In my second case study update, when I referred to my development plans for Stocks.XYZ (landrush domain), I also told you guys that I got some general availability domains but since I wasn’t sure what my final list looked like (one of the domains went to auction), I decided to only write about them once I know the outcome of the auction.
The auction in question hasn’t ended yet but since the bidding reached a level that’s in excess of what I’m willing to pay for the domain, I’m out and can therefore share my final .xyz acquisition list.
I set up “domain for sale” landing pages on each domain and will be asking for $1,880 a pop. The terms on the left of the dot are very strong, so I think $1,880 is a reasonable end user price.
Here are the domains in alphabetical order:
Instruments.XYZ
Parenting.XYZ
Productivity.XYZ
Programming.XYZ
Publishing.XYZ
Reputation.XYZ
Skateboards.XYZ
Stress.XYZ
Surveys.XYZ
9 domains which, together with Stocks.XYZ, bring my dot XYZ total to 10.
Dot XYZ has the lowest renewal fee out of all new gTLDs I’ve bought, so all in all, I’m quite happy with the “very strong term on the left of the dot + low renewal fee” combination.
At this point, I have 34 new gTLD domains (the 10 dot XYZ ones mentioned today and 24 other new gTLD domains).
I’ve set up “domain for sale” landing pages on 33 of them and will turn the other one (Stocks.XYZ) into a megasite (I own MegaSites.com, check out the video on the site if you’d like to see what megasites are all about).
This is the 4th update of my new gTLD study, be sure to also read the previous three when you get a chance to.
Here they are:
June 6th, 2014 at 4:07 pm
Do not forget to buy also some .mobi it will suit very well…
June 6th, 2014 at 4:17 pm
@abc: if it were possible to buy strong one-word domains in dot mobi that represent a good fit for the extension (I don’t consider dot mobi a general extension but rather one suited for mobile-related terms) at regfee (for example apps.mobi), I’d do it.
June 6th, 2014 at 4:18 pm
Just to get you thinking, what sort of business can be developed (i.e. how can a potential buyer monetize them to justify your asking price; what are the margins on their products/services?) on these names? Also keep in mind that with any alt TLD a significant motive for buying a domain in a non-.COM extension is because the price expectation is lower. With .XYZ one should not set unrealistic prices. Note that while I have not yet registered any new TLDs I am tempted on .CONDOS but have not yet done so. On the other hand I did reg some .COM.CO (Colombia) domains recently ($20 each at Godaddy).
June 6th, 2014 at 5:03 pm
All of them are available in dot com hand reg for .99 cents
INSTRUMENTSXYZ.COM
PARENTINGXYZ.COM
PRODUCTIVITYXYZ.COM
PROGRAMMINGXYZ.COM
PUBLISHINGXYZ.COM
REPUTATIONXYZ.COM
SKATEBOARDSXYZ.COM
STRESSXYZ.COM
SURVEYSXYZ.COM
June 6th, 2014 at 5:44 pm
Just picked up:
microwaves.xyz
lug.xyz
guess the market is still open even though 31,000 have been registered.
June 6th, 2014 at 6:06 pm
@Leonard Britt: I agree that new gTLDs should be priced aggressively and that the strategies which represent a good choice for an excellent dot com (one worder, LLL and so on) don’t apply. At this point, I’m gathering data and prices will be adjusted based on my findings on the one hand and based on the data other domainers will gradually share on the other.
@Pathetic.com: what you’re saying about the dot com makes sense for niche new gTLDs such as the one Leonard mentioned (dot condos). In that case sure, the fact that CityCondos.com is available at regfee should make you think twice before regging City.Condos.
The same principle however doesn’t (in my opinion) apply to general gTLDs such as dot XYZ, dot Link and so on. It’s kind of like saying that Mortgage.org isn’t a good domain because MorgageOrg.com is available at regfee.
June 6th, 2014 at 6:11 pm
You have some great names there. Don’t let the people stuck in the .com era dissuade you, the prices are bargains for those names. Also, buying the xyz.com version of the keywords is not very bright. No one suggests getting org.com’s or info.com’s.
There are some very good reasons that businesses may show a preference for .xyz over .info and .net. Owning .net and .info basically says your company couldn’t afford the .com. Owning .xyz or another new extension could be seen as a way to position a company as new and cutting edge. XYZ may not be perfect, but it’s generic and people will easily remember it.
Domain investors care about a domain names pedigree. End users buy the best way they can afford for their customers to connect with their website. Publishing.xyz is much much better than ePublishing.net and half the price.
June 6th, 2014 at 6:16 pm
While I respect your point of view, IMO you just wasted some precious money. The keywords are not strong enough to counterbalance the extension, which is meaningless. In such a TLD only a bunch of superpremium keywords like Casino, Sex, etc. have (little) chance to sell.
June 6th, 2014 at 6:24 pm
Not true. It matters if the XYZ names are available for hand registration in dot com.
Some mentioned yesterday that people should forego the dot in the XYZ entirely, when pronouncing it; that it sounds better.
INSTRUMENTSXYZ.COM
PARENTINGXYZ.COM
PRODUCTIVITYXYZ.COM
PROGRAMMINGXYZ.COM
PUBLISHINGXYZ.COM
REPUTATIONXYZ.COM
SKATEBOARDSXYZ.COM
STRESSXYZ.COM
SURVEYSXYZ.COM
June 6th, 2014 at 6:26 pm
stockxyz.com
stocksxyz.com
both taken.
June 6th, 2014 at 6:55 pm
@Pathetic.com
I do think that once the .xyz extension is common enough that people know it exists people may choose to drop the “dot” when saying it. Xyz is an obvious break and so people will likely say “Publishing xyz” rather than “Publishing dot xyz”. This is different than com, net and info where the loss of the dot could create confusion.
How fast did people pick up on hashtags? Now my facebook is filled with #dumbcraphashes. The gtld’s will be the same. People will understand and use them faster than they adopted .com because they already get the general idea of how it works.