Domain Boardroom & Escrow.com Charity Auction Update!

oktvI want to give a big thank you to those of you who placed bids on the auction to benefit the American Red Cross and another thank you to those who offered up domain names and services. I also want to thank the people who wrote blog posts about the auction as well as those who have helped spread the word about it. I am excited that this is going to be able to help the American Red Cross, because the people impacted by these storms really need all the help they can get.

Yesterday evening, Rick Schwartz posted an article that was especially appreciated because I know Rick has been hesitant to link to charity related causes due to the “Air Katrina” fiasco several years ago. In light of Rick mentioning that dark time, I want to let you know how the funds from the auction will be collected and then disbursed.

Escrow.com is not just sponsoring the auction in name, but the company has offered its services to complete these transactions at no cost. Once the auctions close on

Sedo May Great Domains Auction Picks

Sedo’s monthly Great Domains auction for May is concluding in a few hours, and there are 233 domain names up for auction this month. At the time of this post, just over 100 of the auctions have bids on them, although many have not yet hit their reserve prices. There are quite a few ccTLD domain names in this auction.

I want to share 5 of my favorite domain names from this auction, with the reserve price range taken into consideration. I may bid on one or more auction.

Domain Boardroom and Escrow.com Sponsoring Auction to Help Oklahoma Tornado Victims

oktvI am sure you’ve heard about the devastation caused by tornados and extreme weather in Oklahoma this week. Many lives have been lost, hundreds of people have been injured, and countless homes and businesses have been destroyed. I can’t even imagine the pain these people are going through.

In an effort to raise funds for the victims, Domain Boardroom and its members are sponsoring an auction on my blog, and ALL proceeds will go to the American Red Cross’ Oklahoma City chapter, which is helping victims. Domain Boardroom members have donated domain names, gift certificates, and services towards this effort. (Big thanks to Donna Mahony for organizing this).

Escrow.com will be handling all of the escrow for these transactions at NO cost to either party. Once the funds are collected, Escrow.com will disburse funds directly to the American Red Cross, which is helping victims.

Here’s how the auction will work.

Tweeter.com Auction Pushed Back

TweeterI received word this afternoon that the auction for the Tweeter.com domain name and related assets has been pushed back. The new auction date has not been set by Hilco Streambank, the company running the auction on behalf of the domain owner,  a lender to Tweeter.

According to Hilco Streambank’s David Peress, “There has been significant interest in the assets with several potential buyers expressing the need for more time. We are going to accommodate them. We’ll set a new auction date soon.”

If you aren’t aware, the Tweeter.com domain name became available as a result of the bankruptcy of a music store called Tweeter, which was founded in 1972. The company employed hundreds of people, and it operated somewhere between 50-100 stores throughout the country. Tweeter was once a very popular music chain, especially in New England (where it was founded), although its bankruptcy and closing left many customers and employees angry.

Once the company has announced the date of the auction, I will share the details.

Tweeter photo courtesy of Paull Young via Flickr.

1800MyWebsite Auction Canceled

In the event that you were planning to be a bidder on the Hilco Streambank auction for the domain names and intellectual property package related to 1800mywebsite.com, I want to let you know that the auction has been canceled. Included in this auction were the 1800mywebsite.com and 1‐800‐mywebsite.com domain names as well as matching vanity toll free phone numbers.

According to David Peress, Executive Vice President of Hilco Streambank, “we were approached by a buyer who was willing to make a bid materially in excess of the minimum reserve if we pulled these assets from the auction. Our seller agreed to move forward with the buyer on that basis.”

Entities that had inquired about or signed up for the auction were notified this morning via email about the cancelation. Anyone who made a pre-auction deposit to bid on the package will be refunded. The company had been marketing this package for over a year, so I am sure the offer that was accepted was substantially greater than the $8,000 reserve price.

As far as I am aware, the other auctions are still moving forward as planned.

Deposit Necessary for Hilco Streambank Auction

I assume you already know about the  Hilco Streambank  domain name and IP auction that is happening in a little over a week. I wrote about the Bargain.com and ETM.com auctions in a blog post last month, and the company shared a press release yesterday announcing the addition of the auction for the Tweeter.com domain name, a remnant of the once popular music store called Tweeter.

If you aren’t familiar with the Hilco Streambank auction and you want to bid on one or more of the lots, now is a good time to familiarize yourself with the  HilcoIPauctions.com  auction platform and rules. Probably most importantly for you to know at this point is that a refundable cash deposit is required in order to bid on the auctions. You’ll want to make arrangements with the company to wire your deposit in advance to ensure your deposit is made on time.

The company is likely requiring a deposit for a few reasons. First, it will deter shill bidders from participating. Second, it will serve as a downpayment for the winning bidder. Finally, it will be a bit of insurance in case the winning bidder fails to pay.

I have not used the Hilco Streambank auction platform before, but I assume it works in a way that is similar to standard auction platforms. If you are planning to bid, it would make sense to ask any questions in advance. Perhaps you’d prefer to bid over the phone, and those details should be discussed well in advance.

I still think Bargain.com, ETM.com, and now Tweeter.com are by far the best domain name assets in the auction.