Calculate Your Domain Break-Even Price
Don't sell your domain at a loss. Factor in your acquisition cost, renewal fees, and marketplace commissions to find your true break-even point.
Domain Costs
What you originally paid. Enter 0 to only calculate future cost.
Assumptions & Add-ons
Leave at 0 to assume flat renewal pricing.
e.g., privacy services
Resale Estimation (Optional)
Your Estimated Cost to Keep This Domain
Total Capital Invested
$0.00
Acquisition + All Future Costs
Future Carrying Cost
$0.00
Over 5 years
Cost Breakdown by Year
| Year | Renewal | Add-ons | Cum. Future Cost | Total Invested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Year 2 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Year 3 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Year 4 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Year 5 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Disclaimer: These calculations are planning estimates based on the values you entered. Registrar renewal prices, taxes, marketplace commissions and other charges can change. CostToKeep does not estimate future domain resale value.
Why Domain Investors Lose Money
Domain investing (often called "domaining") can be highly profitable, but poor accounting destroys margins. A common mistake new investors make is ignoring the compound effect of renewal fees and the heavy impact of marketplace commission rates.
The Break-Even Formula
To properly calculate your break-even price, you cannot simply add your purchase price and the commission fee together. If you buy a domain for $1,000 and the marketplace takes a 15% commission, selling it for $1,150 will result in a loss.
Why? Because the 15% fee is taken out of the $1,150 gross price ($172.50), leaving you with only $977.50. You lost $22.50 on the trade.
Our calculator uses the correct gross-margin mathematical formula:
Total Invested Capital / (1 - Marketplace Commission Rate)
Using the example above: $1,000 / (1 - 0.15) = $1,176.47. You must sell the domain for at least $1,176.47 to get your original $1,000 back.
Factoring in Holding Time
Domains rarely sell in the first year. Every year you hold a domain, you must pay a renewal fee to your registrar. If you hold a domain for 5 years with a $15 annual renewal fee, your Total Invested Capital increases by $75. Our tool automatically recalculates your break-even price dynamically based on how many years you hold the asset.