Should I sell my URL?

[duanecwilson]

I am a newbie that bought a domain about a month ago and intended to use it for re-directing purposes like TinyURL.com - shorten that long URL into a Tiny URL, but I wanted my own to be able to have a short url with different types of landing page names.

The name I chose was Index of /. It is my initials + url. I have done nothing with it so far. Just this morning while I was at church, I received an email from somebody at www.doeswhat.com offering to buy my url?

From some of you veterans out there, do you think I should keep it and keep my idea? Is ist sound? Or should I sell it? And if I sell it, what do you think I could get for a domain name that is only 5 letters long?

I would appreciate your input on this. Thank you.

[Sean Hoffman]

It must be a monetary gift from god!

Sell, Sell, SELL!!!

[Steadyon]

Hi,

It doesn't cost you much to keep it.

Unless you get a decent offer I wouldn't sell it.

It has a nice ring to it.

A bit like twurl.

Don't sell it to the first person offering unless you need the cash or think it is fair.

As regards what is it worth. I don't know, but would think at least a few hundred dollars.

[severt]

1. Do you think people are going to use your redirect service?
2. Are you familiar with product marketing?
3. Do you know how to spread the word
4. Do you have money for advertising?
5. Have you done your research?
6. Do you have ideas to monetize your website?

If all of the above is answered with negative then sell!

[Debbie Songster]

It depends on what they offered for it.

If it works for you then you might be better off keeping it.

How much money will it make for you vs how much they offered for it.

If the url's only feature is its short and you can accomplish your goal with another url and the offer was attractive - then sell.

[tux316]

Hmm interesting. If the offer is good, I would take it.

[GeorgR.]

Originally Posted by duanecwilson

I am a newbie that bought a domain about a month ago and intended to use it for re-directing purposes like TinyURL.com - shorten that long URL into a Tiny URL, but I wanted my own to be able to have a short url with different types of landing page names.

The name I chose was Index of /. It is my initials + url. I have done nothing with it so far. Just this morning while I was at church, I received an email from somebody at www.dowswhat.com offering to buy my url?

From some of you veterans out there, do you think I should keep it and keep my idea? Is ist sound? Or should I sell it? And if I sell it, what do you think I could get for a domain name that is only 5 letters long?

I would appreciate your input on this. Thank you.

nice name, i would try to make some bucks with it. 5 letters and pronounceable --> good.

[duanecwilson]

Thank you for all the replies. I wasn't actually planning to use it for anything else than to direct my own landing pages and/or as a place to put a bunch of subdomains, but maybe that is flawed thinking. Let me know if that is sensible or not. If it is, maybe I could sell this one and get another for that purpose.

I don't know how much they wanted to offer yet. I wanted to get your input before I respond to them.

[Vincent Sparreboom]

I would keep it, unless the amount is really really amazing.

It's exactly what Steadyon said, it has a nice ring to it. These types of domains can be used for anything and if you sell it you might regret it in the future.

[soulenergy]

Hi Duane,
Your post stated: "I received an email from somebody at 'dowswhat.com' offering to buy my url"
Did you visit that web site?
I would recommend you be cautious who you do business with...it's a jungle out there!

[RevenueRabbi]

you should delete their name in any case.

if you want advice, posting the potential buyers contact info isnt such a good idea.

[Roger Mayne]

FWIW, I had a similar name (6 letters) I was using for the exact same thing. I had some affiliate links out there redirected from that URL.

I was offered a sum o fmoney that I thought was reasonable for it and took the money. I have since re-setup all my redirects using a different domain, because the only place thos previous links existed was mainly through my own network of sites, and so SEO and links etc. was not a problem.

If I've read your post correctly, you haven't even started using this name yet, so you might as well go into negotiations to see what you can get for it.

Originally Posted by soulenergy

Hi Duane,
Your post stated: "I received an email from somebody at 'dowswhat.com' offering to buy my url"
Did you visit that web site?
I would recommend you be cautious who you do business with...it's a jungle out there!

If you feel uncomfortable with who you're selling to, I would suggest using a reputable escrow service, and ensure the costs are included as part of the sale.

[duanecwilson]

Thank you again for the reply. An escrow service is a good idea, too. I was wondering how to take care of that.

[Roger Mayne]

A simple answer would be to get someone like Sedo to handle the sale, as they will automatically include excrow as part of the service.

[duanecwilson]

Again, thanks for all the replies - I don't think I am going to sell it because they are not offering that much for it.

[businessmentor]

Domain offers typically start with low ball offers. Ask them for a higher price.

And, remember: it is a good idea to sell the domain, unless you have clear plans for monetizing it. Because, the domain market is down now, overall.

[kf]

If you decide to sell, or just want time to figure things out and do your due diligence, just reply to offers with ... that's interesting, I'll talk to my 'partner' and get back to you.

You get to be good cop, and your partner gets to be the hard a** --- plus it buys you time and gives you a way to defer decisions.

[Answers4PC]

I think that you should keep the URL. This is because in future, as we are going into the deep end of the recession, technology could lead us out of the credit crunch and so if you have a distinguished site,
1) It will be worth more
2)More people visit the site as a result and possibly advertise big bucks!

Stick with it I say for it could be handy in the long run

[DavidTheMavin]

I brokered domain deals for a few years and I've got to tell you, the key is in finding the right buyer. The market is so up and down, and with the economy struggling, a lot of people have been allowing their domains to expire, so there's TONS of good available domains out there, and there stands to be even more in the coming months.

If the offer is good, I'd tack on a few hundred and see if they go for it. If someone searched you out for it they're obviously interested.

Good luck!

[thinkrich]

If it is that valuable to them, then they may make another offer.

If you do decide to sell, via a middle-man, to ensure you get paid, make sure the funds are cleared before handing over the keys...



Wait...wait to see whether they make another offer.

Your domain seems to fit with their marketing, but it would be cheaper for them to get their own.

They should be smart enough to have their own domain which should suit them for whatever purpose they had in mind for it.

Weigh up whether your domain is worth more money to you than they are offering.

Short term and long term.

Of course there is also a possibility of a JV with them instead. A compromise.

[ureba]

I would only sell if they made a nice offer. If they are lowballing I would not waste your time.

If you could get a nice offer, I believe that it would not be that hard to find a nice alternate similar 5L domain.

An end user such as them should be willing to pay low to mid $xxx for a name like this in my opinion.

[Samuel Lee]

Sounds like a profitable name to begin with so you could probably get at least a few hundred dollars for it at the very least. Try and get a decent selling price by not selling it to the first person offering unless cash is fairly urgent. Build some interest, and maybe auction it on ebay to gain some momentum. Hope this assists!

[robertphillips]

Five word domains are almost impossible to get now a days. In less there giving five figures or more I wouldn't sell it.

Regards,
Robert