The vast majority of domain names currently offered for sale will not exchange hands this year. A massive amount of virtual real estate has been claimed on over 200 country code and generic top level domain extensions. The landscape is about to get much bigger with the introduction of new generic TLDs in late 2011.

      How will your domain name stand out in a crowd of billions?

      Here are ten reasons why your domain name won’t sell with recommendations for what not to do when marketing. I will cover how to overcome some barriers to a successful sale and some ways of breaking the ice with potential buyers.

1. Asking price is inflated. An unrealistic asking price is probably the most common reason for failing to sell a domain name. DomainConsultant recently published a detailed domain pricing guide featuring solid formulas for valuation that should prove useful to those selling premium quality domain names. Research similar keyword sales through NameBio, DNSalePrice and DNJournal to make a comparisons and avoid being laughed at.

2. Identity or legitimacy is in question. Security and fraud is always a major concern when dealing with digital goods. Are you able to offer a reputable escrow service to facilitate a secure sale and ownership transfer? You should always conduct business professionally with a clear understanding of who is selling the domain. This can be accomplished by personal email correspondence, displaying your business or personal website and phone number and having a non-private Whois registration data on your domains.

3. Not accepting offers. With no option to submit an offer available, a buyer will assume you are not willing to negotiate.  A contact form or email address will do the job. You can also mention in the sales copy that reasonable offers are welcome and will be considered. This can be a great way to bring in leads who may be interested in the domain at a later date.

4. No description of domain value. I think it is very important to share the potential of your domain to those interested. In my beginner’s guide to selling domains, I point out in the first two steps that sellers should visualize potential. Write how the domain could be used as a business or service or how it could be monetized. The vision makes it easier for a buyer to justify his purchase and for you to justify the asking price.

5. Has no value to begin with. As the video above demonstrates, the reality is that a domain registration fee does not guarantee there will be any resale value. If the words in your domain don’t make much sense, such as combinations that are never used in spoken English or made up words, then there is a chance your domain has no value at all. While it is possible to register interesting and desirable brand names, most quirky domain names have no intrinsic value and draw little interest from buyers.

Source from Dot Sauce