Crypto Currency has been surging in popularity as a form of secured currency. This type of currency can be store online via a wallet or on your computers hard-drive. There mining companies out there that will help you mind for these crypto currencies for a fee. These online mining companies typically offer an annual service, a life time service, as well as ethash.

SHA-256 is the life timing mining service that is offered by both Genesis Mining and HashFlare. These two companies also offer X11 which is an annual service and Ethash. The one difference between these companies is that HashFlare offers a Script service. The biggest distinction between these two companies is that Hashflare will limit you to Bitcoin mining while Genesis Mining will give you more options on where to allocate your resources. We have created a chart that highlights the difference between each mining speed. 1 kH/s means it will mine 1,000 hashes per second.

• 1 MH/s is 1,000,000 hashes per second. (mega)
• 1 GH/s is 1,000,000,000 hashes per second. (giga)
• 1 TH/s is 1,000,000,000,000 hashes per second.  (tera)

Genesis Mining Plans

Life Time Mining Service (SHA-256)

$190 for 1 TH/s or $19 for 1 GH/s

The following currencies are mineable with this plan are BTC, UNO, BTCD, DASH, LTC, DOGE, and ZET.

X11 Mining Service (2 Years)

$8 for 1 MH/s

The following currencies are mineable with this plan are DASH, BTC, START, LTC, Doge, BTCD, PPC, NMC, Cure and XMR.

Use this code to receive 3% each order:

Genesis Mining Coupon Code: 0yNPlk

HashFlare Plans

Life Time Mining Service (SHA-256)

$160 for 1 TH/s or $16 for 1 GH/s.

You are limited to bitcoin on HashFlare.

X11 Mining Service (1 Year)

$6 for 1 MH/s

We have been testing Genesis Mining with their SHA256 service and we were able to make $9 in the month of August with a $180 investment mining various coins. That is $108 dollars a year or a 60% return on our investment.

If your looking for a different kind of investment with faster returns you can try Bitconnect.

BitConnect Return Rates

Bitconnect uses a trading robot that trades crypto coins each day and generates between 0.75% and 3% per day.  Yes per day.  So your bank offers about 0.25% per year and some online banks offer 1% per year Bitconnect offers 0.75% each day.  It works a bit like a CD where you have to keep the money with them for 299 days.  Minimum investment is only $100 USD and from that you should generate about $0.75 per day which is about $22 per month.  So you double your money at that rate in about 4 to 5 months compared to around 18 months with mining.  There are many of these types of daily interest offers that are scams and we have tested a few which do not let you take your bitcoin back (bitmagnet is one of these scams) however bitconnect has about $35 million into it and we have tested it and found it to be legit.

Still no reason to dump your life savings in here but with a small $100 or $1000 investment you can make a nice return.  The more you invest the less time they hold the investment. Plus you get 7% of the deposit of anyone you refer.

 

 

 

 

If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment on or use our contact page.

Effective: December 1, 2016

The amendments to the Transfer Policy applies to ALL gTld’s and Registrars accredited with ICANN.

The amendments to the Transfer Dispute Resolution Policy (TDRP) applies to ALL gTLD’s, Registries, and Registrars accredited with ICANN.

Transfer Policy Updates:

1. IF the Registrar implemented a 60 day inter-registrar transfer lock following a CHANGE of REGISTRANT procedure, and the Registered Domain Owner did not opt out of the lock, THEN, the Registrar must deny any inter-registrar transfer request.
2. The definition of “Material Change” relating to a Change of Registrant has been clarified.
3. The required information in the notification to the Prior and New Registrant has been modified.
4.  In the event of a Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) proceeding that the Registrar has been informed of, Registrars must deny an inter-registrar transfer.

TDRP Updates:

1. Any TDRP Complaints must be filed with ICANN approved Dispute Resolution Providers and not with Registries.
2. The statute of limitations to file a TDRP Complaint has increased to 12 months.
3. Added updated version of enumerated reasons for denying inter-registrar transfers in the Transfer Policy
4. IF the Dispute Resolution Panel concludes that an invalid transfer occurred, THEN, any transfers to a Gaining Registrar and all subsequent transfers are not valid.
5. IF the Dispute Resolution Panel concludes that an invalid transfer occured, THEN, the Registrar of Record prior to the Invalid Transfer will receive the domain name.
6. ALL TDRP decisions must be published with TDRP Providers
7. New definitions have been added.

All this has been done to further prevent the risk of fraudulent domain name transfers, an all to frequent common occurrence as of late.

 

The domain name is one of the most important part of a new business. You want something that is memorable and will stand out from the competition. The best domain names are probably registered at this point, so purchasing one is not an option for most people. Unless you are willing to spend thousands of dollars on a domain name, we have some great tools you can use to find a great alternative.

BustAName (Alexa Rank 66,553) – This site allows you to put keywords and it will generate an available domain names with that set of keywords. This site is great for finding a domain with keywords you feel are relevant.

DomainsBot (Alexa Rank 43,850) – This name spinner will allow you to find similar domain names to the one you typed in. They also have a feature that will link to 3rd party registrars that will help you register the domain.

Domainr (Alexa Rank 35,135) – This search engine will find all domain names that are similar to the one you are looking for. This site will include name hacks as well as gTLDs. You also have the option to check if the domain is available and the ability to register the domain from this site.

DomainTools (Alexa Rank 1,372) – Another great site for name spinning, but unlike the other name spinning tools this one also has a whois feature. It will allow you to look up the information of the individuals who own the domain you are looking for.

Domize (Alexa Rank 126,428) – This tool will start searching for all domains the moment you start typing. It will indicate if the domain is available by the color green and unavailable by the color red. It will also provide alternative gTLDs if one is taken.

Dotomator (Alexa Rank 107,020) – This is another name generation tool, but you have to put in keywords at the beginning and the end. It will give you a list of available domains as well as domains that are already taken from your lists.

Impossibility (Alexa Rank 202,937) – This tool is great domain generator. All you have to do is provide a keyword, then you have the option of selecting adjective, noun, verb, and the placement of keyword. After you have decided, this tool will generate a list of domains that are available for registration.

LeanDomainSearch (Alexa Rank 29,082) – Like the other name generation tools on this list, this site will provide the biggest list out of all of them. All you have to do is put in a keyword and you will get thousands of alternate names that are available for registration.

NameStation (Alexa Rank 46,882) – This is another name generation tool. What sets NameStation apart from the competition is that it has a social platform to hold contests for original ideas from their users.

Wordoid (Alexa Rank 139,692) – This tool is great if you are looking for something brand-able. There is a list of made up words that will pass the radio test and are available for registration right now.

If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment on or use our contact page.

Having the right tools is esstential to succeeding in everything. We noticed a lot of our favorite tools have died over the last couple of years including namethis, myipneighbors, dnzoom, collectionmanagers and many more. We created a list of essential tools that are not obivious to everyone to help you with your domain business.

Domainr (Alexa Rank 35,135) FREE – Domainr is a domain name search engine that doubles as a marketplace. Domainr will list if a website is available, for sale, or unavailable. You have the option to use any marketplace like godaddy for the purchase of the domain. This site will show the typical .COM, .NET, .ORG domains and domain hacks.

LeanDomainSearch (Alexa Rank 27,461) FREE – LeanDomainSearch is a great tool if you are looking for quantity over quality. This website will generate a list of domain names that are available for registration. While you are not going to find the next best domain here, you might be able to find something decent that contains your keyword.

Ahrefs (Alex Rank 3,095) $99/month – Ahrefs is an SEO and Domain analytics tool. One of the key differentiator of ahrefs is that it tracks the gains and loss of backlinks. These are great tools if you are planning to buy a website or domain.

Majestic (Alexa Rank 33,239) $50/month – This is the best backlinks tool in the market right now.

SitePrice (Alexa Rank 10,804) FREE – Everyone has heard of Estibot, but have you heard of siteprice? SitePrice takes into account website traffic the data is more relevant to current websites.

ViewDNS (Alexa Rank 33,239) FREE – This is the all in one DNS tool. You can use it for Reverse IP look up to China firewall test.

DomainsBot (Alexa Rank 43,850) FREE- This is a domain name spinner. It will provide domain names that are available for purchase after you type in a keyword you want included in your domain.

SimilarWeb (Alexa Rank 2,709) FREE – This site is very similar to Alexa where it gives you information on the ranking of a website. The difference between this and Alexa is that it is completely free so you can view a wide array of information.

DropCatch (Alexa Rank 55,422) FREE – DropCatch is a great site if you are in the market for expiring domains. There are quite a few gems that people forget to renew and this is the marketplace to use if you are looking for something pending deletion.

Wayback Machine (Alexa Rank 295) FREE – Need to know what a domain looked like way back in 2002? The wayback machine takes a snapshot of a domains history and preserves it forever in its archive.

ToughDomains Portfolio Manager is a great way to organize your domain portfolio. This tool will allow you to input data regarding your domain and it will pull in data like expiration data/domain age/name server/ and e-mail attached to the domain.

If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment on or use our contact page.

Domain names have become quite a popular investment over the recent years. Flipping domain names have made quite a few people very rich in recent years. There are sites out there where you can buy/sell domains, while others are auction based where the highest bidder gets the rights to purchase the domain. Auction sites are more popular when you are selling high profile domain names where the value exceeds $1,000. Buy/sell sites usually have the niche domain names for sale.

–Generic domain names about a product or a service can be quite a valuable asset. An example of a generic domain being sold for millions of dollars would be www.insurance.com. That domain name sold for $36,500,000 in 2010. These domain names are typically high in value as long as you avoid copyright infringement. Due diligence is very important when it comes to domain names because the court can order you to give up your domain name for free if you are found guilty.

–Business domains is another great investment. These domains can be pair with a geographical location for example NewYorkDentist.com is a site where people review their dentist online. These domains can bring in ad revenue due to their specific nature.

-Geographic domains is another great investment because it is relevant to a large group of people. Owning a domain like NewYorkBroker.com can be quite handy when people are looking to start a business for Brokers in New York.

-There are also issues with investing in domains. The biggest issue for domain names is the liquidity and their value. The value of a domain name is very subjective and can be valued very differently. There are different aspects to a domain that can increase its value like the backlinks. Selling the domain is also an issue because a buyer might not come along until months after the initial auction/sale is posted.

There is no way to tell if a domain will yield profit like other investments you can make. Investing in domains is a lot of work and it will take a long of time before you make a high return on an investment.

If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment on or use our contact page.

Everyone has to start somewhere when it comes to investing in domains. Sites like namepros is a great resource for beginners and experts alike. Before you decide to buy a domain, you should look at some of the common mistakes beginners make before purchasing your first domain.

1. Not all premium domains are premium – The word premium is used a lot in domain auction/selling sites. While they call all these domains premium, only a small amount of domain names are premium.
2. Valuation tools – Tools like Estibot are a great resource in getting an idea on what a domain name could be worth. While Estibot is a great tool when it comes to valuation, do not expect it to give you the exact value of a domain. There are many factors in why a domain might be worth more or less that an algorithm will not be able to calculate.
3. Trying to sell a domain when it is registrar locked – New domain buyers might not be aware that editing the registrant information will locked their domain for 60 days. This system was put in place to help prevent a hijacking of the domain. In the event that it is hijacked, the registrar will be able to retrieve the domain.
4. Do some research before buying a domain – There are a lot of tools out there that can be use to find information about the domain you plan to buy. You might want to use some SEO tools to help you evaluate the value of the domain.
5. Do not hide your Whois if you are planning to sell the domain – If you are planning to sell a domain, it might is better to leave your whois information unhidden. When your whois is unhidden, it will allow a potential buyer to see your contact information and possibly negotiate a sale.
6. The hype of new TLDs – There is always a lot of hype behind new TLD and their potential. While some TLD see moderate success, a lot of the new TLD fall flat. You should always do some research before buying into a new TLD.
7. Auctions – When you are selling a domain through an auction, you should always include a reserve price. You do not want your domain sold for less than what you hope to get out of it.
8. The length of a domain name – You should be careful when choosing a domain name for yourself.  Your domain name can contain words like Doctor, and Dentist, but do not go for something too long. For example, cosmeticsdentistinmanhattan.com would be too convoluted to read or remember.
9. Avoid Typosquatting – Typosquatting is a form of cybersquatting where the individual relies on a typo to get clicks on their sites. These websites would attempt to deceive and take advantage of the unknowing user. Websites like Twtter.com and wikapedia.com  were both fined for $156,000, so it is in your best interest to avoid typosquatting.
10. Park all your undeveloped domains – Parking your domain is not going to make you rich over night, but it is still a great way to make some money out of your unused domain names. Checkout our list of parking websites before making a decision on which parking company to use.

 

If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment on or use our contact page.

Most people in the domain industry are investors who buy domain names in anticipation of a high return in the future. These investors typically park or develop the website as a way to monetize it.  Developing the website could lead to a higher return because it will already be an established website.  If the website can maintain a high amount of traffic, it can increase the value of that site.  The process of buying and selling these domains does not guarantee profit as there is no way to tell which domains will be profitable in the future. If the domain is a one letter domain or is something that is relevant, the value will generally increase.

There are quite a few domains that sold for over a million dollars and we decided to make a list of the top 20.  Instead of a typical top 20 list, Tough Domains decided to adjust it for inflation to 2015 to see how much it would be worth today.

1. Carinsurance.com – This domain was sold for $49,700,000 in 2010. When we adjusted this for inflation, it came out to be $55,208,788.
2. Vacationrentals.com – This was one of the most expensive domains to be purchased before 2010 with the record of $35,000,000 in 2007. When we adjusted this for inflation, it came out to be $40,838,545.76.
3. Insurance.com – This was another domain that sold in 2010 for $35,600,000. After we adjusted this for inflation, the total came out to be $39,545,932.65. Quinstreet owns both Carinsurance.com and Insurance.com
4. Privatejet.com – This domain sold for $30,180,000 in 2012. After we adjusted it for inflation, the price came out to be $31,910,230.63.
5. Internet.com – This deal was finalized in 2009 for $18,000,000. After the adjustment for inflation, the price would be $20,315,056.64.
6. 360.com – This domain was sold in 2015 for $17,000,000.
7. Insure.com – This is another domain owned by Quinstreet. This was brought in 2009 for $16,000,000. When we adjusted it for inflation, it is $18,057,828.12 in 2015.
8. Bankaholic.com – This domain was sold for $15,000,000 in 2008. If this was purchased in 2015 the price would be $16,861,497.01.
9. Sex.com – This domain was sold for $13,000,000 in 2010. After the adjustment for inflation, the value is $14,440,930.46.
10. IRS.com – This domain was purchased for $12,500,000 in 2007. After the adjustment for inflation, it is $14,585,194.91.
11. Hotels.com – This domain was sold in 2001 for $11,000,000. After the adjustment for inflation, the value is $14,585,194.91.
12. Cardratings.com – This domain was sold in 2008 for $10,200,000. After the adjustment for inflation, the value is $11,465,817.97.
13. Fund.com – This domain was sold in 2008 for $9,999,950. After the adjustment for inflation, the value is $11,240,941.80.
14. Porn.com – This domain was sold in 2007 for $9,500,000. After the adjustment for inflation, the value is $11,084,748.13.
15. Porno.com – This domain was sold in 2015 for $888,888,888.
16. FB.com – Facebook acquired FB.com for $8,500,000 in 2010. After the adjustment for inflation, the value is $9,442,146.84.
17. We.com – This domain was sold in 2016 for $8,000,000.
18. Business.com – This domain was sold in 1999 for $7,500,000. After the adjustment for inflation, the value is $10,796,667.22.
19. Diamond.com (undeveloped and not parked) – This domain was sold in 2006 for $7,500,000. After the adjustment for inflation, the value is $8,996,148.22.
20. Beer.com (Parked) – This domain was sold in 2004 for $7,000,000. After the adjustment for inflation, the value is $8,898,929.85.

As you can see, domain names can be quite a high value commodity.  Domainers who were lucky enough to register these domains made a fortune from selling it. While a lot of these domains are developed, some domains like Beer.com is wasted since it is just parked.

Contact us at info@toughdomains.com for a full report.

 

 

When it comes to buying and selling domain names, one issue that many domainers consistently overlook are the tax implications.  For the purpose of this article, we would like to focus on domainers domiciled in the United States.

According to the IRS, Internet Domain Names are generally regarded as intangible personal property and the nominal annual domain name registration fees are generally deductible.   If a retailer acquires a domain name, then capitalization should also be considered.  To clarify further, we can break down the acquisition of domain names in the following scenarios:

• An entity purchases a domain name for the purpose of developing a brand; The monies spent are allocated as an asset that can be depreciated over time.
• An entity purchases a domain name with the purpose selling in the future; The monies spent to purchase the domain name(s) are treated as inventory or cost of goods sold.
• An entity monetizes the domain name; The monies earned from domain monetization are  treated as revenue.

Any expenses that are incurred with the process of purchasing or maintaining a domain name offset any revenue or cost of goods sold.  Typical expenses include the following:

Registrar fees, Hosting fees, Commissions or fees paid to brokers to buy or sell your domain name, domain development tool costs, or any domain development costs.

Some important tax issues to consider:

• Purchasing and selling domain names as a business or individual; Businesses use Form 4797 while individuals report the sales on Schedule D for capital gains.
• Donating domain names; This strategy must be carefully considered because donations of property that has appreciated falls under very strict IRS guidelines.  For example, for noncash gifts with a valued more than $5,000, you will need to acquire a qualified appraisal which must be dated no earlier than 60 days before the donation date and not past the filing date of your tax return.
• Leased or Owned Domain Names;

A couple of professional references for tax guides at a relatively low cost are available online called Domain Name Tax Guide and  Domain Tax Guide.

Tough Domains does not promote any tax strategy and before making any important decisions regarding your tax affairs. You should always consult a licensed qualified tax professional that understands the domaining industry and has experience in filing taxes for entities in the domain business.

Contact us at info@toughdomains.com for a full report.

Domain Parking:     It is our opinion that this form of domain monetization is the one that is suffering the most in the industry.  The payout is controlled by domain parking companies that provide very little to zero transparency on the true payout.    The payouts are relatively small for the owner of the domain names but high for the domain parking company.  The Domains per Nameserver can be use to determine how many domains are parked at their servers. There are several domain parking companies you can choose from.  Here is a list or what we believe are currently the best ones out there:

 

Bodis

Pros:  Minimum of 5 domains to open account , Easy sign up and approval process

Cons:  Below industry average payouts.

Payout Details:  7th day of the following month. No min payout threshold.  Paypal, Wire

Payout Split (Percentage of Ad Revenue Split Between Parking Company and Customer):  Unknown, parking company will not disclose the payout details.

Domains per Nameserver:  238,049

 

Voodoo

Pros:  Minimum of 10 domains to open account.  Easy sign up

Cons: Must own quality domains for approval.  Below industry average payouts.

Payout Details:  30th day of the following month. $20 min payout threshold. Paypal, Wire

Payout Split (Percentage of Ad Revenue Split Between Parking Company and Customer):  Unknown, parking company will not disclose the payout details.

Domains per Nameserver: 143,956

 

Parking Crew

Pros:  Easy sign up.  Payouts can be negotiated depending on quality of portfolio.

Cons: Must own quality domains for approval.

Payout Details:  15th day of the following month. $20 min payout threshold. Paypal, Wire

Payout Split (Percentage of Ad Revenue Split Between Parking Company and Customer):  Unknown, parking company will not disclose the payout details.

Domains per Nameserver: 9,167

 

Domain Sponsor

Pros:  Geared for high quality domain portfolios.  Payouts can be negotiated depending on quality of portfolio.

Cons: Must own quality domains for approval.  Monitors account traffic for at least 2 months before enabling your payment status.  (Part of the approval process)

Payout Details:  7th day of the following month. $50 min payout threshold. Paypal, Wire

Payout Split (Percentage of Ad Revenue Split Between Parking Company and Customer):  Unknown, parking company will not disclose the payout details.

Domains per Nameserver: 19,491

 

Rook Media

Pros:  Geared for high quality domain portfolios.  Payouts can be negotiated depending on quality of portfolio.

Cons: Below industry average payouts.

Payout Details:  30th day of the following month. $50 min payout threshold.

Payout Split (Percentage of Ad Revenue Split Between Parking Company and Customer):  Unknown, parking company will not disclose the payout details.

Domains per Nameserver: 19,491

 

Sedo

Pros: Easy sign up and easy to use.

Cons: below industry average payouts.

Payout Details: 15th day of the following month. $20 min payout threshold. PayPal, Wire Transfer, Direct Deposit (ACH), and Paper Check

Payout Split (Percentage of Ad Revenue Split Between Parking Company and Customer):  Unknown, parking company will not disclose the payout details.

Domains per Nameserver: 1,445,747

 

Tough Domains is working on viable solutions to revolutionize the domain parking industry which we believe will be the next generation in domain monetization.  Our solutions will offer the largest payouts available for ad offerings and affiliate product as well as the ability to offer dynamic relevant content on your parking page with the ability to post a sale or lease sign.

Please contact us at  info@toughdomains.com for a full report.

There are quite a few forums domain enthusiast like to visit. With the death of DNforum.com, we used Alexa to find out which forums everyone is visiting. For the top 5, we have used Alexa to determine which site has the most traffic.  The lower the number, the better the ranking is.

• webhostingtalk.com  This forum is ranked 3,819 in the Alexa global rank.  This forum is owned by inet interactive which is own by Penton media.  This is primarily a webhosting site with a section on domain discussion.  This site has pretty good traffic compared to other sites on this list.
• forums.digitalpoint.com This forum is ranked 5,854 in the Alexa global rank. This forum has a lot of sub-forums, but beware since this site does have its share of scammers.
• Namepros.com  This forum is ranked 9,929 in the Alexa global rank, is owned by BODIS and is very well known within the domain industry.  This site allows their users to discuss everything about domains from buying to selling and having others appraise their domains.  There are some features that are behind a paywall $5 for individuals and $10 for business.
• acorndomains.co.uk  This forum is ranked 108,457 in the Alexa global rank. This domain forum has it all when it comes to domain discussions.  They have discussions like buying and selling domains, but they also have sub-forums for domain rentals.
• domainstate.com  This forum is ranked 186,622 in the Alexa global rank, is owned by above.com and is very similar to namepros.  They have a discussion area for domains as as well as a wanted section for individuals looking for a specific name.  This forum is not very active compared to the other forums.

Contact us at info@toughdomains.com for a full report.