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By Jessica Hupp

Domaining is a hot market right now, but it’s been rightfully called a new wild west. It’s a daunting task to sell domain properties without selling yourself short, getting exposed to fraud, or other atrocities. Check out these tools designed to make selling domains easier, safer, and more profitable.

DIY Valuation

Determining what price you should set or settle for is essential. Your gut feeling may have you reaching for the stars, but your price needs to be grounded in reality. Use these tools to figure out the best price for your domain.

1. MarketLeap: Use MarketLeap’s Link Popularity Checker to find out how many sites link to your domain.
2. Self Domain Appraisal: Check out this thread to learn how to appraise the value of your site on your own.
3. Google Adwords Traffic Estimator: Find out how many people are looking for your site’s top keywords with this tool.
4. Appraisal Measurement Criteria: Check out the way Zetetic values domains.
5. Valuation of Developed Websites: Consider the cost to create a new comparative website, traffic, revenue, and other factors when valuing your developed domain.
6. Website Value 101-How to Appraise a Website: Get the basics on website valuation in this article.
7. Search Engine Optimization Analysis Tool: Use this tool to test your domain’s receptiveness to search engine spiders.
8. URL Trends: Find out where your domain ranks on PR, Alexa, and links. You can also take advantage of their URL comparison tool.
9. Pay Per Click Calc: Use this calculator to figure out revenue from clicks and traffic figures on your site.
10. Web Site Valuation Calculator: Use this formula for a quick way to get an idea of your website’s value.
11. How To Sell A Website-How Much Is Your Website Worth?: Yaro’s number one rule? “Your site is worth as much as someone is willing to give you for it.”
12. Compete: Get traffic graphs for up to three domains at a time on this site.
13. A Guide to Basic Variables That Make a Web Site Valuable: Read this thread from Webmaster World to calculate future profitability, traffic, and other valuation basics.
14. Toolurl: Check rank position, link popularity, Google Page Rank, and lots of other important valuation stats.
15. Alexa: Get traffic stats and rank information on Alexa.
16. How to Value Your Domain Name: Check out this guide to domain name valuation from Internet Gold Rush.

Appraisal Services

If you’re unsure of your domain’s value, or just want expert opinion, appraisal services can come in very handy. These services and tools range from precise to ballpark, and free to fairly expensive.

17. Premium Domain: Find out if you’re sitting on garbage or a domain that’s worth some serious cash by getting it appraised with Premium Domains.
18. Estibot: This appraisal tool is good for getting a rough ballpark estimate of your domain’s value.
19. Zetetic: Find out your fair market value with Zetetic.
20. URLbuyers Appraisal: Get your domain name looked at by an individual appraiser on this site.
21. LeapFish: Get appraisals and instant domain name values on LeapFish.
22. Swift Appraisal: Find out how much your domain is worth based on Swift Appraisal’s eleven factors.
23. The Domain Name Appraisal Scam: Arm yourself with knowledge against scammers who want to take advantage of domain name owners.
24. Nameboy: Use this tool that values your domain based on length, word count, and demand of words and phrases online.

Market Watch

Sellers in real estate often look at comparable properties to predict how theirs will perform, and domainers should do the same. Use these resources to check out domains that are similar to yours and see how much they’re selling for, as well as who is buying them.

25. Wikipedia: Comparables: Get an introduction to comparables here.
26. DomainersHub: DomainersHub is a real-time domain listing monitoring system, which lets you keep an eye on the values of domains for sale, broken down by premium domains and everything else.
27. DN Journal Year to Date Sales Charts: See the top site sales by rank on this page.
28. NameBio: Domainers can get sales and comps history on domain names. With NameBio, you can find out information like sales price, auction results, and more.
29. Sold Names: Check out the sales of past premium domains here.
30. DN Sale Price: Get sales history for all published domain sales from 2003 to the present on this site.

Marketplaces

So you’ve determined your value and you’re ready to sell. Now what? Put your property out on the market and start talking to buyers on these marketplaces for domains.

31. Afternic: As one of the leading premium domain sellers and a marketing partner with the majority of the best registrars online, the odds are good that you’ll have a profitable sale on Afternic.
32. dnScoop Marketplace: Sell your domain on this marketplace, and take advantage of its in-house valuation tool.
33. Domain Marketplace: Sell your domain names with natural traffic, one and two word generic terms, and strong traffic on Domain Marketplace.
34. Votan Web: Get exposure to web entrepreneurs, Internet tycoons, and other web developers on this sales site.
35. V7n Network: On this network, you’ll get access to a large development community and be able to take advantage of a great sales format.
36. Buy Sell Website: This marketplace has listings for both established and start-up websites.
37. DomainState: This is a great place to sell whether you’ve already priced your domain or want to put it out for offers and auctions.
38. Search Engine Forums: Get selling advice and post your domain on this forum.
39. Domain Shows: Get free or paid listings on this domain marketplace.
40. NamePros: Post your domain name for sale in this forum of over 69,000 domain name owners.
41. GoDaddy Domain Name Aftermarket: Put your domain up for auction on GoDaddy’s site and you’ll enjoy low commission fees and high visibility.
42. Web Hosting Talk: Get offers or check out specific requests on this forum.
43. DigitalPoint: Digital Point’s Sites Forum allows you to list sites and find resources at the same time.
44. Experiment: Selling a Domain Name on eBay, Part 1: eBay isn’t considered to be one of the best places to sell your domain. Nonetheless, this domainer’s willing to give it a try. Learn about his experience here.
45. SnapNames: Get 30 day advertisement and an auction with lots of exposure as well as easy payment and transfers on SnapNames.
46. Tulip Domains: Put your domain up for sale on Tulip Domains, and you’ll get offers via email that you can accept or reject, with a 5% commission to Tulip Domains.

Development

One effective way to increase your domain’s value is to put some effort into the development of its brand. Full development is best, but these tools and resources offer shortcuts that help.

47. Domain Development with Ning.com: Check out this article for a look into developing your domain with Ning.com’s social network platform.
48. Domain Parking Shortcomings: Content: Read this article for an argument to go beyond just parking your domain.
49. Get a Rush of Traffic to Your Blog: Put BlogRush on your domain, and you’ll have links to relevant articles instead of a plain parked page.
50. WP Cloner: You can maintain your blog on multiple domains with this tool.
51. YellowDev: If you want to oursource your domain’s development, check out developers like these guys.
52. Auto-Generated Web Sites: The Future of Domain Parking?: Find out how domain parkers may soon make pages look more like real web sites.
53. Domainer: Hire Domainer to develop your premium domain names.

Negotiation Tactics

You want $10,000 for your domain, but your buyer is only willing to part with $100. Where do you go from there? Use these negotiation tools to leverage a better deal.

54. How to Negotiate Domain Name Prices: Learn more about the art of negotiating and employ the tactics laid out in this post.
55. Negotiate Like a Pro: Use these simple ideas for a look into the basics of domain seller negotiating.
56. Domain Price Negotiation: Check out this basic rundown of domain negotiations from BuyDomains.
57. Keep Negotiations Secret When Selling an eBusiness: Find out why it’s vital to keep quiet about your domain sale in this article.
58. Negotating A Deal: Check out these tips for domain buyers to see how the other side thinks.
59. How to Negotiate: This site is full of ongoing advice on the art of negotiation that can be applied to any situation, including domain sales.

Brokers

If you aren’t a great negotiator or just don’t have the time or ambition to take on an eproperty sale yourself, consider hiring a broker. Although they work on commission, they generally deliver a better profit than you’d be able to get on your own.

60. Should I Use an e-Business Broker?: Read this article to determine whether a broker is right for you or not.
61. Selling Your Domain Name Via a Broker: Check out this guide to using a broker from Internet Gold Rush.
62. Impressive Domains: Impressive Domains goes beyond “list and hope” with an active team of marketers and experts in domain name negotiation.
63. Business Broker: If you’re selling an established domain, you’re selling more than just a name–you’re selling a business. Enlist the help of this expert business broker for the best results.
64. Working With a Broker When You Buy or Sell an eCommerce Website: Learn about how a broker can help you improve your domain sale in this article.
65. Sedo: From brokerage to appraisals and transfers, Sedo takes care of the nitty gritty work of selling your domain.
66. Website Auction Hub: Use Website Auction Hub’s broker service to get the most money out of your transaction and preserve your identity at the same time.
67. iMerge Advisors: For small to mid-market domain businesses, iMerge Advisors offers expert brokerage services.

Financial Services

Once you’ve reached an agreement, it’s time to get paid! Fight fraud, accept credit cards, and make your life easier by checking out these financial service providers for domainers.

68. Escrow Services: Get an introduction to how escrow services work here.
69. Authorize.net: Accept credit cards and protect yourself from fraud with Autorize.net.
70. Escrow.com: With Escrow, you can protect yourself from fraud whether you’re buying or selling a domain.
71. Ikobo: Use Ikobo’s money transfer services to safely accept money from your domain sale. They even have instant payment notification.
72. PayPal: This favorite makes it easy to accept credit cards or just about any other kind of financial transaction from your buyer.
73. Escrow AA: Escrow AA specializes in online escrow services.

Transfers

Once you’ve gotten paid, it’s time to deliver. Get the lowdown on domain transfers with these resources.

74. What’s the Difference Between a Domain Name Transfer and a Push?: Find out why pushing domains can make domain sales easier and faster for all parties.
75. ICANN Transfers: Learn about ICANN’s transfers policies here.
76. How to: Transfer Domain Registrar: Read about one person’s domain transfer experience.

Management Services

Whether you’re juggling 20 domains or 200, keeping track of their status can be a daunting task. Take advantage of these software and service solutions that help you stay on top of it all.

77. Moniker: Use Moniker to take care of nearly everything to do with your domains: registration, portfolio management, appraisal, escrow and more.
78. Rebel: Get the Rebel Portfolio Manager to manage an unlimited number of domains.
79. dnZoom: With dnZoom, you can link your registrar and parking accounts, manage all of your domains in one place, and keep an eye on auctions.
80. NameFollow: With this software, you can organize, track, and sell your domains.
81. Names@Work Domain Name Management: For domain name management that’s less automated and more thorough, check out Names@Work.
82. Domainsoho: Check out this service and get in as a beta tester before it’s released.

News & Blogs

Domaining is a growing trend that’s sure to change and adapt in the future. Keep an eye on the industry with these blogs and news outlets.

83. DN Journal: Get industry buzz, sales charts, resources and more on this online magazine.
84. DomainerPro: Check out this blog for beginner domainers.
85. Domain Food: Get headlines from the domain name industry aggregated on Domain Food.
86. Seven Mile: Check out Frank Schilling’s blog for domainer news as well as information on internet infrastructure and paid search.
87. The Domainer’s Gazette: Get news, musings and ramblings on the domainer industry here.
88. Daily Domainer: This major new source covers topics like registrars, disputes, domain tasting, and more.
89. Domain Names Weekly: Check out the Domain Stock Index on this site.
90. Rick Schwartz: Learn about domainer strategies from the “Domain King” here.
91. DotSauce: DotSauce goes beyond news and ICANN controversies with articles, reviews, and apps for domainers.
92. Domain Name News: Learn about domain sales, news about domain companies, and other happenings in the industry on this new site.
93. DNHour: Check out this Digg for domainers that lists popular news stories as well as domains up for auction.
94. Whizzbang’s Blog: You’ll find lots of insightful news and domainer commentary on this blog.
95. Conceptualist: Read this blog from domain entrepreneur Sahar Sarid.
96. DomainTools: Check out this blog for the latest in domain industry news.
97. Domain Name Wire: This news source has information about sales, services, and laws that domainers need to know about.

Other

Get even more assistance with selling your domain from these resources.

98. Preparing a Website for Sale: Take note of some of the steps you need to take when putting your domain up for sale.
99. Idiot Posing as a Lawyer Attempts to Steal Domain Names: Watch out for fraudsters like this.
100. Domain Scams Increasing: Watch out for these scams when selling or maintaining your domains.