Internet Babel

OK – so in parts 1 & 2 we covered an introduction and some basics on registering a new domain and finding dropped/expired domains.

In this piece, we’ll be looking at what will be the main stomping ground for most of you – the Forums. In particular I’ll be covering DigitalPoint and NamePros, because they are both popular and they represent different markets. Other popular Forums for buying and selling of Domains and Websites are SitePoint and Acorn Domains, but I won’t specifically address them here.

First things first – Build a Rep:

If you haven’t already done so, register at both Forums, take a good look at the different areas on them, and start posting in the ‘non-trading’ sections…get a bit of ‘post history’ under your belt, try and get some Rep points, as this will all help further down the track. If you have an area of expertise, use it to give some advice to those in need.

DP and NamePros- what’s the difference? 

I use both Forums frequently to buy and sell Domains, but you have to be aware that they have very different approaches to the game, and you have to behave accordingly.

DP is the bigger of the two in terms of users, traffic and posts but it is a LOT less regulated and, as a result, is more prone to spammers, scammers and time-wasters. The mods there are average at best and they will do little to help you out in case of any disputes. Also, they are not as open as they could be with regard to highlighting and stamping out scammers.

Having said all of that, there is a good community there, and there are some great bargains to be had if you trawl the Domains For Sale forum. It’s also a good place to buy and sell links/adverts or content and there are some useful posts in the other sections as well, if you ignore some of the more obviously juvenile/spammy crap.

NamePros is a smaller, tighter community and much better regulated (although obviously not totally free from scams). Their Domains For Sale sections are separated better than DP, and the Domains Wanted Forum is a good place to look for potential buyers.

Be warned that NamePros mods do a pretty good job of keeping on top of Sale/Auction threads and there are rules for all of these that you MUST abide by. It takes a little bit more effort but it’s generally a safer place to deal in.

Look And Learn:

I can’t stress how important it is to take some time looking at the Forums for a while before you do any trading. It is only by doing this that you’ll get a feel for good and bad prices, good traders etc.

Ask anyone who regularly deals in Domains and if they’re honest they will all admit to being stung or being stupid in the early days – I bought a few turkeys myself early on. But then, you can always sell them on to an un-suspecting newbie  

Sifting Out the Rubbish:

As a result of a spending some time looking at the Forums, you should be better positioned to spot and then ignore the trash – and there is a LOT of it. Of course, the trouble is that not many people will be honest enough to say they’re trying to offload a crap domain, so you’ll see some amusing posts trying to put a good spin on names that are blatantly pathetic. Methods used to try and do this include:

• trying to target a domain for a non-existent niche (e.g. “FartingAlbanianParrots.info – ideal name for a domain about Farting Parrots in Albania”
•  ”Dictionary word .com” – Yes, well “Assuetude” is a dictionary word but I can’t see much type-in traffic for it. Just cos it’s a dictionary word doesn’t mean it’s got any pull.
• “Web 2.0″ name – “Flxgl.org” – Woopy-Doo…   
• Typo’s – watch out for these.
• Likewise for TradeMarked names – maybe the current owner has realised they can’t use the name without being sued, so they want to offload it. Don’t complain after you’ve bought – do some research into any names you have the slightest doubt about.
• Good old-fashioned Bull – Just because the seller says it’s a good name doesn’t mean it is. They are quite happy to bandy around words like “Premium”, “Valuable” and the like – but step back and think before you buy.

Plus of course you will get the clowns who are deluded enough to believe that they’re crappy domain is worth a fortune…it isn’t.  You will see some truly ridiculous prices being asked for – on the other hand, you will also see some absolute bargains (I’ve picked up 20 $1 Domains in the past 3 weeks).

Note For Sellers:

The advice I’ve given to looking around the Forums applies just as much if you want to SELL a domain. You need to come up with a realistic price, and decide where you want to sell it, and the method you want to use (Fixed Price, Auction etc).  and READ THE RULES.

Admin:

Most sales on both Forums are conducted via PayPal (although Escrow services are popular for higher value sales). So, as I said earlier, if you want to trade on these forums you will need PayPal. You will also need an account at the major registrars in order to acccept/give account pushes.

Etiquette:

Don’t mess people around. You WILL get landed with negative trader points and possibly bad reputation, and that is not the way to start your career in Domain speculating.

You will come across a number of sales (particularly on DP) where the seller turns out to be a waste of space and ignores all attempts to contact them even if your bid has won the domain. If you’ve abided by the Sale rules and given them fair opportunity to respond then you could slap them with some bad trader points but my advice (to begin with at least) would be to forget about it and move on (but make a note of their name so you know not to deal with them again).

It costs nothing to be courteous in sales threads, and as always, flaming/spamming someone’s sales thread will only end in sadness. Karma is a great consolation so hold your tongue.

Coming up next…the mechanics of conducting a sale on the Forums – bidding, accepting bids, processes for payment and transfer of Domains etc.

Thanks

Dave