It’s kind of simple for me. I think about what I do as a service business. Say you had an idea for a company and hired someone to look for a name and domain for it. At the corporate level you’re paying a professional naming company $75k or more, just for the branding, not including the domain! My target audience is startups and small business owners. So I’m looking for ‘good enough’ names/domains to brand on, without having to rebrand later when you’re successful. My entry level, lowest tier domains price at somewhere around $3k, and go up from there to low 5 figure prices. The difference between a $3k domain and a $15k domain could be things like the size of the market and the amount of competition in that space. It could be the number of letters in the domain, how easy it is to spell, whether it passes the ‘radio test’ (easy to spell after hearing said). It could be how ‘top of mind’ the word or phrase is, meaning how much easier it is to remember. But generally speaking I’m looking for domains that will make up for their cost to you in what you would have spent to market an inferior name. Probably many times over. Because the easier it is for people to remember your name/domain, the less you’ll pay to market it.
If I’ve ‘done my job right’ one of my domains will be a perfect fit for your new business idea, and at a reasonable price. But if I don’t have an appropriate match, I can help you find one. I know where to look. I understand a fair price and a good deal. Either way, drop me a line, let’s talk about your project.