None of these are secrets, but experienced investors use them every week. Put a few into practice and your portfolio will get sharper.
Key takeaways
- Most good tactics are about finding buyers, not finding names.
- Small cost controls compound across a portfolio.
- Every name should have a written reason to exist.
Finding names
- Check taken extensions first. Before buying any .com, see how many other extensions of the same name are registered and used. Each active business is a potential buyer.
- Read drop lists daily. Expiring names appear every day. Skim the lists with a filter for length and keywords. See drop catching 101.
- Follow the money in a niche. Industries raising money or growing fast create naming demand. Startups need names before they need almost anything else.
- Use the radio test. If you have to spell it out loud, most buyers will pass.
- Pair real words that belong together. “Rare chord” works. Two random nouns usually don’t.
Pricing
- Price in buyer-friendly anchors. Prices like $2,499 or $4,799 read as considered retail prices. Round numbers invite round counteroffers.
- Always show a price when you can. Many end users won’t send an offer into the unknown, but they’ll click buy now.
- Offer payment plans. Lease-to-own turns “too expensive” into “affordable monthly.”
- Set your floor before the first offer. You’ll negotiate faster and better. See our negotiation playbook.
Holding costs
- Keep a renewal calendar. Review each name a month before it renews, and decide on purpose.
- Consolidate registrars. Fewer accounts means fewer surprises, and some registrars offer better rates for larger portfolios. Compare current renewal prices, not first-year promos.
- Beware registry premiums. Some newer extensions charge premium renewal fees every year, not only at registration. Check before you buy.
Selling
- List on fast-transfer networks. Networks that let buyers purchase directly from their registrar reach far more end users. Our listing checklist explains how.
- Use a real landing page. Show the price, a payment plan, and a clear buy button. Each of our Farm Team names has one with ideas for what to build.
- Stay clear of trademarks. A name that infringes on a brand isn’t an asset. It’s a liability. Read trademark safety before you buy.
Bonus: write the buyer down
Before any purchase, write one line: “The likely buyer is ___ because ___.” If you can’t fill it in, don’t buy the name. If you can, you already have the start of your outbound list.
Test your next idea with the NAR Score and Name Scout before you register it.