Domain portfolio

01

Domain portfolio, explained

A portfolio is usually spread across extensions, name types and price tiers, held at one or more registrars, and listed for sale through marketplaces and landers. Its fixed cost is the yearly renewal bill, which arrives whether or not anything sells, and for some extensions, such as .ai with its two-year minimum term, in larger blocks. Security is part of the job: strong unique passwords, two-factor authentication on every registrar and marketplace account, and registry lock for the most valuable names.

Four numbers describe its health: total acquisition cost, yearly holding cost, sell-through rate and average sale price after commissions. If the net revenue from a normal year's sales does not cover the renewals, the portfolio is losing ground even when individual sales look good. Review each name before its renewal date and drop or sell the ones you would not buy again today.

List names where buyers look, keep prices consistent across platforms, and keep your own records of every name, cost and price. Platforms change: Dan.com closed on June 27, 2025; GoDaddy, which acquired it in 2022, had already migrated the platform to Afternic. Spreading names across registrars and sales channels limits the damage any single change can do.

AI helps with the workload, from sorting thousands of names for renewal decisions to drafting descriptions and outreach and flagging possible trademark conflicts. A DNS record can also mark your names as for sale: RFC 10023, an informational RFC published in July 2026, defines a _for-sale record for that purpose. Automated appraisals still miss context, so final pricing and renewal calls stay with you. Holding a portfolio is speculative; most names never sell.

Go deeper How to Start Domain Investing: A Beginner's Guide