Ask HN: How to Sell This Premium Domain Name

4 points by Concours 2 years ago | 21 comments

Hi HNer,

I have owned a premium domain name for over 12 years. I purchased it 12 years ago for a printing on-demand project, but that project has been indefinitely postponed.

I need cash flow to bootstrap another project, so I'm looking for the best way to sell this domain name for a fair price. Godaddy has appraised it at over $3,000, but that seems low to me. I could wait until I'm ready to start the project, but I'm not sure if that's the best use of my time. I could use the cash flow now for other things.

The domain name is: printive.com

Please advise:

- What price point seems fair for this domain ? - What would be the best approach to sell it ?

Thank you PS: No I am not a domain squatter.

jaclaz 2 years ago |

Maybe it is just me, but it doesn't "sound" like something that anyone would pay a premium for, given that someone is already using printive as the name of a company (and has printive.net).

Unless them, of course.

They could be interested to "upgrade" to a .com.

Concours 2 years ago | |

Thanks for your insights, Sir. Many people are using "Printive" indeed (not only the folks at printive.net). I was surprised to see what people are willing to pay or have paid to secure some domain names while scrolling through the Godaddy broker site.

jaclaz 2 years ago | | |

Sure, this kind of stuff is often surprising/unpredictable, looking at the auctions on godaddy is not entirely unlike looking at the output of a random number generator.

Raed667 2 years ago | |

Or maybe a competitor would like to do a redirect ? 0:)

Trademark issues aside.

DamonHD 2 years ago |

It's difficult to know. For a couple of 2-letter GTLDs of mine I've had suggestions/offers a bit higher than that. I had a much higher offer for one, but when I started the AML ('anti-money-laundering') process at the suggestion of my lawyer, everything went very quiet...

Concours 2 years ago | |

I appreciate your insights. I hadn't considered the AML (anti-money-laundering) implications before, but I will keep that in mind moving forward. Thank you

dinkleberg 2 years ago |

I don’t use godaddy so I’m not sure how their system works. But if they will give you $3k for it I’d take it and run. If that is just their suggested price that you list it on the marketplace for, they are being awfully optimistic.

Unless printive.net wants to buy it, I can’t see anybody paying that much for the name.

h2odragon 2 years ago |

Fair price? $0.

Best approach? Let it expire and cease to spend time worrying about it. You can find better uses for your time.

Even when there was enforced artificial scarcity in domain names, the market for them was far more illusion than reality. Today, that "market" is totally a propaganda technique: "make money fast with no effort!"

logicalmonster 2 years ago | |

1) A fair price in a marketplace is whatever 2 sides agree on. Nobody makes a trade unless they value what they receive more than what they give up.

2) If OP needs money and has free time, it's in his interest to spend a few minutes researching how to sell a domain name.

3) Other people might have the same issue and want to see experienced people contributing good answers. Your response isn't really that helpful here.

4) Personally, I doubt that OP is going to get the financial return he wants or that GoDaddy claimed as Printive is an good-but-not-exceptional-name, but getting some cash from this might be very helpful for his life.

Concours 2 years ago | |

Hi there,

Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate your insights into the domain name market.

I disagree with your assessment of the domain name market. I believe that there is a legitimate market for domain names, and that it is possible to sell domain names for a fair price. However, I agree that it can be difficult to find a buyer willing to pay a fair price, especially for domain names that are not in high demand.

I don't think it's fair to say that the domain name market is a "propaganda technique". There are legitimate businesses that buy and sell domain names (just like cars, oldtimer, etc... ), and there are people who make money from domain names. However, I do agree that it is important to be realistic about the market, and to not expect to make a lot of money from domain names.

I'm still considering my options for the domain name. I'm not sure if I'm going to let it expire or try to sell it. I'll keep your feedback in mind as I make my decision.

Thanks again for your input.

KomoD 2 years ago | | |

> PS: This message was generated with the help of Google Bard.

If you can't even put the effort into writing a message then I'd suggest you let the domain expire

farseer 2 years ago |

This isn't a premium domain name. Its worth a lot less than you think, maybe nothing.

KomoD 2 years ago |

printive.net might want it.

> Godaddy has appraised it at over $3,000, but that seems low to me.

The automated tool? Means nothing, it's only worth what someone is willing to pay, not what an automated tool tells you

mtmail 2 years ago | |

Currently shows a GoDaddy parked-domain page, so the tool might be based on pageviews. But I agree with others: those users might have looked for the .com and approacing them, even with a 3000 USD ask, is the best option forward.

EspressoGPT 2 years ago |

$3k seems a bit high to me.

Concours 2 years ago | |

I appreciate your input. I understand that Godaddy has an algorithm for evaluating domain names, and I'm willing to consider their appraisal price. Thank you

PS: What would you consider a fair price if you were in the printing industry ?

KomoD 2 years ago | | |

$0 unless printive already was my company's name.