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Mar 16

Online Domain Name Auctions

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Of course nothing is as cheap as an unregistered domain! But often the domain name you want is already registered. You can usually find lots of domains at starting prices below reg fee on eBay. Browsing online auctions can therefore pay off in terms of expanding your domain name portfolio at reasonable prices.
eBay is probably the first auction site that comes to mind when thinking about buying a domain name online, but there are other sites too. Large domainer bulletin board communities come to mind, like dnForum and NamePros and even SitePoint sometimes.
all-travel-planning-com-a-descriptive-domain-name-for-travel-planning-services! All Travel Planning .com a descriptive domain name for travel planning services!
US $99.00
Auction Ends: Monday Feb-06-2012 6:27:52 PST
  | Watch this Item
advancedability-com-premium-domain-name-available-for-a-one-year-lease- AdvancedAbility.com - Premium Domain Name available for a ONE YEAR LEASE
US $1,800.00
Auction Ends: Monday Feb-06-2012 6:29:08 PST
  | Watch this Item
web-site-domain-name-email-php-ftp-linux-ssl-mysql-cpanel-hosting-dts-net-com web site domain name email php ftp linux SSL mysql cpanel hosting DTS-NET .com
US $0.01 (1 Bid)
Auction Ends: Monday Feb-06-2012 6:34:28 PST
  | Watch this Item
Get a PayPal Account
Most auctions will accept your winning payment via PayPal’s online payment service.  Sign up for a PayPal account so you are ready to participate in an upcoming auction.

Check the Auction Details
Always check the auction details carefully! Sometimes auctions have preset bidding increments that you must observe. In all cases you want to be sure you know the end time of the auction (including timezone).

Also, in all situations there is either a reserve price or there isn’t a reserve price. The reserve price is important because it is a firm price that a buyer can accept in order to win the auction immediately.

See what you can learn about the seller. Are they receiving positive feedback from previous auctions? Where is the seller located and what is the currency for this auction?

Check the Registrar
If the current registrar is not listed, ask the seller about it. There are hundreds of domain name registrars, and you will probably need to have an established account with the same registrar in order to avoid transfer fees. So if the domain is at enom, get an enom account. If the domain is at Godaddy, get a Godaddy account.

If you do not want to deal with these multiple accounts that’s okay too, especially when you are just starting out. But if you interview any seasoned domainer, they probably have accounts set up with at least three different registrars so that they are ready to take advantage of new buying oportunities right away.

Don’t get emotional in the bidding
It is important to be flexible in your eBay bidding, but you do not want to get emotional about it.  Establish your limit (the most you will pay to win the acution) in advance, and stick to it!  From experience, I can tell you that you will avoid costly mistakes by controlling your emotional level.

Auction Success!
If you follow these tips you should have success buying names on eBay and other auction sites. Although I haven’t bought any expensive domains this way myself, I have had success buying cheap domains and then developing them into small websites. A little extra attention to the auctions each week can be a rewarding experience for both seasoned and new domainers.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 16th, 2009 at 7:47 am and is filed under Domain Name Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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