Time flies when you are having fun! Today is exactly one year since the launch of the eBusinessDomains.com domain marketplace.

This blog was launched on September 1st last year, so we still has just over a month to go before a full year of blogging.

I believe we have done very well in terms of what we have achieved. We have never done a press release, any paid (blog) reviews, and we have done very minimal paid banner advertisements.

eBusinessDomains.com receives lots of traffic on a daily basis and we have sold numerous domain names.

Our aim from the start was to create a domain marketplace that only lists premium domains capable of successfully branding ebusinesses.

We have been consistent from the start, and I have consistently and repeatedly blogged about quality domains, and their importance to businesses.

Personally I believe by preaching the gospel of quality domains I have earned a few “enemies”, for want of a better word. I think I would be pissed as well if I owned crappy domains and some guy comes on the scene and start making a big fuss about quality domains, rendering my domains useless.

However, I think people should thank me. A crappy domain is always a crappy domain, and I may have saved some people a lot of money in senseless renewal fees.

Over the past year we have done a complete redesign of our site, started a newsletter, this blog and a forum, introduced domain auctions, launched numerous sister websites, and even created a user control panel/management system.

I am proud of what we have achieved with the website. From the very beginning, I wanted a website that would be informative and resourceful, even to the complete newbies. If someone without the slightest clue about domain names visits our website, they will be able to learn a lot about domains. They will:

- learn the basics about domains
- become aware of the domain aftermarket
- get valuable advice about domain investments
- realise the importance of a premium domains to an ebusiness
- and much more

Quite frankly, we still have a long way to go. We have spent the last year building our brand, experimenting and perfecting a few concepts, strategies and technologies.

There will be a day when the spotlight will be turned on the domain industry and we will be ready to capitalise on that exposure. We are building a domain marketplace and brand that is fit for purpose and relevant, without any senseless hype and bogus PR stunts.

I want to personally express my heartfelt gratitude to all the people who have genuinely supported us over the past year. Some people were there with us from the very start.

I will not name anyone, as I will inevitably forget to mention a few people. We look forward to working with you and building our brand and domain marketplace, while helping the domain community and the domain industry to grow in the years to come!

Domains | Domain Auctions | Premium Domains | Domain Newsletter | Domain Forum | Funny Games

In every industry there are fanatics. There are people are you fanatical about aeroplanes (airplanes), some about cars, some about bikes, some about software development, some about travelling, and the list goes on.

Domaining is no exception. The good thing about domaining is that people can make serious money while treating domaining as a hobby instead of a business. Of course, if one is not careful though, domaining could cost a fortune, rather than creating riches.

When you read certain blogs today, you will know the ones making pennies from their domaining efforts by how much they moan and criticise others. Some people have a “grand” way of preaching the doom “factor”.

There are still people who do not accept that the buying and selling of domain names is a legitimate business. People seem to think it is wrong to buy and hoard domain names for the sole purpose of selling them for a profit.

I am not going to argue much here as to what people think, as people are free to think whatever they want. Sometimes people’s opinions are influenced by blatant ignorance.

Some of those who think that domainers are all squatters will never bring themselves to the state of mind where they will buy a premium domain name on the domain aftermarket. These are the people that you see whining on forums about how they wanted some domain name to use for a project only to realise that a “squatter” had already registered it.

There are people who pour their life-savings into dodgy investment and pyramid schemes. They were sucked in by the promise of very high return. Sometimes greed got the better part of them, while sometimes it is their sheer ignorance. Any second thoughts should have caused alarm bells to go off.

Well, it is the same thing with domain names. Either you get domains or you don’t. Your level of education will determine whether or not you get domains. Period. Those that don’t get it, or those who are bitter because they were not the lucky ones to register certain premium domains will try to portray domaining as a disgusting and immoral habit.

So, if you were starting an ebusiness tomorrow, would you feel comfortable in buying a premium domain name on the aftermarket? Would you think it is the right thing to do? Would you consider it as a waste of money?

To get started with an ebusiness could be as little as $15, or even less. Just register a domain name for $8 and then pay for your first month’s web hosting. You could easily put a website together for yourself, cost-free. You are in business!

However, as they say, nothing in, nothing out. If it cost you nothing to go in business, it won’t even cost you a second thought to quit when you hit the first hurdle.

People who are aiming for success will ensure that they start their ebusiness with the perfect domain name, no matter what the cost is.

Of course, depending on your ebusiness niche, you may be able to find some very decent domains that are still available for registration. If you do, by all means register them. Yes, I said “them”. You want to secure as many domains as possible to protect your niche.

However, as most top quality domains are already taken, you may be better off searching the domain aftermarket for the perfect premium domain, buying it, and then register similar domains to protect your future brand.

Here are some other useful resources you may find interesting, if you are new to domains:

Learn the domain basics
Registering, buying and transferring domains
What is a premium domain?
Tips and choosing the right domain name
Tips on selling a domain name on the domain aftermarket

Domains | Domain Auctions | Premium Domains | Domain Newsletter | Domain Forum | Funny Games

Our domain auction platform is now all set to do business. We have been testing it for the past couple of weeks, and all the bugs that we encountered have now been fixed.

In the very near future we will start sending premium domains to our auctions on a daily basis, right here at eBusinessDomains.com.

We are not aiming to compete with the big boys in the domain auction space. Our aim is to use our domain auction platform as just another useful tool in marketing premium domain names, especially to end-users.

One of the ways in which we will be using our domain auction platform is to use domain auctions to set the right market price for premium domains. When we receive offers on our domains from end-users, we may choose to send the domain to auction where other potential buyers can bid on the domain name. The reserve price will be set at the last offer received prior to the domain going to auction.

Of course, we would do some negotiations prior to the domain name going to auction so as to secure the best possible reserve.

However, NOT ALL of our domain offers will be sent to domain auctions. We will only send domains to auctions if we believe that we will have the right audience who may be interested in the same domain name.

The success of any type of auction depends on the right audience. If we don’t believe we have the right audience or can attract the right audience to a particular domain name then it may not be worthwhile conducting a domain auction.

We will cherry pick which domain offers we send to auction, as the sale of certain premium domains would be better negotiated in the conventional way.

We will however be sending at least one of our premium domains to auction on a daily basis, starting in the very near future.

Our auction platform was designed to be extremely easy to use. Participating in our domain auctions will be as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Domains | Domain Auctions | Premium Domains | Domain Newsletter | Domain Forum | Funny Games

I personally think a lot of people use the term premium domain names a bit too. Some think a premium domain is any domain name that will sell on the domain aftermarket. Some think that a premium domain name is a premium domain name if it is registered, pre-owned and is being offered for sale by the owner.

So people may say that a premium domain name is one that is sold in excess of $1,000 or $10,000 or $100,000 while some say that premium domains are only those that are sold for over $1 million.

We recently re-launched the eBusinessDomains.com marketplace with the slogan “The Premium Domains Marketplace”. As part of our strategy to target, educate and attract end-users, I have now put together the perfect definition for premium domains.

A premium Domain Name is a C.O.M.M.E.R.C.I.A.L. domain name.

Click here to see the published article on our website detailing the definition of a premium domain name.

Domains | Domain Auctions | Premium Domains | Domain Newsletter | Domain Forum | Funny Games

I will quickly raise my hand here. I use to have this mentality that domains should not be sold. A domain name is quite unique, and if you happen to own a particular domain name, as there is none like it the value can only increase.

This is true, but only for some domain names. As we have seen in recent months, not all premium domain names will retain their value. As a matter of fact, rather than increasing in value, they will lose their value.

A lot of domains were overpriced in the first place. I have written before that there have been countless questionable domain sales figures in the past. Some domains and their reported sales figures just do not add up. However, save that for another day.

So the question is, are you selling domains? If an offer comes by, do you reject it, thinking that a multi-million dollar offer will come sooner rather than later?

Lets face it, when you get an offer on certain domain names, you should seriously consider yourself lucky. And am not just talking about crappy domains here.

There are some premium domain names that are indeed category killer, niche-dominating domain names. But the key thing to look at is, in that niche, how many potential end-users would you have that truly “get” domains?

If the players in that niche are unlikely to ”get” domains, then the chances of a domain sale in that niche are extremely remote. So yes, the domain name is a category-killer premium domain name, but the target market for an aftermarket domain sale is either very tiny or non-existent.

If you can’t successfully monetize a domain name, or don’t have the resources or time to develop the domain name into an ebusiness, then any offer that is profitable is a damn good offer.

Don’t get sentimental to domains that will never sell. You are falling in love with a liability, and that cannot be a good thing!

Domains | Domain Auctions | Premium Domains | Domain Newsletter | Domain Forum | Funny Games