If you have soon to expire domain names (within 1-3 months), and you don’t intend on keeping them, the best thing to do is to list them at Sedo.com and ensure your registrar is part of the Premium Partner Network. In this way your expiring domains can be displayed across the network. Sedo partner with hundreds of websites to bring you more revenue on your domains. Sedo.com takes an enhanced 20% commission on sales made via the premium network, instead of 10 or 15%. But this increases exposure not only to the domain, but potentially your portfolio too. And it makes sense to reduce the price of your domain names, rather than drop them entirely (a waste of time & money). Thus, avoiding the feeling of failure. You may be able to cash in on your expiring domain names.
Example:
Details For Opperator,com (sold today for $20!)
This buyer was referred by our SedoMLS partner expireddomains.net.
Sales referred through the SedoMLS Promotion Channel are subject to a 20% commission. Sedo’s commission for this sale is 4.00 GBP, the VAT (20%) amounts to 0.80 GBP and you have earned 15.20 GBP.
For more information, please see our FAQs.
The issue with expiring domains is that they have grace periods. And it can be difficult to know how much to list them for, against how much you need to pay to reactivate them, before deletion. And different registrars take different action. Some registrars auction off your domains in their marketplace before you get a chance to renew them. I use Above.com & Namecheap as they give you quite a bit of grace time to renew your domains, and they don’t charge too much for reactivation. Reactivation of domains past grace period can be quite pricey, and this is where most people end up losing their beloved domain names.
How Long Do Domains Stay In Grace Before They Are Auctioned Or Expired?
The length of time is around 30 days grace, then after this time the domain may be listed in the marketplace if you don’t take swift action. Failure to understand that you can still view your domain one day, and someone bought it the next day, and changed the name servers is can be upsetting at times. So, learn to keep an eye on the domains that matter to you, plan ahead, and reduce the price of the ones that don’t. In this way, you’ll be able to cover the cost of reactivation for the preferred domain. And drop the rest. AND get the price of a reg back. if you paid more, say for an example an auction, let it be a lesson to check backlinks before you bid, and offset against your better auction wins. A few dollars loss, is better than a complete loss.
Don’t Give Up Or Give In To Domain Registrars!
Try to stick to one or two registrars to best manage your domains. If you have a heavy month of renewals, save up ahead of time, and then you won’t get confused, or lose a good domain (this happened to me before xmas). It only happens occasionally, but I worked out how it happened, and what I should have done differently. It wasn’t an incredible name, but it was a name I liked, that had potential. And I expect I may be able to buy it back in the future. Or reregister. Many people who buy auction domains don’t always know what to do. Another method of keeping a lookout is using a domain management tool. I use Above.com to stay up to date. Most of the profit made is probably from registered and forgotten domains that people just give up on, or forget to renew. Newbies often reg so many domains, and get told their domains are worth nothing. Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And only you should make that decision. An example would be Joggas.com I think that was a perfectly good name for sports (way before Covid). And I wish I’d kept it.
Focus On Profit & Loss Not Emotion
Don’t let your pride or stubbornness get in the way of domain sale, because it’s money! It will give you a sense of accomplishment, and let the domain marketplace know they can make money with you. They may list of feature more of your names, if you reduce the asking price, and respond quickly. You can use tools to help you. And yes it can be fiddly to list domains in Sedo, but it’s worth an extra few minutes to get the sales. Always set categories, and always set expiring domain names to BIN, not make an offer.
Make an offer option at Sedo will attract offers & will be eligible for a free auction, which many premium users don’t have time for. Therefore the preferred method is always BIN, from watchers to Premium Network offerings. Weigh up the way you use Sedo, and categorise your domain portfolios for the best results.
Best Sites I Recommend For Domainers
Be sure to use these tools, remember to reduce your asking price above reg cost, to be in with a best chance of selling your domains!
-I hope you found this information useful.