Sedo Great Domains Auction Results

Elliot Silver
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10

Sedo’s  Great Domains September auction closed last week, and I have posted the results blow. The six figure sale of Fahrrad.com was the highest value sale. According to Wikipedia, fahrrad means “bicycle” in German.

In total, the auction did close to a quarter of a million USD. (P) below indicates a website/content was included with the domain name.

September Great Domains auction results:

fahrrad.com (P) 90000 EUR
doctor.co.uk 24999 £
brasile.it 15601 EUR
planten.nl 14000 EUR
township.com 13733 $US
ptz.com 5300 $US
workwear.nl 5099 EUR

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NameMedia Testing Direct Domains Forwarding

Elliot Silver
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3

A few weeks ago, I told you about Direct Domains, a new offering from NameMedia that has domain names for sale at discounted prices. It appears that many of the domain names listed at DirectDomains.com are also listed for sale on BuyDomains, and I suppose you could say it’s more like clearance sale pricing.

I stumbled upon a domain name listed for sale at Direct Domains, and I want to share what the company is doing to sell it. Check out TrappistBeer.com, and you’ll notice that you’re forwarded to a DirectDomains.com landing page. The name and price are on the top half of the lander and an offer form is just below the fold.

My bet is that TrappistBeer.com (and other names that use this landing page tactic) does not receive enough traffic to warrant PPC links. The company probably figures people who visit the domain name may have an interest in purchasing it, and making it clear that it’s for sale is a good way to close a deal.

BuyDomains had/has been testing sales landing pages, and this could simply be another iteration using Direct Domains.

Domain Holdings: “TWO Seven- Figure Domain Name Sales”

Elliot Silver
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13

 

It looks like Domain Holdings is having a big week. The company just posted an update on its Twitter and Facebook pages announcing that it brokered two seven figure (million dollar plus) sales this week.

Although the sales were deemed private and the domain names and prices weren’t divulged, I looked back at a few Domain Holdings brokerage emails to find some of the seven figure domain names the company is/was selling:

  • Attorney.com $1,900,000
  • Vehicles.com $1,900,000
  • Girl.com $1,800,000
  • Hotslots.com $1,500,000
  • Jessica.com $1,500,000
  • DebtConsolidation.com $1,400,000
  • Anal.com $1,200,000
  • GirlTalk.com $1,200,000
  • SlotMachine.com $1,000,000

It’s very possible that the company brokered a domain name that they hadn’t listed publicly, but I will monitor the domain names mentioned above (using DomainTools Whois Monitor) to see if anything changes.

BTW, if you are interested in working for Domain Holdings, the company is hiring.

Why I Don’t Price Domain Names in End User Sales Emails

Elliot Silver
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24

One thing you’ll notice in the end user email I shared is that I don’t tend to list the sales price in my emails. It’s not an omission, and I want to share why I tend to leave the price out when I am trying to sell a domain name to an end user buyer.

When I am looking to sell a domain name, I have generally done my due diligence to know what the domain name is likely worth in optimal conditions, what it is worth for a quick sale, and what it’s worth if I want to dump the name quickly. Clearly, I want to sell the domain name for its optimal value, but there are reasons why I might take a lower offer.

When you price a domain name in an email, you may automatically eliminate every single potential buyer who thinks the price is too high.  If potential buyers do not reply, I can’t negotiate with them to close a fair deal. Unless I decide to re-contact the same people, which I would not do, I would never know whether any of those prospects would have an interest at a lower price.

When people reply to my emails asking for the price, I know they are interested in buying one of my domain names. If it’s a matter of price, and they are reasonable about the valuation, there’s a chance we could bridge the gap and close a deal. There’s also a chance we could potentially work out a lease, financing, or some other type of mutually beneficial deal.

Not pricing my domain names in an email opens the door to communications with several parties, and when there are multiple parties interested in buying a domain name, it makes selling for an optimal price easier.

I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts and experience with pricing or not pricing.

Restoration Hardware Acquires RH.com

Elliot Silver
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20

A little over a month ago, I wrote an article about the sale of RH.com, a domain name that Media Options sold for an amount that was not disclosed. It appears that Media Options acquired the name May of 2011.

If you visit RH.com, it currently forwards to the Restoration Hardware website. A Whois search confirms that Restoration Hardware, Inc. is the registrant of the domain name. I do not know if the registrant that was listed after Media Options represented Restoration Hardware or if it was a quick flip to the company.

If you aren’t familiar with Restoration Hardware, it’s an upscale home decor company with stores around the US. I wonder if they will continue to use RH.com simply as a forwarder or if they will begin using the shorter (and easier to sell URL) in its marketing materials.

Don’t Think Like a Domain Investor

Elliot Silver
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6

The director of my marketing program always reminded us that we needed to think like consumers and not marketers. It makes sense because the goal of marketers is to generate revenue from consumers, and if you aren’t thinking like a consumer, you probably won’t make the wisest business decisions.

One of the things that guides my decision making process when it comes to domain acquisitions and sales is the ability to put myself in the position of a counter party. I think about whether a particular domain name makes sense for a company in the industry, and I also think whether the price would make sense to the buyer or seller.

I’ve sold domain names in many different industries. I have zero experience in many of those industries, but I was able to get a cursory perspective when acquiring and then selling domain names. I did my best to put myself in the position of the person that would be buying the domain name from me, in order to give them a value proposition they would understand.

This morning, someone commented “I never use domains like “auto.com”, “shoes.com”, “wine.com”, etc. Never have. never plan to. Do not know ANYONE who does.  I never use those bland domains because I know that domain will not have the information, the item, the price, the shipping, the service that I am looking for.”

There are many things I personally do not do, but I know that just because I don’t do them it doesn’t mean others don’t either. When you are buying and selling domain names, you need to think like the people who will ultimately buy the domain names from you. If you can show them why they need your domain name to improve their business, they will buy it if the price is right.

Think like your target audience and not like a domain investor.

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