Snapnames

Tech Problem with Snapnames

3

I use Snapnames quite a bit, and one of the most useful searches for me is a list of 500 .com domain names (no numbers or hyphens) that are in auction or available soon within the next three days. I perform this search using the Advanced Search button while using Firefox.

For the last couple of weeks, whenever I have entered this special advanced search, Snapnames results return to me with the default Advanced Search options. Instead of seeing what I want, I get a list of all names, in order of the most bids. This makes it more burdensome for me to search, and lately I haven’t been scanning the partial search list as usual since the functionality isn’t working for me and it takes too much time to look through the full list.

Instead, I have simply been using FreshDrop.net to analyze domain names I want to buy, based on my preselected criteria. Unfortunately, this isn’t adequate, as there have been plenty of times I’ve purchased names that don’t meet the criteria. I can’t say whether Snapnames is leaving money on the table since I am not one of their biggest buyers, but it’s annoying to me and I hope the fix it.

BTW, while we are talking about Snapnames technical issues… I wish they would permit me to bid in their live auctions from my Mac rather than only having a PC-based solution. (I am not downloading Bootcamp and adding more programs to my machine just to bid in a few Snapnames auctions).

Is anyone else facing the same issues?

Saturday Afternoon Updates

Here are a few updates on this nice Saturday afternoon.

  • I was a bit surprised to see Dating.com sell for $1,750,000 because I thought I saw that the reserve price was much higher. I was wrong, and it’s good to see this sale. I am looking forward to learning who the buyer was. I have a couple of guesses but will keep them to myself. Congrats to Moniker/Snapnames for the big sale, which comes on the heels of their $5.5 million sale of Slots.com.
  • If you get an offer from someone over email or via marketplace, do as much due diligence as you can. The most obvious things to search for are the person’s name, company name (from email or signature), and IP address. If those yield nothing significant, search for the domain name’s term in Google, the USPTO, and see who owns other extensions. Knowing the potential buyer is a critical step in any negotiation.
  • I was looking over my financials from 2007 and 2008 to compare them to how things are stacking up this year (2009 was a bad year so I am going to forget it ever happened 🙂 ).   Although I have fewer sales this year, my revenue is better than 2007 year to date and a little less than 2008 which was my best year. Over the past couple of years, I focused on selling less names but focusing on much better names. The result is less time selling and more time to focus on other things.
  • Just a quick update on DogWalker.com.   It’s now in month 5 of existence and the site is drawing over 4,000 unique visitors monthly. This comes on the heels of reducing my ad spend on Google, Bing, and Yahoo, so it’s great to see the traffic levels remaining the same despite the costs decreasing significantly (attributed to good SERP rankings).   Right now, the site is up to 193 dog walkers, with just about all paying $49 a year on a Paypal subscription. Not too shabby for a domain name that had been unused by the previous owner for almost 12 years and only saw about 5 visits a day before launch. That’s close to $10,000 in annual revenue (even though it hasn’t been live for a full year).
  • CatSitter.com has grown much more slowly, but that could be due to the fact that I didn’t advertise it as much. Interestingly, CatSitter.com was parked for a number of years before I bought it, and I am having trouble with SEO for the site. I wouldn’t formulate an opinion based on one instance, but since both sites were built in exactly the same way at around the same time, it’s interesting to note that the non-parked domain is performing much better in SERP results despite having significantly more competition.   Both sites were built on WordPress.
  • I am looking to sell HorseStable.com.   I haven’t reached out to end user buyers for it yet, but I think it would either be useful as a directory of horse stables or an online store to sell horse stable supplies.   Let me know if it’s of interest. Also, in light of my two sales of Hong Kong domain names in the last month, I have a few more to sell. Let me know if you’d like to see the names before I put them on the market next week (the second domain still has my company listed as owner, but it’s in escrow and being transferred to Godaddy).
  • One tip to get some free traffic to your websites: post listings on various Craigslist city websites and encourage people to visit your site for relevant information. I am doing this with DogWalker.com, and it probably receives 25 visits/day from these listings.   Compared to paying Google up to $2/click, this is saving significant costs.

Oversee.net & Snapnames File Lawsuit Against Nelson Brady

I just received word from Oversee.net that the company has filed a lawsuit against Nelson Brady in federal court in Oregon. Back in November of 2009, the company alleged that an employee was caught shill bidding on the Snapnames domain auction platform under the “halvarez” bidder id. The lawsuit seeks over $33 million in damages, including punitive damages.

The news release follows:

========

SnapNames, and its parent company, Oversee.net, have filed suit against Nelson Brady in federal court in Oregon.

Brady is a former employee who, under the false name “Hank Alvarez,” improperly bid in certain SnapNames auctions.   In some cases, Brady also embezzled funds from Oversee by fraudulently refunding himself a share of the purchase price for names he won.

For several months, the company has in good faith attempted to settle privately with Brady to recover its losses, including the rebate fund established by Oversee to address Brady’s activities and the funds he embezzled from Oversee.   Those settlement efforts have been unsuccessful.

The suit seeks over $33 million in damages, including punitive damages.

Context

  • In October 2009, Oversee discovered an employee, Nelson Brady, using an account under the false name “Hank Alvarez,” engaged in improper bidding activities in domain name auctions on the SnapNames platform.
  • Oversee and SnapNames disclosed the situation to its customers and employees in November 2009.   Oversee made available to affected customers a cash rebate in the amount of overpayment, plus 5.22% interest (the highest applicable federal rate during the affected time period), of any amounts paid exceeding what the auction price would have been without employee bidding.
  • Since that time, more than 60% of the aggregate rebate amount has been claimed.

Impact of Brady’s actions on auctions

Brady’s conduct affected:

  • 5% of auctions since 2005
  • 75% of total impacted auctions were between 2005 and 2007
  • Less than 1% of SnapNames auctions during this period were won by the employee
  • The remaining 4% were won by SnapNames clients.
  • Brady’s bidding affected approximately 1% of SnapNames’ auction revenue during the full period.

Impact of Brady’s actions on SnapNames and Oversee

Oversee will be demanding millions of dollars from Brady for the damage he caused to Oversee and SnapNames.   No amount of money, however, could compensate the damage Brady has caused to SnapNames’ and Oversee’s reputation in the marketplace.

Law enforcement

In November 2009, Oversee voluntarily disclosed Brady’s conduct to both the US Attorney’s Office and to the Federal Trade Commission.   Oversee will not publicly discuss anything relating to law enforcement matters.

Customer Service

SnapNames customers who have questions about the rebate offer can contact the SnapNames support team:

On the web:                               http://snapnames.custhelp.com
By e-mail:                                         support@snapnames.com
Phone:                                                 +1 (866) 690-6279 (toll-free in the U.S.)
+1 (503) 241-8547 (outside the U.S.)

Picks for the Snapnames Geodomain Auction

Moniker and SnapNames will be hosting its April Showcase auction in conjunction with the GeoDomain Expo, which begins on April 28. The geodomain-focused auction began yesterday and will end on May at 12:15 p.m. Below are the domain names listed for sale, with my picks bolded. The names I selected are based on what I think are the best names at good prices.

Domain Name Reserve Price
nycdivorcelawyers.com No Reserve
rocklandcountyny.com No Reserve
3x.org $5,001 – $10,000
43989.com No Reserve
affluenttravelers.com $201 – $500
affordablevacation.com $5,001 – $10,000
afghanistan.net $25,001 – $50,000
airline.mx $1,001 – $2,500
airlineandhoteldeals.com $201 – $500
airlineflights.de $5,001 – $10,000
alabamaspas.com No Reserve
alexandriavirginia.org No Reserve
american.tel $1,001 – $2,500
antiguatrips.com $5,001 – $10,000
argentinavacations.net $501 – $1,000
arizonahousesforrent.com No Reserve
arizonapainter.com No Reserve
arizonatravelcenter.com $1,001 – $2,500
arkansasautosales.com No Reserve
arkansasmeat.com No Reserve
ashlandmaine.com $501 – $1,000
atlantasale.net No Reserve
atlanticcityhoteldirectory.com $201 – $500
atlanticcityladies.com No Reserve
aussietourism.com No Reserve
austinnights.net No Reserve
austinsale.com No Reserve
australian.net $10,001 – $25,000
balivillas.eu $2,501 – $5,000
baltimorehotelreservations.com $2,501 – $5,000
barcelonatraveldeals.com No Reserve
batonrougelawyers.net No Reserve
beachfrontcabins.com $1,001 – $2,500
beachfrontresorthotel.com $501 – $1,000
beachresort.com $25,001 – $50,000
beantownhotels.com $201 – $500
bedfordfalls.com $2,501 – $5,000
bermudasportfishing.com No Reserve
bestairfarestoeurope.com $201 – $500
bestmexicanhotels.net No Reserve
bestmexicovacations.net No Reserve
bestnewyorkbeaches.com $501 – $1,000
bestvacations.info No Reserve
bestvirginiabeaches.com $501 – $1,000
bestworldwidemotels.com No Reserve
boardwalkrentals.com $2,501 – $5,000
bookairtravel.net $2,501 – $5,000
bookflights.com $100,001 – $250,000
bookingtickets.com $1,001 – $2,500
bookingvacations.com $501 – $1,000
bostongutters.com No Reserve
bostoninvestigators.com No Reserve
braziliantrips.com $1,001 – $2,500
breckenridgehotel.com $1,001 – $2,500
bronxjobs.com $5,001 – $10,000
bucharest.com $100,001 – $250,000
budgetinns.com $5,001 – $10,000
burma.de $25,001 – $50,000
businessclass.net $5,001 – $10,000
businesstravelers.com $5,001 – $10,000
businesstravelspecialist.com $5,001 – $10,000
buy-houses.com $501 – $1,000
california.ca $10,001 – $25,000
californiadesign.com $5,001 – $10,000
californiaskideals.com $2,501 – $5,000
californiasurfer.com $501 – $1,000
californiawhitewine.com $5,001 – $10,000
canadatravelguide.com $1,001 – $2,500
canadavacation.eu $2,501 – $5,000
canadianbroadcasting.com No Reserve
canadianhousewives.com $1,001 – $2,500
canadiantravel.info No Reserve
cancuntraveltips.com $501 – $1,000
cannes.net $10,001 – $25,000
canoetours.com $5,001 – $10,000
canyon.net $10,001 – $25,000
capebretonhotels.com $201 – $500
capecodvacationresorts.com $501 – $1,000
caribbeancruises.eu $1,001 – $2,500
caribbeansearch.com $5,001 – $10,000
caribbeanvacations.biz $201 – $500
casinohotelsuites.com $201 – $500
centralamericasearch.com $501 – $1,000
chapelhills.com $2,501 – $5,000
charlestonproperties.com No Reserve
charlottebuilders.net No Reserve
cheapairlines.eu $2,501 – $5,000
cheapalaskavacation.com No Reserve
cheaproundtripflights.com No Reserve
cheaptraveltips.com $5,001 – $10,000
chicagoaccommodations.net No Reserve
chicagoheadhunter.com No Reserve
chicagopainclinics.com No Reserve
chicagophoto.com No Reserve
chiletrip.net No Reserve
chinabowl.com $5,001 – $10,000
chinacruises.asia $501 – $1,000
chinagrowth.com $5,001 – $10,000
chinatrader.com $5,001 – $10,000
chinatravel.biz No Reserve
christmasflights.com $1,001 – $2,500
cityauction.com $10,001 – $25,000
cityhotline.com No Reserve
citymaps.com $50,001 – $100,000
citytour.com $25,001 – $50,000
columbiajobs.com $10,001 – $25,000
cometofortlauderdale.com $1,001 – $2,500
cometohongkong.com $1,001 – $2,500
cometothecaymanislands.com $1,001 – $2,500
cometovenice.com $1,001 – $2,500
commuting.net $5,001 – $10,000
conventioncenter.org $2,501 – $5,000
corporateairplanes.com $5,001 – $10,000
crete.com $100,001 – $250,000
cruiseconcierge.com $1,001 – $2,500
cruiseeurope.net No Reserve
cruisegetaways.net No Reserve
cruiseholiday.net No Reserve
cruisepanama.com $1,001 – $2,500
crystallakehotels.com $201 – $500
cubanluxuryhotel.com $201 – $500
customlasvegashomes.com $201 – $500
dallaslimos.com $1,001 – $2,500
dancefestivals.com $1,001 – $2,500
dcmotels.com No Reserve
debtreliefhouston.com No Reserve
delawarepoliticians.com $501 – $1,000
deluxelodging.com $1,001 – $2,500
deluxetravel.net $501 – $1,000
denverairport.info No Reserve
detroitnews.org No Reserve
discount.travel $1,001 – $2,500
discountair.net $10,001 – $25,000
discountairfares.org $5,001 – $10,000
divelocations.com $5,001 – $10,000
doublemileage.com $5,001 – $10,000
downtownleasing.com $10,001 – $25,000
dubaitravel.org No Reserve
dublinrestaurants.com $5,001 – $10,000
duicalifornia.com $2,501 – $5,000
eastgermany.com $25,001 – $50,000
ebooking.eu $1,001 – $2,500
eflights.eu $1,001 – $2,500
europeanautos.com $5,001 – $10,000
europeanmotels.com $2,501 – $5,000
europeanresort.co.uk No Reserve
europeans.net $5,001 – $10,000
exoticadventure.com $5,001 – $10,000
exoticresorts.net $2,501 – $5,000
exoticvoyages.com $5,001 – $10,000
expeditions.org $10,001 – $25,000
experiencehongkong.com $1,001 – $2,500
experiencescotland.com $5,001 – $10,000
expiredpassports.com No Reserve
familycampground.com $501 – $1,000
familychalet.com $10,001 – $25,000
familyvacation.com $25,001 – $50,000
familyvacationhomes.com $1,001 – $2,500
fantasyhotel.com $1,001 – $2,500
fantasytours.com $50,001 – $100,000
findairfare.com $5,001 – $10,000
fishutah.com No Reserve
flagstaff.biz No Reserve
flightdeals.com $250,001 – $500,000
floridabeachresorts.net No Reserve
floridacareer.org No Reserve
floridacondoinsurance.com $1,001 – $2,500
floridafashion.com $501 – $1,000
floridarefi.com $201 – $500
floridasunglasses.com No Reserve
flugauskunft.de $50,001 – $100,000
flyoneway.com $5,001 – $10,000
fortwaltonhotels.com $201 – $500
francetrips.com $10,001 – $25,000
freeupgrade.com $10,001 – $25,000
freevegashotels.com $201 – $500
frenchredwine.com $5,001 – $10,000
frugaltraveler.com $2,501 – $5,000
fuelcomp.com $5,001 – $10,000
funtrips.com $50,001 – $100,000
gaborone.com $25,001 – $50,000
georgiavacations.com $2,501 – $5,000
german.tel $1,001 – $2,500
germanytravel.eu $5,001 – $10,000
germanytrips.com $10,001 – $25,000
getaroundrio.com $1,001 – $2,500
getaway.net $10,001 – $25,000
golftours.com $25,001 – $50,000
goodflightdeals.com No Reserve
goodhomes.com $25,001 – $50,000
gotoaruba.com $25,001 – $50,000
gotobali.com $5,001 – $10,000
gotocostarica.com $5,001 – $10,000
gotocuracao.com $5,001 – $10,000
gourmethotel.co.uk $5,001 – $10,000
greatsequoias.com $201 – $500
greecetours.net No Reserve
greeksupermarket.com No Reserve
greektouroperator.com $2,501 – $5,000
greentourism.com $5,001 – $10,000
greentrips.com $5,001 – $10,000
greenwichvillage.com $10,001 – $25,000
gringodictionary.com $1,001 – $2,500
grouprates.com $25,001 – $50,000
grouptravelcoverage.com $10,001 – $25,000
guidedtraveltours.com No Reserve
guidetolasvegas.com $1,001 – $2,500
guidetoparis.com $1,001 – $2,500
guidetovacations.com $501 – $1,000
haiti.ca $10,001 – $25,000
halifaxmedicalcenter.com $1,001 – $2,500
hamptonmotel.com $1,001 – $2,500
handytraveltips.com $501 – $1,000
havanarentals.com $5,001 – $10,000
hawaiianbeachrental.com $5,001 – $10,000
hawaiianislandproperties.com $5,001 – $10,000
hawaiianrentalproperty.com $5,001 – $10,000
hawaiiansurfer.com $501 – $1,000
hightechjets.com $1,001 – $2,500
holidayalert.com $1,001 – $2,500
hollywooddiscounts.com $5,001 – $10,000
hollywoodexposed.com $5,001 – $10,000
hongkongdiscounthotels.com $2,501 – $5,000
hotelandmotelguide.com $201 – $500
hoteldistrict.com $5,001 – $10,000
hotellistings.com $2,501 – $5,000
hotelpriceshopper.com $1,001 – $2,500
hotelshuttle.com $5,001 – $10,000
houstonbankruptcy.com $501 – $1,000
houstondoors.com $501 – $1,000
houstonian.org No Reserve
idahopoliticians.com $501 – $1,000
illinoisbankruptcy.org No Reserve
indiana.biz No Reserve
italytrips.com $50,001 – $100,000
jacksonvilleoregon.com $1,001 – $2,500
japanesesteakhouses.com $5,001 – $10,000
jobsvegas.com No Reserve
johannesburg.info No Reserve
journeysouth.com $501 – $1,000
kenyatrips.com $5,001 – $10,000
keywesttraveldeals.com No Reserve
kickassvacations.com $501 – $1,000
l8.net $5,001 – $10,000
labeledmaps.com No Reserve
lakesideresorts.com $1,001 – $2,500
lastminutebooking.eu $2,501 – $5,000
lastminutetravel.de $5,001 – $10,000
lastminutevacation.co.uk $5,001 – $10,000
lastminutevacations.eu $5,001 – $10,000
lasvegascharters.com $1,001 – $2,500
lasvegasdrivingschool.com $5,001 – $10,000
lasvegasgolfclub.com $5,001 – $10,000
lasvegashotline.com $25,001 – $50,000
lasvegasmarriages.com $1,001 – $2,500
lasvegasoutlets.com $1,001 – $2,500
lasvegastownhomes.com $1,001 – $2,500
lawnewyork.net No Reserve
lgik.com $201 – $500
lisbon.com $1MM – $5MM
localgyms.com $10,001 – $25,000
localservice.com $5,001 – $10,000
lodgesearch.com $10,001 – $25,000
lodgingnyc.com $2,501 – $5,000
londonguide.eu $5,001 – $10,000
londonhostels.co.uk $25,001 – $50,000
londonhotelreservation.co.uk $2,501 – $5,000
londonhousewives.co.uk $1,001 – $2,500
louisvillebuilders.com No Reserve
lowgasprices.net No Reserve
lowpricedflights.com $1,001 – $2,500
luxurybeachhomes.org No Reserve
luxurycruises.eu $5,001 – $10,000
luxurytours.asia $1,001 – $2,500
luxurytravelclubs.com $1,001 – $2,500
lvproperty.com $2,501 – $5,000
mainconcourse.com $10,001 – $25,000
manhattan.cc No Reserve
map4u.com $1,001 – $2,500
mapsnyc.com $501 – $1,000
marylandinsurance.org No Reserve
massachusettsmotels.com $2,501 – $5,000
matterhornmountain.com No Reserve
matterhornskiing.com No Reserve
mauiattorney.com $1,001 – $2,500
mauiholiday.co.uk No Reserve
mdfamilylaw.com No Reserve
mdla.com $1,001 – $2,500
melbourneelectricians.com $501 – $1,000
memorablevacation.com $1,001 – $2,500
mexicantravelinsurance.com No Reserve
mexicodestinations.net No Reserve
mexicovacations.info $1,001 – $2,500
miamihomecare.com No Reserve
milantravel.net No Reserve
mililanihawaii.com No Reserve
millsboro.com $2,501 – $5,000
milwaukeerestaurants.com $2,501 – $5,000
minneapolisrestaurants.com $5,001 – $10,000
mobilealaska.com $501 – $1,000
mobilehomerental.com $10,001 – $25,000
moroccotrips.com $5,001 – $10,000
motelbusiness.com $1,001 – $2,500
motelinformation.com $25,001 – $50,000
motelmanagement.com $1,001 – $2,500
motels.co.uk $50,001 – $100,000
movingcalifornia.com No Reserve
msx.net $5,001 – $10,000
myfare.com $1,001 – $2,500
mysanfrancisco.com $5,001 – $10,000
nevadatrafficschool.com $2,501 – $5,000
newenglandstates.com $1,001 – $2,500
newyorkclassics.com $1,001 – $2,500
newyorkcredit.org No Reserve
newyorkshows.net $5,001 – $10,000
newyorksushi.com $1,001 – $2,500
nextvacations.com $1,001 – $2,500
nonsmokingcruiseships.com $501 – $1,000
northumberland.de $2,501 – $5,000
nyairportlimos.com No Reserve
nyartists.com $5,001 – $10,000
nyc.mx $1,001 – $2,500
nycaterers.com $5,001 – $10,000
nycauctions.com $2,501 – $5,000
nyccoop.com $501 – $1,000
nygyms.com $5,001 – $10,000
nylimoservice.com $201 – $500
nymasters.com No Reserve
nyplace.com $501 – $1,000
nyplays.com $5,001 – $10,000
nyrecruiter.com No Reserve
nyseniorcitizens.com $1,001 – $2,500
nyshows.com $10,001 – $25,000
nystudents.com $5,001 – $10,000
nywomen.com $5,001 – $10,000
oahudating.com No Reserve
oceanviewrestaurants.com $1,001 – $2,500
oldcountryinns.com $5,001 – $10,000
ontariocanada.net No Reserve
orlandovacation.de $2,501 – $5,000
osjn.com No Reserve
pandatravels.com $2,501 – $5,000
papuanewguinea.com $50,001 – $100,000
philadelphiavacationpackage.com No Reserve
phillymoving.com No Reserve
phoenixrentalproperty.com $201 – $500
phototravelmugs.com $501 – $1,000
planesickness.com $201 – $500
portlandhotelreservations.com $2,501 – $5,000
portugalhotels.net No Reserve
postalcode.com $100,001 – $250,000
premiumhotel.co.uk $5,001 – $10,000
quebeccashloans.com $2,501 – $5,000
raleigh.com $1MM – $5MM
redsoxtrips.com No Reserve
redwoodfalls.com $2,501 – $5,000
relaxingholiday.com $5,001 – $10,000
renoattorneys.net No Reserve
reserverooms.com $50,001 – $100,000
resortsearch.com $10,001 – $25,000
restaurantsearch.com $10,001 – $25,000
rhonefrance.com $1,001 – $2,500
roadtours.com $100,001 – $250,000
roadtravellers.com $501 – $1,000
roadtripplanner.com $2,501 – $5,000
romanticsuggestions.com $1,001 – $2,500
roomsaroundtheworld.com $5,001 – $10,000
routefinder.com $100,001 – $250,000
russiaairports.com $2,501 – $5,000
rvcampground.net $1,001 – $2,500
saigon.de $10,001 – $25,000
saintcharlesrentalcar.com No Reserve
saintpaul.info No Reserve
sandiegosalons.com $5,001 – $10,000
sandiegotrip.com No Reserve
sanjuangetaway.com $501 – $1,000
sanjuanholiday.com $501 – $1,000
sanmarcosflowers.com $501 – $1,000
saratogavillas.com No Reserve
saudiahotels.com No Reserve
saudiarabiahotelrates.com No Reserve
saudiarabianrealestate.com $5,001 – $10,000
saudiarabianrealty.com $5,001 – $10,000
scubaexpeditions.com $5,001 – $10,000
searchairfares.com $2,501 – $5,000
searchonline.com $5,001 – $10,000
searchscape.com $2,501 – $5,000
seattlehandyman.com No Reserve
seminaries.co.uk No Reserve
sexiestcities.com $10,001 – $25,000
shanghaichina.net $2,501 – $5,000
shenandoahmaps.com No Reserve
sidneymotels.com $1,001 – $2,500
singleshotel.com $5,001 – $10,000
snowvacation.com $201 – $500
southfloridadiet.com No Reserve
spanish.mobi $5,001 – $10,000
spanishharlem.net $201 – $500
spapackage.com $5,001 – $10,000
springbreakplaces.com No Reserve
statesouvenirs.com $201 – $500
stmaartenholiday.com $501 – $1,000
streetperformers.com $501 – $1,000
studentcruises.com $1,001 – $2,500

suffolkcountyproperty.com $501 – $1,000
summerresorts.com $25,001 – $50,000
summervacationing.com $1,001 – $2,500
suncruzcasinos.com No Reserve
supermotels.com $1,001 – $2,500
tampadivorce.net $501 – $1,000
tennesseebankruptcy.org No Reserve
texasticket.com $5,001 – $10,000
theaddressbook.com $5,001 – $10,000
thebritishisles.com $2,501 – $5,000
thecaribbean.com $50,001 – $100,000
thehotelsuite.com $1,001 – $2,500
themexicanborder.com $1,001 – $2,500
ticketslasvegas.com $25,001 – $50,000
timeshare.co.uk $100,001 – $250,000
toiletrykits.co.uk No Reserve
trainlinks.com $1,001 – $2,500
trains.info $2,501 – $5,000
travel-peru.com No Reserve
travelagent.biz No Reserve
travelaid.org No Reserve
travelanswers.com $25,001 – $50,000
travelbags.com $25,001 – $50,000
travelbusters.com No Reserve
travelcharter.com $2,501 – $5,000
travelconditions.com $5,001 – $10,000
travelhotline.com $100,001 – $250,000
traveloregon.org $501 – $1,000
travelrates.net $1,001 – $2,500
travelservice.co.uk $5,001 – $10,000
traveltocancunmexico.com No Reserve
travelvacation.org No Reserve
travelvalet.com $5,001 – $10,000
trip.co.uk $100,001 – $250,000
tripfile.com $1,001 – $2,500
tropicaldeals.com $5,001 – $10,000
uktrips.com $10,001 – $25,000
urbaninns.com $1,001 – $2,500
urbanstreets.com $50,001 – $100,000
usedjetskis.co.uk No Reserve
utahskideals.com No Reserve
uwb.org $1,001 – $2,500
vacationholidays.com $501 – $1,000
vacationindia.com $25,001 – $50,000
vacationplan.net $1,001 – $2,500
vacationregistry.com $5,001 – $10,000
vacationswaps.com $5,001 – $10,000
valleyspringscalifornia.com $501 – $1,000
valleyvillage.com $5,001 – $10,000
vegasairfares.com $2,501 – $5,000
vegasbank.com $5,001 – $10,000
vegasblackbook.com $5,001 – $10,000
vegasescapes.com $5,001 – $10,000
vegasflights.net $1,001 – $2,500
vegashotline.com No Reserve
vegassuperstore.com $2,501 – $5,000
veniceinformation.com $501 – $1,000
vineyardvacations.com $5,001 – $10,000
viptravellers.com $1,001 – $2,500
virginislandstours.com $5,001 – $10,000
visitathens.com $10,001 – $25,000
visitcebu.com $2,501 – $5,000
visitchichester.com $2,501 – $5,000
visitchina.net $1,001 – $2,500
visithouston.com $25,001 – $50,000
visitjapan.net $1,001 – $2,500
visitnewjersey.com $5,001 – $10,000
visitnewjersey.org $1,001 – $2,500
visitorscenter.com $5,001 – $10,000
visitrome.com $25,001 – $50,000
visittaiwan.com $25,001 – $50,000
washingtonstatecourt.com $1,001 – $2,500
weddingingreece.com $1,001 – $2,500
weekendhotelrates.com $1,001 – $2,500
weightlossatlanta.com No Reserve
winerytours.com $5,001 – $10,000
winterescapes.com $5,001 – $10,000
winterresorts.com $100,001 – $250,000
worldticketservice.com No Reserve
worldwidebutler.com $10,001 – $25,000
worldwidebutlers.com $10,001 – $25,000
worldwidedestinations.net No Reserve
xao.org $2,501 – $5,000
yosemitetravel.com $1,001 – $2,500
zipcodelistings.com $501 – $1,000

Successful End User Sale From Start to Finish

I want to share information about a successful end user sale I made with a domain name I recently acquired on Snapnames. Out of respect for the buyer, I am keeping the name and price private, but that’s not really important for the sake of this article.

I was looking through Snapnames a couple of weeks ago, and I saw a niche category defining domain name with one bidder. The name is one aspect of a large industry, but there are companies that specialize in this area. The GAKT numbers are decent, and there are a lot of companies that use this term in their domain names (CityXxxxxxXxxxxx.com for example).

As the auction progressed into its final minutes, it shot up from under $100 to several hundred dollars, but I was the winning bidder. I know the domain investment company I was bidding against, so I knew that I wasn’t battling an end user who would have more knowledge about the actual industry value than I could have.

As usual, I offered the domain name for sale to some of my clients, but there wasn’t interest. I was concerned that I possibly over paid for the 10 year old domain name, but I thought a company that specializes in this would be willing to pay above what a domain investor could justify. I did some Google research using the term (in quotes to ensure this exact term was being used), and I sent prospects the following email:

Good afternoon,

I noticed that your company is listed (used the word “advertising” to companies that are paying for Adwords) on Google for the key phrase “xxxxxxx xxxxx,” and my company is selling the exact match domain name “XxxxxxxXxxxx.com. The domain name was created back in January of 2000, and developing it could provide a SEO boost.

If you are interested in acquiring XxxxxxxXxxxx.com, please let me know. I am offering it to several xyz companies in the next few days.”

Regards,
Elliot

– –
Elliot J. Silver
Top Notch Domains, LLC

===============

I sent a total of 24 emails to prospective buyers using the contact forms or email addresses available on their websites. In total, I received 7 replies, all of which were from people that were interested. A few people said they’d love to buy the name but times were tough. A couple suggested I hold the name for another year or so to increase the value because that particular business is just now seeing a recovery.

I received two offers – one for under $1,000 and the other in the thousands of dollars range from a NYSE publicly traded company that happens to be the leader in the industry. Although I attempted to negotiate, they stuck to their initial best offer, and I agreed to sell them the domain name. We used Escrow.com for the transaction, and the transfer/sale was finalized this week.

I believe I sold the name for much more that it would have sold to another domain investor. I know there are people doing this type of thing every day, and I want to share my approach from start to finish.

=========

Please help me raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House

US Chess Federation Lets Domain Name Drop

1

The United States Chess Federation seems to have let it’s exact match domain name expire, and it’s now scheduled to hit the Snapnames auction block. USChessFederation.com expired on February 8, 2010 and it is scheduled to be auctioned on March 18th. The auction currently has one bid.

Although the US Chess Federation uses USChess.org for it’s primary website, this domain name has been owned by the organization since February of 2000. From the looks of it, it appears that they either didn’t realize they owned this domain name or they simply forgot to renew the domain name, since they originally registered it for ten years back in 2000.

I really don’t know how someone would be able to use this domain name legitimately. It’s one thing if the domain name was USChess.com as that could be used as a website for US chess players, but this one seems too specific to be used by someone other than the US Chess Federation.

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