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Biggest Misses Or Regrets?

Chris.C

Top Contributor
I have been trawling through these forums of late and have been reading a lot about people's investments and plans etc and reflecting on a lot of these posts along with the fact that I'm in the middle of reading a personal development book that spoke about "angry" and if utilise can be a driving force for progress in ones life which got me thinking some of my missed opportunities and regrets.

The two biggest that jump out at me are:

Back in 2007 when I had only recently gone full time with my online ventures I still didn't have an ABN (like a typical young entrepreneur focussed completely on business I was very poorly organised) and I was very much into SEO back then and I had only recently worked out the benefit of exact match domains. So I for shits and giggles started just searching random Australian based domain names (I had never bought an Australia domain at this point) and there were a LOT of available domains - including my favourite "buyviagra.com.au" of course without an ABN I didn't buy any, but it gave me a reason to organise myself and I had an ABN within the month (may have coincided with it being the EOFY) went back to see if the domain was still available but alas someone had picked it up.

:(

It didn't worry me too much at the time because I wasn't a domainer at all back then, I was more focused on website development and AdSense income, but it highlighted the point of being organised and ready to take opportunities. Though I do cringe at the thought of all the wonderful domains that were available back then.

But three years later (July this year) I was finally savvy to the domaining game and had begun looking for Australian based domains, when an employee who I was getting to do research for me stumbled across medical.com.au, medicalsupplies.com.au and medicalequipment.com.au all being available and forwarded me the report, which I read and at the time went "nice domains, I'll by those later" of course later was 4 or 5 days later (turns out I'm still unorganised) I went to buy them and someone had snapped the up 2 days earlier.

*tears*

I learned a very valuable less that day, prioritise priorities. And take action immediately.

:mad:

Rest assured that after my initial ranting and raving and general self disgust I used that new found angry as my motivation to never let that happen again and worked double time to find and invest in as many quality domains as I could find.

So anyone else have any domaining stories of missed opportunities or regrets? I'd love to hear them.

:D
 

James

Top Contributor
I have not really had many stories like that for domains. But I have an example for a website & keyword rich domain I sold basically the website for this specific niche was doing ok making around 5k yearly. Randomly some one emailed me asking to buy the domain/site, I get these types of emails all the time. this guy wanted to pay 14 months revenue I thought yeah that is ok.

I didn't really need the money at the time but I sold it off any way. I sold of the site which was getting around 2 million impressions a year easy 5k clear. It ranked around 7-9th for this keyword which had a few thousand exact match searches a month. Pretty much 6 months after I sold it this niche EXPLODED traffic increased for this specific term by about 15 TIMES!!! As you can guess my "exact" keyword domain, with my 3 + years of SEO and link building moved up to about 5th-4th position.

So yeah I would hate to guess how much this guy is making off this specific domain now, It was stupid that I sold it when I didn't need the money but oh well such is life, move onto new things.
 

Simon Johnson

Top Contributor
Not registering news.com in the early 90's, after discussing it with two friends who said "What are you gonna do with it?" and talked me out of it.
 

Chris.C

Top Contributor
I didn't really need the money at the time but I sold it off any way. I sold of the site which was getting around 2 million impressions a year easy 5k clear. It ranked around 7-9th for this keyword which had a few thousand exact match searches a month. Pretty much 6 months after I sold it this niche EXPLODED traffic increased for this specific term by about 15 TIMES!!!
Bummer - on the flip side you don't have to hate yourself too much, it's hard to predict the future and the sale was "reasonable" at the time.

Not registering news.com in the early 90's, after discussing it with two friends who said "What are you gonna do with it?" and talked me out of it.
Snap!

If only the words "I'll throw up some automated news agitator for a few years then flip it off to News Limited for $XXX,XXX+" had entered the discussion...

:D

I hope that regret is still fuelling your desires to carpe diem!
 

DavidL

Top Contributor
My regret is more of a general one - that I didn't get intrested or grasp the concept earlier.

I remember in around 2002 speaking to someone who was talking about someone who made heaps of money registering domains in the 90's. At the time I thought 'Wow - amazing but that ship has sailed'

It wasn't until 2005/2006 that I looked at bit harder and realised that that there was still heaps of growth potential left in domains and started registering the first of probably about 3,000 names over the last few years.

If only I'd looked a bit harder in 2002, those 3 or 4 years would have made a big difference.

However as long as the trend is upward (which I think most agree it is), it's never too late but asap is best. Today's opportunities will look like the opportunities of 2005 in 5 years time and look like the opportunities of 2000 in 10 years time...
 

WG2010

Archived Member
Regret pissing away countless hours (more like years) playing Everquest and then World of Warcraft. I've been online since 96 (hands up who use to card OzEmail's sign up page with credit card generators downloaded off BBS's lol [I was a kid, yeah it was wrong]) but I didn't start this domaining/online marketing thing until mid 2009.

Having said that, I think there are more opportunities now than there was back then. Not the same opportunities domain name wise but ease of entry and cost are like non-factors if you are willing to learn.
 

snoopy

Top Contributor
Biggest regret: not buying jobseekers.com for $6,000. (was around 2003 I think) was slow to act as I wasn't completely sure about it and a week or two later the owner had figured out how to monetize it better and that was the end of that.

btw: stuff like medical.com.au, medicalsupplies.com.au wouldn't have been available in July this year unless it was a drop (which would have lasted milliseconds), or do you mean the owner was looking to sell?
 

Timmy

Banned
Regret pissing away countless hours (more like years) playing Everquest and then World of Warcraft. I've been online since 96 (hands up who use to card OzEmail's sign up page with credit card generators downloaded off BBS's lol [I was a kid, yeah it was wrong])

It was wrong? :)
 

Chris.C

Top Contributor
If only I'd looked a bit harder in 2002, those 3 or 4 years would have made a big difference.
Surely all of us have this regret.

:rolleyes:

What's that old saying... "people regret the things they don't do much more than they regret the things that they do."
 

Chris.C

Top Contributor
btw: stuff like medical.com.au, medicalsupplies.com.au wouldn't have been available in July this year unless it was a drop (which would have lasted milliseconds), or do you mean the owner was looking to sell?
Apparently not.

As I mentioned I had an employee who did the research for me (presumably days before the report was compiled and forwarded to me), and I distinctly remember going "wow, those domains aren't bad, I wonder if they really are available" then I went and quickly checked and low and behold they were, but because I was busy at the time, or didn't have my credit card near by or some weak excuse like that I told myself I'd do it a little later, proceeded to get "caught up", and next thing your know a couple of days later when I do free up some time... gone.

:mad:
 

snoopy

Top Contributor
Apparently not.

As I mentioned I had an employee who did the research for me (presumably days before the report was compiled and forwarded to me), and I distinctly remember going "wow, those domains aren't bad, I wonder if they really are available" then I went and quickly checked and low and behold they were, but because I was busy at the time, or didn't have my credit card near by or some weak excuse like that I told myself I'd do it a little later, proceeded to get "caught up", and next thing your know a couple of days later when I do free up some time... gone.

:mad:

I can tell you names like that were not freely available to register 6 months ago, names like that were not available in 2002.
 

davids

Top Contributor
I can tell you names like that were not freely available to register 6 months ago, names like that were not available in 2002.

I agree, I'd say the only reason they'd be 'available' would be if the whois was having an issue and showing as available when it was really registered. Same happened to me with VicRoads when I was checking numberplates and it said a few good ones were available, but upon further enquiry they were actually taken.
 

snoopy

Top Contributor
I agree, I'd say the only reason they'd be 'available' would be if the whois was having an issue and showing as available when it was really registered. Same happened to me with VicRoads when I was checking numberplates and it said a few good ones were available, but upon further enquiry they were actually taken.

Yes, probably something like that has happened.
 

Chris.C

Top Contributor
I can tell you names like that were not freely available to register 6 months ago, names like that were not available in 2002.
Maybe... all I remember was the report being compiled days prior then being given to me saying it was available, me checking.

If this was the case then I'm really glad I didn't punch a hole in the wall, because I felt like doing it at the time.

:rolleyes:

What would have happened if I attempted to register it?
 

James

Top Contributor
But with regrets you come to happy things with domains, I remember in like 2007 I dropped about $10,000 onto some .mobi domains only 4 domains =) I was some how caught up in mobile domains world lol...I purchased some really hot domains, but I decided to off load them all at cost..probably a good idea because noew.mobi is not making any big movements..
 

TroyW

Top Contributor
I once owned SydneyHotels.com.au which I hand reg'd for $50, held it for 12 months then let it drop. Also had LakeMacquarie.com.au which I forgot to re-register.
 

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