I just got finished reading a post in Venturebeat.com about a company named ReplyYes, which just raised $6.5 million dollars and whose website is ReplyYes.com
The domain name has an original registration date in 2008 but was deleted for non-payment of renewal fees on March 27, 2012 by a former registrant.
The domain sat unregistered until for over 3 years until May 12, 2015 when it was hand registered at Godaddy by Madrona Venture Group.
The domain is a short call to action type of domain name that I would have certainly registered if I saw it on a drop list but with over 100,000 domain names deleting through several channels every day 365 day a week no one can see them all.
This is a great example of why I tell people if you really want to make the best return for your money in domain names there is no better way than going through the daily drop lists and grab the really good brandable domains no one else does and avoid the auctions.
*Update* the story has been corrected it was first published using ReplyAll.com which was an error. Thanks to those who pointed it out.
Kevin says
February 16, 2017 at 5:03 pmOutstanding example of what is still possible to achieve in the exciting realm of domain investing.
There is no limit to success in this industry if you know how to discover the hidden gems out there and you have luck on your side and you know how to turn that found gem into something spectacular!
Wow ultra nice $$$ ROI! Congratulations!!
Snoopy says
February 16, 2017 at 5:16 pmUmm…the company is call replyyes.com. Not worth anything as a domain especially with that tricky double y, another company with a $9 budget.
James Kite says
February 16, 2017 at 5:22 pmWhy spend more than you have to.
Just because they spent $9 does not equate to their budget being $9.
The only relevant aspect is the domain name itself
Snoopy says
February 16, 2017 at 5:30 pmNothing wrong with spending $9, indeed that is the budget or most people, even those who have raised $6million funding.
Jothan Frakes says
February 16, 2017 at 5:21 pmAnother Seattle Startup Win
jose says
February 16, 2017 at 5:45 pmReplyAll.com was registered in 2007 and is with MarkMonitor.
what are you talking about MHB?
Fuadiansyah says
February 16, 2017 at 6:17 pmIt’s ReplyYes.com
Andrea Paladini says
February 16, 2017 at 6:16 pmMike, the company is ReplyYes, not ReplyAll 🙂
Raymond Hackney says
February 16, 2017 at 6:50 pmArticle has been updated, thank you for the comment.
Tony says
February 16, 2017 at 8:04 pm“This is a great example of why I tell people if you really want to make the best return for your money in domain names there is no better way than going through the daily drop lists and grab the really good brandable domains no one else does and avoid the auctions.”
And it’s unfair to newbies not to mention that for every one of these stories, there are 9,999 that are wasted $8 lottery tickets.
Snoopy says
February 16, 2017 at 8:52 pmMHB, are you now saying ReplyYes.com is the style of name people should be registering? That sounds crazy to me. It is just a $9 name that a company would choose because it is available.
STRIKER says
February 17, 2017 at 8:39 amIf I had $5 million in capital to start a company today (any company), I would go out and find a domain that is unregistered yet that would “work” for my new business, and THEN I would name my business based on the domain I registered for $9.
John says
February 17, 2017 at 11:52 am> “This is a great example of why I tell people if you really want to make the best return for your money in domain names there is no better way than going through the daily drop lists and grab the really good brandable domains no one else does and avoid the auctions.”
> “And it’s unfair to newbies not to mention that for every one of these stories, there are 9,999 that are wasted $8 lottery tickets.”
Notwithstanding your own personal good fortune, Michael, and my inclination to appreciate and listen to the advice of such people, I’m extremely skeptical of that. I’ve dropped the better part of 1,000 domains in recent years, almost all .com’s, which anyone would probably agree were “good” or “pretty good” because it really is more like what Tony just wrote. And you can be sure they are really “good” or “pretty good” because HugeDomains seems to wind up getting and presumably paying for nearly all of them it seems.
Around 2002 I was talking about my fairly new adventure with domains names with a friend of mine who was a wunderkind Harvard Law grad. He wasn’t into it and said these two memorable things:
1. They are “really expensive lottery tickets.”
2. The domains space is “infinitely expandable,” i.e. he already foresaw the possibility of a tidal wave of new TLDs that he felt could dilute the value.
Okay, so #2 hasn’t played out that way and almost certainly never will it seems, but there is a lot of truth for #1 regarding most domains, even most that are “good” or “pretty good” for an end user. The bottom line is that people who have been so fortunate have had a convergence of various factors come into play to lead to their success and good fortune, because the formula of “going through the daily drop lists and grab the really good brandable domains no one else does and avoid the auctions” by itself just doesn’t really cut it unless you want to be paying renewal fees for years and years and years carrying things that are like nothing more than lottery tickets most of the time.
Regarding this particular domain, I look at them primarily as an end user first, and also with an eye on the possibility of selling, and I honestly think this domain sucks and would never have paid reg fee for it if I found it available. I’ve found, registered, held onto, an then later dropped far better ones that that.
John says
February 17, 2017 at 11:57 amp.s. And more specifically, not the the domain completely sucks, but mere that it sucks when you look at it from the perspective of the experience that would lead Tony to write such a thing, and others like me to agree. In another sense the domain itself is certainly “pretty good” if one already has a good use for it.
Michael Berkens says
February 17, 2017 at 1:56 pmJohn
All I c an tell you of the domain names sold to Godaddy 98% were acquired on the drop and yes this domain meets my criteria which is a short meaningful domain.
and yes in a way domain names are a lottery ticket but your chances of making money are substantially much better and not up to just luck.
Nate says
February 17, 2017 at 3:15 pmAgree with looking through the drops for hidden gems! With just the slightest bit of research and marketing techniques you can turn $8 pickups into a very nice ROI.
Andrea Paladini says
February 17, 2017 at 6:13 pmMike,
You forgot to say that dropcatchers’ current business model is based on Auctions among those who backorder the name, where the deepest pocket wins.
I don’t think that 98% of the names you sold to GoDaddy came from hand regs. 🙂
christopher brennan says
February 17, 2017 at 8:28 pmmore like a horse race or football game than a lottery, there is an element of knowledge involved that doesn’t apply to the lottery which is pure chance.
Rp says
February 21, 2017 at 1:31 pm@Mike Berkens
I remember you recommending Uniregistry for large portfolio on your blog. Are you not using them now as I see many of your names are at enom?