In today’s digital-centric world, domain names are hot commodities that many would want to get their hands on. The US$90-million sale of LasVegas.com is one of the best examples of this though there are many other domain names constantly bought and sold for huge sums on a daily basis. This has resulted in giving individuals a great opportunity to invest in domain names that are likely to sell for a hefty profit in the future. And this is where the concept of domain flipping comes in.

In this article, we’ll discuss how aspiring domainers can make money off selling domains and how a WHOIS database download service can help them.

What Is Domain Flipping?

Domain flipping is the practice of buying a domain name in the hope of selling it at a much higher price after some time. It is similar to house flipping wherein an individual buys a house, renovates it, and then sells more expensively.

Unlike in real estate, however, a domainer can’t do anything to increase the value of a domain name. As such, it is important for a domain flipper to instinctively predict which cheap domains are likely to be in high demand later so he can earn a lot from selling them. Domain flipping also differs from website flipping in that the domains put up for sale don’t need to be functional as opposed to sites being sold.

In sum, domain trading requires investing in properties that will hopefully pay off in the future. Those who have a gift of foresight can thus make a living out of flipping domains.

Setting Up a Solid Domain Portfolio

It can take a person months or even years to develop a high-quality domain portfolio. This usually requires patience while waiting for domains to mature and be worth a lot more than what they originally cost. Some domainers choose to purchase just a few high-profile domains that they then sit on until their values increase. Some examples of domain names an aspiring domainer can collect include:

• Generic names: These are words that could describe a product or a service. The important thing to remember here is to avoid trademarked or copyrighted domains that could result in their forfeiture.
• Business names: These are generic business names such as “chiropractor” or “dentist,” which can turn out to be great investments when combined with geographic locations.
• Geographic names: These include names of countries or cities, which could be considered up-and-coming business hot spots. They may become good investments over time and can be sold to web developers who are building community portals or companies that focus on the related communities.
• Timely names: Other suitable domain names for investment are timely names that can be combined with events that occur in a certain year. One example is 2022Olympics.com.

How Can a WHOIS Database Download Service Help?

With a WHOIS database download service, domain flippers can access historical domain name information that can be customized according to their needs. They can:

• Get active WHOIS records for domains with gTLD extensions like .com, .net, .org, and more, as well as those with ccTLD extensions that include .uk, .fr, .cn, and the like.
• Obtain information on millions of active domain names with WHOIS records that is constantly updated.
• Download both raw and parsed WHOIS data as either a database dump or a .csv file.
• Identify important information on domains that include its registrant’s name, organization, email address, expiration date, and more, which can be handy in domain flipping.
• Get WHOIS records that have been normalized to maintain a consistent format that is easy to integrate into existing tools and processes.

Domainers will find a WHOIS database download service useful in identifying currently active domains and those that are about to expire. As such, they can find out when the domain names they are interested in are going to be available. This will give them the time and opportunity to secure the domain they want before anyone else does.

They can also get a domain owner’s contact details for various purposes. One example is by contacting the registrant to ask if they are willing to part with the domain of your interest.

Finally, domain flippers can avoid the legal consequences of going for names that are trademarked or copyrighted. The WHOIS database download service will help them see existing domains for comparison. This is especially important since there are strong policies and laws in place that protect trademark owners from such acts.

Just like any investment today, domain names also come with their own risks and rewards. The good news is that domain flippers can use a WHOIS database download service to help them maximize their earnings by gaining access to a comprehensive set of domain name records.

Would you like to learn more about this download service? Contact us now at [email protected].