Collecting Domain Names

17 Jan, 2026

Like many others, I seem to have amassed a number of domain names over the years, and I just can't seem to let go of many of them.

Currently I have 48 registered domains. Some are for projects which are current; others for old projects I've closed down but love the name; and some are names for an idea that never actually took off.

Oldest Domain

My oldest active domain is almost 24 years old. I registered it in February 2002 and it has hosted my email address ever since. No website, just email. I had the foresight early on to realised that if I own my own domain I can move provider whenever the notion takes me, but I don't need to advise everyone that I've changed my email address.

Over the years it has been hosted by Gmail, Outlook, and a few randoms. These days it sits comfortably within my Fastmail account. Not that anyone knows, as they just use the same address I've had forever.

I must also confess that I have every email sent and received since 2002!

Lapsed

Over the years so many names have come and gone. I've lost count! Previously, I have found it hard to let them lapse. However, I've learned that I can't keep every name that I think is amazing at 1am in the morning, when I am creating my latest idea in my vacuous head.

I do hang on to the odd one or twenty-five(!) that are great names, and some are centred around my identity.

I have seen some of my lapsed domain names get snapped up by domain name entities who then try and sell it back to me. However, by that point I've already said my farewells and I am not interested. I don't reply to those emails as it just confirms they have contacted a real person.

I did have one person/company contact me recently about a domain I allowed to lapse. I let it go a few years ago and I kind of regretted it, but life goes on. A few months ago someone contacted me to ask if I wanted to make an offer for an old domain of mine. Of course I ignored it. They were asking for $5k USD. Over the period of a few weeks the emails continued, with the figure dropping each time, and finally landing at $400.

I still did not respond. However, I noticed that the domain name they were trying to sell had not been renewed by them. It was in that limbo stage where only they can buy it back for a short period.

Just for fun, I kept and eye on it each day and finally it became public, so I registered it via my usual domain provider. I now owned it for $11. The person continued to email me trying to sell it for a few weeks. I still did not reply - even although it was now mine. Oh how I laughed smugly.

Selling?

I've never given any thought to selling, and I've never cybersqaatted a domain name either.

I was once approached by a company who were interested in one of my domains. I registered it in 1999 for an idea of my own. However, in mid-2000 I received an email from a company asking if I would be interested in selling it. They made me an offer. I thought about what I was doing with the name, and decided to sell it.

26 years ago, it was not as easy to transfer domains. There was paper work and faxing involved, but it happened. I was delighted to receive £4,000 for it. I probably paid about £30 when I initially registered. To this day the domain is still registered. The new owner's project at the time probably came to end of life and it has had a number of owners since then.

I look occasionally to see what it is used for. For the last 6 years or so it has been held by a Domain Name Selling site hoping that one day it will sell!

It currently expires in June -- perhaps I will keep an eye on it and buy it back if they do not renew it and it falls back to public sale.

Are you a domain name collector? How old is your oldest?

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