The Rick Schwartz Domain Name and Traffic Blog: RicksBlog.com – Home of The Domain King®

Morning Folks!!

Your future business destiny starts and ends with your domain name. Great domains equal great destinies. If Social Media is your hub, destiny is in the hands of others. It can disappear on the whim of just one idiot with power. Are you in control of your own destiny or is your unknown pimple faced master in control?

They had caravans to transport the king's gold, but was not a very safe or fast way to move assets of value. They had stagecoaches that moved from east to west. How much gold could they carry before it would collapse or was attacked by outlaws? How safe was it?

You could bury CASH in the desert, but you had to pray nobody would find it. You could put all your dollars in a bank into an account that the government can seize on a whim. You can hide it in your mattress as long as the house does not burn down.

Bitcoin is fine. But it's not built on anything useful and you will never control the value. You can just enjoy the ride. #whiplash

Diamonds are small and easy to carry and easy to hide. But they suck as investments and can be stolen or cracked and become worthless. You would have a hard time getting a $100k CASH quickly even for a $1 Million diamond.

Stocks, we all own them. Manipulated as they are. Pieces of paper and a monthy statement. Whoo-Hoo

Watches are portable. You can put a million dollars on your wrist and always have enough to put a roof over your head. I give a thumbs up to a wristwatch.

But in all the years of scraching my head and scratching my balls, nothing has ever even come close to Domain Names. Now it isn't like I am against the other investments as many try and twist my point, they just simply can't compete with a meaningful and great domain name. The most portable asset in the history of man with the most potential value. And pretty darn safe!

Raw land is about liquid as a domain name. Not easy to sell raw land unless you want to give it away. You have to be patient and wait for someone with a need. With a want. With a desire. With the where with all. With an idea and a plan. And it has to be a value. Similar to Domain Names. You don't buy 10 acres today to put on the market tomorrow and expect to get much if any return. Silly! But that is the domainer strategy. Silly!

There is land and parcels everywhere that have been for sale for years. Decades even. Probaly the same in your neck of the woods. Land to be sold for premium $$$ need a specific purpose so one can calculate how things will unfold. What is different with a domain name? Unless you sell to another domainer that sees something you don't and let them reap YOUR REWARD!

Serious inquiries come from owning serious domains. So invest and collect great domains and eventually you will have a flow of qualified inquiries. Worry about buying and the sales will happen. Worry about sales and not much will happen. Focus on the hunt, the meal will come later!

I own each and every asset listed above plus others. But with my domains I can go to sleep knowing I have great value stored safely away and wherever I go those assets are a click away. I control my destiny. And if all else fails, I can actually roll up my sleeves and start building out. What exactly do I do with my other assets other than sell them? Controlling your own destiny has value far beyond what the untrained naked eye can see or put a value on.

I am bullish on domains in a way few can see or understand. I understand the value in our eco system when compared to other assets and other opportunities. Domains are the foundation of the internet and has yet to be recognized by those that should have seen it DECADES ago! The domain name is your world passport to autonomy and independence both financially and spiritually. It all starts with a Domain Name. Get your head around that!

I value my domains based on factors I have discussed in previous blog posts. There is NOBODY on this planet that can convince me otherwise. But it is time for many to wise up and see what I see. Everyone's future starts and ends with a domain name. I REFUSE to sell LIFE-CHANGING assets for anything under the value I see. If they don't see what I see, there is nothing to talk about. SIMPLE!!

That mindset has earned me over $21 million selling just 19 domains since I retired in 2015. Added to the 20 years of traffic and 20 sales prior to my retirement, would put me among the top 10 career earners by any professional golfer and just 4 or 5 slots behind Tiger Woods! But nobody keeps score like that except me! And I do! And yes, of course, I have but 1 goal......to match or exceed Tiger! I figure I'll be an active domainer longer than he'll be an active golfer. (God willing for both of us)

But 2021 is going to be a MONSTER of a year. No longer do I get hateful responses when I discuss a price with a potential buyer that may be 10 times higher than it was a few years ago. Now we have conversations and I am engaged in different conversations daily. Sometimes all day. So with that in mind, I will make the boldest of predictions, In the next 18 months I will exceed the $21 Million of the past 5 or 6 years. Possibly with one sale!

Why am I so sure? 3 words: Covid, Social Media. Covid is driving everyone online and social media is driving everyone to having their own website and not depending on the Masters of the Universe pulling the rug out from under them in a whim and leave folks without income or exposure or even a business. #WOKE

My valuation STARTS with real world expenses. So virtually nothing I own and sell will be valued at less than $500,000. That's my BASE. PERIOD! And to the base still has the value of the domain itself. So it won't be long before my floor is $1 Million.

Now you can go and dismiss that but before you make that mistake, let me share this with you. In 1996 my minimum value was $15,000. A few years later it went up to $50,000. In 1999 with my first sale of eScore.com my minimum had gone to $100k. When we started 2020 my minimum was $250k. That doubled by the end of 2020 and I would not be surprised to see it double again THIS YEAR!

Rent $2500/mo, $30k/yr, $300k/10 Years

Electric $500/mo, $6k/year, $60k/10 years

Insurance, garbage, security, maintenance, $1000/mo $12k/year $120k/10years

$480k BEFORE salaries! Before lots of other expenses Local vs Worldwide +++ That's how I value Domains before I even get to value the domain itself.

And how about the store sign? Tens of thousands! Hundreds of Thousands!

And what if you have 100 or 1000 or more locations? This is not rocket science. You can see your physical store name on your sign from a block away. You can see your domain name from OUTER SPACE! WAKE UP!

What was the COST of building just one Sear's store? The land, the building, the furnishings, the employees, the YEARS of research to find a proper location??? That equation will no longer work! Get your head around that! That my friends is the proper comparison. The one I have used for 25 years and the one that I will use 125 YEARS past my own personal expiration date!

That said, I am open-minded and offer flexible terms and angel friendly financing by way of liberal lease options as low as $1000/month and equity deals for those with big and profitable ideas.  Their wallets may be thin, but they can use the equity in their PROFITABLE idea to start using and exploiting my high-profile and sometimes high-traffic domains.

Getting a 6 or 7 or even 8 figure domain to exploit their business dream with possibly no upfront fee and a monthly note no more than a luxury car, is called OPPORTUNITY!! It's actually the opportunity of a lifetime and I guess I like doing business with folks that see that. If they can't get their head around something as simple as that.....what else can I say?

You can't buy what I have until you see what I see! PERIOD!!

A Good Domain Name is easy to remember.

A GREAT Domain Name is hard to forget!

So let's build YOUR dream on MY Domain Name!

Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

This is what I would call an "Easy Reference Post" for me to refer back to or point others to when I need to access my prior domain sales. So please indulge me. It seems I never have a list that's easy to find or to add on to. Now I do!

The first sales (1998-2003) are mostly lower on the list and occurred when 5 and 6 figure sales were almost unheard of, and folks would laugh at me for even asking these prices. The laughter stopped when I started getting those prices and then completely silenced when I sold Men.com for $1.32 Million. One of the very earliest verifiable, 7 figure domain sales. Before to was just the rumored Business.com for $7.5 Million with murky details.

• Men.com sold for $1.32 million in 2003, acquired for $15k in 1995. Plus earnings of about $350,000 during ownership
• Candy.com $3.0 million + several million in Royalties + 12.55% Ownership currently valued at over $5 million+, acquired for about $100k in 2005. (Will end up being my biggest sale ever)
• Porno.com sold for $8.88 million cash, acquired for $42k. Plus earnings of about $15,000,000 during ownership. Escrow.com's largest cash sale EVER!
• eBet.com sold for $1.35 million, registered for $100 in 1997
• Teem.com sold for $36,000 plus stock. Final total after buyout $1.15 million registered for $100 in 1998
• 989.com sold for $818k, registered for $100 in 1997
• 899.com sold for $801k, registered for $100 in 1997
• Portfolio of 10 NNN.com names (Undisclosed. Between $2.5 million and $3.5million)
• 9595.com sold for $180k, registered for $100 in 1998
• iReport.com to CNN for $750,000 acquired for $5000 in 1999
• Punchbowl.com too MyPunchbowl.com $60,000 plus stock
• ChinaTours.com $200,000
• TokyoHotels.com $200k++
• RockStars.com $180,000
• FreeSexCams.com $150,000
• GayEscorts.com $121,550
• PartnerCash.com $110,000
• eCruise.com to iCruise.com $100,000 & Stock
• 235.com $100,000
• SydneyHotels.com $100,000
• eScore.com $100,000
• RoomDividers.com $75,000
• 273.com $50,000
• 236.com to IAC (Undisclosed)

Total sales in EXCESS of $23,000,000 AND I continue to receive royalties from multiple sales/leases totaling several million so far with over $7 million still to paid out to me.

Property.com/Properties.com was sold 3x in 14 years. I paid $811,000 for the pair and took in over $850,000 so far. So I am not in a bad position there for my $8.50/year x 2. One day the right buyer will come along. It's in the intersection I speak about. It's only a matter of time and patience. I get $1 million offers several times a year, But that won't cut it.

So my 33 domain sales have an average of $701,649++ SO far, and they increase annually! Plus factor in that many were early sales in the late 1990s and early 2000s. So in the modern era of the last 15 years, my average is much higher.

It would have been much easier and, I would have sold many more domains if I did not know how to value my own assets. Easy to give things away when you undervalue them. Doing that gives me the ability to say NO because I have purposely put myself in the strongest position I could. Nobody could or should be able to value domains better than yourself. Your value is the key. Stick to your guns!

33 sales and I never made the first contact with any of them. That's #1 on the list for selling domains at high prices. If they are not coming to you, then perhaps you don't have what they need. Like I have said, great domains put you in the middle of a busy intersection. Worthless domains put you in the middle of a nasty swamp. Don't get mad at me, get mad at yourself if you are in the swamp. You picked what you got. Right?? You decided to pull the trigger at whatever price, and you chose to value it at whatever cost.

Some still question my sales ability cuz I don't sell many domains, and I don't sell often. Domain investing is about PICKING great domains not SELLING them!! Pick right, and sales will come. There is always time for outbound sales, but that won't happen until big business understands the value. We are very close thanks to social media and their abuses of privacy and free speech as well as the most important of them all, autonomy! On the WHIM of some low-level MORON, anyone can be put out of business with one click on many of these platforms with no appeal process and no reason given.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

That is a serious question that would be met with eye-rolls. "Who is your Social Media Liasson?" Who is the SINGLE person or the people directly responsible for your Twitter and Facebook? If a company has a presence and they can't answer that they are missing something very big.

If you are silly enough to conduct your business on social media, you better have a seasoned representative on duty 24/7. If not, you are negligent and, much worse!

I don't need to know squat about Social Media to point out the important pitfalls as well as opportunities. But a strategy is key. Having a personality is key. Having someone totally competent is key. A warm body will put you outta business.

It's all common sense. Common business sense. Common sales sense. Common sense not to be lazy. There is always time for lazy once things are set. I am living proof. You have to come and identify each and every element or elements lacking if you expect long term success.

So just like a popular restaurant may have a known host or hostess that they know and trust and have the authority to make things happen, Social Media NEEDS and must have those same attributes and personalities if you use the platform effectively and want constant and long term success.

My expertise is looking at ANY situation and clearly seeing the one or two things that can be implemented immediately and usually without cost. Both will show immediate results. Then you move on to the other things less visible but STILL THERE!!! So don't close your eyes to what you don't like. Open them and change it. Stop being foolish, lazy or unaware. And when it gets pointed out to you, be thankful because you just made more m oney and do it all the time.

Early on in 1996 all these sites would use counters on their sites to see how many unique vusitors were coming thru. But they made a huge mistake that was fixed in 5 seconds. That would increasen their bottom line 15%-25% instantly for FREE!! All I would do is explain that counter should be on the lowest left side on the page. That basically eliminated folks clicking on the counter by at least 15%. Voila. Some of these sites were making millions per month. That was a windfall and it helped me garner a reputation.

The next thing was background color and font color and font size. If you think there is no difference, find another career. We are not talking 1% or 2%. We might be talking 50%. So important to learn these things and experiment.

The next was placements of the links so folks would click on what the OWNER of the site wanted them to click on. Herding traffic is a big part of website flow and monetary success.

Some would get angry at my suggestions. Ok, they win. lol I can't stop a fool for remaining a fool or just being stuck. Not my choice. But if they open their mind a bit, their wallets will get much fatter!

I can tell you that most companies need some fresh eyes RIGHT NOW to look at their sites let alone getting social media right. Most sites could double their sales just from fixing the mistakes that they have right now and don't know about and probably don't even care. What a dumb way to run a business.

But hey, the Internet is the Intersection of the smartest, the dumbest and the most foolish. Those groups don't play well with each other as is on display 24/7.

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

A Renaissance in the generic sense is simply a re-birth a renewal, a new age of something that has been around but has been rediscovered in a new or possibly much more valuable light. At least that is the specific definition I will use for this post. Domain names are on the eve of such a Renaissance. I started seeing this phenomenon early in 2018 but clearly late last year and have posted about it in the past several months. But now it is vivid like a rainbow!

Maybe you have not paid attention or maybe you just have not realized it but there was a huge difference between Christmas Season 2018 and the start of 2019 that is completely opposite of just 1 year ago. I focus on things that change or evolve so I can recalibrate my opinion or approach if need be.

One year ago nearly all commercials on TV were trying to drive traffic to their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. It was plain stupid! But they did it anyways. Sending their OWN customers to a 3rd party! DUMB!

Fast forward to now and you will see virtually NO commercials on TV promoting their social media site. I watch interviews on TV now, no more social media, they have a website.

This is 3rd post I have made about the rise and fall of social media and the dangers as well as the opportunity. Some may have laughed at me a year ago when I left Twitter. But I was just way ahead of the masses. Folks are leaving in droves and Facebook is in even worse shape!

Social media is dangerous! Not the first time I am saying this. I came one click away last night from even deleting my Linkedin page. I have even thought about removing this blog. These things may become liabilities. Opinions are looked at as facts and then something for you to be held accountable for. That's total nonsense! But it's still effective!

http://www.ricksblog.com/2018/11/social-media-is-no-longer-social-its-dangerous/#.XEw-ri2ZNp8

http://www.ricksblog.com/2019/01/social-media-will-do-for-domains-what-domainers-failed-to-do-for-domains/#.XEw-1y2ZNp8

What you say on Social Media can and WILL be used against you! That is the big lesson among so many others and we never even mentioned privacy! It does not matter how old. It does not matter how small. It can and WILL be used against you.

The ONLY autonomy we have on the Internet is your own domain name and now the masses are realizing that and that is a huge deal for truly great domain names.

Going forward many domains I have don't have the value they once had. Things change. It's a Renaissance. Many domains are perishable. They missed the big window of opportunity. Domains on the market right now that had great value and now, sorry, they don't. Examples would be Smartphones.com or CellPhones.com. They both missed the window of great opportunity. What is the attraction today? What is the interest today? There are many domains that I see that at one time I would have died for and now does not even move the needle for me.

Domains and domaining evolve. But the evolution of domaining just got the biggest kickstart I have ever seen. Akin to a blood transfusion or a couple of heart paddles. It's a REALLY big deal!

I can still find a quality .com domain for any end user for $10 in 10 minutes. So what that does is, it marginalizes the prices of marginal domain names that were low to begin with. But at the same time it raises the prices of truly great domain names. We could see a frenzy. Imagine domain names as hot as bitcoins were in 2017. I see companies upgrading their domains now as a common occurrence that will become more and more common. Location, Location, Location.

You will see personal domains and you will see Brandable and one word meaningful domains rule the day. Slogans will do well. Even if several words. But the big bucks are in short and Brandable .com domains and exact match 1 and 2 word domains. A Brandable to me has to be pronounceable. Basically inventing a new word that you can say and is easy to spell.

And there are "Franchise Domains". These domains have common prefixes and suffixes. Makes you part of something larger even if not related. You can come into domaining TODAY and focus on these and make money! But PATIENCE PLEASE!!! Play the game the right way! And of course a "Franchise Domain" can only be .com. The next best extension, whatever it is, can only garner 1%-2% of the .com value. So why are so many wasting time on third rate domains to begin with? Stop playing in the sandbox and step on up your game to the major leagues. I think this is the only business I have ever seen where folks CHOOSE to play in the minors.

And of course GTLD's will continue to die on the vine. It seems like this is becoming a common occurrence. Something I have predicted for YEARS! How many will die THIS YEAR???

If you took out all the GTLD domains that sold for a penny or were free or were stuffed into accounts, you would have many many millions less registrations and they will eventually drop anyways. Worthless is worthless. The numbers, which suck anyways, are PHONY!! Drill down and you will see what GTLD guys are feeding you is a BAG OF SH*T! They are fighting for their very survival. That means they will say and do anything. They will cut deals that paint a phony picture of success. Don't fall for it! Desperation is something nobody should fall for. Not your problem DUDE, unless you make it one.

Some Registries (not many) make money, domainers don't. Almost every sale I see is a direct registry sale or an authorized reseller like Sedo selling the registries premium names. Where are the domainers in that equation??????

I won't tell you the extension, you can do your own homework and figure it out yourself. But the fastest growing GTLD in the past few weeks/months has one issue for ME that makes it a PHONY! What is it? Not a single registration from Godaddy.!!! Not a ONE!! I Pay particular attention to which registrars have the most domains registered by certain extensions. I BELIEVE they are HOLLOW and PHONY! I am a numbers guy. I can see what's natural and what is artificial. I don't know the exact promotion nor do I have to. I just know it is artificial and unsustainable. Domainers are being played like FOOLS!

I own the .com version of many GTLD combos. I hope many startups start their new business on those GTLD's. Does not make them smart, they are not, but if they wise-up they will eventually LEARN about all the pitfalls and leaks. They will eventually learn how much that costs them in loss of sales that they will have to deal with. Smart guys will be FORCED to abandon. The dumb will just go out of business if they ignore and don't address. NO COMPANY can afford to lose sales. But there are some geniuses out there that don't think sales are important. :-)

GTLD Registries and registrars don't care about the success or lack of it with those that buy domains. They don't care about the pitfalls the end user will eventually face nor do they alert them. There is no disclaimer or warning label. They just want to sell domains. And that's ok. That's their job. My job is to expose the weaknesses that they won't.

I just have to laugh. Usually a product or service has a couple or three points of concern or weakness. Usually ones that are identified and can be controlled. They don't usually go out of their way to remain blind to them. On the other hand, it has taken me 6 YEARS and I still have yet to uncover all the points of concern and weaknesses of GTLD's. I just have to LAUGH!

Think of 2019 and 2020 as 2 years that .com domains will become inflated as prices rise. They may even skyrocket. What is happening to Social Media, Google and Free Speech will do 10x more for domains and domainers than anything domainers can do or have done for themselves. Your only job is to buy GREAT domains and match them up with the proper entity.

I blew a great one the other day. ImpeachTrump.com sold for about $3500 on Flippa. All I know is I see domains every week that sell cheap that have great value plus a DEMAND, but folks keep buying total crap looking for the second coming. Need, Want, Desire, Value.

A domain can be a soapbox or it can be the biggest company on earth. It can be invented. It can be re-invented. It can be anything you want it to be. Domains with power have value far beyond what folks understand today as we enter this Renaissance. But WE understand.

WE understand that a Sear's store has one value but Sears.com has more value with less overhead and wider audience when utilized correctly. A Sear's store may be a liability. A Sear's store costs TENS of millions to build and even more to furnish and staff.

I REFUSE to let go of my comparisons and comps. That means I REFUSE to see value the way the masses do. I see value the way the FUTURE will see value! We are so far away from peak value. But it ONLY applies to great domain names. It does not apply to marginable domains. Step up your game folks!! The canyon is going to widen and widen pretty quickly. Don't be on the wrong side.

And as someone posted right here just a few weeks ago, "A good domain is easy to remember. A GREAT domain name is hard to forget."

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Is Social Media about to implode? Well, Yeah, yeah it is. Growth is GONE! GONE! It's over! The bleeding has begun and is in full progress. Will they bleed out? Probably not, but they may look like a deflated balloon.

To me this was the #1 Story of 2018. As you may recall, I left twitter on December 31, 2017. Most thought I would be back in a few weeks. Well 52 weeks later......And I did the same with Facebook. As I wrote recently, "Social Media is no longer Social, it's Dangerous".

Many thought I was exaggerating and over reacting. But look back a year later. Folks are leaving these platforms in droves! Facebook stock down $100/share in months. There is true danger there and people and parents are starting to recognize this as a very serious issue.

The winner is US. Great domains. Needed, wanted, desirable and important domains. We are all responsible for the portfolios we have. No one is to blame for a worthless one other than ourselves. I have tried to point this out for decades. Now we really do enter a new period of domains. A great one.

It will still take YEARS for the average Joe to figure out he has made a huge mistake in promoting his or her social media pages and not have them eventually (ASAP) funneling to their own domain name.

And remember, I am EXCLUSIVELY talking about BIG LEAGUE .COM domains. PERIOD!!! ALWAYS!! I may dabble in Minor League extensions, but I know that a lottery ticket likely has more value. All other extensions sell for a fraction of a .Com. A SMALL or TINY fraction. And demand is so much lower! Does anyone even think about that?? Demand?? 

I am bullish on GREAT .Com domains. I am NOT bullish on anything else in domains. Some extensions will benefit from a rising tide. It will benefit more in demand than in increasing prices.

And as far as I am concerned, GTLD's are NOW DEAD and eventually someone will bury this stinky carcass! Bury it right next to those IDN's and Emoji's. A waste of time, money and effort. Cause of Death: Too many to list!

HUGE deals are coming in 2019 and 2020. We are entering a sweet spot and you have the downfall of Social Media to thank! You have Retail Mall Sales to thank.

But it starts, NOW. It already started in the last few months. But you will see an increase in domain activity in 2019 like never before and for a REASON. Most of these deals will be under the radar. Especially the deals that are north of $10 Million. And I think that you are going to see a rash of sales between $5 and $10 Million.

I am going to restructure my pricing. I am going to call it Sraes. That is Sears spelled backwards. Sraes. No, I don't need the domain name. lol And not really going to call it this. Just want to demonstrate how ass backwards Sears and many others are. How they missed such a huge opportunity to buy EVERY relevant domain name for LESS THAN the cost of ONE FAILING SEAR'S STORE!! 

Not one genius there could figure it out? Really?? Malpractice! Go dig up the founders and I bet THEY would have figured it out. How sad!

It is now time for me to price a domain equal to greater than the cost to build a Sears store in the real world including gondolas etc. The finished product. I won't even count the 300 employees each store has. Or the cost of insurance and security and trash removal and electric and it just keeps going. Did I mention the land itself. Or maybe just a 99 year lease?

So I have been researching the costs. It's mind boggling. I can't even figure it out yet. I need help. What is the cost in New York or Hong Kong? What is the cost in Iowa or Wyoming?

Happy New Year's!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

So, since 2005, Ron Jackson's DNJournal has been chronicling the top reported domain sales each and every week as well as a "Top 100 Chart" for each and every year. A LOT of work! Thanks Ron!

I took the liberty of adding up all those reported sales starting in 2005 and segregated by year. It doesn't tell all but it does tell a story. Especially of you study each and every sale during those 14 years. Some incredible deals!

Now please don't remind me that most domain sales are not reported. They are not. And of course Yung Ye's $162 Million won't appear nor Mike Berkens $35 Million. Nor will many many many others that we will never hear about that have quietly walked into the sunset.

That all said, it is what we have and it still tells a lot about things.

2005---$16,383,221

2006---$29,870,018

2007---$44,250,718

2008---$44,347,756

2009---$34,622,312

2010---$44,393,336

2011---$23,081,833

2012---$18,248,594

2013---$28,243,313

2014---$43,096,937

2015---42,890,000

2016---$27,558,000

2017---$27,400,000

2018---$23,070,000

Total $447,516,030

And these are just the top 100 each year.

The average year...$31,965,430

2018 not shaping up to be a big year. However there is still time and a blockbuster deal could turn things around on a dime! However, as of now, 2018 ranks among the 3 lowest years as you will see below. And may I remind you that was with intense selling pressure out there. Everyone and their grandmother is trying to sell their domains these days. That was not the case in many of those prior years where it was not a selling frenzy but was a buying frenzy.

So if you look at it through that lens, and I do, that illustrates weakness. Not terrible. But weaker. Will that change for 2019 and 2020? It should! With the issues social media is having, domains will end up as the beneficiary as folks want to control their own destiny not having the likes of Twitter and Facebook control their own narrative.

2018 was a good year for business. Companies have good cash flow and many sitting on large chunks of cash. As they see Sears closing up and many others following, can't we finally make a really good case for 1 domain worldwide that rivals and perhaps exceeds 3000 stores ready to collapse with overhead more than $8 a year after the initial buy which is still a FRACTION of what it cost to build ONE Sears Store? I REFUSE to abandon that foundational mindset that I have! That is why I refuse to give away domains for pennies on the dollar. My vision is stronger than theirs. And it's based on simple common sense and math.

Whether we compare domains to real estate and associated costs or the cost of a Super Bowl Ad or the cost of a 30 second spot on TV, the domain name remains a bargain that business has overlooked but NOW are FORCED to revisit!

The forecast for 2019 and 2020 are looking pretty damn good the way I see the universe! But it can only look good if you have positioned yourselves well and own domains that 3rd parties need, want and desire. Our job is to show value when compared to alternatives and look at the future while doing so.

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I have been talking about Supply and Demand and Need, want, desire, value for a very long time. It's the foundation of business itself but domainers seem to ignore this small fact. They are not immune and we are in the midst of a "Domain Glut" whether anyone knows it or not.

The domain industry is littered with crap and great domains. The crap has pooped over everything and we are all paying the price. Some are paying a higher price. Some will be washed away.

Ask yourself the simplest of questions. "How many TENS of MILLIONS of domains are owned by domainers"? Realize that almost every one of them is for sale and 90% of those are 100% worthless.

We talk about "Exact Match Domains" but I really focus on and want to find "Exact Match Companies"! I want  "Exact Match Companies" to match up with my "Exact Match Domains".

The supply of .com domains was always UNLIMITED but folks wanted you to believe they were not. There is an infinite supply. But now we have infinity spread over the land like HORSE SHIT! Infinity x 1000.

The good news is many of these domains are going to be washed away. The carrying costs of PURE pigeon shit guarantees this. The only ones that don't know it are the Pigeon Shit farmers themselves. But they will figure it out when the bills and the rent are due. Math has a funny way of equalizing things!

The golden goose is still golden, but it has supply and demand to deal with for the foreseeable future.

With that all said we could end up seeing a very widespread domain name frenzy in the months ahead as business has to re-strategize their social media outreach, marketing and control to something they control more and that is DOMAINS!!! The future sovereignty of business DEPENDS on domain names. Business has yet to truly understand and use domains strategically. THEY WILL!! They are being FORCED to wise up!

The most common and visible examples are those that want to upgrade their .whatever to Whatever.com. That's the #1 sector in domaining now and I expect that trend to continue. That is where we still have "Supply and Demand". The only missing link there is "Value" and that is something that comes with time and demand!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Let me start with my "Update" in yesterday's post.

UPDATE!: In the past 24 hours I have seen 2 high profile incidents where on TV they did not send their viewers to Twitter or Facebook but instead are promoting their own WEBSITE! We may be at a watershed moment. People got the message about controlling their own destiny!

I continue to see commercials and I am seeing social media links that are GONE and replaced with their domain name! This is a BIG deal! It is widespread and spreading very fast.

As many of you know I closed my Twitter Account last December and soon after I did the same thing with Facebook. Why? One word. TRUST! TRUST! TRUST! I no longer trust these platforms in any way, shape or form. These platforms can ruin your life as fast as you can post something that offends somebody.

I experienced it first hand. Threats of violence and worse. If you hit a nerve, watch out! But the way that society is now designed your social media is part of your credit. Part of your job application. Part of everything you might ever do!

But now back to business. They relied on these platforms to open shops and do business and customer service. That was plain IDIOTIC! It's one thing to make a contact on social media but the first thing folks should be doing is directing them right back to their website to help them with whatever they need.

Businesses work so hard to be cool so they bought in to the Social Media nonsense. Then they watched as many got bitten and others were put out of business overnight on the whim of some MORON working at one of these companies. Their stocks are down for a reason. What's coming is going to be ugly for them.

Please pay attention to TV commercials and magazine advertising. The shift and the speed of that shift is stunning. They seem to finally get it! Putting a businesses destiny in the hands of third parties like Twitter, Facebook, and Google is simply insane. Especially NOW with what we have all learned this year.

Whether that helps to ignite domains again is unclear. Why? Well, they already own their domain, they just did not promote it or use it in the correct way. Then biggest opportunity in domaining is with companies upgrading their domains to something more prime. Big sector and big money!

This is a perfect example of why you need to pay attention on a daily basis. When things change, it may take a long time, but when that change actually happens, it happens very fast!

So look at the TV commercials and you will see social media links are GONE and replaced with their domain name. THAT'S a GIANT LEAP towards the right direction!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I get emails all day long from folks trying to sell their domains. But there is a difference of late. They are no longer trying to sell one or two, they are trying to sell their entire portfolio and get out of the domaining business all together. Problem is there are no buyers.

Domainers are selling because their one time assets are now liabilities. They are bills. And those wasted $$$$ could be paying the mortgage. And I am really sorry to say I have not seen many portfolios with value. To be honest, most don't have a single domain of any value whatsoever. And they are competing against those with really nice portfolios that can't sell either. The good ones are way too risky to tie up any more $$$ with regardless of the quality.

Demand is simply WAY down. Domainers are financially weak and they are not buying. Plus they already have a boatful of domains themselves that are moving VERY slowly.

Folks like Godaddy won't buy most portfolios unless they are filled with NNN.com and LLL.com and alike. Why? Because they are clueless on what a valuable name looks liken or how to price or sell them. So they stick with these type domains that they can buy and sell rather easily compared to domains of great value.

I have a pretty decent portfolio. Here is the list of my top 10 offers I have had for my entire collection over my career. I am retired. I would love to get a lump sum.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

That's right! Nobody has offered me so much as a penny! (Except for some wise guy commenter after I write this)

I have been the #1 proponent of domains for over 23 years. But I always deal with reality even when it is hard. As the new GTLD's die off, things may improve. But then again, that's the exact thing that drained the money out of the industry to begin with. I don't know that domainers can EVER financially rebound from those losses and continuing bills. Believe me, the desperation level is the highest I have ever seen it. Domainers are BEGGING for folks to buy their domains and get out of this business.

The next few months are going to be important for our sector. We are smack dab in the middle of "Domain Season". But that season is not for marginal or silly names. It is for serious upgrades and serious startups. BIG deals.

The best thing that happened to domains this year is the continuing implosion of social media. The veil is off. We have been lied to, suckered, silenced, used and worse. The fuzzy glow of Facebook, Twitter and Google are GONE! Their power and how they used it against us was exposed. The shift is still happening.  This is the silver lining but we don't know how that will manifest itself yet. It should benefit domains.

A domain is about making a statement. It's about memory. WeBuyUglyHouses.com is the perfect example of why the average end user can and will find a $10 name in a few minutes. More meaningful than the crap domainers have for big money.

My domains have nothing to do with your domains. They are all unique assets or unique liabilities. Either they have FACE VALUE or they don't. Either another party would want to own them or not.

If you play the lifetime domain game it does not matter. If you are buying and selling, it does matter.

Year over year on DNJournal.com's sales tracker it appears that 2017 and 2018 numbers will be very close. Then again these are only reported sales and in fact, most big ticket sales are never reported.

I think there are ways to report those sales without breaking any confidentially agreements by simply giving a bottom line of all sales in any specified period by a broker, domainer or company. I could say I have $20 million in sales for 2015-2017 but I don't have to give specifics. I may even be able to list the domains sold without violating any agreement or spirit of that agreement. Things like that are helpful to an industry like ours but many won't contribute to that effort. It hurts them as well.

The GTLD frenzy is over. The Chinese frenzy is over or at least on pause. Many are on the downside of the slope when it comes to domaining. No matter how much they made in the day, the day is over and they are coming to grips with that. I'm sorry that is happening to folks. But it's the reality of the times.

Are the golden days of domaining behind us? Maybe! But there is still much gold in domains. There is still opportunity. But it is SLOW opportunity! SLOW! The fast track is in crisis. Time is not their ally. The bills are coming in faster than the sales can pay those bills. That's a problem and that's a problem many in domaining are facing.

It's also a problem that I decided to focus on from my very first purchases so I would never be in a weak negotiating position. I pay my domains 10 YEARS in advance when I can. Not all. But the ones I want to make sure I protect. When I have a windfall, I pay forward even more of them. Been doing that since 1996. Totaled up, I am thousands of years ahead on renewals, not a single day behind.

Rick Schwartz

UPDATE!: In the past 24 hours I have seen 2 high profile incidents where on TV they did not send their viewers to Twitter or Facebook but instead are promoting their own WEBSITE! We may be at a watershed moment. People got the message about controlling their own destiny!

Morning Folks!!

Does your business have all the bases covered? Did you do your homework? Were you smart or dumb?

If you were to sign a contract for mall space and you sell pretzels, you may include a clause that prohibits the mall from leasing space to a competitor. That's just insuring your success and your business. There are dozens of small things that as business people we have to think of BEFORE something goes wrong.

You don't have to run your business on an "Exact Match Domain" but it's a lot smarter for YOU to own that domain than to allow a disruptive force come in and eat your lunch.

Strategically businesses have been slow to recognize the opportunity as well as the pitfalls. Now if you are a small business and you don't intend to grow that much then maybe it is less important.

If you are late to an industry an Exact Match Domain gets you recognized and taken seriously in an instant. Of course the rest is up to you. But that "Instant" is PRICELESS!!

While many focus on getting millions of visitors to their site, I think that's not how the universe really works. Let's say you get 10 people to your site, maybe the conversion of those 10 into sales have more value. Imagine a retail store getting a million customers all at once.The place would be overwhelmed and probably shoplifted out of business. Compare that with serving 1 customer at a time and getting a sale.

An Exact Match Domain has the ability to bring in real sales at a higher rate than other ways of gathering traffic. A permanent trickle of sales.

In the real world a store may hire a person to put 1000 door hangers on people's homes. From that 1000 they only need 2 or 3 new clients to make the effort worthwhile. An Exact Match Domain can be looked at as a permanent door hanger. It will ALWAYS provide a TRICKLE OF SALES!! Oh you don't want a trickle? Then how many other sales do you piss away genius? Sales happen 1 at a time. If you throw a sale in the garbage you have to work long and hard to get the next one to replace it.

Just remember during that Trickle of business, a GIANT ELEPHANT may magically appear! The way I see the Internet and a website it is all about having as many doors open as possible. As many lanes going thru your intersection as possible. Never turn a blind eye to more business because it will make your competitor stronger while making you weaker.

Now here is a confession. A BIG ONE!

Candy.com no longer needs the domain Candy.com. That does not mean they will ever get rid of it or stop using it. What it does mean is that it accomplished the mission. It took two 20 somethings with nothing but a great domain and a plan and that allowed them to be taken seriously. Allowed them into places they would not have gotten into with GregsCandy.com. It gave them the fuel and credibility to grow. It was their Booster Rocket that allowed them to crash thru all the layers and competitors. They went from $0 to some pretty staggering numbers that I am not at liberty to say. But the point is now they are in outer space. The domain launched them. But as much as I am a proponent of domains, I will also concede that the effectiveness of the domain and the greatest value comes early on. Credibility and recognition. Then it's all about performance of course. But that "Location" gets you a look. THAT is the single greatest value in an Exact Match Domain.

It's also impressive when you present your company going the extra mile to market and attract customers. Smart business is attractive business.

I don't take search or social media seriously when it comes to basing an online business. That's strictly bonus traffic. That happens from being relevant. From just doing your work and your homework each and every day and those days turn into years.

An exact match domain will not guarantee your success. But it will guarantee a host of other things for smart business people that can exploit the benefits from a few added sales and faster growth.

The Internet is nothing more than the game of Monopoly. Choose well, you will do well. Position yourself right and things will work out.

Rick Schwartz