For the past few years, Swetha Yenugula has regularly and frequently shared her .XYZ domain name sales. The value of her sales coupled with the velocity of her sales has led to some skepticism about the veracity of her sales. A bit of skepticism about domain name sales is healthy. It can drive people to investigate reported sales to weed out bad actors who may be inclined to report fake sales. The feedback Swetha has received has gone well beyond a healthy skepticism, and it is unfortunate.
To date, I have not seen any evidence to refute any of Swetha’s reported domain name sales. In fact, over the last few days, Swetha’s sales have been confirmed by multiple third parties.
On Sunday, NameBio’s Michael Sumner published an article about Swetha’s sales on Afternic. Swetha provided Michael with her Afternic login and password to allow Michael to verify her sales on the platform. This must have felt invasive. Every one of Swetha’s sales were verified by Michael. In fact, after reviewing her records, Michael wrote, “Thus I now feel 100% confident in all her reports, not just the Afternic ones.”
In addition to selling 7 figures worth of domain names on Afternic year to date, Swetha has also done a substantial volume of business on Dan.com. On Twitter, Swetha requested that Dan.com Founder Reza Sardeha vouch for her sales. After all, Swetha was likely one of the top sellers on the platform. Reza did just that:
I would 100% vouch for you. You’re a true inspiration to many domainers and please ignore the haters. Keep building, growing and sharing!
— Reza Sardeha (@rsardeha) November 27, 2022
Some people have also questioned if Swetha or her company have some undisclosed relationship with the .XYZ Registry. Some people have speculated about whether the .XYZ Registry or a related entity, employee, officer, or someone else connected with the registry funded her business, fund her operations, or are involved with her portfolio in some invisible manner. Swetha already denied any special connections to the Registry or its team, but it’s very difficult to prove something doesn’t exist.
I reached out to .XYZ Registry CEO and Founder Daniel Negari to see if he or his team could offer a comment about this. Daniel shared the following statement with me:
“XYZ nor any related officer or entity of XYZ has any relationship with Swetha or her company.
I find it distasteful that people like Rick Schwartz / Castello Bros use their platform to cast doubt on the success of a true entrepreneur because she is making money from .xyz instead of .com.
The fact that Swetha is a woman living in India breaking barriers by crushing it in the male-dominated domain industry is nothing less than inspiring. She should be lauded for her openness and willingness to participate in removing the doubt cast on her work and capabilities.
XYZ has a unique position on domain investors. We fully appreciate the evangelists like Swetha promoting the usage of the namespace – .xyz was created for everyone, everywhere, which includes investors. However, we don’t actively seek to promote .xyz domains as a speculative investment. We focus on encouraging the next generation of the internet to register and use .xyz domains as an alternative to .com.
Targeting the #1 spot on the internet means making some enemies. In the early days, not having support from domain investors created a vacuum of opportunity for the first 0 – 3 million names in the .xyz zone to be discovered, registered and used primarily by end users. Some speculation did occur along the way, and many of those brave investors have been rewarded. At the same time, those investors have been able to offer .xyz domains to end users at relatively small premiums compared to the .com equivalent, which might cost 5 to 50x more in the aftermarket.
With conviction and foresight – Swetha and the new wave of #genxyz registrants are paving the way – and I’m supportive of and encouraged by their resilience and success.”
Before .XYZ domain names were in high demand, it appears that Swetha bought thousands of the most in-demand keyword .XYZ domain names. As this market grew with demand from Web3 and crypto-related companies, Swetha continued to sell and raise her asking prices. She also appears to continue to buy domain names. Swetha has made a great deal of money and still owns a portfolio of valuable .XYZ domain names.
Just as Rick Schwartz has done with his .com domain name sales throughout the years, Swetha is reporting her .XYZ sales to inform the market. Comparable domain name sales give buyers confidence, and sharing large .XYZ sales will help her sell other domain names.
I built a small portfolio of .XYZ domain names with Embrace.xyz serving as my sales venue. Other than the one .XYZ domain name I sold before launching the site, I have not sold any others. I wish I had the foresight to register good keyword .XYZ domain names that can serve as brands, but I appreciate that Swetha has been sharing her sales. I am still on the hunt for good .XYZ domain names with no premium renewal fees.
I don’t think Swetha can do anything more to mollify the naysayers who are criticizing her and casting aspersions on her success. As far as I am concerned, Swetha is one of the most successful domain investors and it’s about time people stop spreading rumors without actual evidence to back it up.
Great post Elliot. I used to follow Rick religiously before he blocked me and others on his Twitter possible coz we were investing in .xyz. He’s a wise man but getting old and bitter & possible protecting the verisign .com brand at all costs. Who’s to say he doesn’t have a close relationship with the registry?
I’m on team Rick Schwartz AKA the Domain 👑 here. I don’t buy it AT ALL. Her sales fly in the face of logic and reason.
Exactly what am I missing here? Is there some sort of law or regulation in the domain industry that prohibits a registry from backing or supporting the efforts of a domain dealer? Most of you reading this are aware that I’ve accumulated 1,500 .LINK domains to which some well respected registrars are saying, “.LINK is no worse than .XYZ”
Regardless of the unadulterated BULL SHIT surrounding this industry, it’s my belief that Swetha may have had some backing and support from unknown sources, and I don’t see anything wrong with it…..WTF!!!
Great article, Elliot. I support Swetha and her blazing a new trail for .xyz domains. I own 100+ .xyz domains and looking forward to their value increasing in the comings months and years. Rick Schwartz may be the Domain King. However, let’s give the lady her due. Swetha is the Domain Queen!
I really don’t care how one makes money but if you really want to dig to the issue,
Show us the tax returns. Trump..
Follow the money
She must be one of the billionaires in India.
Eliot its weird for you not to not confront Rick Schwartz, Mike Mann and the Castello Brothers directly if you have such disagreement with them. Its not simply ‘some people’ asking raising valid questions, these are some of the MOST successful domainers with proven track records.
I’m skeptical of the XYZ sales, reminds me too much of the crypto hype before the bubble burst.
I see a healthy level of skepticism in regards to these XYZ sales, and my opinion is no more right or wrong than yours on the issue.
We need more skepticism and less blind conformism in the world.
The public statements of Rick, Mann and Castello Brothers were public statements; why use the vague and unaccountable ‘some people’ term?
Why would I waste my time and energy confronting anyone? I believe Swetha, and I have no information that would change anyone’s mind. Third parties have reviewed and confirmed her sales. Swetha says she has no relationship with XYZ, and the CEO of XYZ told me in a statement for this article that his company has no relationship with Swetha. There’s nothing more I can contribute to convince anyone.
Even if Swetha offered me an in person interview and I flew to India to meet her, naysayers would probably say it’s not really her or some other BS.
I am not going to waste my time trying to convince people who will probably always harbor doubts no matter what.
What a load of rubbish
Of course people are skeptical because she is not from USA. You trust someone coming from Russia, China, Nigeria about business sales??
Human nature !!
Narendra Modi must be so proud of her.
Maybe the real buyers of those xyz domains,can you please vouch for the sales with real legit transactions.
Who are the buyers??
I’m still on fence about ALL the .XYZ sales.
I don’t fully trust Daniel. Reminds me of Shilling, has an agenda with his domain extensions. He doesn’t have anyone to report to. No one to keep him honest, hold him accountable. Just my opinion.
You wrote an entire article about those ‘anyone’ or ‘some people’, and they are among the most notable influencers within the domain industry.
If they are the most visible voices of the controversy, why wouldn’t you hold their feet to the fire to bring the controversy full circle?
The blog post is as much about Rick Schwartz, Mike Mann and Castello Brothers as Daniel Negari, ‘Swetha’ & XYZ registry.
But your position is duly noted.
A lot more people than those you mentioned have commented on social media and Namepros. I am not going to highlight anyone specific’s comments unless someone specific brings actual evidence of misdeeds.
Elliot
You and family would go if she picks you all up in her private jet and have curry dinner in her Taj Mahal
It’s all very implausible that she could come out of nowhere and make millions in sales on a TLD like . XYZ – in a very short period of time.
The big issue isn’t whether she can confirm that these sales took place – it’s to whom she’s selling and what they’re doing with these names.
Is there some type of investment fund that’s acquiring these names – and if so, why are they making these purchases?
Are these sales all made to individual companies or individuals – and what are they doing with them?
Why throw around this sort of money on .XYZ when there are tons of other extensions out there?
While I wish Swetha the best of success, something here just doesn’t add up.
Why give this story oxygen?
Serious question Elliot…..what difference would it make if Swetha did have any connection or relationship with .XYZ? Are there any laws, rules or regulations that I’m unaware of that would prohibit it? Why would it even be considered unethical or to use Negari’s description, “distasteful”?
Great post Elliot! You don’t need to hold anybody’s feet to the fire, or go anywhere beyond this post. I think the facts have been clear.
I personally have sold MANY. XYZ domain names well into the five figures both for clients and from my own personal portfolio. As well as many other non .com domain names right in front of everyone at our auctions. There’s no reason to question or doubt the sales that Swetha is making. At least she’s making them public so people are aware that there’s other options and activity going on besides one extension.
These sales again are healthy and good for the entire industry, and raises the tidewater and value for everyone regardless of what extension you own.
I’ve known Daniel for many years. He is one of the smartest operators and a true visionary and a HUGE asset to the domain industry!
As one of the original founders / market makers, and top brokers and auctioneers in this industry, I can vouch for Daniel and other extension selling besides .com domain names!
“If You Can’t See The Sucker, You’re It” – Warren Buffett
Sam Bankman-Fried (21 October 2021)
Richest under 30
https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenehrlich/2021/10/06/the-richest-under-30-in-the-world-all-thanks-to-crypto/?sh=16e996c63f4d
Sam Bankman-Fried (12 Nov 2022)
The Devil In Nerd’s Clothes
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidjeans/2022/11/12/the-devil-in-nerds-clothes-how-sam-bankman-frieds-cult-of-genius-fooled-everyone/
How many crypto bro gurus, ‘experts’, influencers, politicians and major financial institutions have been proven wrong by a factor of $16 billion or more?
Skepticism is good, time reveals all.
I really hate premium price gauging by these ngTLD registries. And willy-nilly reserving of premium domains. Is that still going on?
Even back in the early days of .xyz, many of the domains they segmented as “premium” carried renewal fees of at least 4 figures. Negari suggests that a great opportunity was available to snag all the good domains back then, but the reality is doing so would have cost an exorbitant amount of money. Then paying for five, six, seven years of premium renewal costs just waiting for the big sales to show up. Takes a lot of faith in the .xyz extension to mature and all those great one-word .xyz domains to pay off. Also, takes a big bank account to fund all those years of premium renewal fees. The conversation should also include the cost to acquire and renew all those great .xyz’s over the years.
According to the FTC, Daniel Negari is no stranger to deceptive marketing practices.
https://techstartups.com/2022/01/22/daniel-negari-top-executives-xyz-domain-agreed-pay-1-5-million-settle-ftc-lawsuit-deceptively-harvesting-personal-data-millions-consumers/
“The FTC said that the top executives of .xyz domain, through a network of interlinked companies, deceptively collected loan applications through at least 200 websites, and promised to connect the applicant with verified lenders. Instead, they sold the personal data indiscriminately” to the highest bidder through a lead-generation marketplace.
The lawsuit (shown below) named as defendants XYZ.com CEO Daniel Negari, COO Michael Abrose, business development manager Jason Ramin, general counsel Grant Carpenter, and two other defendants, Anisha Hancock, and Sione Kaufusi.”
Source: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2022/01/lead-generator-deceptively-solicited-loan-applications-millions
If I had to guess what “Swetha” is, it would be .. “a network of interlinked companies”.
More about the FTC case mentioned above here: https://domainincite.com/27356-xyz-bosses-pay-1-5-million-to-settle-feds-loan-scam-claims
It would be funny if Swetha was a code name for one of the defendants, but the Swetha as ‘brand’ for a network of interlinked companies is an interesting theory.
Amazing how Mr. Silver failed to mention this January 2022 FTC settlement in this article. Yet says, “unless someone brings actual evidence of misdeeds.”
Mr.Silver were you aware of this FTC settlement for deceptive data and marketing practices?
After another look through my emails I believe Swetha is a real person and likely is not connected to the .xyz registry although I can’t be sure either way. The XYZ registry became available to the general public on June 2, 2014. I’ve just reviewed three old emails from Swetha from late 2015 where she was selling some of her .Com names. On those lists she didn’t have any .xyz names for sale.
The keyword here is DECEPTION!!!
DECEPTION!!
The keyword:
DECEPTION!!
He/She is not above deceiving us??
BULLSHIT!!
DECEPTION!!
Days of discussion around one word.
DECEPTION!!
We just want to know if we are being DECEIVED!!!??
Looks like the wind just shifted!!
Would it be that implausible for ANY registry to take their best 20,000 premium domains & open a separate account & have a “Mascot” make those sales?
I mean a domainer?
Maybe one that exists, Maybe not. Maybe just an account manager?
Then have all the domainers jump on board?
That might be called DECEPTION!!
Where is the data? Where are the facts? Data don’t lie. People do. Until you can prove deception with data and facts, you are simply howling at the moon.
issue is why no other decent .xyz portfolio holders are even close to, How many she is selling? why she is the only lucky one? there is something fishy about this registry. Sweta should appear in public. If she is from India, she must be paying lots of taxes. lets see…/ We have already reported this name to Indian and US TAX authority, just to get the facts clear. Let you guys know soon.
I don’t have to prove deception. I am quoting the FTC. They already proved deception. So there is history of deception that should not be ignored!! Pretty simple and basic stuff.
And as far as Negari calling me and others “Distasteful” in this article, well there is NO LAW about being distasteful BUT there ARE laws about DECEPTION and DECEPTIVE PRACTICES!!
So to quote Negari “BOOM”!!!
Lots of novice and abecedarian domainers are falling into this deception. This is real Distateful. This is now going to be fully investigated.
My two cents….these sales appear to be end user pricing. Which takes outreach. And when an agreement is made via outreach, it usually closes at Escrow.com, not Dan or Afternic. Dan and Afternic are inbound which is where I believe 100% of her sales are recorded. So, there is either massive fraud happening, or all of us have greatly underestimated the popularity of the .XYZ name.
The only way for any new extension to hope to thrive is to create a level playing field. As soon as a registry competes with domain investors it has lost.
I always call Monte the biggest whore in Domaining. And he is! But lovingly of course!!
Monte claims, and I have no reason to doubt him, that he has sold more domains over the past 25 years via auctions that anyone in the world. One hell of a distinction my friend!!
So how is it you have no 6-figure sales for these domains? Many have been in auctions.
How can you explain that??
And what is the definition of “Many” when it comes to 5-figures?
How many over $75k for example?
Thanks Buddy!!
“I’ve known Daniel for many years!”
Daniel Negari and top executives of .XYZ domain agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle FTC lawsuit for “deceptively” harvesting personal data of millions of consumers (1/22/2022)
https://techstartups.com/2022/01/22…-harvesting-personal-data-millions-consumers/
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/new…-indiscriminately-shared#.Y4ZVNWYyuwY.twitter
Thoughts?
@Fred Interesting
@Rick
“So how is it you have no 6-figure sales for these domains? Many have been in auctions.
How can you explain that??”
Exactly!
Daniel Negari and top executives of .XYZ domain agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle FTC lawsuit for “deceptively” harvesting personal data of millions of consumers:
https://techstartups.com/2022/01/22/daniel-negari-top-executives-xyz-domain-agreed-pay-1-5-million-settle-ftc-lawsuit-deceptively-harvesting-personal-data-millions-consumers/
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2022/01/lead-generator-deceptively-solicited-loan-applications-millions-consumers-indiscriminately-shared#.Y4ZVNWYyuwY.twitter
Does this meet your “actual evidence of misdeeds” test? or is the FTC not specific enough?
Why not include this public FTC settlement of such obvious relevance to your article and those ‘some people’ who motivated you writing this post?
If XYZ is so popular among end users, why isn’t it reflected in end user usage?
Why isn’t XYZ even in the Top 10 extensions per startup usage, but XYZ has the highest non-dot com DN Journal Top 100 sales since the last two years?
https://jamesnames.com/2022/09/every-extension-used-by-unicorn-companies/
Reminds me of NFT “sales”. A lot of wash selling between related parties to drive up the overall market for certain collections. It doesn’t mean that some valid sales didn’t occur but the wash sales drove the hype and the wash sales were the majority.
When did premium pricing get implemented for xyz? Was it from inception or after some of this hype started? Create some hype and then Jack up renewal prices?
Elliot, you don’t have to go to India for an interview, just do a 5 minute or 10 minute video podcast.
Y’all are really something. Adam Dicker can defraud dozens of people for years and no one bats and eye because he shows up to schmooze with the “big boys”, but when a woman of color who doesn’t play that game finds success in the same arena you not only doubt her but you hound her even though it has ZERO impact on you. That’s giving some real racist, classist, AND misogynistic vibes.
I’ve never met Swetha, but I have a NamePros DM with her from back in 2016 before her sales started taking off. When I was looking to add to my portfolio of premium .xyz domains after selling a few for what, at the time, were good prices. I was one of the people that jumped on the deal of $.02 .xyz domains and scooped up about 300 one word domains. I’ve since stupidly allowed most of them to expire, but kept that ones that I thought were really strong.
At the time she stated she had about 1000 .xyz domains. She offered me 500 of them for $100k or $200 each. I didn’t have a spare $100k then, but let me tell you how often I think about that exchange and wished I’d found that money then.
I continued to sell one or two .xyz domains each year until (I thought) I’d removed all of my domains from all sales platforms to cull and reprice. I never got around to it and GDRP made it impossible to get offers the “hard way”. Just over a year ago I came *this* close to contacting Swetha to ask her if she wanted to buy me out. Just before I hit send on that message I took a look at what she was doing and I decided to replicate it.
Three weeks later I sold places.xyz at Alter for $18888. No negotiation. Since then I’ve sold 13 .xyz domains across Alter (now closed), Afternic, Uniregistry.com (unintentionally left bio.xyz there for far too low a price), and Dan. My highest sale was for MVP.xyz. I know who bought it and I have no idea why they haven’t developed it yet, but I can tell you that the amount they paid for it is chump change to them.
places.xyz (Alter)
bio.xyz (Uni)
merch.xyz (Afternic)
heirloom.xyz (Broker inquiry, transacted through Alter)
uno.xyz (Afternic)
contracts.xyz (Afternic)
mvp.xyz (Dan)
hackathon.xyz (Dan)
gigs.xyz (Dan lease to own transaction just canceled this month after six payments)
boons.xyz (Dan)
dos.xyz (Dan.com installment plan)
engram.xyz (Dan)
riot.xyz (Dan.com installment plan)
If the dos.xyz and riot.xyz installment deals complete that’ll be $187k USD in transactions from October 15, 2021 to now. If not, it’ll still be $147k. Not bad for what amounts to about a week of work last September when I implemented the lessons I learned from Swetha’s sales strategies.
No, I don’t put up Swetha numbers in terms of the number of domains or prices, but I also never got close to the number of strong single word .xyz domains she has. She’s sold a ton more than me, and she re-invested that money to buy more and more domains. That’s a textbook investment strategy. She’s talked about her success and that has helped others as well as herself. She’s been able to steadily increase her prices. You’ll notice that her sales velocity slowed way down this summer as the economy struggled and crypto winter came early. She’s also raised her prices quite significantly and I think that has had an impact.
Even if it turns out that Swetha is a fraud (which I don’t believe) or has some connection to the .xyz registry (also don’t believe) then I’d still have to tip my hat to her because I wouldn’t have made this money without her.
“I know who bought it and I have no idea why they haven’t developed it yet, but I can tell you that the amount they paid for it is chump change to them. ”
In all fairness, many .com sales don’t end up developed either. Just go through DNJ yearly charts over the years to see what I mean.
If you are so smart follower, then what you were doing in last 20 years of domaining? That you didn’t have 100k to buy great .xyz from sweta? You should be multimillionaire,by now. How come .xyz is the only success for you!,that’s also by following Swetha. Have you thought of following Rick, Mike , Frank, Chong, Garry etc?
Give me a fucking break.
Does ICANN mind if a registry’s senior management were involved in a scheme that required a settlement with a government regulatory body? (i.e. Does it impact the .xyz contract? Or does it make no difference?)
If dot xyz is doing so well, then why get involved in such a thing?
How do you know ‘Swetha’ is a woman or “of color” if you don’t know her? Have you met Swetha? Why isn’t schmoozing with Daniel Negari considered one of the ‘big boys’ if he owns a registry and can afford to pay $1.5M in FTC fines?
Also, the same people scrutinizing ‘Swetha” are scrutinizing Daniel Negari too.
This reply is giving me strong ‘Karen’ vibes.
FYI, nobody cares about Swetha’s alleged race, class, gender, etc. this is your own projection to stall open inquiry. But for you to say how does reporting public sales impact those in the business of domain speculation, says a lot.
Ironically, many don’t believe Swetha is a real person, male or female, Black, brown, White or purple but an avatar or fictitious creation to generate sales for XYZ.
Unreal…
“some well respected registrars are saying, “.LINK is no worse than .XYZ”
That is a sales pitch, they want you to buy more.
Dude see is not going to sleep with you lmao
Thanks Gregg….since .LINK will be competing heads up with .XYZ in the near future, this is the sort of information we will have in our arsenal when it comes to educating “end users” the corrupt nature of the domain industry as a whole. Fortunately I have a credible reputation outside of the domain industry that plays to my advantage. Thanks again.
Bottom line, show us the Tax Returns….
Trump and Sweatha or whoever
Follow the money!!
One thing is certain, i wouldn’t trust Rick, Mann or Castello, Fuck en!! I was the very first believer in .XYZ and i have no doubt in these sales.
So please tell me your attraction to .xyz? If they were not selling you would rock that extension?
This is not a good look for the .xyz registry.
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/new…-indiscriminately-shared#.Y4ZVNWYyuwY.twitterhttps://www.ftc.gov/news-events/new…-indiscriminately-shared#.Y4ZVNWYyuwY.twitter
I haven’t followed the surge in .xyz sales over the last few years. Are people suggesting that affiliates of the .xyz reg are purchasing one word .xyz domains from multiple parties to “drive up” the “perceived value” of the extension? If so, who are all the lucky domainers (owners of these .xyz domains) who get these windfalls from these sales? Are we talking hundreds of “lucky domainers”?
If false buying has been implemented, you’d think the xyz registry would also buy .xyz domains from well-known people in the industry or from domain bloggers to help make these sales seem legitimate, or pull an SBF by making donations or sponsoring to buying ads from industry leaders and publications?
Unfortunately, when industries like domaining lack regulation, bad players will try to game the system, just as record producers used to give payola to radio stations to play their clients’ songs…or hedge funds pumping up their slate of assets
I had no idea xyz has had such giant sales, which is commendable if legitimate but unethical if not – especially against the backdrop of the plummetting crypto. web3 and tech sectors – FTX and BLOCKDEFI have filed bankruptcies…the digital apes shilled by celebrities have crashed –
But why would a registry spend over 7 figures buying xyz domains from so many parties? Not enough data here, so I can;t evaluate.
Good luck with your domain ventures.
Ask Rick about his TRAFFIC auction .mobi scam. Have you guys noticed Rick being so negative about everything lately…maybe he is just getting old.
Give him a break.
And yes i think .xyz is a scam just like .mobi but swetha may not be involved just like Rick might not have been involved in .mobi scam.
But definitely a pump and dump scam.
you guys are all morons debating what idiots like Rick or Mann or Castello said vs what XYZ said.
Go follow the domain trail like an OSINT analysts !
You know the domains,
Where are they now ??
registrars, NS, Whois, GA, actual usage.
This can’t be very hard to prove or disprove, if the sales are real or not. Take it a step further and contact the new buyers and see where that takes you. Put an email track on those emails.
Andy hit the nail on the head with Rick’ pump and dump of .mobi domains!
You have a lot of nerve assholes to link me to .mobi bullshit.
Talk to MONTE CAHN!! Ask him!! I had Nothing to do with .MOBI. NOTHING!
Making stuff up is your only defense?? That makes you LOWLIFES!!
That is why I blocked asshioles like YOU from my twitter feed.
You talk out of your ass with no facts.
You just make it up to try and distract from the real issue.
You idiots are like fish swallowing bait and then you want to show how smart you are? You are IDIOTS and look like ostriches except your heads are not in SAND they are WAY up YOUR ASSES and shills for .xyz. That’s reality!!
AND
https://tldinvestors.com/2022/11/gaming-xyz-back-on-the-market.html
Seems Gaming.xyz is another questionable sale just LAST NIGHT!!:
“Gaming.xyz sold at Squadhelp for $123,984 back on October 18.”
Then they made 1 payment and defaulted.
Not a good day for .xyz and many others.
Attacking ME does not make DECEPTION any less.
You might be being deceived but you are angry at the wrong person.
There is only one DECEIVER that we KNOW is a deceiver!!
That has been convicted of deception by the FTC and you want to attack me??
Only a total POS would do that.
Go fuck yourselves!!
You should be thanking me and others but that would actually take a brain and a heart and an open mind!! But that does not work for mindless lemmings. They follow blindly to the slaughter house!! ENJOY!!
Some of you guys are now deceivers as well.
Your post went out of your way to DECEIVE!!
So seems there are multiple deceivers here now.
Birds of a feather stick together.
SHAMEFUL!!
“There is only one DECEIVER that we KNOW is a deceiver!!
That has been convicted of deception by the FTC and you want to attack me??”
For accuracy sake, no conviction by the FTC or the courts in this case.
https://domainincite.com/27356-xyz-bosses-pay-1-5-million-to-settle-feds-loan-scam-claims
“The FTC’s allegations were wholly without merit,” the defendants’ lawyer, Derek Newman, told DI in an email. “But litigation against the FTC is expensive and resource draining. For that reason, my clients chose to settle the case and move on with their business.”
“In fact, the FTC did not require any changes to my clients’ business practices that they had not already implemented before the case was filed,” he added.”
..
“The settlement (pdf) sees the defendants pay $1.5 million and agree to certain restrictions on their collection and use of data, but they did not admit or deny any liability.”
This whole thing is going to be exposed as one big scam with Negari working with Swetha creating fake sales. As our past case which we exposed Negari with the Fed loan scam we are going to expose this .xyz fraud soon. We know what we are talking about, and like Rick said you need to listen to us. Our track record speaks for itself. Stay tuned.
Thanks for the clarification and I stand corrected.
But deception is deception and that part is real is it not?
How many others here have been accused of deception by the FTC and make a donation of $1.5 MILLION??
“But deception is deception and that part is real is it not?”
He was accused of deception. Yes. He was not convicted of deception. In this country it’s still “innocent until proven guilty”. Public perception is another story.
Fair enough. I will just stick with my perception.
But I will not use the word convicted or anything like that. Again, thank you for the clarification. I do like being accurate and factual.
That all escalated quickly. Many old timers have seen so many scams and the pumping of XYZ names on launch into Network Solution customer accounts if they had the corresponding.com name, for the first year free, to pump the numbers.
I was sceptical early on namespro and suggested buyer beware but acknowledged I might be wrong; from what I have seen, I’m probably more sceptical. But have no proof, so I can only advise caution.
Rick has a solid way of putting his points; take out the shouting; he’s often on the money.
Kellie, saying it’s racism towards Swetha, is lazy. First, you have no idea of most people’s race and gender commenting on here, and worst, you’re making it a racist issue. At some point, we have got to get to the place in society where your skin colour has the same meaning as your eye or hair colour. Identity politics will never get us to that place.
Too many red flags for me to get involved. Good luck to all. Do your own research.
Actually pretty healthy for the domain community to debate and scrutinize an issue that is clearly a few standard deviations out of the norm.
“You have a lot of nerve assholes to link me to .mobi bullshit.
Talk to MONTE CAHN!! Ask him!! I had Nothing to do with .MOBI. NOTHING!
Making stuff up is your only defense?? That makes you LOWLIFES!!”
Making stuff up is exactly what you are doing with Swetha!
Better spend time with your grandchildren and leave her alone..
Do you know her?
Have you seen her other than her pic?
Have you talked to her?
Has Anyone?
Not chat!! Not email. VIDEO!
ANYONE??
With all the money s/he is getting,at least s/he can make an appearance somewhere..
Show us your tax returns Swetha Trump
This issue has really got the domain community in a tizzy.
If someone truly believes there are shenanigans being played by the .xyz registry, can’t that person contact ICANN to report it so that ICANN can investigate?
Anyone who believes that where there’s smoke there’s fire should probably do so.
And then we can get to the bottom of this issue once and for all.
From everything I’ve seen there is no evidence given that these sales aren’t legitimate. First I heard the sales were fake. Now that they have been proven to have taken place apparently the seller and buyers are fake shills? Even if the seller goes on video (and she is well within her right not to) it will just lead to another baseless conspiracy theory popping up. At this point anyone who loudly claims there’s a conspiracy or deception going on should put up some concrete evidence or shut up.
Finkle is Einhorn, Einhorn is Finkle….It is very strange people think there is a conspiracy going on here between multiple companies, and people over XYZ sales. Even to the point I have heard people saying Negari is Swetha. I tip my hat to them.
Rick almost had a heart attack when i mentioned .mobi scam; look at his angry reply above…lol.
Seems guilty but let’s prove it without a doubt.
Rick said he had nothing to do with dot mobi.
Hey Rick, tell the court…remember, you are under oath Rick…were multiple .mobi domains sold for 6 figures at “YOUR” TRAFFIC EVENT that you organized and were part of AND did you not bid $200k for flowers.mobi … but earlier you stated you had nothing to do with .mobi…
6 figure bids for dot mobi domains were placed at YOUR Traffic Event that you organized.
No dot mobi domains ever sold for even $1000 before you guys pumped the price of dot mobi domains at your event…but you had nothing to do with dot mobi domains uhh???
Dot mobi were one of the sponsors at your Traffic Event…but you stated you had nothing to do with dot mobi uhh???
I rest my case your honour.
Judge: Rick you’re getting old…I request you take time of domaining and attend to your family and friends…guilty as charged.
Next case…we have .xyz with Swetha…
Andy -In Rick’s defense, Rick did not put .mobi domains in TRAFFIC auctions, I did just as I did for other new and innovative TLDs at that time. The industry was at a point where there was a need for something different so I sprinkled in new TLDs in our auctions as I continue to do to this day and there are buyers and sellers for them…PERIOD. there was no scam or scheme to pump up anything! Not all new TLDs will make it but some will and some did and its the market that decides, not Rick or I or anyone. At least there is a choice and options available other than one. Rick investing and buying domains for what ever price is no different than anyone else doing the same. There was no foul motive behind it what so ever.
First, I find insults against Rick or anyone else very disgusting. Be professional for fuck’s sake. And hasn’t a lesson been learned from dot mobi, dot anything? Are the same errors repeated with the ngTLDs? Prove me wrong.
“Talk To Monte Cahn???” really Rick? Not sure how accusing Swetha and the .XYZ registry of deception and collusion with no factual basis has anything to do with me either…..and now you are implying that I was part of some pump and dump scheme with .mobi registry? Really?? Even though I said I was not going to get into a back and forth…..I am not letting this one slide!
I did not take .mobi’s premium sponsorship money during 2 TRAFFIC conferences…nor did I buy their premium names at my auction. YOU DID! Again I love ya, respect you, we have known each other and have done a lot of business together since the late 90’s, however You believed .Mobi was a new and upcoming registry with promising technology and a futuristic approach to new TLDs at the time, I and many others believed that too. That is why you had them sponsor your show and you invested in their domain names. Yes I supported them as a registrar through Moniker.com as well all the other new TLDs at the time because that is what our customers wanted. We polled our customer base…including you, and they wanted more options, so we made available all the new TLDs and ccTLDs that we could to support in an ever growing domain market.
I had 6 .mobi premium names in our auction that year and you bought how many of them? You even reviewed the auction list to check my selections prior to the auction….. That was not by my doing nor did we ever have a discussion about the value of .mobi or somehow propping them up in some way other than offering their new premium domains at our auction. I also offered .Info, .biz, .pro, .name .tel, and others etc. .Mobi was no more favored than any of them.
But they ALL paid premium $$$ to have booths and sponsor TRAFFIC conferences which you were the beneficiary….not me. You supported new TLDs as much if not more than I did due to your conference and you invested and registered in many non .com names yet you never talk about those….? I dare you to share your complete non .com ownership list you have/had through the years.
With that said, I also helped and supported .Co .Club, .Global, .design, .ink .Asia, .Travel and others with their premium domain strategies, premium domain lists and conducted lots of sales which ultimately helped make them successful and resulted in some of those registries selling for many multiples in their exits. And mark my words, I will help make .HipHop successful as well! That does not make me a “whore” as you keep calling me….more like a great PIMP! Not sure who the Whore is in this story but its certainly not me…..
As I have said for many years and I will say it again….The sales and development of all domain names in ALL extensions is great for our industry! Sales of ALL extensions…not only .com, helps our entire industry grow, become stronger through diversity, new innovation and new investors entering in our space. if we only had .com names to buy, sell and develop, i seriously doubt we would all still be here talking…… I have dedicated my last 25+ years in this industry creating, dedicating, supporting, educating, innovating, , and putting my money and time by DOING THINGS THAT HELP OTHERS besides myself! Let’s stop the finger pointing and ever ending allegations which is creating internal conflict within our industry and lets keep working together to make it stronger and more legitimate…. END OF DISCUSSION!
What?
My Dentist (a fine lady) is from India and two of my best friends, one a cardiologist and the other an entrepreneur not unlike myself is from India so whoever brought up the racist narrative is most likely a racist themselves. Here’s what one of my domain industry friends said about .XYZ; .
“LINK is not worse than .XYZ. The .XYZ folks have created hype by posting lots of domain sales.The unknown is whether most of the big ones are real. Nevertheless, the speculators chase the hype.Until end users start to adopt it, the market is a bit like beanie babies.”
One thing I can share with everyone reading this is that few, and i mean very few business people outside the domain industry have ever heard of .XYZ and when I try to explain it to them their eyes glass over. Ask them if they’ve ever heard of LINKedin, and that’s another story:).
Is safety an issue? If it wasn’t before, it would feel like that now, thanks to these histerics.
Hey Andy, you must be the stupidest idiot in the entire industry dispute the crap your spewing. You’re making shit up.
You were talking out of your ass. Talk to Monte about .mobi OK. Talk to Monte.
You can try to swing bullshit at me all you want everyone of the industry knows you’re making it up and you’re just a lowlife lying piece of shit. But that’s the only way you guys can score points because you can’t deal with the damn truth.
As far as I’m concerned, you’re just an anonymous troll. That means nothing to anybody. Why don’t you go? Suck your pal Josh’s dick. The other faker you want to defend
No Monte, it’s not gonna be the end of the damn discussion. This is just the beginning of the discussion. We are far from done.
Hey Monte, why don’t you talk about those off-the-wall fake bids that you and your auctioneer kept doing that I kept objecting to until we finally parted ways. Why don’t you talk about that?
Well you keep going then my friend. I’m more than busy with more important things on my plate 😉 good luck with all that.
Monte, I will never deal with you again after today. You and your convenient memory can take a hike!! You are simple WHORE and now a mudslinger. You sold you soul more than one time! I’m done with you! Don’t EVER contact me again!! DONE!
https://auctionlaw.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/auctioneer-bidding-is-it-legal/#:~:text=An%20auctioneer%20may%20bid%20on,his%2Fher%20own%20personal%20purchase.
https://www.financialinstitutionslegalsnapshot.com/2015/07/bids-on-behalf-of-seller-are-valid-auction-bids-if-this-is-in-the-conditions/
https://www.stimmel-law.com/en/articles/law-auctions
Again false allegations – Auctioneer bidding on behalf of the seller to protect the reserve price is not only legal, ethical and customary, its used by EVERY major auction house in the world. Christies, Sothebys, Mecum, Jackson, included. its for the seller’s protection and not illegal or unethical. Bidding over the reserve is not allowed and that has NEVER happened in any auction that I have conducted. RightOfTheDot is a licensed Auction Business and our Auctioneers are licensed auctioneers and follow the law and rules PERIOD and this practice is referenced in our terms and conditions and publicly stated.
And now because you alleged me of being a part of pumping and dumping .mobi names when I put the facts on the table you want to unfriend me?? so childish but OK buddy. And BTW, it was Oversee that parted ways with you when you tried a 3 different company auctioneer domain auction at TRAFFIC in Brooklyn and then in Australia that failed miserably….which I thankfully refused to participate in after being so loyal to to you and TRAFFIC. But that’s OK too we did our own at DomainFests which were all successful. Things happen for a reason and life goes on as it will in this scenario. No hard feelings on my side, I don’t hold grudges or throw people under the bus like some people I know 😉 Until we meet again. This thread has seemed to shift in all kinds of wrong directions unfortunately….. Im Done too 😉
What the hell is going on with you Rick? You were already a bit out there but now you sound completely unhinged.
Rick is a pioneer in the domain industry. He’s been promoting the domain industry for over 20 years – why sling aspersions at Rick when the topic is these high .xyz domain sales? Distraction via attack a messenger?
Let’s wait until all the facts come in. I thought Raymond at THEDOMAINS conducted an interview with Swetha via video call over a year ago, but maybe the interview was done via messaging or email – I have no idea.
I own a few .xyz domains, but I’ve never received any offers, or made any sales. But these aren’t exactly premium one word domains.
“FYI, nobody cares about Swetha’s alleged race, class, gender, etc.”
Then explain what this is about in the comments above: “…have curry dinner in her Taj Mahal”.
Incidentally, the Taj Mahal is a tomb. It was built by Shah Jahan for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. While I don’t understand how it became relevant to the discussion here, I think it tells us something about the sorry state of BullS education.
“Sales of ALL extensions…not only .com, helps our entire industry grow, become stronger through diversity, new innovation and new investors entering in our space. if we only had .com names to buy, sell and develop, i seriously doubt we would all still be here talking”
This summarizes the problem with this industry. The predatory tactics used by registries and investors that prop them up.
I think perhaps some folks might remember that we all share a lot of memories. Instead of flinging insults and threats, why don’t some of the old time domainers tell us about all the video calls, meetings and conference get-togethers they had with Yun Ye.
Those stories are bound to be interesting. Maybe everyone could share their pictures of him.
Monte remember Rick is your daddy LMAO, he is GOD!!!!
Rick stop my “boner” can only get so hard LMAO. You are the GOAT Rick, tell these pigeon shit domainers to GTFO LMAO
I got a story, you defended me against that Indian scammer dude in the UDRP I LOVE YOU JOHN BERRYHILL!!!!!
I LOVE RICK, your giving me a massive BONER:-) KEEP GOING!!!!
“why don’t some of the old time domainers tell us about all the video calls, meetings and conference get-togethers they had with Yun Ye.”
A snow leopard.
RICK is your daddy
They called Domain Shane out on that on nftethics for wash trading
LMAO nice story Monte but your still going bald
Elliott don’t waste your time with these losers, you too busy making money and being a great mentor to all of us. WE LOVE YOU ELLIOTT!!!!
THERE IS NO BUYERS, it’s all a inside ring with Negari and his cronies. Negari been a serial scammer since he was 17 years old in a mortage scam with his mom. WAKE THE FUCK UP!!!!! LISTEN TO ME, LISTEN TO RICK!!!! DON”T GET REKT!!! Beside that, your AWESOME BULLS, your the HAND REG GOD!!!!
Mark, your being too nice, just say it, XYZ is a SCAM!!!!!
Yun Ye is like the Satoshi Nakamoto of the domain industry – elusive pioneer
domains are a “MUST HAVE” asset if you want to be online
bitcoin has gone from “NICE TO HAVE” to “NIGHTMARE to HAVE”, but it could return to “What Dreams are Made of ” redux
snow leopards – that most elusive cat of the himalayas
Restaurants at Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai
The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, has some of the most renowned fine-dining restaurants in India. Discover tantalising Indian, Middle Eastern and Oriental cuisines, served with a dash of tradition and a sprinkling of innovation.
Taj Mahal is a general term used for personal Palace and your own dining home
FYI – I grew up in multi racial country and I know the Indian/Muslim/Chinese culture very well and I eat my curry with my hands over banana leaves- tastes better. I love spicy food! I am also multilingual.
Happy Deepavali!
Finding love in a domain blog comments thread is gonna be hard to top during the joyous holidays approaching. Thank you Dan. What are we all without love?
Perhaps there’s something in the water in Fla…..
Yes, just because of love, you don’t even start helping any one before asking for 4-5k. This is the love you are talking? With your background, why it is hard for you to understand that only she have so good luck and we all having more than enough .xyz, are not even close to this? Also, how many other people you have seen, selling like her, in your entire domains life.!!!! Don’t act like a hypocrite.
Many people don’t understand because they weren’t around back then. For the record and to make it clear when .mobi became popular it was at a time when with the introduction of smartphones. There was talk about a split between web and mobile websites. Cell phone providers and Hardware manufacturers were also talking about it and part of the narrative. It was in the news.
Anyways At that time when Rick bought flowers .mobi many people thought it was a good investment. But VERY soon afterwards everything crashed and he was stuck. S*** happens.
A lot of new domainers within the past few years are of the mindset that there is nothing wrong with spreading fake news for their personal enrichment.
Crypto crowd gets people to invest with fake news and fomo. It works. The minority capitalize on it and the majority loses.
These tactics work with domains also.
Rick stated above he had nothing to do with dot mobi and i was just proved he did.
He bought flowers.mobi for $200k.
dot mobi was a sponsor at Rick’s Traffic Event.
You can Google this or ask any old time domainer.
Anyways…
Poor Monte tried to defend Rick but Rick slammed Monte.
Just look how angry Rick is…relax dude.
Rick about to have a heart attack and i don’t want to be responsible.
So I’m done.
Good Luck to All.
It’s all a scam…lol
Rick you were the founder and CEO of T.R.A.F.F.I.C. domaining conference where all the fraud took place.
therefore like Donald Trump said on his Apprentice show…RICK, YOU’RE FIRED.
Why is Rick so angry…lol
Old man about to have a heart attack.
Monte tried to defend you here and you flipped on him like an old angry mad man.
Get offline and enjoy yourself Rick.
Oh wait…can’t go on a cruise anymore…keep getting scammed…lol
Tried to get off Twitter, but came back…lol.
Tried to open Stud.com but nothing happened.
Tried investing in crypto but that didn’t work out.
Get offline old man…it will be good for your health.
What happened to disagreeing without being disagreeable?
I was writing a long comment and decided to nix it. Then I left and saw the weekly DNJ sales report. So I came back now…
Chroma.xyz and Lore.xyz $40k each?
Mantle.xyz $23k+?
Can anyone in their right mind believe those are genuine sales, even if money can be shown to have changed hands to satisfy Ron that a “sale” really occurred? Gimme a break.
I’m a user of domains. I can view such claims from the perspective of a real user. And such claims leave a LOT to be desired. Even the most head scratching reports about Mann’s sale at Konstantinos’s blog are ten times more credible.
Mantle.xyz is already developed. Instead of posting commentary here, why don’t you try to find the buyer and ask for yourself.
DNW also posted a bunch of .XYZ domain names that were reportedly sold and developed. Go ask some of those people why they bought those domain names for that much money.
If they reply (unlikely based on my record of getting replies from big .com buyers), maybe you’ll learn something helpful about domain name sales.
If you do quick research on google with her name, you will see she has registered company in hyderabad, India ( https://www.instafinancials.com/director/swetha-yenugula/07379157 ). With out identity proof or permanent account number, how a non existent person can register the company in India? Is it possible? I believe she is real!
I am not familiar with India’s laws on this. But couldn’t you create any number of businesses under any name you choose? How hard is it to create a persona or a moniker or just use someone under your employment to create a company which then operates under your leadership? Anyways, this is crossing into conspiracy theory territory. But ngTLD registries are trying very hard to maximize the sales of their most premium domains where all the proceeds go to them.
Founders have a responsibility to deploy the capital their funders provide in a prudent and strategically-effective manner.
Even if the sales are real…
Paying five or six figures for some junky domain name is probably not the best stewardship of funds and reflects poorly on a management team’s decision making and overall aptitude.
…Especially when there are far better options available at the same or lower prices.
Well its what we have been taught. In real taj mahal is a lord shiva temple tejo mahalya built by a rajasthan ruler.
It really doesn’t have to be the “founders” employing capital in a prudent and strategically-effective manner. Assuming Swetha is the real deal, she/he/it can partner with the buyers in some capacity that makes sense. If you need an example I can share how something like this has proven to work in other industries. As the ‘ol adage goes, THERE’S MORE THAN ONE WAY TO SKIN A CAT:)
This reasoning would make most sense in the case of legacy extensions.The question is how she is able to maintain an ultra premium protfolio of .xyz. My quess there is a formal arrangement with the registry. But since she has not chimed in so far, a lot is left up to speculation. Only she can put doubts to rest with convincing evidence.
Seriously? Nothing? Is it so easy to call you out?
Hi El, “I wish I had the foresight to register good keyword .XYZ domain names that can serve as brands” Well I did have the foresight in 2014. Took a chance on some great single words. Haven’t sold one. Had low ball offers on 3 of them and only in the last year. Mostly from domainers. WHERE ARE AT LEAST INQUIRIES FROM END USERS ON MY XYZ’s? That’s what ticks me offer. Not really having sold any, but not getting the inquiries. That set off the bells and whistles for me on all these top dollar prices reported.
Can you share some of your names and prices?
Fake .xyz Swetha is obviously a scam by Dan Negari. You can thank me later. The reason he/she wiil not prove otherwise is because he/she cant. It would be so easy to get on a youtube video or zoom but they can’t because there is no Swetha. And of course nobody ever met her anywhere, unlike every actual domainer. Dan is the racist sexist for creating a fake Indian woman to be a shill. He is a crypto joker too trying to create his version of Satoshi (another racist alias). And the sold domains that do resolve is to a network of bs sites like his ftc case was where he got caught and paid over a million dollars. There are a few legit low end sales mixed in for confusion. I have a long successful history of accidentally uncovering frauds. I know when I see and then proceed to prove it. If you want to live in a fantasy world like the bitcoiners have fun but don’t blame rational people for bringing back reality.
Maybe she will go to the next Namescon and give a talk. Then everyone can meet her and judge for themselves. That would be one packed room.
Elliot your “reply” to others comment button is trash. I’d look into it. Does not work well at all!
Thanks – sent to my web developer to have a look.
Has anyone considered the possibility that these domain names are used as a money laundering device?
Could be me. Had a very long on the money reply and it froze in a sense. It kept the blue tear and it wouldn’t go away. Didn’t show the send button at all. Thanks!
Oh chit. Surely not the heat would be “too high” wouldn’t it?
Seems to be working.
Maybe not! Developer wlll investigate.
“Fake .xyz Swetha is obviously a scam by Dan Negari. You can thank me later. The reason he/she wiil not prove otherwise is because he/she cant. It would be so easy to get on a youtube video or zoom but they can’t because there is no Swetha. And of course nobody ever met her anywhere, unlike every actual domainer. Dan is the racist sexist for creating a fake Indian woman to be a shill.”
Swetha, don’t fall into the trap of these misogynistic and racist comments from old scoundrels who think they know it all and will never be satisfied. Don’t show up because they say so. Keep fighting.
No, the keyword here is DUMBASS.
Lost all respect for Rick after these baseless, racist attacks against Swetha.
You show your true colors here Rick, and they are truly ugly.
I’d recommend apologizing and shutting up for a while before you make such an ass of yourself that you grow donkey ears and tail.
I believe and hope for her and our industry that her sales are genuine. I just wonder why the registered address of her new company Swethanames Private Limited, formed in Hyderabad this summer, on Google Streetview looks a bit shabby with a dirt road leading to it:
[Address deleted]
Didn’t Daneil Negari also one time do some trick with Network Solution where they basically traded revenues, which seem kind of wrong?
The deal was that Network Solutions bought 375,000 .xyz registrations for $3 million ($8/domain) and at the same time .XYZ bought $3 million banner space at $10 CPM from NS.
Google the above for more info.
The above types of dealings along with FTC settlements for unethical practices makes it seem not far fetched that they could be playing games with “swetha” to try and puff up xyz domains value at the expense of foolish investors who would follow and get left holding the bag.
How is your research going and contact with the feds? See my latest posts on social media, and the fake pictures of Anita Walker with Swetha.