EDIT:
I discovered that a lot of people are still confused about a lot of things, and how to START.


Months back I organized a private WhatsApp class about the ABC of making money online; by buying and selling domain names. I'll be reproducing some of what I taught here.

Who is this thread for?
Primarily, this thread is for those who know next to nothing about Domains, and domain buying and selling.
So which group of people is this for, in terms of financial capacity?

1. Students and those with little or no money to buy domains. There is a 'zero capital' way. Just your creativity and time.

2. Those with capacity to spend $50, $100, $200 etc to acquire domains for the purpose of reselling.

Forgive my typos, because I'll be typing right from my head, and no time to proofread.

NOTE: I try my best to provide up-to-date and accurate info. Still do your own research and be convinced. Don't hold me responsible for anything that happens

And yes, All rights reserved.

In January, I suggested the Domain name Property//***//.com to a company that's into branding and domain trading. They registered it, and it got sold within 55 days. I got paid a commission of $487. That's the "zero capital" way I talked about in my first post. It only cost me my creativity and time.

But the above is not the STANDARD way o. You will be spending money by buying domains o.

Let's get started talking domains

What are Domain Names?

Domain names are online real estate.

Like buying a land in Kubwa, Abuja.

On this land that you bought, you can build a shop there, a residential apartment, etc.
You can even rent out the land for farming.

A Domain name is almost like that, when you buy them, Like you buy a plot of land, you can do many things with it.

The first thing someone who wants to have a website for business or personal use will get/purchase is a Domain name. It is like a land on the internet to build your house or shop.

Hope you are following, I'm trying to break it down for easy understanding.

This means that if there is no domain, there will be no website.

*Edited (some details removed*

You see that "Nairaland.com" you type in your opera mini browser or chrome browser when you want to 'enter' nairaland, it is called the domain name or web address.

Without it, there will be no website.

We have what we call Domain Extension.

We have hundreds of them.

Popular ones include .com, .co, .org, .gov, .uk, .us, .ng, .ai, .io, .de, .life, .expert, .company, etc

What is that Npower website address again, I think it ends with something like .gov.ng.

That ".gov.ng" is the domain extension.

So by now you should know
1. What a domain name is.
2. What a domain extension is.
3. Some popular domain extensions.

Now among all the domain extension in the world, ".com" is the King.

Na the Igwe be that.
And that will be our focus.
That's where the kudi dey.

Let me shock you!
All single dictionary words in ".com" have been registered!

Oya check. Football, monkey, idiot, school, etc
Open your dictionary, find a word and type in your browser.

If you find any that is not registered, let me know.
Use instantdomainsearch//.com (remove the "//" sign) to check. You must either see red or blue colour.
Red or blue shows it has been registered.
If you see Green, it is available.


Note: I will attach screenshot later. Nairaland not allowing me to upload screenshot now.

So since all single dictionary word domains are registered wetin remain for us to register, or buy and sell?

Plenty!

Thousands of domains expire everyday and are available for anybody to register.

Why will the domain name expire? When you want to buy a domain name, they will ask you how many years you want to hold/own the domain name.

Some people choose one year, some 2 years, some five years. You can't pay for more than 10 years at a time I think.

After the number of years you choose don finish, you can either add more years or let it expire.

So because of this, domains expire everyday.

There are millions of registered domains in the world today.

Some people die and nobody to renew their domains, so it will expire, others forget to renew their domains.

So there is always expired domains to re-register.

Let's leave this expired matter first.
Domaining is interesting o

There are different types of domains.

I will briefly touch on the types.

1. Exact match domains. Like CarRepair//.com, CarMaintenance//com, foodpreservation//com, eyeSurgery//com.
Note: I had to put the // because of nairaland bot. It's not part of the domain.
What do you notice?
They all refer to only 1 specific use. They are very descriptive.
Car repair, car maintenance, eye surgery o, not leg surgery.

2. Number domains: 111//.com, 996//.com 888880//.com, try other ones.
Note: I had to put the // because of nairaland bot. It's not part of the domain.
Lots of number domains are already registered. Chinese people love number domains.

3. Brandable Domains:
Actually, all domain types are brandable. They are used by brands.

But among we domainers (people who invest/trade domains),
When we talk about brandable domains, we mean like the opposite of Exact-Match Domains.

They can be used as website address for different brands unlike the exact match domains.

Let me explain. A supermarket or boutique most likely will NOT have a website address like ElectricCar//.com.

Because electricCar//.com is specific to a brand that deals with electric cars.

The same thing with eyesurgery//.com.

But a sweet brandable name like revixa//.com, vetiva//.com, devito//.com, NewHorizon//.com etc can be used by different companies as website and brand name because it is not restrictive like exact match names. This is just the surface. I'll stop here for brandables.

4. Geo Names: relating to a particular geographical location. Nigeria.//com, Kano//.com, Kebbi//.com, USA.//com, London//.com, Canada//.com, Miami//.com, etc

5. Geo (city, state) +service/Product brand names: These type of domains are a combination of geographical area + products/service.

e.g
ZariaDentist//.com (Zaria is the geographical area while dentist is the service.

USAcars//.com (USA is the geographical location while Car is the products.

I'll be focusing on the No.5 type of Domain. Here we will find plenty Domains to register.

Not like the other types of Domains, where you have to Search and search and search well before you see a good domain to register.

This number 5 type of domain is also usually easy to SELL compared to the others.


Domain sales happen in two ways.
1. Inbound.
2. Outbound.

Inbound means the buyer is the one that searched for your domain, and came to meet you at the "market".

While outbound means you sent a message to many people who might need your domain name for their business. It also means you took your goods to the customer's door step. Like Hawking.

For these Geo+service/product Domains, outbound marketing is the way.
If you don't, you might never Sell it oo

Only if you have 1 word Domains like car//.com, book//.com, house//.com, etc, would you be confident that a buyer will come to you.

These 1 word domains (car,house,book, insurance, etc) cost $100000 to $Millions.

So you have to outbound for Geo+service/Product domains.

I hope you are following?

A Short Story

*When I was still a baby Domainer*

Someone gifted me 3k naira cash several months back. As a domain investor, I sharply threw the money into Domains.

I went to the bank and deposited the money in my account.

Then I went to godaddy.com (this is one of the places to buy domains), I type the domain name UsaFishing*******.com.
Sorry I have to CHANGE some details to protect the business of the person who bought the domain from me.

It was available to buy. How much? Just about $5.1. They were doing promo.

I took my First Bank ATM card that can buy something online.

I entered my card details and other information they asked.

Kpam. I bought it. The name was in my godaddy account.

Then I went to afternic.//com (Afternic is a marketplace for listing/selling your domains) and listed the domain name for sale.

How much? $300.

Then I went to google.//com, I typed "Usa fishing ****" in the search bar and Google brought out the website and contact details of companies doing fishing **** i n USA (USA is just an example here. remember I said I have changed the exact location due to buyer privacy).

Almost 40 addresses. Next I reached out to them via email. I told them it was available for purchase at GoDaddy/Afternic

I will talk about the content of the email later. One person (we domainers call them enduser) replied:

"Thank you, I got it”.
He went to GoDaddy and purchased it at the price I listed it.

All this happened within four days of registration! So I turned $5.1 to 300 in 4 days.
That's domaining for you. There are people who do this (buy and sell) within few hours of registration.

The story above is the summary of buying Domains, displaying it for everyone to see, searching for customers and selling.

So if you will be investing/selling Geo+service/Product domains, your story will be like mine.

Although there are times you just buy this type of names and list it in the marketplace and buyers will find you.

The advantage of learning this type (Geo+Services/Products) is that the experience Will help you learn other types of domain investing.
Many domainers agree this is quite simple to learn... compared to others.

So how do we come about quality Geo+service domains to sell?

1.From Domains that have expired. You can scroll up to refresh your memory. I said something about expired domains.

How do we find expired domains?
Mainly from Expireddomains.net.


2. Creating a new geo+service domain that hasn't been registered (like just been Creative you know). I'll explain.

Remember I am still talking about Geo+Service/Product Domains o.

So how do we come up with a quality domain name?

1. I mentioned www.expireddomains.net

2. Creating one that hasn't been registered before or recently.

The number 2 is what I will discuss now.

See the screenshot below. He did it via outbound marketing.
The two domains are Geo+Service/Product domains.
Check the previous posts. I explained what geo+Service/Product domains are.

Important Notice About Geo+Service/Product domains

We sell this type of domains PRIMARILY/MAINLY to USA businesses.
Don't waste your time trying to sell to fellow Nigerians

Like
OgbomoshoWebDesign.com
Or
OwerriCarRentals.com
They will not buy it for even $150
____________
Then, there's what is called SERVICE. Like businesses people are into.
Example:
Flooring
Roofing
Attorney
Florist
Dentist
Painter
Limousine Services
Cleaning, etc
Google will help you here. I'll also drop a link later that contains Top 100 keywords/Services you can combine with the "Geo's"

Also, there's what is called PRODUCTS. It's not only geo+Services. We also combine Geo+Products.
Examples of products include:
Garage doors
Patio and Decks
Furniture
Cars.
Hope you get me?

So let's do the combination now.

Geo+Service domains will look like
Miami+Roofing//.com
NewYork+Cleaning//.com
Remove the '+' and '//' sign. I only included that because of the spam bot.
This is the MOST desirable pattern. However, it can also be reversed
Like: RoofingMiami//.com, CleaningNewYork//com.

Geo+Products Domains would look like
MiamCars//.com
NewYorkFurniture//.com
This is the MOST desirable pattern. However, it can also be reversed
Like: CarsMiami//.com, FurnitureNewYork//com.

This link contains the top 100 keywords you can combine with any USA City/State

namebio. com/blog/top-100-keywords-geo-keyword-domains/
close the space when typing in your browser.

Short Domains, popular Services, and Popular products are always preferred.
MiamiDentist.com ✔️
NewyorkFlooring.com ✔️
ColumbusCarpetCleaning.com✔️

But when you combine a city or place in the USA that has a population of 5000 people �� with a service that is not popular. "Na gutter you dey enter so."


Before registering a domain name to sell, you must make sure there are end users. No matter how good you think it is, if there is no sufficient end user, jump and pass.

Interesting

following.
Very Easy and simple to understand

fergusen:
See the screenshot below. He did it via outbound marketing.
The two domains are Geo+Service/Product domains.
Check the previous posts. I explained what geo+Service/Product domains are.

The guy sold:

PhoenixWoodFloor//.com for $1000
PhoenixWoodFloors//.com for $1000

Phoenix is a city in Arizona USA. Population is 1.6 million people.

When you type Phoenixwoodfloor Arizona in Google search, we have over 40 business that might be interested in the domain name.
One of those '40' businesses bought that Phoenixwoodfloor.//com
PhoenixWoodfloors.//com Domain name from that guy.

Please boss drop details on mxpressreview @ gmail .com

Thanks

Well done boss

following...

Don't Quote the above post to avoid being hit by the spam bot!

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What you need to buy Domains.

We buy domains from foreign registrars. Forget those Nigerian registrars.

I already listed where to buy. Scroll up to check.
For a jjc (new comer) those website I listed are safe to do business with.
What you need
1. Smartphone or laptop
2. ATM card (MasterCard,etc) that can buy goods and services online.
3. Data/Internet access
4. Money in your account.

That's all you need to buy a domain name.

Important things to note:

1. To avoid stories that touch, I have a dedicated ATM card I use to purchase things online. I don't leave serious money in that account. Whenever I want to buy, I deposit the amount I need. That is to say get two accounts. Please don't enter your details in an untrusted website. Read reviews about website on Google.

2.Take note of every details. When buying note the price displayed. Most times, the price is always displayed in dollars $$. Convert to Naira with your calculator to get a rough estimate of how much you will be charged.

3. If you don't understand something, ask Google or ask someone knowledgeable.

Selling your domains.

We sell domains primarily by listing them at domain marketplaces (aftermarket).

The popular marketplace for listing domains are
1. Afternic//.com
2. Dan//.com
3. Sedo//.com
4. Epik//.com (mainly for epik registered domains.
5. Namesilo//.com (for namesilo registered Domains only)

Remember, the '//' sign above is not part of the domain. I just included it because of the Nairaland bot.

---

NAMESERVERS
There is something I want you to note. It's called nameservers.
Remember I said there are several marketplaces for selling domains. So when you register/buy/create your domains, you need to point it to the marketplace of your choice. So that when anyone types your domain name in their web browser, they are directed to the marketplace of your choice.

Let's assume we registered the domain name NairalandMonkey//.com, and we want to sell it at Dan//.com marketplace.

What we will do is to FIRST go to Dan//.com and create our account. Just like you create Facebook, nairaland, Twitter account.
Next, we LIST the domain at Dan//.com.
After that, we log into our registrar account (where we bought the domain), go to settings and change our nameservers from the default/follow-come to that of Dan//.com.

What is Dan's nameservers?
Ns1.Dan.com
Ns2.Dan.com

If it's Afternic or Sedo marketplace we prefer, we follow same step. They too have their own nameservers. You'll see it when you sign up with them.

I've deliberately left out some details about this current subject to avoid confusion. You'll find out more as you begin to buy and sell.

Note: it is possible to list your domains at ALL marketplace. But you can only point your nameservers to 1 marketplace.

The philosophy of domain trading

Domain Investing is profitable when done properly.
Millions of businesses want an online presence. The world is going digital. And domains can be seen as a gateway to businesses going online.
So if you invest in domains, with the right knowledge, there will be someone who likes your domain and is willing to pay your asking price.

Following. Well done, boss

Please check your pm

Domain Tools

When it comes to domain buying are selling, there are tools that makes your work/research easy. I'll list some basic tools to get you started.

1. InstantDomainSearch//.com. You use it to check if a domain is available for registration.

2. Whois//.com. You use it to check details (date of registration, owner, where it is hosted, etc) about a domain name. You can also use it to check if a domain is available for registration.

3. Google//.com. with Google, you have access to nearly all information you want.

4. YellowPages//.com. This site is for searching for end users (businesses). You can access it with a VPN.

5. Yelp//.com. This site is for searching for end users (businesses).

6. NameDroppers//.com. For checking other/related websites using your domain Keywords.

7. DOTDB//.COM. For checking other/related websites using your domain Keywords.

8. Namepros//.com. Number 1 domain forum in the world. They are the Nairaland of Domainers.

9. HosterStats.net. To check the hosting history of a domain. When it was first registered, etc.

10. Archive.org. with this website, you can see a screenshot of what a domain was used for previously, how the site looked like in time past, etc.

11. Namebio//.com. Here you'll see reports of domain sales. Particularly, you'll see date, venue/market, and how much some domains sold for.

There are still other tools. But this will get you started. When the need arises, you will find other tools.

Okay.

Scroll up. Info updated.

More here.

Fergie, which one is better between registering an expired domain or registering a new name for Geo domaining. Sorry for this question, I'm just a newbie

adesiku:
Fergie, which one is better between registering an expired domain or registering a new name for Geo domaining. Sorry for this question, I'm just a newbie

Around 90% of times when we (domainers) do outbounds for geo domains, we do it for their keywords. Ideally, any domain you are trying to outbound to an end user ought to be better than their current domain. Like an upgrade.
Now to your question
Handregging (registering a fresh domain) a domain with a popular keyword (Service/Product) is fine. Take note that some of those names you think are new might have been registered 2,3 or 5 years ago and dropped.

Registering expireddomains (freshly dropped/recently expired) with a popular keyword (Service/Product) is also fine. The advantage of expired domains is that some of those domains might have existing traffic and backlinks. Infact, the good ones hardly drop (as they are backordered). The good ones that weren't backordered are picked up immediately they drop. So if you want to fish in this 'waters', you must come prepared


In summary, if you see a good domain (either new or expired) available, register it. The so called expired domains were ones freshly registered.

Outbound Marketing

Let me make this clear:

It is not that you must outbound (contact endusers) before you can sell Domains.

In fact, many domainers hate outbound marketing.
They prefer to register a domain name and patiently wait for the right buyer (Inbound).
But outbound marketing leads to faster and quicker sales as long as you have a quality domain name.

Outbound Marketing 101

I already explained how to search Google for businesses that might be interested in acquiring your domains.

Scroll up to refresh your memory.

When Google shows you the websites, you will visit the website and look for where there is
*contact us*

Most times there will be email address and phone number.

You will copy the email address somewhere.
Do this for all the website related to the domain name.

Sometimes there is no email address on their website. Check if there is a Link to their Facebook page. Visit their Facebook page. You might see their contact email.
Copy it down somewhere.

*Outbound Marketing*

There is a thin line between outbound Marketing (sending cold emails) and Spamming. It is best not to cross that line.
Make sure the domain you are outbounding is a better version of that of the end user. Make sure the domain is also relevant to the business niche of the end user. You don't outbound a domain like ElectricVehicle//.com to a company selling flowers.

Important: Be respectful, and direct. Go straight to the point. Who wants to read 300 words of unsolicited marketing bla bla bla


Now that you know this. You have to be very professional in your outbound Marketing

1. Get a professional email address.

Adebisi4Luv1995@gmail//.com ❌ rubbish
AbuFati1997@gmail//.com ❌ rubbish
ItsYoungKid@yahoo//.com ❌ rubbish
KoolChild86@gmail//.com ❌ rubbish


FredDomainService@gmail//.com✔️ Good
DomainOffers1@gmail//.com ✔️. Good
JohnDomains@gmail//.com ✔️. Good
DomainsMD @gmail//.com ✔️. Good
Steve@Domainblabla//.com ✔️. Good

*Content of email*
Don't be a spammer!!!!!!!
Please note the guide in the previous post.

---

If you open your email box, there are different folders.
Inbox
Sent
Outbox
*Spam*
There are certain emails that you will send and it will land in spam folder of the receiver. If it enters here, the receiver doesn't know you sent a mail. No notification. Also after 30 days it will auto delete.

Why will this happen? There are certain words that are usually used by spammers. You can Google meaning of spam.
Once your email address contains those words, they are flagged as spam and sent to the spam folder.

What are those keywords? You can ask Google.

However, the template I will provide will help you stay safe.


[b]Email Template1 & [
Email template 2/b]

I have attached a screenshot below.

Remember what I told you about nameservers? When the end user types AbujaWoodFloors//.com in their browser, they are directed to the marketplace (Dan//.com in this case) where you choose to handle the transaction.

Follow Up
Many times, end users don't reply to the first message. You might need to do a follow up. If you used template 1 in your first contact,
You can use template 3 for follow up. You use the psychology of price reduction to stir up interest

See attached screenshot below

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How much should I demand for my Geo+Service/Product Domains
You can set any amount of $$$ as asking price. However, be reasonable.
Sweet spot is $250-$750.
Remember, there's a high likelihood that the end user already has an existing website! So be reasonable in your pricing.
For domains with high traffic/backlinks, you've got gold in your hands. So you're free to demand a golden price for your treasure.