5 ms·

I agree that spending a little time trying to pick another name is good, but these days it's almost impossible to find a .com that makes a decent name. To pick

I agree that spending a little time trying to pick another name is good, but these days it's almost impossible to find a .com that makes a decent name. To pick a name where you'll be able to get name.com, it has to be something really out there. Something foreign (Heroku), something fairly random (thesixtyone, Weebly, 280 North), some weird spelling (Disqus, Xobni (haven't seen too many backwards-word sites. could be some gems there), or something else strange. I'm not saying that you can't find a good name that's a little more direct, just that your odds are a lot worse, especially if you want a reasonably short domain name (which you do). So I guess if I were looking for a project name soon, I would briefly try a few obvious things, then look for japanese words, try reversing a word, etc.

sblom 16y ago
I would even bet that disqus.com didn't just go to namecheap.com and say "hi, I'd like to pay 9.95 on disqus.com, please". Most pronounceable 6-letter domains are already being squatted on. In my experience, it really can't hurt to approach the seller and see what you can negotiate. Just make it clear that you have a plan B, and plan C, and so on, and tell them "I have a budget of $xxxx--are you willing to sell". Be willing to walk away, and make sure they understand that. Finally, keep in mind that a domain for which you pay a premium is an asset that, at worst, you can take to squatting on and try to resell someday. So even if it appears to come with a steep price tag, you should recognize that it's part investment along with the obvious expense part--just like a car or a house.
- jackowayed 16y ago
  Oh, yeah, I should have mentioned that if you come up with a few domains you really like that are taken, you might as well contact the owner and see what happens. But if they want thousands of dollars that you aren't willing to part with just for a domain, looking for obscure ones is probably the way to go. Also, while it is true that domains are an investment, I'd keep in mind that they're pretty risky and illiquid investments. Unless you negotiate well or get someone who doesn't know the market value of the domain, you're probably going to pay approximately what you'll get for it if someone actually comes around wanting the domain. But that might not happen or might not happen for years. I guess there are probably domain squatting sites that would buy the domain from you, but probably for much less than what you paid, especially since you're approaching them, so they know you want to get rid of it and would probably do it for much less than what it's potentially worth.

sblom 16y ago

I would even bet that disqus.com didn't just go to namecheap.com and say "hi, I'd like to pay 9.95 on disqus.com, please". Most pronounceable 6-letter domains are already being squatted on. In my experience, it really can't hurt to approach the seller and see what you can negotiate. Just make it clear that you have a plan B, and plan C, and so on, and tell them "I have a budget of $xxxx--are you willing to sell". Be willing to walk away, and make sure they understand that. Finally, keep in mind that a domain for which you pay a premium is an asset that, at worst, you can take to squatting on and try to resell someday. So even if it appears to come with a steep price tag, you should recognize that it's part investment along with the obvious expense part--just like a car or a house.

jackowayed 16y ago
Oh, yeah, I should have mentioned that if you come up with a few domains you really like that are taken, you might as well contact the owner and see what happens. But if they want thousands of dollars that you aren't willing to part with just for a domain, looking for obscure ones is probably the way to go. Also, while it is true that domains are an investment, I'd keep in mind that they're pretty risky and illiquid investments. Unless you negotiate well or get someone who doesn't know the market value of the domain, you're probably going to pay approximately what you'll get for it if someone actually comes around wanting the domain. But that might not happen or might not happen for years. I guess there are probably domain squatting sites that would buy the domain from you, but probably for much less than what you paid, especially since you're approaching them, so they know you want to get rid of it and would probably do it for much less than what it's potentially worth.