Selling domains on Ebay is very competitive.

To be one of the few that make a really good profit, you need to put some work into your listing.

There are a number of steps that you can take to make the process easier.

While these steps may add to the time it takes to list and make a sale, it can make all the difference as to whether you make a profit.

Do Your Research!

I trawl auction sites all the time, not necessarily to buy, but to check and see what domain names are selling, for how much, how many bids they receive, and what time of the day they sell at.

The day of the week they are listed, and the day they end are important.

I also read the description of the name, and check out details of how old it is, whether or not it has expired at any time, how many times it has changed servers and so on.

You can do this by checking Domain Tools. This site is a great source of information, and has a range of memberships available.

Target The Best Time To List!

This is important! If you’re using a site such as Flippa.com, it is even more important, because of the higher listing fees.

The reason for this is very simple – if you pick the wrong day to list a 24 hour auction, you are limiting your exposure to prospective buyers.

Remember that you are in a global market!

9pm in New York is 11am the next day in Eastern Australia, 1pm in New Zealand and so on.

Picking a time when your market is active and awake can be a key consideration. Remember, having more people with a chance to bid on your auction means that you have a better chance of making a profit.

Choose A Good Heading For Your Auction Listing!

Choose something that will attract bidders, and that they can see in a hurry. If they are scanning headings and have to dig too far for the actual domain name, they may not bother.

What does it matter? Well, it may be an impulse buy on their behalf near the close of an auction.

If your auction has a clear heading, and description, that they can read quickly, they may buy your product instead of someone else’s.

Work On Your Description

The description of your product is actually a sales letter. Make it attractive, easy to read and understand.

Use spacing so that your prospective buyer’s eyes can skip quickly down the page.

Save them the trouble of going to Domain Tools or elsewhere to do research themselves.

Do it for them, with a link back to Domain Tools, and include all the details available.

By doing this you are adding value to their experience with you, and showing that you are honest about what you are selling.

Being honest is very important.

Positive feedback gives prospective buyers a guide to what you are like to do business with.

I had an example recently where I made an impulse buy, didn’t research the product properly first, and got caught. It wasn’t until after the auction that I found that the item sold did not match the description.

The Price

Are you setting a realistic reserve?

By being realistic I mean, does it cover your cost of buying or registering the domain?

Is it too high? You don’t want to discourage prospective buyers by setting a ridiculous reserve.

While you may feel your product is the best thing since sliced bread, it’s the market that decides the value!

It’s quite easy to become attached to a domain name, especially if you’re the one who first registered it!

You can’t afford this luxury at auction though.

The Summary:

List your auctions to end at a time and date that allows as many people as possible to see and bid on it.

Use a clear, easy to read headline that defines in a glance what your auction is about.

Write a clear, honest description about your product with as much information as possible.

Set a realistic starting price and reserve!

One Last Tip!

Be easy to contact. While you be busy with family or work, you need to have set times to answer questions.

By responding quickly, and giving extra information when requested, you’re gaining a positive feedback rating!

It’s no fun as a buyer asking a question, and not getting a response until the auction’s finished!

Lastly, Good Luck!

Allan Cockerill is a Business Marketing Consultant and writer based in Bathurst, NSW Australia.

A Co-founder of Share2Grow, and owner of Business Help Fast, he has been buying and selling domains for over 10 years.

There are many different ways to sell domain names on the Internet.

Some gurus recommend purchasing as large a number of domains as possible and to horde them until the “correct” time to release them for a grand profit.

Other experts recommend to go in for the kill and minimize the number of days before the handover.

Which, then, is the fastest way to earn money selling domains?

Before you can be certain of which domain name to purchase, it pays to study the latest, upcoming trends.

Google trend tracker is a handy digital tool that you can use to find out what is currently popular.

The possibilities are endless using this tool.

You can search and find out the number of times a particular keyword is being keyed into the search engine in a given day, month or year.

The data shown can be country or area specific.

This will definitely help you narrow down your search and fish out the most profitable niches available.

Once you have chosen your targeted niche, it’s time to study the competitiveness of the market.

With a highly saturated market it could be quite difficult for you to penetrate and look for a potential buyer for your domain.

Most of the target domain names may have been already snapped up by competitors.

By using the google keyword tool you can narrow down the keywords that are needed for your domain name, helping to make it visible during keyword searches that potential buyers may use to locate products and services in your niche.

After purchasing your domain you should tie up with a broker.

With the broker’s established reputation and wide potential customer base you will be saved the hassle of prospecting for potential buyers.

A Tip From The Dummy!

Quite often it may seem tempting to take a short cut, and buy a ready made website from Ebay.

Beware though, because it may take just a little more time and trouble than you bargained for, especially if you are aiming to on sell your domain and site.

With website flipping becoming more popular as domainers seek to add value to their domain auctions, being able to build a functioning site in fast time is essential!

What you need to check before bidding on a website on Ebay is whether or not you are bound to purchase a hosting deal, usually on their reseller platform.

If they are hosting at a site such as Hostgator, you are usually ok (as long as they keep paying their fees!).

Check whether or not you are bound to buy a domain off the seller BEFORE the auction!

The last thing you need if you are seeking to flip a domain that you have, is another one that may not be as good as your existing name.

Check and see what sort of support they give!

Some will allow you to download the site as a ‘zip’, but with the proviso that they don’t have to provide support for the website.

This is reasonable, especially if you’re getting the site template at a discount.

But they should at least provide you with instructions.

How do I know all this? I’m the dummy who found out the hard way!

I’m still waiting for a response from the seller regarding the instructions. You may just find the link to their Ebay profile here if I don’t get a response soon!

Hang On A Minute!!!

Isn’t selling a down load on Ebay against their terms?

Because domain names are products that carry a certain market value, trading in domain names has become a serious business in its own right.

People buy and sell domain names on domain auction sites, with prices varying from very cheap to astronomically expensive, depending on the perceived brand or keyword value of the name.

However, if you can choose a domain for your website that has never been used before you will be able to register it for much less than $20 without having to buy it at auction.

How To Choose A Domain Name<

There are two approaches to choosing a suitable domain for your website: Branding, and keywords.

1. Branding: Use your own name or company name as the domain name of your website.

If you want to raise the profile of your company and turn it into brand in its own right, using it as your domain name is a great idea.

Take a company like Amazon.com for example.

There is nothing in the domain name amazon.com to suggest that Amazon sells books, yet when you hear the name Amazon you will probably think either of a big river in South America, or a big bookstore on the Internet, and in many cases it will be the latter that is thought of first!

That is the power of brand names.

Some people choose to turn their own name into a brand name.

Entrepreneurs, politicians, artists will often secure their own name as their brand name.

The most famous recent example of this is now living in the White House. You can check out his website at barackobama.com.

So, branding yourself via your domain name can be a very smart move.

However, if you are just starting out, you might want to consider using relevant keywords in your domain name to raise the profile of your website.

This is an excellent idea if you are promoting a well defined niche market.

2. Keywords: Choose a domain name that reflects the type of business you are in.

There are a couple of advantages to be had with a keyword rich domain.

Firstly, it sends a clear message to anybody searching for the products you are selling that your website is the place to find them.

Secondly, keywords in your domain will help your website’s search engine ranking for particular words.

Choosing a Keyword Rich Domain Name

Make a list of keywords that are related to the main theme or chief content of your website. Aim to get a domain name with one or two of your keywords in it; a short domain name is better but you will probably need to use more than one keyword to find a domain name that is available.

The easiest way to work on your domain name is to use a free domain search website such as Instant Domain Search and type your ideas straight into the search browser to instantly discover whether or not they are available.

If your first search is not successful, play around with the keywords and try to find a good combination that makes some kind of sense, is a fair reflection of what your business is about, and is available.

Also, if you are planning on starting a business site, make sure that you get the.com extension.

Generally speaking, domains that end in .com are easier to remember and look more professional.

However, if your business is focused on a single country then you might want to use the TLD for that country such as .co.uk, .com.au or .us etc.

If your chosen domain name is not available and is one that you have set your heart upon, you may be able to buy it from the owner.

As I mentioned, many people buy and sell domain names as a business.

Be warned, though, a domain name with a couple of high ranking keywords in it could be be expensive. Whereas you can register an available domain name for a few dollars, you may have to spend much more to secure a great domain name on the open market.

Domain flipping and selling websites is all the rage at the moment, or so it seems.

Many would have you believe that it the present craze is the new Internet gold rush!

As always though, it is a case of buyer beware, especially on Ebay.

An experience that I had in the past few days confirmed this to me.

I wanted to build a coffee website for some time, and thought that I had found the ideal name on ebay.

When I checked the name being offered, I found that it was three years old, and so put the name on my watch list!

It was a logical fit for my idea, as I had the content to put on the site, and a passion for coffee.

My goal was to build the site, build traffic to it, and write an ebook to go with the site.

What happened next though was a complete surprise!

I won the auction, but not the name!

As strange as that may sound, although I made the winning bid, I won nothing!

Just after the auction I went back and checked the whois record of the domain, and found that the name on the record did not match the name of the person I had bought the domain off!

It turned out that the person had listed the name of a domain that they didn’t own!

To say that I was angry would be an understatement.

But I was as upset with myself as much as the seller, because it was something that I should have researched more closely before the auction.

I contacted the seller, pasting in the whois record of the domain.

They contacted me back, and explained that they had mad a typo, and offered me a refund, and the chance to bid on the auction for the “real domain”.

Although I accepted the refund, I won’t bother bidding on the other domain.

For one, it is too similar to the one I was after, and it wouldn’t be fair to the owner of that domain.

Number two, and more importantly, I have trouble seeing how the seller made the same mistake over 5 times on the one listing.

And the third reason was that the seller had a bit of a whine about losing money on Ebay because the auctions weren’t fetching enough!

He wasn’t covering his costs, or so he claimed, and it is a hobby business.

Well, running any businesse like that can send you broke!

Which brings me to the reason for this post: trading domains on Ebay.

There are places to sell domains, and places to buy, and as far as I am concerned, Ebuy is great!

When buying a domain though, do your research before hand, not just into the name, but the seller as well.

Check out their feed back record. I had done some research on this seller, and had noticed some negative feedback, but ignored it, because on the whole, the record wasn’t too bad!

Check the whois record for the domain, who owns it, when does it expire and so on.

Ask questions before the sale, not after!

Check the age of the item. You can do this by going to a site like Domain Tools!

Determine how much you can afford, or are prepared to pay, and don’t go over that amount.

Check exactly what you are buying – a lot of auctions there are very confusing, and have terms hidden in the text saying something like “installation $25 extra” or “must host with us for x amount of time at $x!”

Steer clear of them!

Have a clear plan about where you want to go with the domain. Are you going to flip it? Build a site and keep it?

Remember too, if you don’t flip it, or build it into an operation that at least pays for registration and hosting fees, you’re going to have to cough up more money next year to replace it!

Build a portfolio of sites that you’re hanging on to, and you are looking at an even higher cost!

Selling domain names on Ebay:

Don’t be afraid to put a reserve on your auction to cover the registration cost.

Get some different opinions on what your auction is worth. And don’t exaggerate!

If you claim that estibot appraised your domain at $880.00 when it only appraises for $50.00 for prospective buyers, it puts you in a bad light!

Check out similar auctions on the site. If there are a lot of domains going dirt cheap, don’t list, wait until demand picks up!

OK, research is the name of the game, whether you are buing or selling.

And for heavens sake, don’t make the same stupid mistakes that I did!

My consolation is that 2) It was mainly my pride that was hurt and b) maybe my story can help you, or someone else!

About The Author

Allan Cockerill is a Business Consultant based in Bathurst, NSW Australia.

He has been buying and selling domains since 1999.

Is buying and selling domain names a legitimate business?

How much could you make, and is it worth the time and financial investment?

Buying and selling domain names is a legitimate business as long as you are not dealing in trademarked names.

Domain flipping has reportedly grown to become a $2 billion dollar a year business.

How much can you make?

DNJournal Reports that Cooking Games.com recently changed hands for $350,000.

Not a bad return for one domain.

We need to realize though that this is a one off, snaring a sale like that means that you need to have the domain that people want, when people want it.

This means that most people are going to go through a process of trial and error, registering a number different domains, and either dropping them when it’s time to renew them, or selling for prices ranging from a couple of dollars up to the thousands for a domain.

Going in with your eyes open, doing a lot of research, and working with logic are keys to being successful.

Stay away from trademarked names.

I saw a great domain for sale today on Ebay – it had me drooling, and almost ready to bid!

It was six years old, and had changed hands a number of times. The reason?

I suspect that the name “Visa Card” may have had something to do with it!

And because of that well known name, I steered clear.

A generic domain geared towards credit cards would be fine, but once you start using Visa or Mastercard, you could well be in deep water.

Years ago I wrote an ebook call “Ebay Tips and Tricks”, and registered a domain name to suit. A short while later I received a letter from the company asking me not to use the domain.

That’s when I decided not to use trademarked domains.

Had I used a name like EasyAuctionTips.com, or AuctionTipsAndTricks.com and written about Ebay and other auction sites, there would have been less chance of getting into trouble.

When you register a domain, or are looking to buy, ask yourself who will like that domain apart from you?

While your Mom might think that you are very clever, and your spouse/significant other lauds your intelligence and prowess, is anybody else going to care?

You see, it’s what the end user likes that counts!

And it is the end user that that you always need to please.

Otherwise all you are doing is lining the pockets of credit card providers, domain registrars and the like.

Remember that if you are doing this on the side, and you buy say 100 domains at $10 each, next year, if you haven’t sold them, you’ll have to find another $1,000.00.

So, if you don’t think that you can monetize them, or they are being sold for cents in the dollar, go outside and take a long, deep breath! And think again.

There is money in domain flipping, but it takes effort, patience, and a lot of research!

You have an idea, it sounds good – to you – and you have found a domain that seems to fit.

BUT! What does the market think?

Have you done your research into keywords, and whether the ones you’re targeting fit the domain?

Is the name easy to remember, or is-it-full-of-hyphens?

We keep hearing that “…all the good domains are taken…” but that isn’t necessarily true!

A number of times I have had an idea for a product, and gone searching for the ideal name, only to find that someone else has beaten me to the punch.

But that wasn’t the end of the story, quite the contrary.

It just meant that I needed to do some more research, and try again.

Often times people will register a domain name, and leave it parked somewhere unused for a year or two.

This gives you the option of a) contacting them and asking if they want to sell it, or, b) coming up with a similar name, targeting similar keywords.

Buying a domain name at auction.

Auctions such as Sedo, Flippa, Ebay and so on are good places to pick up a bargain.

Be careful though, and make sure that any domains that you buy are relevant to your market, and the keywords that they may be using.

You have the option of buying, or not buying, so if it is not an ideal fit to your purpose, maybe you should pass. Otherwise, it may be part of a firesale somewhere down the track when you just want to get rid of it!

And Finally, Consider Your End User!

Whether you register a fresh domain, or buy at auction with the intention of flipping, always remember the end client! Picture him or her in your mind.

Try and buy the domain that will suit them, and their purpose.

Because if they can’t see it as a value proposition, why bother?

About The Author!

Allan Cockerill is a business consultant and copywriter who has been buying and selling domains for over 10 years.

Most of what he shares about domain trading has been learned by hard experience!

There are at least four questions that you need to ask your self before you even get to this one!

In order of importance:

1. How much will I make out of this website if I resell it soon?
2. Will the sale price cover the cost of the theme that I use?
3. Am I going to add unique content, or use autoblogging software?
4. How much time do I have to do all of this?

Domain flipping and selling websites is a very competitive game to be in, and you don’t need to be an Einstein to work that out!

Planning and preparation will determine how much, if anything, out of the venture!

A unique template or theme is one that no one else will be able to use once you have purchased it (if the seller means what he/she says that is!).

It will usually cost quite a lot more to buy a unique theme, and this is where you have to work out the value!

Using Professional Wordpress themes is an easy option.

There are a number of developers who sell professional themes, along with those who offer them for free via the Wordpress.org website.

I have a problem with using a free theme or web template, and then selling it. The developer who spent the time and effort building the theme deserves something for it in my opinion.

There are a number of professional developers who will sell you a multi-use, or developer option!

This means that if you are building a number of websites, you have access to a number of different themes!

Try these sites for professional options:

1. Woo Themes
2. Premium Press
3. Theme Forest
4. StudioPress.
5. Thesis

While a subscription to one of these developers may seem a bit hefty up front, you need to remember that you will be able to get support, and that you can use them a number of times!

Support is something that you rarely get with free themes, and never get with pirated software, but that is another topic for another day!

No, But Many People Confuse The Two!

Domain flipping is the process of registering a domain (or buying an existing one) and then selling it.

Website flipping is the process of building a website, or buying an existing one, and then selling it.

On auction sites such as Flippa.com you will often find domains for sale with an existing website.

These websites may be brand new, and on new domains, or they may have been around for a while.

I mention this because it pays to do your due diligence and research everything about that particular auction item before bidding.

Apart from checking the trust level and feedback rating of the seller, read his or her description of the product, and check when the domain was actually registered.

Many will claim to have between 2 and 5 income streams on the site that they are selling, usually from Clickbank, Ebay or Adsense links.

If it is a new site and domain though, it only has the potential to produce income!

Put simply, a stream isn’t a stream if it isn’t flowing!

Work out how long it will take to build traffic to the site, and if there is a unique product that you can add.

That unique product may be an ideally suited affiliate program, or an ebook that you can put together.

For instance, I bought Article-Post-Robot.comand linked to to WPRobot, an auto blogging program that a lot of webmasters use to build content.

On another domain that I had registered Chocolate-Cream.com, I posted articles about chocolate on the site, and wrote a recipe ebook exclusively for that site.

Both sites are now beginning to grow traffic, and the the income stream is beginning to flow.

You and I know that everyone is looking for value!

If someone is buying a domain or website, they are looking for value. if you can offer a product that provides that value, you in turn will make a profit.

But please, when you have a website for sale, just tell the truth in your description!

About The Author:

Allan Cockerill is a Business Consultant and Copy Writer based in Bathurst, NSW Australia.

He has been registering, buying and selling domains for 11 years, both as a hobby and side business.

He is the owner of Domain-Flippers.com, along with way too many other domains and websites!

Allan can be contacted via the contact page on this website!

Your domain name is the thing about your website that people see!

When your site shows up in the search engines or as a link on another site, your domain name will tell people what the site is about.

If your domain name is completely irrelevant to your site topic, then people are less likely to visit.

In addition, if your domain name is very long or looks ’spammy,’ then the first impression is that your site is not very professional.

How to Find Good Domain Names

While choosing a good domain name is not difficult, finding an available domain that you like can be tough; but if you search hard enough and take in all possibilities, you will succeed eventually.

You are not limited to buying domains from domain registrars.

While it can be fun finding available domains and registering them, it can be even more exciting finding old, established domains which are for sale.

Where to Register Domain Names

There are many places where you can register domain names, including:

• GoDaddy
• Namecheap
• eNom
• Name.com
• Moniker
• Dynadot
• Yahoo!
• MyDomain
• Dotster
• Register.com

The above registrars are all ICANN accredited and provide .com, .net, .org, .info and many other extensions for registration.

Where to Buy Used Domain Names

If you want to buy domain names that are old, have page rank or would just rather not register a new domain, then you can search domain auctions and for sale websites.

Many forums have people selling domain names including forums like Digital Point, Sitepoint, DN Forum and Namepros.

You will find many cheap domain names there, just do your due diligence to avoid being scammed.

Research the history of the domain names before buying, and never spend more than $1000 on a domain name without paying through Escrow for safety reasons.

Alternatively, you can visit the domain name aftermarket from GoDaddy at tdnam.com.

This site has tens of thousands of used domains for sale from $5 up to the six-figure mark.

There are both auctions and buy it now listings there.

Other auction sites include Pool.com, Afternic, Sedo and SnapNames.

You should become more familiar with domain terminology and market trends before buying domain names at auction, as the price can easily become out of hand.

Which Domain Extension Is Best?

In just about all cases, .com should be the domain name extension that you aim to acquire.

There are a few exceptions to this, namely .org for non-profit organizations, .tv for sites focused on television, and international extensions for sites based in certain countries.

Regardless of which alternative extension you choose, aim to also own the .com version so that you protect your brand against copycats or competitors.

.Com always has been, and will probably always be, the most popular and well-known domain name extension.

Whichever method you choose to buy domain names, make sure they match your websites, are short and memorable, and will attract users to click through to your websites.