When I am bidding on some domain names at auction, I typically take a quick gander at what companies could have an interest in purchasing the domain name. The two tools I typically use are Google to search the keyword(s) and DomainTools to see what other domain names with the keyword(s) are already registered and by who. This intel helps me determine how much I am willing to spend for a domain name.

I don’t do a ton of outbound sales anymore, but I have found it to be an effective way to sell a domain name. A good domain name I own may not be on anyone’s radar, and putting it on their radar is one way to get a deal done. For instance, a domain name that I picked up in an expiry auction may be 20 years old, and prospective buyers may have assumed the domain name is still owned by the former owner and not for sale. An outbound email to make them aware the name is for sale is a great way to start a conversation.

Unfortunately, outbound marketing doesn’t

The other day, I noticed that Doc.com was in Afternic’s escrow account. I reached out to the former owner to ask about a sale price, but I did not receive a response. Yesterday, I noticed the Whois changed and the new registrant is listed as SIDRESE SA de CV. A Google search for that entity took me to the privacy page on the website of Docademic, a company that provides “free basic healthcare for the world with the help of AI and Blockchain technology.”

I reached out to Docademic via email to ask about the purchase and see if they can share the purchase price, but I did not receive a response. The company did reply to a tweet I posted to confirm it acquired Doc.com, but the purchase price was not shared.

A few minutes ago, Docadmic publicly shared that it acquired the Doc.com domain name in a tweet:

We are happy to announce that now, all the Docademic services can be found within the domain https://t.co/bYLNwoczWd, this three-letter domain gives us great authority within the medical field and ensures a constant flow of traffic to our platform throughout the world. 💪

— Docademic (@Docademic) July 24, 2018

According to CrunchBase, Docademic has raised $1.1 million in funding since its founding in 2012. According to CoinMarketCap.com, Docademic has a cryptocurrency

I was unable to participate in the press conference call held to announce the $3.5 million sale of Ice.com. Before the news of the domain name sale broke on DNJournal and other outlets, I had a couple of guesses about who may have been behind the purchase, but the buyer was not named.

In the DNJournal article, Ron wrote about how brokers Brian Harbin of Grit Brokerage and David Clements of Brannans put the deal together:

“After buying a few other domains through Harbin’s Grit Brokerage in the same price range, this person wound up calling on Harbin to sell a domain for him but this one was a blockbuster – Ice.com. Harbin had done some previous deals with Clements and contacted him about this exciting new listing. Clements happened to have an acquaintance he had met at a private event in his hometown, Atlanta, that he thought might have an interest in the domain. When Clements presented the opportunity to obtain the domain the buyer jumped on it, agreeing to the full $3.5 million asking price. Working with Escrow.com it then took them barely a week to complete the transaction which happened on July 6. “

After reading that quote, I did a Google search for ICE and Atlanta, and one of the top results was for Intercontinental Exchange, a company that is headquartered in Atlanta. A bit of additional sleuthing showed that the company also owned and used TheICE.com. Based on this and Ron’s article, my