Category FAQ: Buying & Transferring

How do I list a domain on Cloudname?

How do I list a domain on Cloudname?

Log in to Cloudname and click on your name at the top left.

Click on dashboard, profile, transactions or settings: you can list domains on Cloudname from each of these pages.

Now click on the Add a domain button: this will open a page where you can write the name of the domain you own.

On the following pages, enter:

  1. the description: i.e. a short sentence to describe the potential of your domain name;
  2. the category: i.e. the topic/market your domain name refers to;
  3. tags: these tags will enable your domain name to be found more easily by possible buyers.

After entering this information, you may be faced with one of two scenarios, in which you can:

  1. verify the ownership of your web3 (crypto) domain;
  2. verify ownership of your traditional domain (.com, .xyz, .net, etc).

How to verify ownership of a web3 domain and list it on the Marketplace

Don’t feel like reading this tutorial? Don’t worry, we have made a video for you.

If you have uploaded a web3 domain, Cloudname will ask you to verify your domain by connecting the metamask wallet on which you have minted (and on which you own) your domain. To do so, click on the Verify now button.

You will then find yourself on the Domain Detail page, similar to this one. Click on Connect Metamask, then on Sign in to verify.

It is possible that Cloudname will ask you several times to sign in to Metamask to verify domain ownership, but fear not. This depends on whether or not you have previously connected your crypto wallet to Metamask.

If the domain you uploaded is owned by you, the verification will take place correctly and Cloudname will confirm this via this screen. To decide on the price of the domain for sale, click on the Return to Details button.

Now, on the Detail page of your domain, by clicking on Edit, you can enter:

  1. the price of the domain at which you want it to be purchased;
  2. whether you accept both FIAT and crypto payments;
  3. which type of currency you prefer to be paid.

Note: Before you can set a sales price for your domain, you must have set up your preferred payment gateway:

  • Metamask if you want to be paid in crypto; it only takes a few clicks to do this, find out how here.
  • Stripe if you want to be paid in FIAT.

Once you have set up your preferred payment gateway and set a price for your domain, you can offer your web3 domain for sale and publish it on the marketplace.

To do this, click on the Published tick at the top of your domain’s detail page.

What to Do if Your Desired Domain Name Isn’t Available

What to Do if Your Desired Domain Name Isn’t Available

You’ve probably been there – you finally found the domain name you want, you type it in the search box only to see that it’s already taken. While it shouldn’t be a key element to your business’s success, you could have spent hours building it into your business plan.

In this unfortunate case, what to do if the domain name you want is unavailable? You have a few options, certainly more than the common response of ‘let’s find another one.’ Now we will elaborate on all the details in this complete guide.

Do NFT Domains Expire?

The first topic we’ll go through is the expiry of NFT domains. While regular domains indeed expire, allowing new owners to invest in them, domains on Cloudname do not expire. Once you buy it, it’s yours, and you have control over it for life.

If your domain isn’t available and you plan to buy it once it’s expired, it’s simply not an option.

Change it Slightly

Assuming the specific domain you want is now taken, try a comparable name or a synonym. For example, try using a similar term, adding an extra word in or changing the letters slightly and this will undoubtedly increase your chances of finding an available domain.

To give you an idea, “crypto.x” may be taken, but “coin.x” or “cryptocurrency.x” may be available.

Add a Verb to the Domain Extension

This is a great way to personalize your domain and find an available version of it. If you sell NFTs and the collection is “trees NFT,” but it’s unavailable, then try adding “Get” and see if it is.

This is an excellent way for entrepreneurs to find domains that match their field and can be marketed readily.

Choose Another Domain Extension

If your perfect domain isn’t available with the domain extension you want, then try checking other ones. For instance, a domain ending in “.x” could be unavailable since it’s a popular extension. But your domain will probably be available with other extensions like .coin or .wallet.

It’s worth noting that some domain extensions are much pricier than others. “.x” is sometimes twice as expensive as “.wallet”.

Check Other Platforms to Buy from Investors

The investor of an NFT domain owns it for life. However, it’s common to resell NFT and NFT domains on other platforms like OpenSea. That is to say, if you see your dream blockchain domain not being available on Cloudname and you’re not flexible with your choice, you could potentially find it elsewhere.

However, you should know that NFT domains sell fast and, therefore, you could be missing an opportunity if you’re not flexible with your choice.

What is Domain Flipping?

Talking about reselling blockchain domains on other platforms, it’s natural to think about domain flipping, but let’s elaborate on this subject.

Domain flipping is the act of purchasing domain names cheaply and reselling them. While this practice is widespread for regular domains, it’s getting more common in the blockchain space.

Abbreviate Your Domain

Another great way to find an alternative domain is to abbreviate it. In fact, if your domain isn’t available, you could abbreviate it and find a suitable alternative for your business or crypto address.

Let’s say that your business name is “Gallery Smith and John”, you could abbreviate it to “gallerysandj” or “gallerysj”. These are typical examples of domain abbreviations that users find when their domain name isn’t available.

Add a Country to Your Domain Name

When a domain isn’t free for purchase, adding a country extension is a great idea. Nissan has been a famous case, and they added “USA” to their brand name as the domain “nissan.com” was not available.

Suppose that you want to buy a domain for your company called “Ethereum”. Of course, it’s not going to be available, so you could try “Ethereumus” or “Ethereumusa” and you may have more luck in finding your preferred domain name.

Final Thoughts

If your domain name isn’t available, these were all the hacks and alternatives to find one that can suit you and your business.

Of course, people may spend hours finding the perfect domain name, and it’s a shame when it’s not available. But, with a little bit of patience and effort, you can get one that matches your requirements.

What to Do After Buying a Domain

What to Do After Buying a Domain? Your Step-by-Step Guide

You’ve bought your first NFT domain, and maybe you now wonder what the next steps are. Making a website? Using your domain name as your crypto address?

You can do endless things with your NFT domain, and you’ll want to make the most of its functions. If you’re confused about how to use your NFT domain, we’ll go through everything you need to know in this step-by-step guide.

Is it Worth Buying NFT Domains?

With all the hype around NFT domains, it is natural to have some doubts. The same doubts appeared back in the days when cryptocurrencies and NFTs came out. But that didn’t stop these from growing and making people a lot of profit.

Like NFTs, blockchain domains are very much worth buying for multiple reasons. First, once you buy them, you are the owner for life and have complete control over them. Also, you can replace your crypto address with your domain name, which is a great plus, particularly if you use crypto for your transactions.

Apart from that, they are decentralized, which means no authority can seize you in the future. All things considered, yes, it’s worth investing and buying NFT domains.

How to Store Your NFT Domain?​

Once you buy your NFT domain, you’ll want to know where to store it. Unlike regular domains stored on the registrars’ database, NFT ones work a little differently. First of all, you can store your NFT domain on the marketplace you bought it from, like Cloudname. But you can also decide to move it elsewhere for convenience or safety purposes.

The first way to move them from the marketplace’s database is to store them into a hardware wallet. This is the safest way to store your NFT domain as they are disconnected from the internet and, therefore, not accessible to hackers or cyber-attacks.

The second option is to move your NFT domain to your crypto wallet such as Coinbase or MetaMask. While these aren’t as safe as a hardware wallet, they are very convenient and allow users to access them anytime.

What to Do After Buying a Domain?

There you are; you’re finally ready to take action on your blockchain domain after buying it. But you’re confused as to where to start. Let’s elaborate on each step of the process in detail.

1. Connect Your Crypto Wallet

The first step after purchasing your NFT domain is to connect it to your crypto wallet. As mentioned previously, this helps keep it safe, but it also allows you to get the proper permission to become the owner. In fact, if you want to receive full ownership, you’ll have to store it in your wallet.

Not all domains are compatible with all crypto wallets, so it’s good to check beforehand. If you’ve already purchased your domain and it isn’t compatible with your wallet, you’ll have to open a new wallet on another platform.

2. Minting Your NFT Domain

Minting your NFT is an essential step of the process as it allows you to become the genuine owner of the domain. To put it into perspective, it’s like signing the papers and receiving the keys to a new car you just bought.

Or, if you buy an NFT, you’ll be the owner of the smart contract, and this is the same as minting your NFT domain.

After minting your NFT domain, its data and smart contract will be moved from the marketplace’s database to the blockchain and eventually appear in your crypto wallet. Once that is done, you’ll be the official owner of the blockchain domain.

3. Replace Your Crypto Address With Your Domain Name

Now that your NFT domain is in your crypto wallet, you should use one of its most special functions – replacing your crypto address. Crypto addresses are pretty long and uncomfortable to handle transactions as they are long and confusing – e.g. 578rjfr9fjr837x After logging into your cryptocurrency wallet, go to “Receive crypto” and select your NFT domain.

Now that you’ve replaced your crypto address with your NFT domain, you’re ready to receive transactions with your domain.

4. Create a Website

If you successfully complete all the steps above, then making a website is the ultimate goal you should target. That being said, not all browsers natively support web3 (the part of the internet on which NFT domains are based), and you’ll have to either:

  • Use Opera or Brave browsers, which support and display blockchain domains and websites
  • Install a plugin or extension on your favorite browser, allowing you to create a website

Creating a website with your NFT domain isn’t a complex task, and we have several templates available on Cloudname that you should check out.

Conclusion

While these steps after buying an NFT domain can be daunting at first, they are much more straightforward than they sound. After all, blockchain domains are the future of the internet, and they will soon be indexed by search engines, allowing NFT owners to make the most of their assets.

To conclude, purchase your NFT domain today on Cloudname and get ready to embrace the future of the crypto world.

Everything You Should Know Before Buying a Domain

Everything You Should Know Before Buying a Domain

Choosing a domain name is only the first part of the process, and, with regards to purchasing it, it’s critical to look past a simple web address and consider more elements.

Your domain name will become the homepage of your brand, and once it’s established, you can’t really go back. But apart from getting and purchasing your perfect domain name, what do you need to consider?

This is what we’ll go through in this complete guide. Let’s dive into the subject from what to check before buying to the unwritten rules of NFT domains.

Why a Domain Name is Important

First things first, let’s elaborate on why you need a domain name for your business. There are other utilities other than simply replacing your crypto address with your NFT URL when it comes to blockchain domains.

A domain name, or more specifically, a website, is what makes your brand stand out from the competition and where you showcase your products or portfolio.

While Google doesn’t currently index blockchain domains, they will be in the future, and you should be prepared for what’s to come in the near future.

What are Registrars?

Before discussing all the details of buying a domain, let’s elaborate on the registrars’ essential part of the game.

The registrar of a domain name is an organization that handles reservations of these domains. Registrars have to be accredited by country code top-level in order to execute their function. In plain words, registrars store domain names, and this is where users go to purchase or rent them, such as Cloudname.

What You Should Know Before Buying a Domain

There are several factors to consider before jumping in a buying your domain name. From renting or buying a domain to your registrar’s settings and more, let’s go deep into the details.

Renting or Buying a Domain

Of course, the first thing that comes to your mind is whether buying or renting your domain name is the right option. Price is the most crucial part of any purchase, and when it comes to NFT domains, it can get high pretty quickly, hence why many users decide to rent it.

In terms of NFT domains, will you buy a domain that will be yours for life? Or would you instead rent it and pay renewal fees each month or year?

While buying a domain can seem costly at first, it can undoubtedly prevent you from paying expensive renewal fees each year. In addition, these renewal fees might increase over time, and what will happen if you miss a payment in the future? These are some elements to consider with your registrar when buying or renting a domain.

Lastly, something to keep in mind is the gas fees which are common in the NFT and blockchain world since they have to be paid for each transaction. You will need to pay gas fees when purchasing a domain name and any other potential transactions.

Your Domain Should be Easy to Remember

Before purchasing your domain name, you should always make sure that it’s easy to remember. Whatever your domain name is, one that is easy to read and remember will go a long way in terms of reputation.

Also, when using your NFT domain as your crypto address, you’ll want people to recognize you immediately rather than mistaking you for someone else.

To give you an idea, you definitely don’t want to choose a domain name with several same letters, such as “llll.wallet”. This is easy when copying and pasting, but it gets very complicated when typing it manually.

A Shorter Domain Name is Better

Choosing a short one will make your life easier when you run a business or use your NFT for private purposes. Of course, as mentioned above, keeping it easy to remember is great. But keeping it short rather than long is a massive bonus.

Consider Your Registrar’s Customer Support

Something else to consider is the customer service offered by your registrar. For instance, at Cloudname, we always make sure to reply promptly so that our customers feel confident in us and trust our services.

While you don’t always need a 24/7 service, it will undoubtedly come in handy if you have any issues in the future.

Apart from that, checking the reviews of the registrar, you’re planning to use is essential. You can also try contacting their customer service before purchasing or renting your NFT domain to get an idea of the treatment you’ll receive.

Check the Crypto Wallet Compatibility

One of the reasons users buy an NFT domain is to replace their crypto wallet address. Because of this, you will want to check the compatibility with your cryptocurrency platforms like Coinbase or MetaMask. You might not make use of this for the moment, but it will be very nice to have if you decide, one day, to replace your crypto address.

After all, if you purchase an NFT domain, it makes sense to use all of its functionalities.

Consider Different Domain Extensions

While .com is the world’s most used domain extension, it doesn’t mean that other extensions are not appropriate for business or private purposes.

In the NFT world, the extensions are much different from regular ones, and they include:

  • .x
  • .coin
  • .wallet
  • .bitcoin
  • .zil
  • .nft
  • .dao
  • .888

As you can see, these are much different from standard domain extensions like .net or .info, but they will get much more common in the future.

It’s worth noting that the price of these extensions vary, and you’ll want to compare the price of each before proceeding to pay.

The Compatibility of Browsers

While most browsers do not natively support NFT domains and websites, alternative solutions are coming to the market. The 2 browsers that natively display NFT domains are Brave and Opera.

However, other mainstream browsers like Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and mobile devices are releasing extensions and plugins to support these new domains.

To sum up, while there are indeed plugins to display your future website, this is one of the elements to consider before paying.

5 Reasons to Transfer a Domain

5 Reasons to Transfer a Domain

Transferring a domain is a prevalent practice that can happen for several reasons. These are very different motives, from gifting a domain to reselling it and making a profit.

Migrating or transferring a regular domain can take up to a month, but NFT domains can be transferred to another investor in seconds. This guide will go through the reasons to transfer an NFT domain, what transferring does to it, what domain migration entails, and much more.

What Does Transferring a Domain Do?

For standard centralized systems, transferring a domain is the process of changing the registrar. The database, domain information, and website remain the same. This process is quite complicated, and business owners often need to request help from the registrar to avoid making any mistakes.

On the other hand, when it comes to NFT domains, the only element that changes during a transfer is the owner and the smart contract. This is only one of the many reasons why NFT domains are more convenient than regular ones.

Are NFT Domains Safe?

This is the million-dollar question. NFT domains have been on the market for a while but have been booming only recently, given the fact that NFT domains are hosted on the blockchain on Ethereum and are, therefore, very safe.

Apart from that, since they’re hosted on the blockchain and not centralized, they will not be censored as opposed to regular domains.

Are Blockchain Domains a Good Investment?

If you already have a website or are thinking about purchasing a domain, then NFT domains are the best investment. They’re safe, you have complete control over it, you’re the only owner, and you have no renewal fees, unlike standard domains.

Apart from that, blockchain domains sell out fast, and you should make sure to buy yours before someone else does – once it’s gone, it won’t be back on the market unless the owner resells it.

5 Reasons to Transfer a Blockchain Domain

As highlighted previously, there are several reasons for which you’ll want to transfer a domain – from the most basic to the more complicated motives. Let’s dive into the most common ones.

Transferring it as a Gift to Other Investors or Friends

NFT domains are the future of the internet, but not everyone is aware of their potential. In fact, while millions of blockchain domains were sold on the market, they’re only a very small fraction of the internet as we know it today.

But Web3 is here and will be staying, and the technology behind it will only improve with years passing by. Transferring a domain as a gift to friends, family, or other investors will be very useful to them in the future.

As a reminder, transferring an NFT domain only takes a few seconds!

Reselling domains

Everyone can change his mind, and NFT domains aren’t an exception. If you bought a domain and didn’t make any use of it, then chances are, you will want to resell it. Once you purchase a domain, it’s yours for good, and you can do what you want with it, including reselling it.

The major NFT and blockchain domain reselling platforms are Cloudname, OpenSea, Rarible, and Binance. But if you’re not really into these secondary markets, you can organize a private sale. We will talk more about this in the following paragraphs.

Selling Privately to Investors

We just discussed the second-hand online markets reselling NFTs, domains, and more. But, if they aren’t really offering what you need, then organizing a private sale is definitely an option.

If you happen to have bought a popular domain and someone wants to buy it from you, then you’re free to do so.

NFT domains are hosted on the blockchain and owned through smart contracts, which allows the owner to resell them without an intermediary party. Also, since they’re connected to a crypto wallet, you’ll be able to receive crypto in seconds and immediately transfer the NFT domain to their wallet.

Transferring Your Domain for Business Reasons

Business is another reason why users may want to transfer their domain. For instance, if the business domain were registered by one employee under their private account or email, that company would request the transfer back to their department.

Or, if you happen to have bought one domain and a corporation wants to buy it from you, then this is considered a business reason, and they could be paying you significant sums of money for that NFT domain.

Privacy Reasons

While privacy is mainly an issue for regular domains, it may be a problem for blockchain domains. However, as mentioned previously, NFT domains are very safe, and we highly recommend investing in one today.

Back to privacy concerns for a moment. Some information may always leak on the internet, and Web3 isn’t exempt from these privacy issues. In case the domain’s owner doesn’t want to reveal his identity or personal information, but sadly that domain is leaked for one reason or another, then that domain could be transferred.

At Cloudname, we are equipped with a world-class security system to protect all domains and information leaks. That being said, once the domain is sold, we have no control over it anymore, and the owner will be fully responsible.

Conclusion

These were all the possible reasons why investors transfer an NFT domain. These are all different motives, from offering it as a gift to friends or family to reselling it or even for business reasons.

How does it work?

On 28/01/2023 a whitelist of eligible wallets will be published (any wallet holding $CNAME since before 27/01/2023 – NOTE: the tokens needs to be in a WALLET and not for example in an exchange)

Whitelisted users will be able to Redeem $CNAME directly on the Cloudname website.
The application page will allow users to connect their wallet and choose how many $CNAME to redeem.

Once the $CNAME are sent, users will immediately receive an email with a Freename promo code. Every promo code will be $100 max, and is not cumulative  (e.g. if you redeem $1,000 in $CNAME, you will receive 10x $100 promo-codes)

Happy Web3 TLDs and Domains Shopping!