domainer Mardi Gras Aftermarket.com Auction, we will be presenting daily reviews of highlighted names in the inventory. We hope each helps you identify value perhaps you did not notice on first glance.

Domain Consultant Team

ElectronicToys.com
As many people know, Toys.com sold for a whopping $1.7m in a bankruptcy auction. I don’t speak for others but for myself, my money, this domain is far better, more targeted. Problem with a name like toys.com is the sheer generic-ness of the traffic and thus the corresponding ads and advertisers. Electronictoys.com will draw a better audience, better advertisers, higher bids, more gift-oriented – much better value overall.

Resolve.net
At first glance we liked it because of the dispute resolution industry and opportunity that area represents. But it occurred to us that it is also an excellent name for DNS and resolution services. In fact, being a .net or network makes the name even more appealing, suited well to the extension. No argument on price either.

Trays.com
Think about all the ‘trays’ you encounter and you can see the value here – this is a gigantic and far reaching industry beyond the restaurant and kitchen to the office and fashion, jewelry and displays. They come in plastic, wood, metal, gold, decorative, etc. Plus, further study shows a big pool of advertisers on this surprising premium generic. The price may fool you but there is little denying this is a stunningly rare category-killer making it to the market at an unheard of offering. This name has mountains of SEO value as well – given its competitive nature to boot.

MovieBuff.com
Extremely well-know phrase for those with hardcore love for movies, past and present. This is perhaps one of the best names in the industry, think about it: it will attract the upper core of moviegoers. We’re talking about the spenders who buy posters and collectibles, merchandise and yes, movies. The truly dedicated followers in a massive industry. This is a ‘top buy’ for sure, price is perfectly ripe – sign of the times.

Aftermarket.com Domainer Mardi Gras Auction Offers Value, Price & 0% Financing

In the ongoing discussion regarding auctions, a continuing theme is the lack of quality inventory – a certainty given the finite state of the domain product.

Yet, like all industries, it is the ‘curve’ that dictates the state of the marketplace, the availability of great domains, the willingness of the seller to discount and to part with the beloved.

So with that in mind, and the current state of things, we have taken several steps to respond:

1. 0% Financing: In case you haven’t heard, you can finance the purchase of a name over $5,000 for a six month period. This is an old tool used by domainers to acquire better names than they can normally afford.

2. Smaller Inventory: Perhaps the best option at this time is to streamline and focus, so we have brought the total catalog down to fifty (50) select, premium names at below-market prices.

In doing so, we learned the smaller the lot, the more focused and stingy you have to be on quality and price and value. A lot of price negotiation went on behind the scenes – it was a matter of being able to easily replace any name with off-kilter pricing. In this case, less is more.

The end result, we feel, is one of the best catalogs we’ve seen in eons – many of these names have not seen the light of day since their registration. These are category killers, premium generics, brandable generics, ‘no reserve’ names, keyword-rich and alternate extensions. No stone was, indeed, left unturned in order to find something for all levels.

Here is the catalog breakdown, as you can see, creating balance in opportunity was also central:

12 No reserve domain names
7 Domains under $2500
9 under or at $5000 – 0% financing kicks in at $5000
3 under or at $10,000
7 under or at $25,000
2 under $50,000
2 over $100k

Initiating the financing option, created delays in the review and selection process for the final catalog. In fact, there remains a couple of outstanding negotiations. But, we recognize people are anxious to know what has been selected.

So the final inventory includes gems such as Jobless.com, Favorites.com, VirtualServer.com, WorkPrograms.com, Pho.com, Mahogany.com, MovieBuff.com, RentalVillas.com, Suntanning.com and many more ultra-premium selections priced to sell today – and tomorrow.

Plus, we added Mardi Gras-type fare including Voodoo.com, TheFrenchQuarter.com, DownandDirty.com, MardiGrasTube.com and more.

The rest of the catalog is available on the Domainer Mardi Gras auction site.

Bidding is now open and will continue throughout the week with live finale from Mardi Gras at 2:45pm CST on Saturday February 21, 2009. And don’t forget – financing is available on purchases above $5,000.

Login or register to begin bidding right now! And good luck!