Where You Should List Your Domain Name For Sale in Order To Maximize Exposure

Category : Domain Names

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Buying a domain name is easy, anyone with ten bucks and an internet connection can do it, but selling a domain name can be another story.  The supply of domains for sale far outweighs the demand so getting maximum exposure for a domain you are trying to sell is a necessity.  Unfortunately domain buyers don’t congregate at one spot each day but rather different spots so you need to have your domain at all of them.  You won’t necessarily sell your domain right away, but it definitely cannot hurt.  Here’s where I recommend you start, and this is in no way an exhaustive list of every possible place, but rather the major ones and anything I can think of at the moment from my experience:

Sedo – This was once the premier marketplace where all the buyers would go to find domains.  I think they’ve lost quite a bit of marketshare as the market has become more fragmented, but it is still worth listing there.  If you list with a Buy It Now price the commission that they charge if you sell a domain is cheaper then if you list your domain with a “Make An Offer” listing (this is common at most marketplaces).

GoDaddy Auctions – GoDaddy is the most popular registrar in the world so tons of perspective buyers are there each and every day.  They have an auction section which is a little hidden to a first time visitor but they sell a high volume of domains.  A nice feature here is if someone searches for a domain on the GoDaddy homepage, and that domain is not available but it is listed in their Auction section by the domain owner they will direct that person to the domain.  I don’t have numbers but I’d wager this feature has resulted in a ton of sales for domain owners.

Afternic – this marketplace was purchased by GoDaddy but still operates as a standalone.   Estibot has integrated their listings so if someone is getting a domain value at Estibot and that domain is listed at Afternic they will see a for sale link.

Domain Name Sales (or any parking company) – you should be parking your domain with a company that has a nice, clear, and concise landing page that tells people your domain is for sale.  Direct navigation traffic leads to the most domain sales.  Domain Name Sales is integrated with DomainTools so if someone searches on Domain Tools for your site, and it’s listed at DNS they will see a link telling them it is for sale.

Domain Forums – I don’t frequent domain forums too often.  There’s two big ones and maybe one secret one where you need to know a special handshake to get in, but that’s all that probably has any significant traffic.  It’s a good place if you’re trying to dump a domain or get some fast cash, but 99.999% of the time you’ll never get the best possible price at the forums because they are filled with domainers who are usually stingy.  I watched a DomainSherpa show and they have their panel of domain experts and they were valuing some guys portfolio of domains.  The domain experts valued a domain at around $50k retail and when the host of the show asked them if they wanted to make the owner an offer the top offer (if memory serves me correctly) was $1,500.  Point being, you won’t get anywhere near value selling to domainers, but domainers are good for moving a domain quick.

Domain Blogs – you can try to write a comment on a domain blog and at the end of the comment mention the domain you have for sale and the price.  Maybe the blog owner will delete your comment, maybe he won’t.  But it’s a chance at some free exposure for your domain.

Flippa – Flippa has put an emphasis on improving their platform to sell domain names so it is worth listing there.  Premium domains may be able to get near top dollar on Flippa, but middle of the road stuff or low end stuff is going to get low ball bids for the most part.  Doesn’t mean it isn’t worth a shot, though they do charge you a minimum $9 fee to create an auction.

Auctions – speaking of auctions, you can list your domain (for free) at places like Snapnames, Namejet, Great Domains (Auction), to name a few.  You can set a reserve price and you don’t have to pay a penny unless it sells.  These sites will vet any domains submitted so if you own a ten word domain you’re going to get rejected like when you asked the prom queen out, but if you have some decent domains you can get them listed.  I’ve sold domains on the three auction places I’ve mentioned and if I can do it anyone can.

Ebay – I chuckle as I list Ebay here.  Ebay used to be a decent place to buy and sell domains years and years ago.  If your goal is to maximize exposure then list it here, can’t hurt, but I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for a good sale to get generated through Ebay.

Domain Brokers – there’s quite a few of these guys floating around.  Unless you have a $50k or above domain name these guys are not likely to spend any time or energy knocking down doors finding a buyer for you, but they will list your domain in their newsletter.  The newsletters get sent out to their email lists and some of these guys probably have 10,000+ people on their list.  But I’d guess most of these people on their list are domainers and not end users, so you’ll be selling at a discounted price if you sell.

It’s late, I’m spent for the night, I’m sure there’s a few more options I’m forgetting but this list should get you off to a good start.  Now go sell some f#cking domains!

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