| p>‘Domain Name' simply describes an Internet | | | | someone really has money to throw away to buy |
| address, a web site address if you like, such as and | | | | your name, you'll only waste money. |
| millions more besides. There's no doubt about it, domain | | | | * Acronyms are gaining popularity with still millions of |
| names are big money, but the heady days of the Dot | | | | letter combinations to choose from. An acronym is a |
| Com Boom are way behind us now and few people | | | | series of letters where each letter represents the initial |
| rush to pay millions of pounds for virtually anything | | | | of words in a particular phrase. So taxi firm Travel In |
| ending .com But it's still a hugely profitable business | | | | Style might bid for TIS.com, bookmaker Bet With |
| concept and one anyone can master. The business | | | | Confidence might like BWC.com, and so on. It's a good |
| can also fetch very high prices on eBay. Even domain | | | | idea to choose acronyms based on actual business |
| names selling at just a hundred dollars or so, over a | | | | models, such that recently fetched £5000 on |
| number of sales, can attract good cumulative profits. | | | | eBay.co.uk. The seller suggested 'hill side to cloud base' |
| So what it wasn't you who made $8 million for | | | | makes a great name for a paragliding business and |
| business.com, $5.1 for AsSeenOnTv.com, or | | | | doubtless someone else agreed. But what can you |
| £2.9 million for ….. you could very easily | | | | make out of that has just gone for $4900.00. |
| have been the one who paid less than $10 for and | | | | * Actual names and single words also fetch high prices |
| sold it on eBay last month for £6995.00 (over | | | | (like worth $3650), though whether actually will fetch |
| $13,000) | | | | £1,000,000 I really don't know. As I type, is |
| Some eBayers specialise in domain names costing | | | | currently offered at £12 starting price and no |
| very little to list in their shop and still list thousands of | | | | offers, - very nice - remains unsold at $500,000. |
| pounds, even millions, as their opening bid. | | | | * Short names are usually preferable to long domains, |
| Making money is easy, but getting really fabulous | | | | especially as acronyms. Imagine matching up with |
| prices for domain names is more down to luck than | | | | someone prepared to pay thousands of dollars, |
| good business, but there are ways to make luck smile | | | | against (no I don't think it's for sale, it's just an example). |
| more favourably on you, as you will soon discover. | | | | * New fads and important events can also fetch |
| INTRODUCTION TO SELLING DOMAIN NAMES ON | | | | handsome rewards when applied to domain names. |
| EBAY | | | | As news comes in that bird flu has hit the UK I |
| * Names are usually listed under Computing > | | | | decided to check for suitable domain names. or |
| Services > Domain Names and less often under | | | | .anything for that matter, is that available? No chance, |
| ‘Business, Office & Industrial > Businesses | | | | already gone. What about Bird-flu.com, or .biz, |
| for Sale > Internet Businesses/Websites’. You | | | | .whatever? No, sorry, beaten to it again. What about a |
| will often find people adding bonus items, to induce | | | | longer name for what will surely be a rash of products |
| more and bigger bids, such as web sites and hosting | | | | coming onto the market to help us steer clear of bird |
| or even complete Internet businesses, and these might | | | | flu, what do you think of Yes, that is still available. Or |
| sometimes be listed on eBay under ‘Business, | | | | rather it was, I just bought it to test my theories about |
| Office & Industrial’. | | | | selling domain names on eBay. |
| * Some really exciting and profitable names are listed | | | | * Look at expired domain names which often have |
| on eBay every day, like mentioned earlier and, currently | | | | ready made traffic which can attract higher bids than |
| unsold, [ and Surnames, like Lowes, represent a good | | | | previously unregistered names. Really high traffic sites |
| bet, there's bound to be someone, somewhere, called | | | | do fall into disuse, though infrequently, and they can be |
| Lowes, who does installations. So you will often see | | | | worth much more for traffic potential than actual letter |
| surnames offered and snapped up quickly on eBay. | | | | combination. |
| * For every clever combination of letters, there's the | | | | ADD VALUE TO YOUR DOMAINS AND INCREASE |
| odd individual trying to repeat history with something he | | | | THEIR VALUE ON EBAY |
| or she thinks closely resembles a past auction record | | | | * Offer free hosting or parking or even a complete |
| breaking domain name. But does [ really make you | | | | web page to begin attracting traffic and links while the |
| wish you had $8,000,000 to offer just because | | | | new buyer determines what to do with his new |
| fetched 8 million dollars? I don't think so. | | | | domain name. |
| * So be realistic, avoid daft combinations, unless | | | | |