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Rocket.com Sold via Hilco Digital Assets (Update)

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In what I believe could be one of the top domain name sales of all-time, Hilco Digital Assets brokered the sale of Rocket.com. The domain name is currently pending transfer away from Network Solutions, Whois records at DomainTools show.

This morning, I reached out to Andrew Miller, Managing Director of Hilco Digital Assets, who had previously mentioned the domain name. Andrew confirmed the domain name was sold but could not comment about the sale price. “We can confirm that we oversaw the sale and acquisition of the Rocket.com domain name, in a win-win for the buyer and seller,” he told me via email.

Quick Fix for NameBright Issues

The other day, I consolidated some .com domain names at GoDaddy prior to the most recent Verisign price increase. When I tried to approve the transfers at NameBright, I encountered an error message that prevented me from transferring the domain names to GoDaddy.

I reached out to NameBright support, and I was directed to try and approve the transfers on the legacy website. NameBright recently launched a new platform, but it still operates the older platform at Legacy.NameBright.com. I logged in to my account on the legacy platform, navigated to the transfer authorization screen, and the transfers were immediately released after I approved.

Atom.com was Reportedly Sold at a Loss

When the domain name marketplace and branding platform now known as Atom.com was rebranded, I was under the impression that the company acquired the domain name from Andy Booth. James Iles reported Andy’s acquisition of Atom.com in 2022. Both Andy’s acquisition price and subsequent sale price were unreported.

Without being privy to any details, I was under the impression that it was another nice domain name sale for Andy, who has also sold and/or brokered the sale of great domain names like Universal.com, Tiger.com, Wolf.com, and too many others to list.

As is often the case, there is more to the story. According to a post from Andy this morning, Atom.com was actually sold at a loss.

.com Prices Increasing on Sunday

You are likely aware by now, but the price of .com domain names is increasing again on Sunday, September 1, 2024. Verisign is raising the wholesale cost by 7%, as permitted in its registry agreement. Retail domain registrars will likely pass along the price increase to customers, but it could be more than 7%.

If you want to take advantage of current pricing, you should renew the .com domain names before the price increase. You may also consider transferring domain names for the same savings. Domain registrars sometimes bill customers for transfers upon completion, so it may be too late depending on where the domain names are registered.

This past week, I transferred more than 50 .com domain names to GoDaddy that I held at various registrars following expiry auction wins. My preference is to keep nearly all of my domain names in one account to ensure they don’t get “lost.” The Verisign price increase is an impetus for bringing more of my domain names into a single account at one registrar.

Thanks to Brian Wick for the article suggestion.

Inferences from Inquiry Discussions

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A number of years ago, I tried to buy a one word .com domain name from its original registrant. I did some diligence on the owner, and I learned he founded a well-known brand that was acquired by the second largest company in its field. He became a philanthropist, and money did not seem to be much of a factor for him.

While I increased my offer to buy the domain name over the years, we didn’t reach a deal. In fact, I don’t think he ever even provided a counteroffer to me. After several attempts over 5 years, I stopped inquiring about that domain name.

One thing I had noticed over the course of several email exchanges was his email address. The domain name he used for email was also exceptional, although he did not have a website. I believe it was the name of his new business or holding company that wasn’t consumer facing.

Canceled GoDaddy Auction Win Results in Lawsuit

Namebio reported that Calor.com was sold for $20,440 at GoDaddy Auctions this past March. According to a lawsuit filed in Arizona, the winning bidder did not pay, giving the opportunity to an underbidder who reportedly completed the purchase for $11,427.17. Two months after completing the purchase and receiving the domain name, GoDaddy reportedly removed the domain name from the buyer’s account after proceeding to use the domain name. The buyer filed suit to regain control of the domain name.

As a domain investor who often buys domain names to re-sell, this is always something that has worried me regardless of the auction venue. This situation sounds similar to what GoDaddy referred to in the past as an “edge case” where a domain name was won in auction and was later removed from the account of the buyer due to an error.

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