Domain Auctions

Rick Latona Auctions Posts TRAFFIC Auction List

Earlier today, Mike Berkens posted a teaser list of domain names that Moniker will be selling at the Traffic auction later this month, and the list looked fantastic (although the reserve prices need to be posted before determining whether the deals will be good).

I just received an email from David Clements of Rick Latona Auctions, who provided their list of domain names that will be auctioned with prices, and the names are great, too.

There seems to be a significant number of great domain names that haven’t been up for auction before.

ActingLessons.com 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD
247Live.com 40,000 USD to 50,000 USD
AntiDepressants.net 1,000 USD to 2,000 USD
Acronyms.com 100,000 USD to 150,000 USD
AntiWrinkleLotion.com 300 USD to 400 USD
Avatars.com 200,000 USD to 250,000 USD
AortaSurgery.com 300 USD to 400 USD
Ballwin.com 10,000 USD to 20,000 USD
Aunt.net 300 USD to 400 USD
Bananas.com 75,000 USD to 100,000 USD
BackInjuryAttorneys.com 300 USD to 400 USD
Bourbon.com 100,000 USD to 150,000 USD
BeverlyHillsPlasticSurgeons.com 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD
BroadwayShows.com 800,000 USD to 900,000 USD
Bulldoze.com 4,000 USD to 5,000 USD
Bunk.com 10,000 USD to 20,000 USD
Bursars.com 500 USD to 750 USD
Buscar.com 500,000 USD to 600,000 USD
BusinessNetbooks.com 300 USD to 400 USD
Canadians.com 100,000 USD to 150,000 USD
Carts.net 300 USD to 400 USD
ChargingStations.com 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD
CashAllowances.com 300 USD to 400 USD
ChildPsychologists.com 10,000 USD to 20,000 USD
CestBon.com 3,000 USD to 4,000 USD
Coding.com 100,000 USD to 150,000 USD
Ciders.com 300 USD to 400 USD
Coed.com 40,000 USD to 50,000 USD
Clemson.net 300 USD to 400 USD
CorporateJets.com 100,000 USD to 150,000 USD
CommemorativePlate.com 300 USD to 400 USD
CY.com 100,000 USD to 150,000 USD
CommercialBonds.com 300 USD to 400 USD
Dancing.com 300,000 USD to 400,000 USD
Conditional.com 4,000 USD to 5,000 USD
Database.com 700,000 USD to 800,000 USD
Contracted.net 300 USD to 400 USD
DebtSolutions.com 400,000 USD to 500,000 USD
DearbornHeights.net 300 USD to 400 USD
Diamantes.com 200,000 USD to 250,000 USD
Decorators.us 500 USD to 750 USD
Draw.com 100,000 USD to 150,000 USD
DrumShops.com 1,000 USD to 2,000 USD
DreamHolidays.com 75,000 USD to 100,000 USD
DryMartinis.com 300 USD to 400 USD
GameShow.com 200,000 USD to 250,000 USD
ExecutiveSalesJobs.com 300 USD to 400 USD
GolfClubs.com 2,000,000 USD to 2,500,000 USD
Frustrate.com 300 USD to 400 USD
GuatemalaCity.com 50,000 USD to 75,000 USD
GarageDoorOpener.com 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD
Hell.com 1,000,000 USD to 1,250,000 USD
HairStudios.com 300 USD to 400 USD
HerbalTeas.com 40,000 USD to 50,000 USD
HeavyweightBoxer.com 300 USD to 400 USD
HomeAlarmsSystems.com 10,000 USD to 20,000 USD
Herbals.org 4,000 USD to 5,000 USD
Hookahs.com 20,000 USD to 30,000 USD
Interacts.com 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD
Housekeepers.com 100,000 USD to 150,000 USD
Laggard.com 300 USD to 400 USD
iAuction.com 10,000 USD to 20,000 USD
LasikSurgeons.net 300 USD to 400 USD
IKC.com 10,000 USD to 20,000 USD
LivePersons.com 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD
Illusionist.com 20,000 USD to 30,000 USD
LotteryNumber.com 4,000 USD to 5,000 USD
Inhibitors.com 10,000 USD to 20,000 USD
Lunatics.com 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD
Jewellery.net 40,000 USD to 50,000 USD
Meg.net 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD
JV.net 10,000 USD to 20,000 USD
Mimes.net 750 USD to 1,000 USD
Kasino.com 30,000 USD to 40,000 USD
NeckInjuryAttorneys.com 300 USD to 400 USD
Marketers.com 30,000 USD to 40,000 USD
NewYorkCity.cc 500 USD to 750 USD
MBAJobs.com 50,000 USD to 75,000 USD
ModelShip.com and ModelShips.com 100,000 USD to 150,000 USD
Pears.net 300 USD to 400 USD
Newfoundland.com 100,000 USD to 150,000 USD
PreownedExoticCars.com 300 USD to 400 USD
NHO.com 20,000 USD to 30,000 USD
ProductCycles.com 300 USD to 400 USD
Ontario.info 10,000 USD to 20,000 USD
PureBullDogs.com 750 USD to 1,000 USD
Packing.com 100,000 USD to 150,000 USD
QuitGambling.org 300 USD to 400 USD
PainMedicines.com 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD
Reassembled.com 300 USD to 400 USD
PapuaNewGuinea.com 20,000 USD to 30,000 USD
Reverend.net 750 USD to 1,000 USD
PinkDiamond.com 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD
Saddam.com 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD
Referrals.com 150,000 USD to 200,000 USD
SaddamHussein.com 300 USD to 400 USD
Rio.com 300,000 USD to 400,000 USD
ScubaDiver.com 50,000 USD to 75,000 USD
SandyBeaches.com 300 USD to 400 USD
Seals.com 100,000 USD to 150,000 USD
Satisfier.com 300 USD to 400 USD
SeniorCitizen.com/SeniorCitizens.com 200,000 USD to 250,000 USD
Schizophrenic.com 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD
SkyDiver.com 50,000 USD to 75,000 USD
Scrimmage.com 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD
SM.com 300,000 USD to 400,000 USD
SenseOfHumor.com 300 USD to 400 USD
StateFlag.com and StateFlags.com 40,000 USD to 50,000 USD
SportClinic.com 4,000 USD to 5,000 USD
Tacoma.com 100,000 USD to 150,000 USD
Stimulant.com 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD
T-Bills.com 10,000 USD to 20,000 USD
StockInvestments.net 300 USD to 400 USD
TechnicalSupport.com 75,000 USD to 100,000 USD
TheBronx.net 4,000 USD to 5,000 USD
TheUnitedKingdom.com 10,000 USD to 20,000 USD
Timorleste.com 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD
Transforms.com 10,000 USD to 20,000 USD
Treinta.com 4,000 USD to 5,000 USD
Tweenies.com 20,000 USD to 30,000 USD
Viewers.com 20,000 USD to 30,000 USD
UsedSmartphones.com 300 USD to 400 USD
VoiceOverIP.com 100,000 USD to 150,000 USD
UTN.com 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD
WebmasterForum.com 75,000 USD to 100,000 USD
WeddingProverbs.com 300 USD to 400 USD
Whiskey.com 100,000 USD to 150,000 USD
WineClub.us 750 USD to 1,000 USD
Z6.com, Z6.net and Z6.org 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD
WrinkleLotion.com 300 USD to 400 USD

End Users Do Shop at Live Domain Auctions

Samsung

Much was made of the inclusion of SmartPhones.com into the RickLatona.com live domain auction at TRAFFIC Silicon Valley. The domain name received the standard domain industry press, and knowing Rick Latona, I am sure there were many end users emailed, called, and notified in other ways (probably some face to face meetings as well).

A competition was held to determine who could guess the selling price before the auction, and guesses ranged from $51,000 all the way to $3,500,000. Eventually the domain name ended up selling at auction for $95,000 – a good price, but less than what many people predicted.

I personally had my doubts about the worth of the domain name. In my opinion, I don’t ever recall referring to any mobile phone – from my first Motorola flip phone to my Blackberry – as a “smart phone.” I also felt the term could become dated when a new generation of phones came out. Because of this, I doubted the domain name would sell for very much.

Well, I was wrong. Thanks to a tip from Brian Null, I saw that the domain name is now owned by Samsung Electronics Co., the electronics giant and maker of smart phones and other mobile phones. Although it doesn’t look like they’ve launched a new website on the domain name yet, they are well positioned to do so.

The next time you are wondering if end users ever shop at domain auctions, you now have your answer. BTW, Rick Latona is still accepting domain submissions for the TRAFFIC auction in October.

Snapnames Job & Career Domain Auction

Snapnames is currently running their September Showcase Auction, and this month’s theme is job and career domain names. Many of the domain names up for auction have no reserves, and others have very low reserve prices. Below are my favorite domain names in auction with the current price. The auction ends on Friday.

BreakfastBar.com – Reserve: $1,001 – $2,500

HorrorStories.com – Reserve: $5,001 – $10,000

HuntingKnife.com – Reserve: $2,501 – $5,000

LawyerListings.com – Reserve: None

MontrealVacations.com – Bid: $840

TemporaryWorkers.com – Reserve: $2,501 – $5,000

WineSale.com – Reserve: $1,001 – $2,500

Why I Didn’t Bid on .CM Domains

The first day of the .CM auctions on Namejet closed yesterday, and the auction cleared $500,000. I was not surprised by this number, but I am surprised about how many people seem to be bidding on .CM domain names. My company did not bid on a single .cm domain auction, despite the perceived need to protect a few of my brands.

There is one overarching reason why I did not bid on the auctions. For the past couple of years, Kevin Ham’s company Reinvent Technology has controlled the traffic for .CM domain names via wildcarding after striking a deal with the Cameroonian government. While the domain names were unregistered for the most part, they forwarded to parking pages where visitors could click to other sites, earning money for the company.

With one entity controlling many of the domain names that are now up for auction, it wouldn’t make sense for me to bid on them, as the deck would be stacked against me. If a particular domain name generates revenue from significant traffic, I would imagine Kevin’s company could bid on it up to its value based on a revenue multiple. It wouldn’t really make sense to bid more than the person who has all of the analytics and would presumably be able to monetize it better than almost anyone.

The argument could be made that the traffic is more valuable for lead gen than PPC. However, I am sure Reinvent did what they could to monetize it as best as possible. Additionally, around 20% of the traffic to my brands with the most type in traffic (my blog not included) comes from type-ins. If just a tiny amount of the traffic was lost due to typing in .CM, it’s probably a very small number, and not even worth the annual renewal fee.

They have some of the smartest people working at the company, and I wouldn’t want to bid against them when they know much more than me. It’s sort of like playing poker when your opponent caught a glimpse of your cards.

Snapnames Summer Stimulus Auction Ending

The Snapnames Summer Stimulus Low & No Reserve auction is ending today, and there are many auctions with very low reserves still available for bidding. As previously announced, Snapnames and Moniker will be running monthly theme auctions on the Snapnames platform. This is the first auction of the summer.

Some names that I like that are open for bidding include:

DegreePrograms.com

Pumped.com

Defeated.com

WirelessModem.com

ComputerHackers.com

DiscountRates.com

FurnitureRepair.com

Vacationing.com

HomeFitness.com

EnglandVacations.com

Reach Out to Auction “No Sales”

One way that you might be able to score a good deal on a domain name is to search through lists of previous domain auctions, and reach out to domain owners whose name(s) did not sell. In the past three years, there have been a number of domain auctions that saw a large percentage of domain names go unsold either due to poor market conditions or the reserve prices set by domain owners.

Oftentimes, domain owners believe having their domain name listed in a domain auction is a surefire way to get it sold for big money. Many owners feel that they need to compensate for the commission rate that would be had if the domain name sold. Additionally, owners know that if they set their reserve prices too low, it could get stuck in a silent auction and possibly had for a song by someone willing to dig in and scour the thousands of names listed. As a result, many domain names listed at auction are overpriced.

When these domain names don’t sell, the owners return to the status quo and continue to hold on to their domain names. Many months after the auctions end without bids, the exclusivity period required by the auction houses end, and the domain owners are free to sell their names without the commission, leaving buyers with a ripe opportunity.

I haven’t done much of this yet, but you might consider scouring lists of domain auctions held a few years ago, and see if there are any unsold domain names that you might be interested in buying if the price is right. Do a historical Whois search to see if the owner is the same, and if so, drop him a note. With the economy in its current state and knowing the fact that the name was listed for sale in the past and didn’t change ownership, it might be a great time to buy some domain names.

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