Domains are far from Dead. Can’t say the same thing about Domaining!

Morning Folks!!

Great domains will be in demand for as long as we can see and probably much further. Just like a phone number or a physical address the domain name is here to stay. Domains will still be alive when we are all dead!

As for "Domaining", that's an entire different story. If it were not for know-nothing newbies, most companies in the space would have nobody to prey on. Most domainers I know are doing everything they can to liquidate. The pioneers want out. But even with their gems it is simple why demand is down.  As I have said repeatedly, the future is about ONE domain, ONE project, ONE need, at a time. The days of mass registrations by existing companies is over!! The only ones buying multiple domains are domainers and most of them are going broke and going broke fast cuz they keep buying pigeon shit.

They don't make an announcement when they disappear. They slither away into the sunset never to be heard again.

I laugh at folks that don't think you can hand register a domain. A business can find a suitable domain name in MINUTES that would pass ALL my tests. I don't care if it is 5 words! The key is being MEMORABLE!! Easy to remember and easy to spell and easy not to be confused when advertised on the radio. Problem is domainers don't understand this.

The big disconnect in domaining is how many folks that call themselves domainers have never had a business before. They don't understand business. They don't understand sales. They don't understand selling. They don't understand marketing. They don't know the difference between a staple and a fad. They are myoptic. They can't see past their own hands or their own needs. They don't have the ability to see the needs of others. They are short-sighted and narrow-minded people that chase what happened yesterday but have no vision for the future.

Domain tradeshows are better for traveling around the world for the discounted business expense than actually going to the shows. The same faces selling the same things at each and every show. When was the last domain trade show that .club was not a speaker at? The answer, 2013. It's all self serving crap!

If I could pick one word to describe the domaining industry and domainers. it would be DESPERATE! Getting worse with every passing day. Soon we may be seeing "Tupperware" style parties as they prey on lower and lower level subjects to sell to. Oh I forgot, many of you never even heard of Tupperware or how they marketed their product.

Just like history has history, business has history. I study business history. I study business trends. I study Sears and Walmart and Kmart and Amazon and you name it. I follow them and I watch them.

When I had my in-home business before domains I copied the biggest companies in the world. I followed their lead. Nobody even knew my "World Headquarters" was in a 10x10 bedroom. I presented myself as a fortune 500 company by copying what they did. Copying how they would make a brochure. Copy their professional newsletter. Copy their marketing tricks. Copy everything of value and make my company look big! That was how I got into 800 vanity numbers. I just copied big business. Same with Domain Names.

The point is domaining 2018, 2019, 2020 and beyond are simply going to be seriously different. Long gone are all the guys boasting about their 250,000 name portfolios. I remember when that was all the rage. I would ask one simple question and it was like "Stump the band". "What is your single best domain?" Followed by a lot of stuttering.

Domain bloggers are down to a tiny handful of about 9-12. A once thriving domain blogging community is GONE! Further evidence of the decline of domaining. Many of those just report auctions or results with no commentary. Don't expect it to get better!

How much is a domain worth? How much would it cost OPEN and OPERATE a physical store in the real world for 1 year? For 3 years? 10 years? How wide an area can you service? That's your basis, not crap like Estibot or any other valuation model. They don't even use a tool like that in Real Estate!!! If they did, it is laughed at. It's a FAKE!! They spend time doing comps! Real research and comparisons.

Would I get into domaining today? Absolutely not! Can you still make money with domains? Absolutely. But when you buy a domain at least realize that the money invested is buried and it will be buried for a very long time. There is no cashier. They are not liquid. You own it and there is less than a 50/50 chance you will sell it in YOUR lifetime.

Rick Schwartz

 

You Sell Domains by Focusing on Buying Domains.

Morning Folks!!

I just never ever worry about selling domains. That has been my mindset since 1995. I ONLY focus on buying domains. But I try and focus on domains that would appeal to many.  As I stated in 1996, "This is a unique moment in history". It still is. Towards the end of that cycle? Yes!

All domains are unique but not all domains are in demand. You can't sell something that has no demand. Has to do with gravity! SIMPLE!!

So I watch domainers buy domains for all the wrong reasons and when they can't sell them they go broke. Don't buy to sell. Buy to accumulate and let them grow into trees not a blade of grass.

10 good domains in a portfolio trump 100,000 domains that don't mean anything and don't stand out.  You are looking for DIAMONDS not GLASS! Gold not tin. Water not dirt. Learn the difference or stop wasting your time, money and effort. You are working too hard and not getting anywhere.

I should not complain. Many of the most valuable domains I bought were from domainers and others that had no clue of the value of what they had. That is why YOU need to put a REAL and PROPER value on your domains and stop looking at fake tools like estibot or ANY automated valuation. They are all fake and bogus. Only for FOOLS! It's impossible to value a domain that way. It's a unique asset!! Assuming they have any value at all. Let's face it 80%+++ of the domains out there are real crap. They are worthless.

Rick Schwartz

.App making a Splash. Moving from #525 to #13 in just months! Rick Invests!!

Morning Folks!!

This spring .App was released by Google and it has steadily moved up the charts and poised to be #13 as they have more domains in the zone file than the 3 right in front of them and they have no drops as of yet.

Why is .App doing so much better than most other extensions? Well there is a long list and if you are a domain investor you would have created a list. I am sure some can add to my quick thought up list.


  1. 3 letters. They did not reinvent the wheel

  2. It refers to something specific

  3. The specific thing it refers to is a huge moneymaker

  4. There is actually need, want, desire and demand

  5. There is steady growth

  6. It is backed by Google

  7. Thought of by Google

  8. Godaddy is the #1 Registrar which indicates end user adoption.

  9. You can make your fortune with an App and many have.

  10. It's the only GTLD that Rick Schwartz actually took a risk and invested 6 figures in

  11. It's 1 of only 2 new GTLD extensions that Rick Schwartz would even consider investing in

  12. The renewal rate will likely be higher than most other if not all other GTLD's

  13. There is a rhyme and a reason for end users to use, adopt and notice .App

  14. Until .Web comes to market, .App will remain a steady grower.

  15. Most other GTLD's mean nothing, are nothing and will always be nothing but worthless. Bills not assets. Liabilities.


That said, .App is still a big gamble. But if you go into a casino to gamble, at least pick the best casino and look for the best game at that casino. Then look for a table full of end users. But just like any casino, you have to go in prepared to lose every penny in your pocket. Plus in domaining you lose with renewals as well.

I am no fan of Google, but they may have a winner with .App.

Rick Schwartz

Links to my 3 other .App Posts. Maybe time to re-read them!

http://www.ricksblog.com/2018/05/app-is-the-fastest-growing-new-gtld-extension/#.W6DSOy3Mx0s

http://www.ricksblog.com/2018/05/googles-app-now-a-top-20-gtld-in-just-days/#.W6DSfi3Mx0s

http://www.ricksblog.com/2018/05/google-breaks-the-new-gtld-jinx-with-app/#.W6DSpC3Mx0s

 

Top Registrar in World: Godaddy has only 5.8% of top 16.6 MILLION New GTLD Registrations!

Morning Folks!!

The top 10 new GTLDS have a combined total of 13,319,000 domains registered. That leaves the other 500+++ extensions sharing the remaining 47% of all registrations. But there is a bigger story.

The largest Domain Registrar in the world, Godaddy, with about 75 million domains managed has only 768,000 of those 13.3 Million domains. That's just 5.8% of the top 10 registrations!! Why is that important? Well for one thing Godaddy controls OVER 20% of the world's overall domains. But in the GTLD world, the paltry numbers speak volumes. And it is just 1% of domains managed by Godaddy.

If you are a domainer investing in GTLD's and you can't figure it out why this is important, maybe domains or gtld's ain't your calling!

#1 .Top 3.6 Million Domains registered

Alibaba Cloud Computing 1.975MM names registered

Chengdu West Dimension Digital Technology Co  910,000 names registered

Godaddy 0 names registered

 

#2 .Loan 2.28 Million Domains registered

Alibaba Cloud Computing 1.363MM names registered

Chengdu West Dimension Digital Technology Co  910,000 names registered

Godaddy 986 names registered

 

#3 .xyz 2.06 Million Domains registered

Alibaba Cloud Computing 479,000 names registered

GMO  462,000 names registered

Godaddy 226,000 names registered

 

#4 .club 1.4 Million Domains registered

Alibaba Cloud Computing 352,000 names registered

Godaddy 255,000 names registered

Namecheap 246,000 names registered

 

#5 .Online 914,000 Domains registered

Godaddy 159,000 names registered (Only extension in top 10 that Godaddy is #1 registrar.)

Namecheap 135,000 names registered

Network Solutions 97,000 names registered

 

#6 .vip 845,000 Domains registered

Alibaba Singapore 356,000 names registered

Alibaba Cloud Computing 182,000 names registered

Godaddy 35,000 names registered

 

#7 .shop 650,000 Domains registered

GMO  207,000 names registered

Alibaba Cloud Computing 165,000 names registered

Godaddy 45,000 names registered

 

#8 .win 608,000 Domains registered

Namecheap 271,000 names registered

Chengdu West Dimension Digital Technology Co  125,000 names registered

Godaddy 1000 names registered

 

#9 .site 545,000 Domains registered

Namecheap 150,000 names registered

GMO 106,000 names registered

Godaddy 39,000 names registered

 

#10 .tld 523,000 Domains registered

Alibaba Cloud Computing 464,000 names registered

Chengdu West Dimension Digital Technology Co  16,000 names registered

Godaddy 8000 names registered

 

How did Godaddy do on the next group. Top 11-20?

3.3 Million Domains and 196,000 registered by Godaddy. Under 6%. And if you were to remove .App, then you would be under 3%!!

#11 .Work 25,000 out of 477,000

#12 .men 431 out of 446,000

#13 .bid 800 out of 331,000

#14 .stream 400 out of 326,000

#15 .wang 0 out of 326,000

#16 .App 111,000 of 316,000 (#1 in percentage of registrations for any of the top 20. ONLY 1 out of 2 extensions that Godaddy is #1 out of the top 20)

#17 .000 0 out of 295,000

#18 .space 32,000 out of 274,000

#19 .review 800 out of 265,000

#20 .website 26,000 out of 252,000

That's 16.6 Million from the top 20 of the total 25 million GTLD's. 8.4 million DIVIDED among 500 others!! That's nearly another 13%. So the top 20 account for a hair under 66% of ALL new GTLD's. The other 500 and growing can fight for the other 34%.

Numbers don't lie, PEOPLE DO! So please remember that registrations numbers are inflated. There are some registrars/registry's that I just don't trust. They manipulate the numbers to FOOL DOMAINERS to invest in their .CRAP! Study and you will SEE the fakers! You will SEE the manipulation.

Rick Schwartz

SOURCE:

https://ntldstats.com/tld

https://ntldstats.com/registrar/146-GoDaddycom-LLC

https://expandedramblings.com/index.php/godaddy-statistics/

Freddy Von Schnauzer’s Eulogy

My Eulogy to my bud....




Yesterday a handful of close friends and I buried Freddy Von Schnauzer just outside my office window. He'll never be too far away.


When they told me Freddy was sick I shared that sickness with him from beginning to end. When they amputated his little toe I was his nurse. 24/7. When freddy died part of me died too. Still trying to figure out how much.


Everyone here loves Freddy Von Schnauzer and Freddy Von Schnauzer loved everyone that’s here. He was a special little guy. He brought 11 years three months 12 days of joy in my life and he will be in my heart forever.


He had attitude. He was a force to be reckoned with. He was a stud. Even going in for his final moments he tried to pick up a giant poodle. He likes his women big. He thought he was a great Dane. He was in this cute little shell but Freddy never had a problem with the biggest.


He holds many secrets and he’ll never tell. He was my Pal, companion and spiritual guide. He was special. Anyone that knew Freddy knew he was special and they knew in an instant.


I got a miniature schnauzer because I know how loyal they are. To my dismay I found the most disloyal schnauzer that ever walked the face of the earth. But I loved him to death and always will. Every day with Freddy was a good day. Every day I got my Kissy Kissy daddy. Every day he was a pain in the ass. And every day I loved every minute of it.


I was his servant, his Butler and everything else and his daddy and he trained me well. I knew what I had to do at 7AM.  830am he had to be fed. He would start reminding me at 8 AM. I knew what I had to do at 1 1am. That was turkey time.  I knew what I had to do at 2PM. That was a cookie. I new what I had to do a 3:30 PM and he would naturally start reminding me at 3 PM. Then of course immediately following dinner that used to be at 5 PM by the way, he would get three cookies. I knew what I had to do at 5 PM. I knew it I had to do at 7 PM. At 10:30pm He would want to go upstairs and go to sleep.


I had a schedule that lasted 11 years and I seldom if ever missed a beat. And neither did he. He was a demanding little boy but he was also the very sweetest most wonderful little boy


Most importantly while dating he was my single best way to get the woman to see my home. I said I have to go home and walk Freddy von Schnauzer. And they would all understand that. And it was an easy way to break the ice. So I owe Freddy a lot for using him as an excuse to get laid.


I really thought Freddy and I would be together for 15 to 17 years. I thought I would be 70 years old before the thought of losing him would occur. But the spring changed everything. And he was tough throughout his battle with cancer. He fought to the very last day. He had spirit to the very last moment. And trying to pick up that giant poodle just showed that even on deaths door step my guy was a stud. My boy was special. Everyone gathered here knows how special Freddy was.


And let’s not forget he was the mascot of the TRAFFIC domain trade show from 2007 to 2014. Everyone knew Freddy. He was distinguished, he was handsome and he takes to his grave my very favorite line.


I would be at a hotel or I would be in an  elevator and all women would say “oh how cute”.  And I would say in a slightly outraged voice: “hey how about my dog?” And they would all laugh. Sometimes I would say “how about me?” And I can’t use those lines ever again.


They would say we look alike. Or we have the same hair. I loved it.


Freddy Von Schnauzer, my very best friend.  I love you,I care about you, I will never forget you.  You added so much to my life and taught me so much about life. Please look out for my mom and dad and Michael too. Hopefully will have a special treat for you.


Your daddy loves you Freddy. Your daddy loves you.


R.I.P. Freddy Von Schnauzer! 11 Years 3 Months 12 days. 9-11-18

Morning Folks!

Every morning I gave Freddy Von Schnauzer big hugs and kisses and told him: "Every day is a Good Day with Freddy" He even had is own song!

It's not a good day today and it won't be a good day tomorrow. My heart is broken! :-(

August 4, 2007 Baby Pic

And our very last really good Picture together July 3rd.

 

Rick Schwartz

Spam Rick with your BEST $10,000 Domain Name!! TODAY ONLY!

Morning Folks!!

Today is the day to take out some of your really good domain names and make a deal. As always, I get a 3 hour right of first refusal.

The domain can be priced anywhere from $5k-$10k.

No more than 3 entries!!

Good Luck!

Rick Schwartz

Internet Crash Circa November 11, 2000. From Rick’s Vault.

Good morning folks!!

The net continues to collapse. A TERRIBLE sign on THIS side of Christmas. That indicates that things will get even worse.

Mainstream is looking more and more like a warzone as they continue the collapse with LITTLE sign of changing directions.

If you think it is bad now, wait til January, February and March. It will get UGLY.

I would say this one one of the worst .com weeks with TWO very high profile firms (Pets.com and furniture.com) and others going bye bye. 

These collapses have little to do with the net and have much more to do with piss poor management in which NONE of them seem to have a clue about SIMPLE math.

But as I continue to say, from the ashes will rise the real internet. I just believe that the face of the net will begin to look a LOT different as BUSINESSMEN begin to populate the net. Businessmen with PROFIT as a goal not some idealistic nonsense with no future.

Rick Schwartz Sat Nov 11 09:09:17 2000 - 172.152.46.120 - message #6636
Have a GREAT day!!

Two Paid off Domains with Owner Financing and the Sale of Mens.com for $250K

Morning Folks!!

In 2018 two domains that I personally financed for the new owners were paid off. In February I received the last $1 Million owed on Candy.com. Then just last month I got the last 10 payments for Teem.com and that deal is now paid off.

I have always been willing to help a SERIOUS buyer with a PLAN to get into one of my domains for a very reasonable monthly fee. Sometimes just $1000 or $1500 a month just to allow them time to find their footing and make a REAL decision. I am not out to choke them. I am out to help them with life Support".

Today I inked a deal to lease Mens.com for $1500/month for 24 months with an option at $250,000 during that lease period. It's an $18k investment on their part for the first year to see if they can make their idea work. That's CHUMP CHANGE! That's not a big number. That's less than a kiosk at your local mall. So if someone has a great idea and they can't manage to get over that small hump, then they probably don't have much confidence in what they are doing and why should I?

Rick Schwartz

 

 

Never Call a Stupid Person “Stupid”!! (Except Today)

Morning Folks!!

Stupid: "having or showing a great lack of intelligence or common sense."

My brother taught me many years ago to never call a stupid person "Stupid". They won't react well. They will lash out. Don't believe me? Try it! lol You'll be a quick convert.

But now let's get past the knee jerk reaction and see how "having or showing a great lack of intelligence or common sense" plays into domaining. Instead of using the word STUPID! Intelligence without common sense is like a one winged airplane. It will go in circles and never get anywhere.

But let's focus on "Common Sense". As the saying goes, it ain't too common. And that my friends is probably the #1 issue most domainers face. They lack common sense let alone any BUSINESS SENSE . That's why they deal in Pigeon shit and that's why these folks feel compelled to lash out. Some have been around for decades and have very limited success. However they speak like they actually know what they are talking about. But they don't understand business. They don't understand sales. They THINK they understand branding. But branding comes from sales and since they know squat about sales they know even less about branding!

I tend to give more credence and credit to those that have achieved monetary success. Some of the loudest most obnoxious voices in domaining are from those that have made VERY LITTLE MONEY over many years and can barely support themselves. But they know EVERYTHING!! They have few if any reported sales and when they do it's marginal at best and infrequent. They sell to survive not to thrive. That's a BIG difference and the prices they sell for prove it.

I piss off everyone and if you are honest that is what happens when you let common sense rule. When you speak truth not to power but to just regular people. If the shoe fits, It's not my problem DUDE! I have nothing to feel bad about. I just hit a nerve and you don't react well. So that's on YOU, not ME! I did not target you. I did not mention your name. But you know who you are. So I am the one that you will lash out at and I will laugh cuz you are still misguided. Pissed off? GREAT! The shoe fits.

Let's piss off auction houses and brokers today. How much is their service worth? Well a lot of it depends on the size of the sale. Put the legit range should be 5%-15%. Real Estate agents work on 6%. Middlemen usually get 10%. Jobbers and wholesalers that have to have inventory 20%-25%. I don't give  a rats ass what Christies or Sotheby's gets. Nobody in the domain space is or acts or has the credibility like Christies or Sotheby's nor has their BRAND and pedigree!

I'll probably get an email or 2 from some brokers and auction houses or some snide comment somewhere. That's what happens when you hit a nerve. When you present the reality which may not dovetail with their agenda. But I don't care! They do! LOL

I started in domaining with a GOAL. An achievable goal. Not a pie in the sky nonsense goal. You don't make $1 million, you make a dollar 1 million times! Once you hit your achievable goal, it's time to set a new goal. Repeat, repeat, repeat. That's the path to success.

And to the desperate and truly STUPID domainers that not only send me an emails with all their pigeon shit, but they are SO STUPID that when I don't answer them, they keep sending their crap over and over again. You guys can't take a HINT?? Are you that stupid?? Are you that bad of a business person that you can't figure it out? Nobody wants your PIGEON SHIT! And no, you are NOT a fellow domainer as so many of you tell me in your SPAMS! You are spammers trying to sell worthless crap and your job is finding someone stupider than you! So stop telling everyone you are a domainer. A domainer earns a living with domains or at the very least supplements their income enough to pay the mortgage or a car payment. These guys could not earn enough to last a single day! Desperation is an ugly thing! If you are a starving domainer, maybe domaining ain't your thang!

Rick Schwartz