Also called carrying cost
Holding cost, explained
Renewals dominate. Every .com renews at the same capped wholesale price, but other extensions renew at higher rates, and registry premium names in many new gTLDs renew at premium prices every year. The .ai wholesale price, for example, is eighty dollars a year with a two-year minimum for registrations and renewals. Because most names in most portfolios never sell, much of each year's renewal bill goes to names that may never return it.
Measure holding cost against your realistic sale rate. Yearly renewals must be covered by sales you actually make, not by asking prices, so review names before each renewal date, drop or sell those with no inquiries and no clear buyer, and be wary of names whose yearly renewal exceeds what a quick wholesale sale would net. Holding cost also includes money tied up that could work elsewhere.
Example. Before renewal season, the investor totals the year's holding cost and drops names that drew no inquiries in three years.
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Education, not financial, legal or tax advice. Domain investing is speculative and most domain names never sell. Read the disclaimer.