To renew or not to renew...

[Chicken]

That is the question.

What are your thoughts on renewing short domains like 5n9.com and aj5.com and z3w.com (just examples of the combinations, not those exact domains) ???

Don't say renew them and sell them for $15-$17 each (what they seem to typically go for), as it just isn't worth it, as I've owned it for two years.

I just don't know if they're worth "holding on to" for any reason. There aren't 1,000's of them expiring daily, but then again, 1) who cares, and 2) there are some.

[vito]

I've got a half dozen or so myself of those 3 character domains. I don't use them as active sites. Frankly, I don't know why I have them or renew them. So we're in the same shoes, Chicken. Who knows if it's worth hanging on to them. I probably will for another year or two and see what happens. Small investment, really.

Vito

[thebyp2]

if you do decide to get rid of either then let me know. haven't owned a three letter for a while and got a hankering for one. not really bothered what it is though!!!

[vito]

Originally posted by thebyp2: . haven't owned a three letter for a while and got a hankering for one. I believe Chicken is referring to 3 character domains.

Vito

[thebyp2]

Originally posted by vito:

I believe Chicken is referring to 3 character domains.

Vito

yeah three character would be rather good :D

your right, three letter is what i meant.

[markblair]

That's a tough call. In one sense, like you said, why hold onto something that you're not using. But I can't say much about that because I do this myself with a few domain names. None of them are three character names but nonetheless, I haven't used them for anything and probably won't. This is the first renewal year that I'm letting many names go. 2004 is my year for saving money so... :D Most were meant for sites I planned on working on and just never did. A few are older and to me had no resale value.

As for what you should do with those domains. I'd say drop them. Not so others can snatch them up right away but mostly because you're not doing anything with them.

[Website Rob]

If they are combinations of alpha & numerical characters and you're not using them or plan to, I'd say hang on to 3 and ditch the rest. Those type Domains are hard to find a use for and keeping 3 gives you a bit of a cushion, if you decide you want one at some point.

[battra]

I'd also say let them go, unless they have special meaning for you e.g. ckn.com, hho.com, hh0.com, etc.

[nameslave]

To be frank, 3-character (letter/number combo) .com domains have not been worth much HISTORICALLY; and when you factor in demand (who the heck on earth would want one?), then your answer is fairly clear. HOWEVER, there has been an "interesting" (I don't want to use the word "silly") trend of BUYING OUT the inventory from the market (supply) in order to boost the price. This happens first to 3-letter .biz, .info and .us, AND THEN 3-character .com. If you run a check on the latter for example, you'll know that many more have been registered (probably by a few big players) recently. But if you ask me, I still think they are not worth much, even with manipulation. My bet is that this time next year, there will be a huge drop of 3-character domains and YET another HARD lesson learned.

[MMiz]

I have some short domains that I keep just because. I keep saying I wont renew them when it's time. I always do.

[Balue.com]

My suggestion is let them go. If you arn't actually going to develop them, they shouldn't be worth your time and money just to hold on to them to maybe make a measly few dollars.

[HostingProf]

I would say unless the names are catchy they are pretty much worthless. Then again, some crazy company might buy one of them off you some day.

My suggestion: Pay the extra $10 a year and hold on to them. :p:

[doctor]

There are 760 three character domains that will expire in the next 30 days. That would seem to support the notion that they are not in short supply and therefore not going to fetch a lot more than reg fees. However another factor in the mix is that it in near impossible to beat the name drop warehouses when trying to pick one up. So keeping them will for the short term only return sentimental value (if unused).

If someone is dropping them please beat the name drop suction houses and post them here for a short auction and see what goes.