Partial List of Domain Names Revealed for Domain Madness Two

Elliot Silver
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I have obtained an exclusive sneak peek at some of the domains available through the Domain Madness 2 Auction, being held from from March 16th to the 23rd. The second annual conference will feature an online auction, with a live countdown show at 3pm CDT from the Palms in Las Vegas on the 23rd. A link to the auction will be added as soon as it’s set.

From the looks of it, there are some great names up for auction, and knowing the guys running it, I would imagine the reserve prices will be reasonable. More details to come…

Partial DM2 inventory:

  • FreeMovies.com
  • Mad.com
  • GolfEquipment.com
  • Balloon.com
  • FootballUniforms.com
  • Music.net
  • InternetHistory.com
  • Strawberries.com
  • Hook.com
  • VideoRoulette.com
  • Vampires.com
  • BaseballPlayers.com
  • Holdings.com
  • TaxTool.com

WristletPurses.com Vs. WristletPurse.com

Elliot Silver
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I was bidding on two domain names this week on Snapnames – WristletPurses.com Vs. WristletPurse.com.   Both domain names had relatively little bidding until the final day. WristletPurse.com ended a couple of days ago and WristletPurses.com ended today.

Neither domain name was especially interesting to me, but it’s a product (and a plural) so I figured they’d probably be worth a couple hundred dollars or more to someone.   I locked in both bids, and I wasn’t surprised when I was outbid on WristletPurse.com. I was very surprised when I saw the final price was $1,450.

With the singular auction done, I figured I didn’t have a chance at the plural, so I left for the airport without even looking at my Snapnames account. I logged onto the Wifi network on Delta, and I was even more surprised to see that I was the winning bidder on WristletPurses.com for under $100.

Doing some quick research, here’s a brief comparison of the two terms:

Wristlet Purse – 33,600 Google results (lots of advertisers)
Wristlet Purses – 40,300 Google results (lots of advertisers)

Wristlet Purse – 3,300 Google exact match monthly searches (US)
Wristlet Purses – 720 Google exact match monthly searches (US)

Clearly, people are searching more for the singular but in my opinion, it doesn’t really justify such a huge price differential. When I see a name sell for over $1,000, I know there has to be a pretty good reason. However, I don’t understand the reason for such disparity between the two domain names.

What are your thoughts on the price differential for these domain names?

Sex.com Sale To Be a No Reserve Auction

Elliot Silver
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As I previously reported, Sex.com will be up for auction at the law offices of Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP, 156 West 56th Street, New York, New York on March 18, 2010 at 11 am. The auction is a result of a foreclosure, a few years after the 2006 sale, which was reported (but never confirmed) to be in the ballpark of $14 million.

At the time of my initial article, neither the auction house nor the law firm representing the lender would confirm the opening price/minimum bid for the auction, although it was stated that a $1,000,000 certified check would be required to bid.  

I was just informed by Richard Maltz of Maltz Auctions that there will be no reserve price for the Sex.com auction. Registered bidders will be permitted to bid online or in person at the Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP offices. In addition, Maltz added, “the secured party does reserve the right to bid under the law.”

Without a reserve price set, I would expect several bidders to participate in this landmark auction. Full auction details, including the terms and conditions (pdf) of the auction are available on the Maltz Auctions website.

Exclusive Domain Conference Being Held at The Palms on March 22-23

Elliot Silver
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Did you know there’s an exclusive domain conference being held at The Palms resort in Las Vegas on March 22-23? The Domain Madness 2 conference is being run by DomainConsultant.com, and it sold out within a few days. Most of the attendees are domain investors who attended last year, and a few others received personal invitations.

Last year, the conference was held in a private suite at The Palms, and I heard it was a great event. Like last year’s conference, there’s going to be a live domain auction held at the event. Bidders can bid on site or they can bid online using a platform that will be announced soon.

You are welcome to submit domain names for review, but they are looking for great domain names only. Visit the Domain Consultant website for more details on domain submissions.

You Can Still Win a Snapnames Auction if You Are Bidder #2

Elliot Silver
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I sometimes place bids on Snapnames auctions that have other bids, even if I am not interested in buying the domain name. Generally, if a domain name has a bid already and you place a bid, you are considered the losing bidder when it goes to auction, as the person who places the first bid takes the lead.

I recently found out that this isn’t always the case. I placed a bid on a domain name shortly before it was scheduled to go to auction after I saw it in a list of names with bids. I was curious to see how the name would perform in auction, but I wasn’t sure entirely sure I wanted the name. I was surprised when it went to auction and it showed me as the high bidder (of 2 bidders).

Apparently, someone had placed a back order on the domain name a long time ago, and their credit card on file had lapsed or something else happened to their account between the time they placed the back order and the time it went to auction. As a result, I was the top bidder, and I ended up winning the auction without placing an additional bid.

I am not upset that I won because I like the name, but it’s something to be mindful about if you place bids on auctions that already have bids thinking you aren’t going.

Sex.com For Sale in Foreclosure Auction

Elliot Silver
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Sex.com

In exactly one month from today, we may see a new record set for the price of a domain sale. I just received an email from a friend with a link to a notice stating that SEX.com will be up for auction. The foreclosure auction will be held at the offices of Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP, 156 West 56th Street, New York, New York on March 18, 2010 at 11 am.

In order to bid on the auction, you must come prepared with a certified bank check in the amount of $1,000,000, made payable to “Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP, as escrow agent.” The auction may be open to the public.

The auction description is as follows:

All of Borrower’s interest in and to all right, title and interest in an undivided 100% interest in the internet domain name and related INERNIC registration of the URL www.sex.com, and 100% of all cash proceeds, accounts receivable, licensing rights and intellectual property rights directly associated with or derived from the ownership of such URL.

The tale of Sex.com is actually very interesting, and a book was written about it a few years ago. The Cliff’s Notes version is that Match.com founder Gary Kremen originally registered the domain name, but it was then stolen by Stephen Cohen, and a 10 year legal battle ensued. A company called ESCOM, LLC acquired Sex.com in January of 2006, although terms of the deal were not disclosed. There was an article that pegged the sale at $14 million, but there was no confirmation that this number is accurate.

More information about the auction can be found on the David R. Maltz & Co website, and you can also download the auction notice pdf for more information. One interesting note from the auction notice is that it comes from a Dom Partners, LLC at 2050 Center Avenue (Suite 600) in Fort Lee, NJ – the same address as Domain Capital, who reportedly provided part of the financing.

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