Outside of GoDaddy, Escrow.com probably has the best vantage point of the domain name aftermarket of any company in the domain name business. Escrow.com processes millions of dollars worth of transactions closed by domain investors and other domain name registrants each quarter. Its quarterly reports are able to offer a high level overview of domain name sales and the current state of the aftermarket, particularly at the higher level that aren’t closed on platforms such as GoDaddy and DAN.com.
This morning, Escrow.com published its Q1 2020 Domain Investment Index Report and I uploaded the .pdf file so you can review it.
With considerable uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the health of the domain name aftermarket is top of mind. The pandemic started in China towards the end of 2019, and it spread throughout Europe and the US in the middle of the first quarter. I don’t think the report is fully reflective of the current state of the pandemic-deflated market because the beginning of the second quarter was really when things started getting bad (particularly in the US).
Here are five call-outs from the report, although I certainly think domain investors should read the entire report:
- Transacted domain names started off 2020 strongly with a total amount of US$85.85 million at Q1 on par with 2019 Q1.
- US led Q1 2020 global domain sales at US$70 million, even beating its Q1 2019 levels.
The UK followed at US$10.1 million, with China at US$7.4 million and Canada at US$8.6 million. - 5 Character.com domain median price hit record highs at US$5,000
- Six character.com domains maintained a median price of US$3,500
- Four number.com domains currently sit at US$33,000 in Q1 2020, close to Q4 2019 levels.
Escrow.com helps buyers and sellers transact on a wide variety of domain names. The report shares some data from transactions closed during the prior quarter. It is worth a read when you have an opportunity.
