Confirmed: NBA Buys Pelicans.com

Pelicans.com Domain NameA few weeks ago, I noticed that the Whois had changed for the Pelicans.com domain name, and Marksmen was listed as the registrant. Neither the domain broker nor a representative from Marksmen  would confirm what I assumed, that the NBA was the buyer for Pelicans.com.

According to the most recent and current Whois information, the NBA did purchase the Pelicans.com domain name, and it will be used by the New Orleans basketball team that will be known as the Pelicans beginning next season.

When Media Options was brokering Pelicans.com, the asking price for the domain name was

Mexico.com Up For Sale

It’s no secret that I believe exact match .com geodomain names can be turned into profitable businesses. I haven’t had much luck doing this, but I believe exceptional geodomain names like Mexico.com or Philadelphia.com have considerable valuable.

According to a press release (posted below this write up) this morning, the Mexico.com domain name is now for sale, and Boston-based Domain Advisors is the broker for this domain name. Mexico.com is currently developed, and Screenshots.com shows several iterations of the website since 2004. I clicked on a number of the links on the home page, and they seem to mostly take visitors to other websites. Google does show that 480 Mexico.com pages are indexed.

Privacy is currently enabled, so I can’t be sure of the current owner.  There appears to be some type of connection between Vegas.com and Mexico.com. In June of 2012, Vegas.com was listed as the Administrative Contact according to DomainTools  (before it went private). In addition, on the “Our History” page on Mexico.com, it says “Mexico.com is operated by VEGAS.com, a customer-friendly, innovative and comprehensive travel company located in Henderson, NV.” It further states that “Mexico.com and VEGAS.com are part of the Greenspun Family of companies. The Greenspun family has supported and helped Vegas grow for more than 60 years, starting with the publication of the oldest family-owned newspaper in Nevada, the Las Vegas Sun.”

In 2004, a UDRP was filed

Tip When Emailing Domain Buyers

I want to share a tip with you that may help increase your email open rate when trying to sell domain names to end user and other buyers.

On a daily basis, I receive quite a few emails from people trying to sell me domain names. More often than not, I’ll have a look at the list and let the person know what I think (or at least whether or not I am interested in buying). One way to be sure that I won’t open an email or look at domain names that are for sale is

Did The NBA Just Buy Pelicans.com?

New Orleans Pelicans logoEarlier this month, I wrote an article about the Pelicans.com domain name. Pelicans.com was owned by a band called “The Pelicans,” and they listed the domain name for sale with domain brokerage  Media Options  with a $125,000 asking price.

I wondered whether the NBA’s New Orleans basketball team would purchase Pelicans.com because the team nickname was changing from Hornets to Pelicans next season. It would make sense to own the exact match domain name, especially since the league already owns so many other .com exact match team names.

Very recently, the registrant information for Pelicans.com changed, and it’s now

Why I Don’t Generally Share Domain Sales

You’ve probably noticed that I hardly ever post about domain sales. I frequently write about domain names that I bought as well as domain names that I am looking to sell, and there are a number of reasons. Someone asked me if I would be willing to write a post and share some of my recent sales, and I wanted to let you know why I tend to keep that information private.

Here are several reasons why I don’t usually report sales, and why I almost never report sale prices:

Selling Point for End Users

If you have a great domain name for sale, you probably don’t need selling points to convince a buyer that the domain name is a worthwhile investment or purchase. However, the greatest obstacle I face is convincing a buyer it’s worth what I think it’s worth in order to close a deal.

I want to share a selling point that you can use if you face this same challenge with one of your domain names: the domain name can be resold, perhaps for a profit.

I like to remind the buyer, especially a buyer that is planning to use the domain name to replace his current website or in addition to his website, that he can re-sell the domain name in the future. Buying a domain name is not like spending money on SEM or paying for newspaper advertising or something that has a limited shelf life and is gone once the money is spent. For all intents and purposes, a great domain name should retain its value and will likely increase in value over time.

There are many reasons why people exit businesses, and when the buyer decides to exit his business, he can sell the domain name to someone else, and it will probably be at a greater price if he added goodwill to the domain name by developing it. Even if the buyer didn’t put the domain name to good use, if it’s a great domain name, it can be sold to another company or even a competitor. Heck, the domain name might be worth more than the actual value of the company’s goodwill and brand!

When you are in the process of selling a domain name and are negotiating a price, you should remind the buyer that he or she is making an investment that may actually grow in value.