Inside the Mind of a Domain Pro: AbdulBasit Makrani’s Afternic Strategy and Success

Revered within the domain name sector, AbdulBasit Makrani has earned widespread acclaim for his transparency, eagerness to impart knowledge, and consistent publication of sales figures.

AbdulBasit, who operates his own blog, shares his experiences with Afternic every month via his site, AbdulBasit.com, regularly reporting 15 or more sales per month.

We’re excited to share an interview we conducted with AbdulBasit, delving into his portfolio, his strategy, and his Afternic setup.

How many domains do you have in your portfolio? Are you continuously adding more, and how has your pacing changed over time?

Currently I [have] 9,650 domains and I’ve been adding around 100 domains every month on an average. In the last 3-4 years, my acquisition speed was slightly higher than right now as I’m trying to slow it down.

What type of domain names do you tend to buy, and where?

This year, 2024, I’m focusing more on 3, 4, and 5-figure domains than investing in the $xx range and adding more in numbers. This way I’ll be having less in numbers but more in quality.

One of the reasons is to keep the portfolio in balance. Currently I’ve 30% of my portfolio priced at $1,988 which is the lowest BIN price I set for my domains. Also I try to buy from auction houses like GoDaddy Auctions, DropCatch, SnapNames, private purchases directly from domain owners as well as from domain investors who’re looking to flip for a quick profit.

On average, how many domains do you sell via Afternic each month?

In 2023, the average number of sales via Afternic was around 11. Towards the end of the year, I changed the prices for almost my entire portfolio, reducing them by 20%-60%.

It’s obvious to me that the reduction in prices has brought in some good sales. I believe the current pricing fits my business model to be running more smoothly and successfully.

How do you value the domain names that you have, in order to set your Buy it Now (BIN) prices?

There are several factors I consider in pricing a domain name. Usually my purchases are upgrade domains where I can find at least a few existing potential buyers for the domain.

Let’s take an example for one of my domains GRO.com. This has hundreds if not thousands of potential end-users who can buy the domain. For the last few years, a random three-letter .com is selling in low-mid 6 figures whereas GRO.com is a pronounceable domain which is easily worth 7 figures to the right end-user.

Now let’s take another example of a domain which I recently sold HelloGrowth.com for $9,888 and AttainHealth.com for $29,888 both via Afternic at their respective Buy it Now prices.

Keywords starting with “hello” have been sold in the past and it’s a positive term combining with the keyword “growth.” Although I rarely check comparable sales, after checking right now, I can see there are several sales even in 5 figures starting with the “hello” keyword.

The other domain AttainHealth.com is a health niche which has a huge potential and “attain” has a positive meaning “to gain, achieve” and if you combine it with the “health” keyword, it makes a perfect combination.

Some other factors I consider along with the number of existing companies are the market size, and the potential usage of the domain.

Every month, you share your Afternic experience. When did you start selling domains at Afternic?

I started using Afternic lander in January 2020 and since then I’ve been continuously using it. This has been a great journey using Afternic.

AbdulBasit Makrani

Why do you choose Afternic over other sales platforms?

I’ve tested several other platforms and landers in the past, but I’ve noticed that Afternic brought me more sales. The main reason I believe is the brand recognition factor.

I’ve also noticed that the Afternic brokers are very experienced and handle the leads very professionally. I also have a dedicated account manager, Adam Ramsdell, who is a great person to deal with any issues I’ve for my account, updates on any new offers, negotiations and a lot more.

“I’ve tested several other platforms and landers in the past, but I’ve noticed that Afternic brought me more sales.”

Which lander do you tend to use for your domain names? Does the choice of lander vary depending on the domain, or price point?

I’ve been using Afternic landers since January 2020 (Request Price and Buy it Now landers) and during this period, I tested the Buy it Now lander for 3-4 months.

For the most part, I’ve been using the “Request Price” lander. The main reason for using the “Request Price” lander is that the broker gets the contact information of the buyer in order to communicate in the future.

Another major reason is that suppose if the domain is priced at $9,888 and the buyer has the maximum budget of $8,000, I may re-evaluate the overall situation and decide whether to accept the $8,000 offer or stick to the quoted price of $9,888.

Where do most of your Afternic domain sales originate from?

According to the lead report I receive every month, thanks to Adam Ramsdell, it’s obvious that at least 50% of the sales originate from the GoDaddy search path. The remaining sales happen via my Afternic landers and partner registrars.

What kind of experimentation have you done to optimize your portfolio at Afternic?

In the last 4+ years, I’ve tested Buy it Now different landers. I’ve also increased my prices in 2021-2022 and drastically decreased them at the end of 2023.

I’ve also added a few thousands of quality domains to reduce the inconsistency which I believe has been almost achieved now. I believe it will be picture perfect from the start of 2025 considering the amount of hard work, dedication, number of domains, and the quality of domains are added in building this portfolio.

What tips do you have to help sellers optimize their sales at Afternic?

Buy quality domains. Buy domains in quantity. Align your pricing with the quality of your domains. Add BIN to all of your domains which is a must in my humble opinion. I lost plenty of sales for many years by not putting up the Buy it Now price. I don’t want anyone to repeat the same mistake I did. And if there are any issues with how to price your domains, one can check this out as I offer several different services which include domain appraisals.

You mentioned recently that you’d reduced pricing on some of your domains. Do you do this often, and if so, what’s the reason for this?

Usually I revise the entire portfolio pricing every two years. That could be either an overall increase like I did in 2021 around the same period and last time at the end of 2023 with an overall reduction in prices.

During the Covid era, the sales were pretty good due to which I had to revise the prices and for the last at least one year, the sales were not up to the mark which made me reduce the prices.

I think the current pricing is more in the alignment of what my business model requires. One of the main reasons for lowering the prices is to have more sales to keep the cash flow going. This helps in buying more domains and saving some money as well.

Every month in your blog, you mention your account manager, Adam Ramsdell. How has working with your account manager helped you achieve more success with Afternic?

Although I started sharing my Afternic journey in January 2020, I’ve been working with Adam Ramsdell since 2019 and it has been a great experience with him. One of the best things is that he’s very passionate about domain business and takes care of his clients at the fullest. We usually have e-meeting once every month to discuss the current offers, lead report which I receive every month from him, about the sales, any issues I’m facing, suggestions for Afternic, etc. He makes things very easy for me to manage and is friendly to deal with.

Thank you to AbdulBasit for sharing his valuable insights. Follow AbdulBasit’s regular sales reports by heading to AbdulBasit.com, or follow him on X at @abmakrani.

This interview has been edited for clarity.