Thanks For Donating and Happy New Year

I'm pleased to report that the Domain Bagger blog has received over 20,000 visits in 2008! It seems there is no shortage of people looking for a quality domain name for under $10. However, donations to the blog have been on the very low side (under $70 for 2008). Your donations help pay for my own domain-related expenses, and also help motivate me to produce more great available lists!

So, if you are feeling a bit of holiday cheer, and have found a domain or two to register from my lists, please consider a donation via paypal by clicking on the tip jar above the posting section on the blog's home page. And for those who have already donated - a big thank you!

If you would ever like to contact me, I can be found at Namepros.com or DnForum.com (user id : yandig at both sites). Just send me a private message at either forum. I can also be found on Twitter.com (id: DomainBagger)

Thanks again, and have a great 2009!

Domain Names Make Great Christmas Gifts

If you don't know what to get that special someone in your life for Christmas this year, or are just looking for something a little different to put in someone's stocking, how about a domain name?

Domain names can be registered for as little as $7.50 (or even less), and only have to be renewed once per year! Giving someone a domain name for Christmas can be a special way to recognize who they are. Suggestions might include DaddyMechanic.com, CulinaryCastle.com, or ScrapbookingParents.com. (These domains were all available to register at the time of this post.

Of course, if you get someone their own domain name, why not check to see if their real name is available? It's also a good idea to make sure that the person who recieves the domain name as a Christmas present has the interest and website skills to develop the domain into a site. Or perhaps, include a gift certificate for cheap web design, or offer to do that yourself.

To present the Christmas gift to them, you could simply place a copy of the domain registration in their stocking. A better idea might be to get an item or two printed with their new web address right on them, and wrap those up and put them under the Christmas tree.

If the idea of giving a domain name as a Christmas gift appeals to you, be sure to look through the unregistered domain lists here on this blog. You might find one that fits just right!

Finding A Great Domain Name for under $10

Have you ever read that all of the good domain names are already gone? Well, it's absolutely not true! Some people believe that cyber-squatters have registered all of the domains with any potential in all viable extensions. This is simply not the case! I know from personal experience that it's not too difficult to register a domain name for under $10, and sell it later for a huge profit!

Be warned, however...there are many domain investors out there who register any domain that strikes their fancy at the given moment, only to regret the purchase two months later. We want to avoid buyer's remorse when it comes to our little pets.

The first thing you need to do is gather information on what makes a good domain name. The best places to gather info are at the Domain Name Forums: Namepros and DNForum are the top two forums, with Namepros being more of a social site, and DNForum catering more to the business side of the industry. Either site is a worthy place to get your feet wet if you are a domaining "newbie".

Next, we need a system or tool(s) which produce good available domain names that we can browse through. One site I really like is AllDrops.com --- which provides huge lists of recently dropped and available domains that you can filter using a variety of criteria. Another good site is Whois.ws --- which will suggest additional domains if you type in a domain that's already registered. Finally, Fabulous.com has a nice domain suggestion tool if you are registered there. (It takes a decent portfolio to get accepted there, so that one may have to wait).
I use these sites (and more) to produce a list of potential domains. I write down the few that I think are the best, and disregard the rest.

What criteria do I use to determine if a domain name is worth registering?

- The domain name must appeal to ME. Either I'm going to use this domain for a personal site which will make me more money than my investment, or I'm going to sell this domain at a later time for a nice profit.

- The domain name should appeal to others. Does it sound good? Does it avoid ugly combinations of letters? (Example: LessSmall.com has the letter 'S' thrice in a row) Is the subject of the domain easily identifiable and hold potential purchase value to a buyer?

- Is the domain name relatively short? Try to stay away from those domains that are 20+ characters in length unless you are a seasoned veteran and really know what you're doing.

- Is the domain name available in the .COM extension? If not, make sure that your keywords are very strong, and that your keywords fit with the domain extension. (Example: FigService.info might make perfect sense to you, but not to anyone else)
.COM is the king of domain extensions by a longshot, and many search engines including Google give high priority to domain names ending in .COM, thus making them more valuable.

- Does the domain's exact term(s) have good search results? If you take your exact keyword terms and type them into Google with quotes around them (like: "Dog Bones"), does Google return a high number of websites with that exact search term? For a .com domain, I like to see 200,000 Google results for the term in quotes. That means that the keywords are widely used. Some domains that I've sold recently have had relatively high Google results, which tend to be favored by some of the major domain auction sites.

Once I've found a domain name that meets all of the above criteria, I don't rush off and register it yet. There are some good tools out there that will give me a better idea of the domain's value.
For instance, Estibot.com is a nice resource that will give you an automated appraisal value for your domain. That site will also provide additional information, such as any traffic that the domain receives, and how many searches are being done for the keywords.

*** Be careful when typing your potential domain name into online services. Sometimes, other websites can view the results of your input, and it's possible that someone could register your domain name before you do! I usually use sites like Estibot.com as the last step before I actually register the domain name, so there's only a few seconds between the automated appraisal and the registration of the domain. ***

Lastly, you need to find a good domain registrar. Some of the well-known registrars are Godaddy, Enom, Namecheap, Name.com and Dotster. Some have better prices than others, and some are easier to use. Some registrars charge as little as $6 for a .COM registration. Some registrars have coupons as well, which will give you a discount upon registration. Visit the domain forums listed above to learn more about each registrar.

Keep in mind that most registrars use a free "push" system that allows sellers to send a domain name to buyers for free as long as they are both registered users of that registrar, and the domain is also registered there. So, it's good to use the more popular registrars to make transactions that much easier.

Kevin Ham Article at DN Journal

For those of you who haven't heard of him, Kevin Ham is a Korean immigrant who started with no money to speak of, and is now worth over $300 million. He has built his fortune in such areas as web hosting, domain acquisitions, and pay-per-click revenue. Read his fascinating story at DNJournal.com

What I find interesting about his story is that he seemed to change his focus as his circumstances evolved. His example should remind us to be flexible, and be able to adapt to whatever life throws at us to achieve our goals.

What's In A Domain Name?

On the web, the Domain Name System (DNS) stores and associates information with domain names. The DNS translates domain names into IP addresses.

By allowing the use of alphabetical addresses instead of numeric ones, domain names allow web users to easily find websites.

ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) has the ultimate responsibility for managing the DNS. ICANN is able to authorize control over each domain to a domain name registrar, such as Godaddy or Namecheap.

As the internet has grown in popularity around the world, organizations, companies and consumers have found many uses for domain names. Interested parties are generally free to select an unallocated domain name as their own on a first come, first served basis, creating an investment market for desirable domains.

One reason for the inherent value of domain names is that they can attract consumers seeking services and products who simply type in the generic name. Furthermore, generic domain names such as cars.com are extremely easy for customers to remember.

The Daylight Savings Time (DST) Bug

ETA: Sunday, March 11, 2007 2:00 A.M.

Back in 2005, President Bush signed an energy bill into law that will lengthen daylight-saving time by four weeks starting in 2007.

Under the bill signed by President Bush, Americans in all 50 states except Arizona and Hawaii will move their clocks ahead one hour starting on the second Sunday of March, rather than the first Sunday of April. The same people will set clocks back an hour on the first Sunday of November, rather than the last Sunday of October. This raises the possibility of of Y2K-like problems.

Go HERE to find out more.

OK, here's today's Domain List:

DEGODONE.COM
DEGOUDENSTAD.COM
DEGRAFFBOOKS.COM
DEGREEFILTER.COM
DEGREETRAX.COM
DEGRIFFDVDS.COM
DEGRIFFVIN.COM
DEGUSTANET.COM
DEGVSTIBVS.COM
DEHGHANIRUG.COM
DEIDRELITTLE.COM
DEIDREREED.COM
DEIFYTECH.COM
DEIRDREBYRNE.COM
DEIRDREDARCY.COM
DEIRDREMAY.COM
DEJABOOMER.COM
DEJAGAIN.COM
DEJARATINGS.COM
DEJASCREW.COM
DEJATALK.COM
DEJAVASPHOTO.COM
DEJAVUINTERNET.COM
DEKADIRECT.COM
DEKALBCEO.COM
DEKALBPRO.COM
DEKORFLOORS.COM
DEKORINSTALL.COM
DELABAYS.COM
DELACULTURA.COM
DELAFORTUNA.COM
DELAHELL.COM
DELAMPLE.COM
DELANDMAIL.COM
DELANEYBAGS.COM
DELANEYBROS.COM
DELANEYKEVYN.COM
DELANOTRAVEL.COM
DELATRADE.COM
DELAWAREDRUG.COM
DELAWARERIVERTRAM.COM
DELAWAREVANS.COM
DELAWAREWASH.COM
DELAXON.COM
DELAYACTION.COM
DELCONOW.COM
DELDEPOT.COM
DELDIVORCE.COM
DELEAGENT.COM
DELEARPRIJZEN.COM
DELEGATEDON.COM
DELEMENATOR.COM
DELETEFIND.COM
DELEVANNY.COM
DELEVIN.COM
DELFINCON.COM
DELFINPOEM.COM
DELFOURDINA.COM
DELFRED.COM
DELGADOREPAIR.COM
DELHIBAJAR.COM
DELHIBIKES.COM
DELHICLICK.COM
DELHIHOTMAIL.COM
DELHIMATES.COM
DELHINEWSMAN.COM
DELHISLUMS.COM
DELHISPOT.COM
DELHITOTAL.COM
DELHITYRE.COM
DELIABROKER.COM
DELIASMAIL.COM
DELICADITA.COM
DELICAVENUES.COM
DELICIOUSLIGHTS.COM
DELICIOUSNET.COM
DELIDOTCOM.COM
DELIGHTQUEST.COM
DELINICHE.COM
DELIONSHARES.COM
DELIRIOTOTAL.COM
DELIVERBOY.COM
DELIVEREAT.COM
DELIVERKOREA.COM
DELIVERLINKS.COM
DELIVEROCKET.COM
DELIVERYSALE.COM
DELIVERYTOUR.COM
DELIVERYWANG.COM
DELLABEAR.COM
DELLAHOME.COM
DELLAMAMA.COM
DELLANNE.COM
DELLEFOGLIE.COM
DELLFLOYD.COM
DELLIDARBAR.COM
DELLJAMES.COM
DELLMANNINA.COM
DELLREALTOR.COM
DELLSHELL.COM
DELMADESIGN.COM
DELMARANGELS.COM
DELMITCH.COM
DELOCALISE.COM
DELONGJEWELERS.COM
DELOSBUENOS.COM
DELPHICIA.COM
DELPHIFILES.COM
DELPHILEG.COM
DELPHISGROUP.COM
DELPIVO.COM
DELPREE.COM
DELRAYBEACHFLORIDAAPPRAISER.COM
DELRAYHOST.COM
DELSILVA.COM
DELSINAWEST.COM
DELSOLOUTLET.COM
DELSONICS.COM
DELSPINE.COM
DELSYVERSON.COM
DELTACOMMINC.COM
DELTADARK.COM
DELTAFLITE.COM
DELTAINV.COM
DELTALABELS.COM
DELTANETGATE.COM
DELTANUSA.COM
DELTAPAD.COM
DELTARELICS.COM
DELTARUPEE.COM
DELTASURAT.COM
DELTATON.COM
DELTAWAN.COM
DELTAWESTMED.COM
DELUCABUICK.COM
DELUCAZONE.COM
DELUXEBAKERS.COM
DELUXEITEM.COM
DELUXEKOREA.COM
DELUXEPARK.COM
DELUXESEEDS.COM
DELUXPLASTICS.COM
DELVALCARE.COM
DELXIS.COM
DEMAGNETISER.COM
DEMANDBIN.COM
DEMARIABATTERIES.COM
DEMARIABATTERYCO.COM
DEMARKQUEST.COM
DEMENTIACHAT.COM
DEMIMAGERIE.COM
DEMINGBROKER.COM
DEMINGWAY.COM
DEMITECK.COM
DEMITINT.COM
DEMOANDPAM.COM
DEMOBASES.COM
DEMOCRATRACE.COM
DEMODANS.COM
DEMODCUK.COM
DEMODETREND.COM
DEMOMOBIL.COM
DEMONBEAN.COM
DEMONCHARGE.COM
DEMONHORDE.COM
DEMONSABERT.COM
DEMONSUK.COM
DEMONTJOYE.COM
DEMOSASI.COM
DEMOSCENTRAL.COM
DEMOSCHOICES.COM
DEMOWANG.COM
DEMURU.COM
DENALIFOTO.COM
DENALINOW.COM
DENASDOOORWAY.COM
DENBID.COM
DENBYDIRECT.COM
DENCLASSICS.COM
DENDELE.COM
DENEAUXMUSIC.COM
DENEEL.COM
DENEGATION.COM
DENENELODGE.COM
DENEYELIM.COM
DENFUJITA.COM
DENGEOFF.COM
DENGIRL.COM
DENGUEX.COM
DENHAAGINFO.COM
DENIANVANHAM.COM
DENILTD.COM
DENIMRUS.COM
DENIMTODAY.COM
DENISBECKETT.COM
DENISCASHMAN.COM
DENISCASTLE.COM
DENISDUGGAN.COM
DENISEBOFFIN.COM
DENISEBOOKS.COM
DENISEDALY.COM
DENISEFLYNN.COM
DENISEHICKS.COM
DENISEPENA.COM
DENISNOLAN.COM
DENISSHAW.COM
DENIVILLE.COM
DENKITOYS.COM
DENMARKCHECK.COM
DENMARKDIARY.COM
DENMARKFROM.COM
DENMARKGAME.COM
DENMARKLINK.COM
DENNISDOMAIN.COM
DENNISHASS.COM
DENNISHUMMEL.COM
DENNISKOVAL.COM
DENNISKYTE.COM
DENNISLEVENS.COM
DENNISLING.COM
DENNISRAMSEY.COM
DENNISSCHUMP.COM
DENNISVANELK.COM
DENNISWWW.COM
DENNYBRUNS.COM
DENNYDRIVER.COM
DENNYPUPPY.COM
DENOBEEDS.COM
DENSERACK.COM
DENTALDIGGER.COM
DENTALFACTOR.COM
DENTALGAMMA.COM
DENTALHEBDO.COM
DENTALIAN.COM
DENTALLABINC.COM
DENTALLINX.COM
DENTALMOJO.COM
DENTALREADER.COM
DENTAPLEX.COM
DENTAPOPS.COM
DENTARISE.COM
DENTATIS.COM
DENTATOP.COM
DENTATTACK.COM
DENTBROWSER.COM
DENTEDGUYS.COM
DENTEKMARKETING.COM
DENTFUTURE.COM
DENTISSIMA.COM
DENTISTANGEL.COM
DENTISTARENA.COM
DENTISTAU.COM
DENTISTCLAIM.COM
DENTISTDATAPROTECTION.COM
DENTISTDMD.COM
DENTISTNARA.COM
DENTISTNEEDS.COM
DENTISTRYBOT.COM
DENTISTSCOOP.COM
DENTISTSPAL.COM
DENTISTSSITE.COM
DENTISTSWEBS.COM
DENTONPARK.COM
DENTONREDSOX.COM
DENTPIX.COM
DENTPUBLISH.COM
DENTSURGEONS.COM
DENTTRUCKING.COM
DENTURELINE.COM
DENTVENDORS.COM
DENTWARE.COM
DENUMBER.COM
DENVERBLVD.COM
DENVERCOMP.COM
DENVERDUDES.COM
DENVEREWORKS.COM
DENVERFARM.COM
DENVERGLOWS.COM
DENVERLEASETOOWN.COM
DENVERNATIVE.COM
DENVERSKIBAR.COM
DENYSRIEL.COM
DEONDYER.COM
DEONWORLD.COM
DEPAIS.COM
DEPARTURENOW.COM
DEPCREW.COM
DEPENDION.COM
DEPHOCUS.COM
DEPILATIS.COM
DEPISTAGECANCER.COM
DEPISTAGEDUCANCER.COM
DEPISTAGERADIO.COM
DEPODANGERS.COM
DEPODOL.COM
DEPOLUCK.COM
DEPORTEMAIL.COM
DEPORTESMALL.COM
DEPORTIVAINC.COM
DEPORTTICKET.COM
DEPOSITASIA.COM
DEPOSITSBID.COM
DEPOSITSLTD.COM
DEPOSITSOFT.COM
DEPOSITSUSA.COM
DEPOTANSWERS.COM
DEPOTLEADER.COM
DEPOTLEADERS.COM
DEPOTMEUBLE.COM
DEPOTOGO.COM
DEPOTSAGENCY.COM
DEPOTSLINKS.COM
DEPOTSTOOLS.COM
DEPOTSVENDOR.COM
DEPOTTRADER.COM
DEPSTORENET.COM
DEPTANIME.COM
DEPTCONSULT.COM
DEPTHTOWN.COM
DEPUTYBUCK.COM
DEPUTYHEAD.COM
DEPUTYRICK.COM
DERANGEDCHEF.COM
DERBYBROWN.COM
DERBYJAPAN.COM
DERBYMOTEL.COM
DEREKBAKKEN.COM
DEREKJOY.COM
DEREKMAIER.COM
DEREKPURL.COM
DEREKREAD.COM
DEREKSHANKS.COM
DEREKTUNG.COM
DEREKWISTON.COM
DERELDRIVE.COM
DERERBAUER.COM
DERICKPARK.COM
DERICKREYES.COM
DERINDERIN.COM
DERIVWEAR.COM
DERJAKOB.COM
DERLUND.COM
DERMABAY.COM
DERMABOOM.COM
DERMACOAT.COM
DERMALPORT.COM
DERMALWEB.COM
DERMAPAUSE.COM
DERMASDINER.COM
DERMATOGROUP.COM
DERMOLABS.COM
DERMONDE.COM
DERMOPINION.COM
DERMUCHA.COM
DERNIEREMODE.COM
DERODE.COM
DERONFIELDS.COM
DERRIBAN.COM
DERRICKDIAL.COM
DERRICKMILAN.COM
DERRICKSHUB.COM
DERRICKSIM.COM
DERRICKSROOM.COM
DERRYDAYS.COM
DERSEEMANN.COM
DERSINLTD.COM
DERTECHINC.COM
DERUSDISCOUNTS.COM
DERWINSKI.COM
DERYLMACKIE.COM
DESAICLASSES.COM
DESALDOS.COM
DESANDIEGO.COM
DESAPIGT.COM
DESBLATT.COM
DESCENDANCES.COM
DESCHALETS.COM
DESCRIPTICS.COM
DESCRITIVA.COM
DESENRIQUEZ.COM
DESERETGAMES.COM
DESERTBELL.COM
DESERTBUYER.COM
DESERTEXPORT.COM
DESERTGALS.COM
DESERTHOLLY.COM
DESERTLTD.COM
DESERTQUEER.COM
DESERTSETS.COM
DESERTSSON.COM
DESHENGJIANG.COM
DESHENGTILE.COM
DESHIWORLD.COM
DESIBANKING.COM
DESICURRIES.COM
DESIDAK.COM
DESIDEKHO.COM
DESIFAST.COM
DESIGNACID.COM
DESIGNACTUAL.COM
DESIGNALLDAY.COM
DESIGNAMES.COM
DESIGNANIA.COM
DESIGNBONE.COM
DESIGNBYROBROY.COM
DESIGNCANAL.COM
DESIGNELK.COM
DESIGNERBUGS.COM
DESIGNERKITCHENSPHILADELPHIA.COM
DESIGNERVIL.COM
DESIGNERWEDDINGSBRIDAL.COM
DESIGNFLUENT.COM
DESIGNHILARY.COM
DESIGNHOMESLUBBOCK.COM

A New Look for Domain Bagger

As of this morning, I replaced the green template with the new, sharper look you see here. It should be easier to read the domain lists now.

If you have any suggestions on the look of the site or anything you'd like to see here, just leave a comment.

Enjoy!

My Yahoo Domains Experience

Here is an account of my recent experience with Yahoo Domains. I don't know what made them change their mind, but I was pretty surprised & glad that they did. I will tell you exactly what happened...

A little over a year ago, I purchased 7 domains through their Yahoo Domains website. A couple of months before the domains were to be renewed, I started transferring them to another registrar, because yahoo is very limited when it comes to options for your domains. The transfers took about a week on average, but they went through just fine. After I transferred the first couple of names, I was surprised to see the domains still listed at Yahoo Domains, but I didn't think anything of it, and figured they would disappear from their site after a bit.

Of course, I now know that they require you to go into their site and cancel their services, even if you have transferred the names elsewhere (this is ridiculous). I thought everything was fine until I got charges for 6 domain renewals on my Credit Card Statement. At first, I didn't know what the charges were for, so I sent an e-mail to Yahoo Domains' support, explaining the situation. I didn't hear back from them, so I called them the same day. When I found out that they were trying to charge me for the domain renewals, I was really upset with them. The lady I spoke with didn't speak English very well, but after I requested to speak to a manager, she did come back on the line and say that they were issuing a credit for those charges.

Well, a week went by, and I didn't see a credit from Yahoo Domains, so I called them again. This time, I spoke with someone who knew exactly what was going on, and she informed me that under no circumstances did Yahoo Domains give refunds for this type of situation. I expressed how upset I was to her, but didn't expect to get my money back at that point. I did tell her that Yahoo operating in this fashion was not worth the bad publicity that they were going to receive.

To my surprise, about a week later, I received an email saying that just this one time, Yahoo Domains would refund my charges. I did get the refund of all charges promptly. I think there were two things that may have helped me...

1) I really believe they responded to my e-mail more favorably than my phone call. I'm not sure why.
2) They may have taken my threat of bad publicity seriously.

Yahoo Domains does provide some cheap services, but I will probably think twice before I order anything from them again.

Using Your Domain as Collateral

Need a cash advance for Christmas? Want a loan for that new addition to your home? Now, you can get advances and loans through DigiPawn.com using your domain names as collateral.

From DigiPawn's website:
"DigiPawn.com is your one stop source for Cash Advances on Domain Names!
While we specialize in cash advances for domain names, we also advance money on any digital asset or intellectual property such as active websites, content, patents, trademarks and much more. The best part is YOU continue to use your domain or other digital asset throughout the period of the advance. You can continue to grow and develop your business while still getting access to the quick cash you need. "

Domains

Parade Banner 

Free Domain Giveaway

I'm going to give away one of my domains for free!
The domain is I-105.com
It expires October 18, 2005, and is currently at Dotster.

To enter to win the domain, you must reply to this post with your NamePros ID. Only one entry per Namepros member, please.
On Wednesday, October 12th, I will randomly select the winner from the entries received. The cutoff for entries is 3:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.

You must have or sign up for a Dotster account for me to push the name to, and you must be a registered member of Namepros to win the domain. If you do register with Namepros, tell 'em Yandig sent you.

Good luck everyone!

Welcome to Domain Bagger

Welcome & thanks for stopping by...

Domain Bagger is the place for all things domain-related. I will be posting regularly with domain news, tips and lists of unregistered domains. So thanks again, and come back often!