It has been our experience that selecting domain names for resale can be a tricky process.   Often, our emotions will tell us to grab a domain name we find available, even if it doesn't meet our predefined set of criteria.  Why wouldn't someone want RUBBERBABYBUGGYBUMPERS.COM right?  Well, for the most part they don't and you'd be wasting money if you registered it.   Below are the criteria that we've successfully used at URLMerchant when selecting domain names to purchase for ourselves. If the name you're thinking about registering or have already registered makes it successfully to the bottom of this checklist, it's probably a keeper!

1. ".COM" TLDs (top level domains) only.  Unless you can get a great (really great) ".NET" name like HEALTH.NET or something along those lines. ".COM" names are the most widely known, the most sought after and the most valuable domain names currently available.
   
   
2. No adult names.  They rarely sell.  For the matter, they are rarely even looked at on our site.  Besides, the folks that might be interested purchasing in the adult name you've registered are usually creative enough to come up with an unregistered alternative.
   
   
3. No hyphenated names.  (e.g. I-BUY-REAL-ESTATE.COM  Who wants to say their new domain name is, "I dash BUY dash REAL dash ESTATE.COM"?  No one.  Trust us on this.  Get it without hyphens or don't get it.)
   
   
4. Short names only, 14 letters maximum (not including ".COM").  Sometimes there are exceptions to this, but they are quite rare. Always grab a two letter name if you can get it (e.g. BY.COM or P2.COM). Decent three letter name are usually winners too (e.g. BAI.COM or HBH.COM).  Exceptions: Names like XYG.COM or WP9.COM.
   
   
5. Select names that have appeal to a large corporate audience if you can.  This will ensure that your prospective buyers have the resources necessary to make an acceptable bid.  Exception: If you can get MIKE.COM or JENNY.COM, get it!  If you can get EXOTICFERRETS.COM, don't bother with that one.
   
   
6. No cute phrases or plays on words (e.g. RUBBERBABYBUGGERBUMPERS.COM or WESTOPFORKITTENS.COM).
   
   
7. No substituting "2", "4", "U" for words like "TO", "TWO", "TOO", "FOR", "YOU", etc.
   
   
8. No substituting the number one ("1") or zero ("0") for the letters "L", "I" or "O".
   
   
9. Names prefaced with the letter "E" are fairly decent sellers these days (25% of our recent sales).  This may change at any time though.  Also, don't put the letter "E" in front of an otherwise good name.  It doesn't always work and won't make you a dime. (e.g. ESTOCKTIPS.COM or EPROBOXING.COM)
   
   
10. Generic names are best if you can get them. (e.g. LENDERS.COM or ONLINECHECKING.COM).
    
    
11. Regional names are NOT usually desirable or big sellers (e.g. ORLANDOAUTOS.COM or BAYAREALAWYERS.COM).
    
    
12. No 800, 877 or 888 telephone numbers unless you already own the actual phone number. They are useless otherwise and registering them is begging for trouble.
    
    
13. No trademarked names or names that incorporate the trademark or servicemark of another.
    
    
14. NO TRADEMARKED NAMES or names that incorporate the trademark or servicemark of another whether it is federal, state or common-law.  Didn't we already say that?  Well we meant it.  You aren't really interested in being served with court papers on some Monday morning now are you?
    
    
15. No intentional misspellings.  They don't sell and really only serve to capture minimal web traffic (usually).  Exception: If you can get BETSCAPE.COM or something that won't offend a trademark owner but will capture a lot of 'fat-finger' typing mistakes then go for it.
    
    
16. No foreign languages (other than English) unless you have a specific target market in mind already.
    
    
17. No 'accidental' period omission names (e.g. WWWAMAZON.COM) that try to capture misspellings in a web browser.
    
    
18. Just because you think you can build a brand/company around a name doesn't mean that it's possible or that anyone wants to pay you a lot of money for the privlege of trying.
    
    
19. Don't spell out the period/dot in a name (e.g. WWWDOTDRUGS.COM) as these names will not likely sell since the names requires explanation.
    
    
20. Is the name easy to say and understand? What if you heard someone tell it to you over the telephone for the first time? Would you understand it or would they have to spell it? If you have to spell it, then forget it.
    
    

These criteria are meant as GUIDELINES ONLY for you and are not meant to be wholely inclusive.   Occassionally we even break our own rules (except for the trademark rule).   For the most part, if you stick to the names that pass the tests above, you'll probably come up with some names that will be much more likely to sell.  We hope this helps you in your name selection process.   This should in no way be construed as legal advice or a subsitute for a lawyer's counsel.