Domain Sales

Afternic Sells Close to a Half Million in Domain Names Last Week

I just received the weekly sales report from Afternic, and the company closed over $460,000 in publicly reported sales last week. The highest value sale was DoubleYourBusiness.com for $22,500.

Interestingly, the highest value non .com sale was NewYorkNewYork.net, which sold for $5,400. As you may recall, NewYorkNewYork.com was subject to a legthy legal battle, in which the owner had to give up the domain name and pay over $100,000 in fines to the New York New York Casino in Las Vegas. I hope the new owner of the .net has other plans for this name.

Here are the top Afternic reported sales for the week:

doubleyourbusiness.com $22,500.00
fabo.com $15,000.00
vistausa.com $14,000.00
SeniorsLiving.com $12,000.00
successathome.com $10,000.00
tvonpc.com $9,000.00
persianworld.com $8,300.00
DryShampoo.com $8,000.00
happybags.com $6,932.00
amap.com $6,600.00
originalteile.com $6,488.00
FreedomCards.com $6,000.00
newyorknewyork.net $5,400.00
rungirlrun.com $5,000.00
whistleraccommodations.com $4,777.00
globalreferendum.com $4,688.00
dreambath.com $4,500.00
rallycall.com $4,500.00
mysoftwaresolutions.com $4,400.00
tothenines.com $4,288.00
kinderclinic.com $4,188.00
suphanburi.com $4,140.00
livinglean.com $4,000.00
transmute.com $4,000.00
creativedc.com $3,988.00
thehangman.com $3,988.00
fotons.com $3,800.00
experienceclient.com $3,788.00
sappeople.com $3,769.00
agricolo.com $3,700.00
viabank.com $3,688.00
destinationservice.com $3,591.00
takken.com $3,500.00
vertueux.com $3,500.00
eblogger.com $3,500.00
sophiesworld.com $3,500.00
sliceofnewyork.com $3,488.00
managementlink.com $3,388.00
stylegift.com $3,321.00
shiplogic.com $3,188.00
directfromnewyork.com $3,188.00
ecoforum.org $3,188.00
sweetsales.com $3,088.00
socialgravity.com $3,088.00
mcfr.com $3,000.00
bestvitamin.com $3,000.00
quality-assurance.com $3,000.00
carpetcleaningny.com $3,000.00
strength.net $3,000.00
marruecos.net $3,000.00
mediamagnate.com $2,988.00
epdesign.com $2,988.00
womx.com $2,959.00
automotiverecruiting.com $2,888.00
officedaily.com $2,888.00
uebersiedlung.com $2,879.00
x-perience.com $2,800.00
goingonholiday.com $2,799.00
happystudio.com $2,788.00
anonymousfeedback.com $2,788.00
seosystems.com $2,788.00
sewco.com $2,788.00
racional.net $2,788.00
sustainablelife.com $2,779.00
enjoytv.com $2,738.00
salesleadership.com $2,700.00
caviarstore.com $2,700.00
DashReport.com $2,695.00
ssfusa.com $2,688.00
presis.com $2,688.00
yorkpage.com $2,688.00
friendgame.com $2,588.00
growlite.com $2,588.00
macplaza.com $2,588.00
thepartypeople.com $2,500.00
vanitylicenseplates.com $2,500.00
wellbalance.com $2,500.00
homeeffects.com $2,500.00
chocolateroom.com $2,500.00
theranking.com $2,500.00
thefirefly.com $2,500.00
dubstep.net $2,500.00
sophielee.com $2,488.00
carincentives.com $2,488.00
takefive.org $2,488.00
integergroup.com $2,477.00
fiksu.com $2,444.20
mcmtelecom.com $2,400.00
cheapstudent.com $2,400.00
dowhatyoudo.com $2,388.00
inblack.com $2,388.00
roomsearch.net $2,388.00
parksoft.com $2,350.00
triennale.com $2,300.00
rainbowjewelry.com $2,241.00
playpolitics.com $2,200.00
clearmed.com $2,200.00
americanartisan.com $2,188.00
samthompson.com $2,188.00
jreynolds.com $2,160.00
lightofislam.com $2,100.00
catastrophicinsurance.com $2,100.00
platinumfinish.com $2,088.00
lovelights.com $2,088.00
buenacocina.com $2,088.00
chicgift.com $2,088.00
sizzlenewyork.com $2,088.00
tutorbuddies.com $2,059.00
youthfellowship.org $2,056.00
migrationpath.com $2,000.00
bestwayto.com $2,000.00
blingbeauty.com $2,000.00
fixedup.com $2,000.00
trilogysoftware.com $2,000.00
sidebike.com $2,000.00
dejame.com $2,000.00
winterfestival.com $2,000.00
orchidenergy.com $2,000.00
entuitive.com $2,000.00
accessasia.net $1,888.00
solutec.net $1,888.00
bioresource.org $1,700.00
buildlink.net $1,588.00
freedomainnames.net $1,500.00
chitosan.net $1,500.00
lasiksurgerycost.net $1,488.00
whistleraccommodation.net $1,488.00
healthtips.net $1,415.00
webmatrix.org $1,300.00
booknetwork.org $1,300.00
iranianmusic.org $1,288.00
learningexchange.org $1,288.00
preciousjewels.net $1,180.00
lasereyesurgeons.net $1,111.00
4front.net $1,100.00
maxforce.net $1,088.00
partyfood.net $1,088.00
digitune.net $1,088.00

When a Domain Broker Won’t Work For You, Broker Your Own Domain Name

I get a fair amount of email from people asking me to broker domain names for them.  I don’t generally broker domain names unless I absolutely know someone who would be interested, so I usually send the people to read my Domain Broker list instead.

I’ve found that more times than not, none of the brokers are willing to work with the people who request their services simply because the names are either low value or it’s unlikely they will sell for the domain owner’s expectations.  Since a broker is paid on a commission, it doesn’t make any sense to spend 5-10+ hours searching for a buyer for a name that might yield them a couple hundred in commissions, if it even sells.

If you own domain names that can’t get representation from a top domain broker, I have two suggestions for you – one being more passive and the other being aggressive.

1) List them on Sedo and Afternic.  Both sites get end user traffic and if a buyer is interested in buying a domain name pertaining to a specific topic, he or she will likely find them there. They do quite a bit of promotions, and if there’s an active buyer for your domain name, they will probably end up on either or both of those websites.

2) Contact potential buyers yourself.  When you bought the name, you probably thought that it would be perfect for a specific type of company. Well, go out and search for that type of company.  Email the site contacts and let them know you are selling your domain names. If you price them reasonably and they actually make sense, then maybe the company will buy them. You can use a service like Escrow.com to transact the deal.

If you buy some land in the Florida Everglades or in Arizona’s Sonora Desert and you decide to build a big home on it, you might actually be the only person who finds value there. Just because you bought and built it does not mean that someone else will want to buy it from you. If you get rejected by a domain broker, don’t take it personally. If you believe your domain names have value, there are at least two ways to get them sold.

i.CO Auction: Bidder Deadline January 21

Snapnames/Moniker will be auctioning off the single letter domain name, i.CO at the beginning of February. In order to bid, entities must be pre-approved by January 21, 2011 – less than 10 days away. If you want to bid but aren’t approved, it looks like you’ll be SOL.

The private auction  will open online on Thursday, February 3, 2011 and conclude at 3:15 pm (US) Eastern time on Thursday, February 10, 2011. Bidding can be done online at Snapnames.

i.CO, or by contacting Moniker:  sales@moniker.com or (800) 688-6311.

According to the press release,

“I.CO is one of the shortest and most memorable URLs in existence,” said Juan Diego Calle, CEO and founder of .CO Internet S.A.S.   “This is an exceptionally valuable piece of Internet real estate, and the teams at SnapNames and Moniker have set up an outstanding auction process to alert and engage the right buyers.”

The .CO Registry has allocated only a few single-letter domain names to date, several of which have enjoyed high-profile success, including Twitter’s t.CO and GoDaddy’s x.CO, both used as branded URL shorteners, and Overstock’s o.CO, which is replacing Overstock.com as the company’s primary brand for all of its international websites.

e.CO was sold by Sedo last year for $81,000, and the domain name is currently up for sale. Interested buyers can visit e.CO to contact the domain owner. I understand the owner is considering offers of $350,000 or higher at the present time.

Afternic Sells SoulMate.com for $100k

Last week, Afternic sold over $565,000 worth of publicly reported domain names. This amount only includes .com domain sales over $2,000 and .net/.org domain sales at $1,000 and higher.

Leading the way last week was the sale of SoulMate.com for $100,000. The previous registrant of the domain name was a company called Ultimate Choice Travel, and from the About Us page, it looks like a company called World Dating Partners is behind SoulMate.com. IMO, SoulMate.com is a great brand name.

Here are the Afternic publicly reported sales from the last week:

Domain Price
soulmate.com $100,000.00
adss.com $61,600.00
websitebuilders.com $15,000.00
plasticprinting.com $13,500.00
hopspot.com $11,250.00
vigilis.com $10,588.00
psalms.org $9,000.00
notfunny.com $8,000.00
leadmachine.com $6,500.00
philanthropist.net $5,760.00
gnom.com $5,400.00
goregames.com $5,000.00
destinationsolutions.com $5,000.00
destinationsolutions.com $5,000.00
upeople.com $4,788.00
game-room.com $4,588.00
BenchJeweler.com $4,500.00
Localy.com $4,400.00
newzik.com $4,050.00
coachingcertification.com $4,030.00
smartapartments.com $4,000.00
dominicanhotels.com $4,000.00
RateClip.com $3,995.00
tmon.com $3,900.00
professionalstudies.com $3,688.00
experthair.com $3,688.00
therapygroup.com $3,688.00
bcsolutions.com $3,645.00
stomachexercise.com $3,588.00
eisblume.com $3,588.00
fitnessleader.com $3,588.00
smallmoments.com $3,488.00
benchjewelers.com $3,420.00
planethop.com $3,410.44
thenationalobserver.com $3,400.00
absolutewhite.com $3,400.00
kwny.com $3,345.00
lasttry.com $3,288.00
wholeparenting.com $3,229.00
fastfresh.com $3,200.00
mecity.com $3,200.00
refereeweb.com $3,188.00
bluehabitat.com $3,088.00
spare-parts.com $3,088.00
ccmc.net $3,088.00
sportsventure.com $3,050.00
sasea.com $3,000.00
iqdb.com $3,000.00
foxvox.com $3,000.00
mbyh.com $2,967.00
workingonit.com $2,900.00
answerstreet.com $2,888.00
plannedgiving.org $2,888.00
pureprotection.com $2,800.00
beyondgraduation.com $2,788.00
17seconds.com $2,788.00
digitaldepartment.com $2,788.00
sctrading.com $2,788.00
taurean.net $2,788.00
wolfhounds.org $2,788.00
sven.org $2,788.00
superiorwork.com $2,688.00
scoops.net $2,650.00
princetonwatch.com $2,612.00
sourcingstrategies.com $2,600.00
digitalfreedoms.com $2,588.00
onestopweb.com $2,588.00
guyfood.com $2,500.00
tamilpages.com $2,500.00
wineoftheworld.com $2,500.00
rakedeals.com $2,500.00
cascades.org $2,500.00
rakedeals.com $2,500.00
u-buy.com $2,400.00
raymonde.com $2,400.00
vbps.com $2,400.00
flixdirect.com $2,388.00
sturen.com $2,388.00
tigerbomb.com $2,364.31
imaginativesolutions.com $2,288.00
mesotheliomaohio.com $2,250.00
ercc.com $2,250.00
ipont.com $2,200.00
webimpress.com $2,200.00
pickuplines.net $2,200.00
maxmillions.com $2,188.00
condensa.com $2,143.00
pixelsense.com $2,100.00
geocommerce.com $2,100.00
laserworld.net $2,092.00
coachhub.com $2,088.00
globaltutoring.com $2,088.00
tamasu.com $2,088.00
totallocal.com $2,088.00
globalrecoveryservice.com $2,088.00
teleborsa.com $2,088.00
xpressmarketing.com $2,088.00
bperfect.com $2,088.00
thisring.com $2,000.00
netshout.com $2,000.00
allianceit.com $2,000.00
beable.com $2,000.00
tcgr.com $2,000.00
imperialcommunications.com $2,000.00
trustedpeer.com $2,000.00
isatv.com $2,000.00
mobileclassroom.com $2,000.00
beach24.com $2,000.00
ronic.com $2,000.00
SheerRibbons.com $2,000.00
highlandsmortgage.com $2,000.00
highlandsmortgage.com $2,000.00
ezride.net $1,888.00
blackhistorymonth.org $1,850.00
otec.net $1,761.00
muslimyouth.org $1,650.00
ethernet.biz $1,600.00
animalcontrol.net $1,500.00
internationalcenter.org $1,500.00
mobli.net $1,488.00
healmyself.com $1,408.00
manman.net $1,400.00
oldtowne.net $1,400.00
paving.org $1,400.00
microloans.net $1,388.00
yogafest.net $1,288.00
locallinks.net $1,188.00
kidi.net $1,152.00
motorcycleforums.net $1,115.00
cnca.org $1,100.00
ucollect.net $1,088.00
somm.org $1,088.00
waterfiltrationsystem.net $1,000.00
isolation.org $1,000.00
poele.net $1,000.00

Reuters: FB.com May Have Cost Facebook Up To $8.5 Million

As reported late last year, Facebook was able to acquire the FB.com domain name from the American Farm Bureau Federation. The Farm Bureau now uses FB.org for its website, and Facebook uses FB.com for the company’s internal email system.

At the time of the deal, the price for the domain name was not released by Facebook or the Farm Bureau. According to a report on Reuters, “Facebook paid $8.5 million to acquire the Internet address ‘fb.com.‘” Reuters cites the Farm Bureau’s annual meeting as the source of this information.

The article further stated that the Farm Bureau had sold two domain names that netted the $8.5 million, although they were unable to state which names were sold by them. It is quite likely that FB.com was the bulk of the $8,500,000 in domain sales.

Assuming an $8.5 million sale, it would rank in the top 4 all time domain name only sales behind Sex.com ($13m), Fund.com ($10m) , and Porno.com ($9m).

Goes to show that the combination of a great domain name and a buyer in need with significant cash can lead to a monster domain deal.

Innovation HQ Acquires DUIAttorney.com in Seven Figure Deal

47

DUI Attorney .comJust before the end of the year, I had dinner with Brian and Charlotte Gilbert, portfolio managers for Innovation HQ, the company that owns and operates Grants.com,  MortgageCalculator.com, Unemployment.com, WhatIsMyIP.com, Earth.com, and many more descriptive domain names. They were excited to share the news that their company had just acquired DUIAttorney.com in a “seven figure deal.”

This is much more than a domain acquisition though. Operating online first as an attorney’s website, DUIAttorney.com has been a legal directory for the past two years. It has become a leading website for people looking to hire a DUI attorney anywhere in the US.

Many lawyers and law firms who understand the value of marketing on a site of this nature have locked in exclusivity on their region, and the company continues to field inquiries about advertising on a daily basis. As a result of the category defining domain name, as well as smart SEO, the website ranks very well in search engines for a variety of DUI-related terms.

The website has become a cash cow, and Innovation HQ’s acquisition will help the website grow, both in terms of traffic and revenues. The company intends to put a significant investment into marketing, search engine optimization, and content. All of these things will drive a strong ROI and enhance the value proposition for current and future advertisers.

Although seven figures might seem like a lot of money, I understand that the revenue multiple on this acquisition was very fair, and the company should see a strong return.

An official press release announcing this significant acquisition will be sent out by the company in the coming days.

Congrats to Brian and Charlotte Gilbert and the team at Innovation HQ.

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