I'm just an individual with low capital and a few website ideas, but there are very limited viable domain names available. I know there are a few domain squatters in here, so please refrain from just laughing at me and I'll refrain from cursing you to an eternal hell. :)
If you can't find one, you just haven't tried hard enough.
If you can't find one, you just haven't tried hard enough- well said!
Also when purchasing an expired or pre-owned domain, you are running the risk that it has previously been penalised and may find yourself sweating blood to build a brand that has no chance of success!
Past Google penalizations can be a headache but can be easily fixed.
2. You get what you are able to pay for.
3. What you can pay has no bearing on domain price, unless it's a natural match.
4. You can play the offer game any way you wish. You can go first or you can ask for a price. It doesn't really matter if you are dealing with a sophisticated seller.
5. Know your price range and if you get something you like that's great. If you are in the hunt for keyword domains in very lucrative areas then you will not be able to afford them. Keep it adult. No sour grapes. No attitude. No 'your price sucks, you're a jerk' stuff. All that is bad karma in the making.
Reality is, as you appreciate, that good domains, like real estate, are already staked out. Complaining about the practice of people registering domains is so 1999. In my case I knew in 1998 - late in the domain game - what areas I wanted to develop before I knew how I would develop them, so I acquired the 'land' before building on it. Call it anything you want. I call the people who acquired domains in 1995 'savvy', and in many cases, they are also called 'rich'.
the quality of available domains match the quality of unavailable ones
There is no doubt that this is true! There are 3 mail levels of value in domain names
1) Desirable registered domains: Very expensive
2) Useless and pointless registered domain names: More expensive than unregistered!
3) Unregistered: Very cheap
We would all love to have greatsinglekeywordindesirablesector.com but this is going to be out of the reach of any person!
The point I am trying to make (without meaning to be offensive) is that unless you have a very large budget, I believe your money would be better spent in building a new brandname matching a newly registered domain.
I'm just an individual with low capital
Try a fixed price domain snap. It's a roll of the dice, but with limited capital it can sometimes work like a charm. I've snapped up a few gems. Domains I snapped for $40-$60 that have aftermarket values in the low to high $XXXX range. Bona fide numbers. These days, though, you have to have a crystal ball to land a decent snap before someone else does.
Also, pick up the phone on a domain that looks like it might not be renewed. Sometimes domain owners can be very reasonable when they've given up plans to develop a domain. I own a few domains that I acquired by phone calls for about $250.00 that have a current aftermarket value likely in the $5,000 - $10,000 range. No kidding. Major generic tech domains. (I don't buy trademarked domains, typos, etc. Just industry keyword or keyword phrases.)
I'm just an individual with low capital and a few website ideas, but there are very limited viable domain names available
If you are on a low budget, you should be trying to acquire either a "brand name" domain (examples: travelocity.com, sprinks.com, overture.com).
success stories out there of someone friendly and willing to give you a domain
Be realistic - no one is going to give you a hotels.com type domain.
Past Google penalizations can be a headache but can be easily fixed
Um. I think several people with experience with Google penalties may disagree with you. But the real question, is that the best use of your time and investment?
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I would be willing to bet that I could come up with a good compound keyword domain (with or without dashes) or a brand name domain for any niche you throw at me.
I do it all the time for myself and clients.
But what do I know, I only own 327 domain names.
Now I've settled for a domain, let's call it widgetsonline.com. Widget is a great word, not used in a basic vocabulary, and no real meaning for a business. But it fits my website perfectly. And widgets.com is an old dead website, not used in this decade, just there for legacy purposes. So you might ask "what's wrong with widgetsonline.com?" Well, if you had to choose between the two, there would be no question of which is the better domain. And the only value it has is probably to me and the current owner. If I spend time building up the name widgetsonline and people only remember widgets, I've lost some visitors. It's not all about people following links and bookmarks. It's about hearing it by word of mouth or in hard copy and remembering that url when it comes time to type it in yourself. Well, I'm sure you all know the importance of an easy domain name. And yes, they are very valuable. But I believe this particular domain name is not sought out. Call me naive, but I believe I can obtain it through a personal deal, and that's the advice I was seeking.
As for Google penalizations, I am positive this particular site has none. I've done my research. But even if it was currently being penalized I would still want it. The value of a good domain name outweighs, in the long run, any hassle of a google penalization, IMHO.
Thank you for advice though. It is valuable for seeking out other names.
Webwork, what is a fixed price domain snap?
Variable price: Pool, NameWinner, etc. You agree to pay a minimum if there's no others interested and the sky's the limit if there are other interested bidders and the company wins the drop battle. Then it's about 'how bad do you want it'.
