And other expired domain name sales — CHIPs, Numbers
Joseph Peterson analyzes the past week of expired domain name sales.
Once again, China tops these charts – but not in the customary way. Rather than numerical domains, 4-letter “CHIPs”, or even Chinese Pinyin, we’re looking at an English domain regarding China: ChinaTech.com.
The auction outcome itself ($4.7k) isn’t at all unusual, since domains that can serve as upgrades for multiple existing websites often fetch high prices. And that’s the case, based on brands like these:
- China-Tech.com
- ChinaTech.com.tw
- ChinaTechNews.com
- AllChinaTech.com
- ChinaTech.com.vn
- ChinaTechSourcing.co.uk
- etc.
Yes, we see sales like this every week. But something unusual has happened. Normally when an English domain is purchased for resale as a brand upgrade, who is the buyer? Some reseller outside China. Someone oriented to end users in the West. Someone who buys specific domains for targeted flips.
During the 2015 surge, Chinese buyers didn’t behave this way. Mainly they purchased interchangeable domains as specimens of some sizable category – as if buying shares of stock or gold bullion. Not only was the domain type different; so was the goal. Chinese domainers were banking on continued appreciation, aiming to trade amongst fellow traders.
But buying keyword-based English brandables? Studying modest business niches? Estimating end-user appeal? Few Chinese domainers have done that. Following all, why ought to they bother while wholesale prices on liquid categories were doubling week to week? Now, still, ChinaTech.com has changed hands, traveling from Fresh York to Beijing. In my view, that’s symbolic of the mature Chinese domain market yet to come – outward-facing rather than insular, with a focus on multilingual communication, and calibrated against the real needs of end users.
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChinaTech.com | 4712 | NJ | HangLian.com | 4710 | NJ |
| Cheeze.com | 4555 | SN | BEGS.com | 3900 | NJ |
| TechLabs.com | 3633 | NJ | MultiMax.com | 3601 | NJ |
| NPost.com | 3200 | NJ | LaHong.com | 2910 | SN |
| QHCF.com | 2910 | NJ | ShopGreen.com | 2655 | NJ |
| DiamondBox.com | 2600 | NJ | ALXNet.com | 2351 | NJ |
| FHTQ.com | 2119 | NJ | BarTV.com | 2002 | SN |
The 2nd-highest sale is, of course, Pinyin. HangLian.com ($4.7k) seems to be a personal name. Meanwhile, LaHong.com ($2.9k) is the name of an Austrian fashion designer of Vietnamese ancestry; but, as the buyer is Chinese, this domain may also hold some Chinese meaning.
At $2.9k, QHCF.com sold 50% above the current floor price for “CHIPs”. A $2119 sale preserved that emotionally notable first digit: “2”. But KPNJ.com ($1871) and YWSR.com ($1858) clearly show the category’s dwindling strength. Not shocking. CHIPs started their marathon at a sprinter’s pace. You can cross your fingers for a 2nd wind; but even if it comes, it won’t be like that early burst of exuberance. Three months back, some of us suggested this overeager runner would be in for trouble.
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mending.com | 1908 | NJ | VOYR.com | 1890 | SN |
| KPNJ.com | 1871 | SN | YWSR.com | 1858 | SN |
| BET80.com | 1850 | SN | OutlawDesignBlog.com | 1850 | SN |
| GoldRates.com | 1800 | NJ | SourceOECD.org | 1725 | NJ |
| 866886.com | 1710 | NJ | WashingtonAccord.org | 1650 | SN |
| CashKings.com | 1600 | NJ | Laini.com | 1550 | SN |
| Dulingo.com | 1500 | SN | 7707.net | 1335 | SN |
| ATree.com | 1334 | SN | Bazuca.com | 1235 | NJ |
| Goons.com | 1210 | NJ | DermCare.com | 1160 | NJ |
| WY88.com | 1110 | SN | HIFY.org | 1100 | NJ |
| Douches.com | 1014 | NJ | AgriPort.com | 1000 | NJ |
| HostServers.com | 1000 | NJ | EarthSummit2012.org | 1000 | SN |
Most search results for “Bet 80” deal with a Fresh Hampshire income tax form. But to the fresh Chinese owner, this may mean gambling – significantly, using the English loan word “bet”, followed by lucky numbers. That’s just a guess. But you may recall seeing many numerical domains with an “HG” prefix. Those were tied to gambling; so it’s possible “bet” functions in a similar way.
As a woman’s first name in English, Laini.com ($1.6k) is fairly uncommon; so, with a Chinese buyer, I assume some other meaning is at work. DuLingo.com ($1.5k) looks like a typo for the language-learning site DuoLingo.com. Bazuca.com ($1.2k) is must-know Spanish for anybody purchasing anti-tank weaponry while on vacation in Colombia. A word to memorize along with “baño” …
Often a bone of contention at academic conferences is the question of lingua franca – whether talks are to be given in French, French + English, or just English. (Old rivalries know no expiration date!) So depending on your viewpoint, it’s either the OCDE or the OECD, either “L’Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Économiques” or else the “Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development”, that promises to unify us! Their failure to unify even themselves under a single name or domain is an irony that apparently escapes them – as SourceOECD.org ($1.7k) escaped them. Right now SourceOCDE.org (the French version) does belong to them, although it forwards to OECD-iLibrary.org (in English). At least both languages can agree on “source”, a word they share across the English Channel.
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FSTC.org | 930 | NJ | Spasms.com | 910 | NJ |
| SEMIsland.com | 879 | SN | PlayStars.com | 876 | SN |
| 3331888.com | 831 | SN | PhaiDep 247.com |
807 | SN |
| Aspia.com | 783 | NJ | MotorTax.com | 780 | NJ |
| HuiShouJia.com | 755 | SN | Qualifa.com | 750 | SN |
| RenExpo- Budapest.com |
750 | SN | NBPTWeb.net | 730 | SN |
| RXAmerica.com | 730 | NJ | SharedValue.com | 727 | SN |
| Ricoo.com | 727 | SN | Europe Dating.com |
710 | NJ |
| GrandFinal.com | 681 | SN | CACHH.org | 673 | NJ |
| MURJ.com | 656 | SN | ArchTek.com | 633 | NJ |
| 881266.com | 630 | NJ | TSEA.com | 630 | NJ |
| SNNV.com | 625 | SN | Idiota.com | 621 | NJ |
| DNA Technology.com |
610 | NJ | TheRooms.com | 604 | SN |
| YDW.org | 600 | NJ | 998816.com | 595 | NJ |
| Selax.com | 591 | NJ | FilterBox.com | 579 | NJ |
| EarBuddy.com | 578 | NJ | CDN Architect.com |
560 | NJ |
| EEKS.com | 552 | NJ | SeeThe Interview.com |
533 | NJ |
| 882336.com | 531 | NJ | 991918.com | 526 | SN |
| TSHO.com | 525 | SN | Impact Technology.com |
520 | NJ |
| 1Billion Hungry.org |
519 | SN | WWDE.com | 515 | NJ |
| Alace.org | 510 | NJ | ITGW.com | 510 | NJ |
| BVMI.com | 510 | NJ | 826Seattle.org | 508 | NJ |
| EquineWeb.com | 501 | SN | 967718.com | 500 | SN |
It’s interesting to see another “tech” domain, TechLabs.com ($3.6k), among the top expiry results. Farther down the charts, a pair of “technology” domains also make an appearance: DNATechnology.com ($610), which is descriptive, and ImpactTechnology.com ($520), a non-descriptive “brandable”. Also, let’s not forget ArchTek.com ($633).
Speaking of technology, CDNArchitect.com ($560) is a job related to servers – specifically, content delivery networks (CDNs), which are “globally distributed network[s] of proxy servers deployed in multiple data centers”. We may not understand them, but we rely on them while browsing the internet. Idiota.com ($621) is my nickname south of the border – an honorific, I’m told.
RenExpo is a conference dedicated to renewable energy. It seems to rotate through Europe. So, in addition to RenExpo-Budapest.com ($750), there are active websites at RenExpo-Belgrade.com, RenExpo-BIH.com (Bosnia), RenExpo.de, and so forth.
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 266889.com | 484 | SN | 268686.com | 483 | SN |
| 4Drone.com | 479 | SN | Skinetrin.com | 477 | SN |
| KEKV.com | 475 | SN | Sique.com | 475 | NJ |
| Nashville MusicCity.com |
473 | NJ | AboutHF.org | 460 | NJ |
| HVVI.com | 455 | SN | TheNova.com | 454 | SN |
| DWInfo Center.org |
450 | NJ | ComfyBaby.com | 440 | SN |
| OrganArt.com | 425 | SN | FlexLogic.com | 419 | NJ |
| Dallas Motorcycles.com |
414 | NJ | Growled.com | 411 | NJ |
| WBPE.com | 410 | NJ | TennisCoats.com | 409 | NJ |
| JuCaiShu.com | 409 | SN | UG88.com | 407 | SN |
| SZD.biz | 405 | SN | Manage Domains.com |
405 | NJ |
| Style Lingerie.com |
400 | SN | 8577.biz | 400 | SN |
| 7567.biz | 400 | SN | CarFree DaysOut.com |
394 | SN |
Skinetrin.com ($477) seems to be a pharmaceutical that clears up toenail fungus in Hungary and Poland. “Music City” is the nickname of Nashville, Tennessee, thanks to venues like the Grand Ole Opry and musicians like Chet Atkins:
That explains NashvilleMusicCity.com ($473). No, SiQue.com ($475) isn’t Spanish. Nor is it the correct spelling of comedian Louis C.K.’s last name. Bizarrely, that’d be Szekely (pronounced like his stage name, “C.K”). Si Que seems to be part of the Chinese for “canary” (金丝雀 / jīn sī què).
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88UO.com | 388 | SN | NNNP.net | 386 | SN |
| 1798.biz | 385 | SN | MindOf TheGeek.com |
379 | SN |
| BeautyFly.com | 379 | SN | RailzMini World.com |
376 | SN |
| 6918.biz | 375 | SN | Nationalist Party.com |
364 | SN |
| AYE Conference.com |
362 | NJ | Theatre Source.org |
361 | NJ |
| PrivateYacht Charter.com |
361 | SN | UIQU.com | 360 | SN |
| Dextel.com | 360 | NJ | JonLucien.com | 359 | NJ |
| 666458.com | 354 | SN | UCWM.com | 353 | NJ |
| RunDesign.com | 352 | SN | MackGroup.com | 352 | SN |
| BigSleep Books.com |
351 | NJ | 1632.biz | 350 | SN |
| 5531.biz | 350 | SN | 9683.biz | 350 | SN |
| YWD.biz | 330 | SN | SoilGroup.com | 329 | SN |
| HonZe.com | 329 | SN | HMall.net | 329 | SN |
| ZYT.biz | 327 | NJ | YRS.biz | 325 | SN |
| 2117.biz | 325 | SN | 9136.biz | 325 | SN |
| MangaSky.com | 319 | SN | 775ME.com | 319 | NJ |
| 9137777.com | 316 | SN | 615156.com | 315 | NJ |
| EuroPie.com | 305 | SN | YouNiDai.com | 304 | SN |
| 9253.biz | 304 | SN | 15YX.com | 301 | SN |
| 2786.biz | 300 | SN | 335266.com | 300 | SN |
| 5836.biz | 300 | SN | Krabby.com | 300 | SN |
| EatLon.com | 300 | SN | 336373.com | 300 | NJ |
Most of you won’t remember the musical career of Jon Lucien. The Virgin-Islands-born singer died in 2007. Here he is singing a slick version of Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” … with lyrics added:
Until just recently, JonLucien.com ($359) had commemorated the late singer. But websites are even less permanent than people.
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JS66888.com | 291 | SN | ServisPlus.com | 290 | SN |
| WhyPay FullPrice.com |
290 | NJ | ExtendedEd.com | 280 | SN |
| DotPirate.me | 279 | SN | NaturalPay.com | 279 | NJ |
| System Kamera.com |
276 | SN | 1552.biz | 275 | SN |
| 2936.biz | 275 | SN | 2938.biz | 275 | SN |
| 6975.biz | 275 | SN | 389358.com | 275 | SN |
| 388132.com | 274 | NJ | 875689.com | 270 | NJ |
| 268872.com | 270 | NJ | MusicalEnglish Lessons.org |
269 | SN |
| HarvestRoad.com | 265 | NJ | 388162.com | 264 | NJ |
| 366126.com | 261 | NJ | PropSearch.com | 260 | NJ |
| Chathams.com | 257 | SN | NNFN.net | 255 | SN |
| NordLight.com | 255 | SN | 535133.com | 254 | SN |
| BJNS.net | 251 | SN | NDDB.net | 251 | SN |
| LCXD.net | 251 | SN | 317315.com | 250 | SN |
You know that moment in Hollywood movies where the character is hanging onto the cliff’s edge by the fingernails of one hand? Well, you can just regarding see LLLL.net “CHIPs” doing that at the $250 brink. A few of them are still clinging to the bottom of the chart – 4 of them, to be exact, between $251 and $254. A triple repeater, NNNP.net, made it all the way up to $386. But I count dozens spread continuously through a $160-$240 range. The median CHIP .NET price at SnapNames the prior week was $219. Half above that, half below. The decline has lasted over a month; so it seems likely that this character will slip off.
