A few weeks ago I picked up the deleted domain ShutUpHillary.com through SnapNames.com for the $60 fee. With her possible Senate reelection run, and her most definite plans to run for president in 2008, this was a good purchase. Rather than sitting around waiting for someone to purchase it from me, I thought about how I might make some money from it right now.

I’m experienced in creating and selling CafePress.com products, and political items are their biggest sellers. So, it was a natural fit and I created the Shut Up Hillary store there. I’ve got just a few items up to get started. But, here’s the great thing I’m doing with this. Usually when you create a product on CafePress.com, others tend to imitate it and siphon off some of the sales. But, if one owns the trademark for the image or wording on the products, CafePress.com will shut copycats down as soon as they are notified by the trademark owner. There’s really no fighting it. So, I went out and filed for the trademark “Shut Up Hillary” in the proper class for selling these goods. No one else will be able to create Shut Up Hillary products.

The trademark filing fee was $270, but that’s nothing compared to what I can make on CafePress.com. I’ve done it before. And now, they’ve got a new affiliate program just coming out of beta, which will help to increase sales.

The domain name right now is simply pointing to my store (whose design I know I have to improve). I’m stuck with Register.com for 60 days since that’s who I had to continue using via this SnapNames sale. Register.com unbelievably will not let me redirect the domain to the store without them framing it and putting an add of their’s at the bottom of the page. Try clicking on ShutUpHillary.com and see for yourself. They charge $50 a year to redirect without the ad! I’m not paying them for that. I’ll wait until my 60 days are up and then move it to GoDaddy.com.

Just pointing the domain name to the CafePress.com page is good, but not the optimum. It’s not necessarily sending traffic to the domain name. I’m going to think about creating a site for the domain, with some Hillary content and with links to the store. I could write a blog in it, but the last time I did something political like that it burned me out (made me hate things about BOTH sides).

Anyway, I thought I’d share what I’m doing with CafePress.com since it is something you might be interested in doing with some of your domain names.

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