Aside from a dozen or so non .com domain names I registered over the years, I have been strictly a .com domain investor. On my NameJet and GoDaddy auction filters, .com is the only extension checked. There may be value elsewhere, but .com domain names are the focus of my business, and I do not see that changing.
I am not opposed to purchasing non .com domain names. It would be foolish to cast off everything else particularly as times are changing. I did not feel like spending my money on alternative extensions when there are so many from which to choose. I felt like it would be very difficult to pick winners, and I don’t want to keep spending money renewing losers, particularly when some have much higher renewal costs.
Over the years, I have mentioned my willingness to buy non .com domain names when I see the potential to make money. I have wanted to see mainstream companies using a particular extension, and I have wanted to see companies willing to spend money acquiring non .com domain names. After all, when I invest in a domain name, I want to be confident an end user buyer will pay a premium over what I paid. I don’t want to see end users buying them simply because they are cheap and available. This would indicate that making money as an investor would be challenging.
In 2014, I wrote the following:
“I would rather pay more for good names in a year or two (or longer) than buy new domain names now because I can determine whether they have enough investment value for my company at a later date. “
It took longer than I may have thought at the time, but I bought two .xyz domain names via Dan.com this morning. Together, both domain names cost less than $650 – which is possibly less than I will spend on .com domain name auctions today. I bought one word .xyz domain names I felt could be used by a wide range of companies around the world. I am not going to share the names because they haven’t transferred to me yet and because I am not looking to drum up any interest in the domain names. I suspect I will share the names at some point but not here today.
I am not advocating for others to invest in .xyz domain names or any other extensions. I still think it is super risky, particularly when so many people are inclined to try and hand register domain names that are pure garbage.
I am sharing this because I have been pretty open about my focus being .com and I wouldn’t want anyone to think I was secretly buying non .com domain names. I may buy additional .xyz domain names but still don’t really have much interest elsewhere. I think .IO domain names are also in demand from mainstream businesses but I don’t think it would make much sense for me to chase any right now because the wholesale prices are generally much higher than I would consider paying.
I am not changing my business model in any way. These purchases are lottery tickets I hope to cash at some point. I will likely set high prices for them and use GoDaddy’s BIN pages.
People should definitely do their own research and not look at this as any sort of investment advice. If I never sell these domain names, I am comfortable with my loss ceiling on these names.
