GoDaddy’s 4 letter, $42,500 domain name auction: EDR
This stretch’s Expired Domain Note from Joseph Peterson.
The gap between the prior week’s most expensive expired domain auction and the rest of the “stragglers” was roughly a factor of 10 – a full digit difference. Now, in a retail context, $42.5k is a respectable but hardly record-shattering sum to pay for a domain. As we all know, enough domain names sell for 6 and 7 figures each year that $42.5k is quickly overshadowed by the market overall. Even at a wholesale venue such as NameJet, a typical month will see its handful of comparable sales. Yet those top sellers generally are not expired domains. For the expired domain market as such, $42.5k is well above the average weekly high.
JOTT.com, GoDaddy’s $42.5k auction, was a great name for jotting down to-do lists and spur-of-the-moment thoughts, which is part of what this mobile voice-to-text software did or does. I say “does” since Jott was bought in 2009 by Nuance, the maker of Dragon speech recognition tools. Although Jott may have been rolled into the Nuance package, someone at Nuance has let the Jott.com domain name slip. Perhaps JottUSA.com, “a French line of ultra-thin and lightweight goose down outerwear” whose acronym stands for “Just Over The Top”, was ready and waiting to inherit the domain.
Interestingly, JOWW.com sold for $206. Swap out “W”s for “T”s, and it would fetched 200 times as much!
By now, more-ly people-ly than just-ly me are tired-ly of the “-ly” suffix. Even so, it provides a naming convention that is adaptable and recognizable; so domains like Knowly.com ($5.2k) continue to be popular and sell just fine without my approval. While I’m airing my private pet peeves, here’s another: domains with mismatched secondary gTLDs sandwiching the dot — for instance, TeachNet.org ($2.6k) and MiddleEastInfo.org ($701). So close, but so confusing! On the other hand, I like NetAsia.com ($718).
CollegeApparel.com ($4k) has an evergreen audience of students, family members, faculty, alumni, and sports fans. A website could ship out far more than $4k worth of college clothing with Christmas approaching. Am I right in thinking that SpinClass.com ($3.6k) involves stationary exercise bikes? If so, then it’s cousin to HomeGymCentral.com ($2.5k).
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| JOTT.com | 42500 | Knowly.com | 5200 |
| CollegeApparel.com | 4050 | SpinClass.com | 3550 |
| WorldInsurance.com | 3250 | TeachNet.org | 2555 |
| DubaiMoney.com | 2550 | HomeGymCentral.com | 2509 |
| EatingForLife.org | 2225 | 27778.com | 2015 |
| PayDayLoan Lenders.com |
1825 | RoughPorn.com | 1600 |
| Revos.com | 1580 | BankAdda.com | 1548 |
| LibertyCentral.org | 1525 | HauWei.com | 1398 |
| ShopClouse.com | 1345 | VIPArtFair.com | 1325 |
| AIDSHotline.org | 1225 | EOF.net | 1225 |
| SitioCL.com | 1054 | ArticleRewriter.com | 1007 |
| OneEconomy Portal.com |
1001 | RedTubeDeutsche.com | 1001 |
| CompareWalkIn Tubs.com |
1000 | ICYD.org | 970 |
| SwelBlog.com | 910 | HarvardEALC.org | 910 |
| UMOO.com | 898 | LezGetReal.com | 850 |
| VendingService.com | 811 | OccupyPhilly.org | 790 |
| PlanetFoodRecipe.com | 781 | TimeKiwi.com | 780 |
| SovereignHotels.com | 760 | WegmansLPGA.org | 760 |
| AiesecMalta.org | 754 | HomeBank.net | 740 |
| TheNokiaBlog.com | 720 | NetAsia.com | 718 |
| KazanJian.com | 710 | MiddleEastInfo.org | 701 |
| Selfies.me | 685 | SnapText.com | 671 |
| TambayanOFW TV.com |
646 | Japonais LasVegas.com |
610 |
| GirlRising.org | 610 | ADXX.com | 610 |
| Ponti-Nauti.com | 574 | 88601.com | 572 |
| Terorist.org [sic] | 560 | KathyFerreiro.com | 560 |
| TileWork.com | 547 | FloridaCommunities Trust.org |
530 |
| SemiZone.com | 527 | Pancham.com | 525 |
| 71Miles.com | 520 | PaymentPros.com | 515 |
| HNBYS.com | 511 | iDesignEco.com | 510 |
| BlueBorder.com | 493 | Skolesekken.com | 469 |
| WSTF.org | 455 | BabeBoob.com | 448 |
| Top10BestSewing Machine.com |
442 | MC8888.com | 433 |
| iRiverAmerica.com | 425 | Sweetie.net | 420 |
| CiSalt.com | 417 | Eco-Portal.com | 410 |
| OpenSafe.com | 407 | RealProAudio.com | 407 |
| MAAGraphics.com | 406 | WindyCityPawn.com | 405 |
| NBC.tv | 400 | OurTruths.org | 395 |
| CaribbeanCondos.com | 393 | BleachBlack.com | 385 |
| QSYX.com | 375 | CPNE.com | 370 |
| WoolSuits.com | 361 | ARWUS.com | 360 |
| Podra.com | 360 | TemplatesCode.com | 357 |
| MonarchMountain Lodge.com |
355 | WesternGolf.com | 353 |
| Pamukcu.com | 350 | RojnamaWar.com | 346 |
| CSCCU.org | 335 | News-AutoCar.com | 335 |
| eBIG.org | 331 | SolarMovie.us | 327 |
| TeamWizard.com | 327 | KSSBEO.com | 323 |
| GroundMedia.com | 320 | Djaridati.com | 315 |
| DeadSea-Health.org | 315 | MPCCorp.com | 315 |
| EdoZiedo.info | 310 | StopPurgen CoalPlant.org |
309 |
| eBook-Publishing- Tools.com |
305 | AcademyK-8.com | 305 |
| FitnessAddiction.com | 305 | 5298.net | 302 |
| HarryWilson.com | 300 | RoseCF.com | 297 |
| KanTalk.com | 295 | KeatingEconomics.com | 295 |
| StLouisLambertTaxi.com | 292 | PixelShake.net | 281 |
| PairingsBoston.com | 281 | The-Best-Insoles.com | 277 |
| MyDLMS.com | 272 | LaMuie.com | 267 |
| 63859.com | 265 | RPLS.ws | 265 |
| InsideSports Illustrated.com |
265 | Gaafar.com | 261 |
| 4-ADHD.com | 260 | SharkFights.com | 260 |
| CodeMyCode.com | 257 | QNCC.com | 255 |
| CleverGrip.com | 255 | EXOI.com | 251 |
| PlentyOfFish ComLogin.com |
242 | QRMarketing.com | 240 |
| TBZJ.com | 239 | ErectileDysfunction Herb.com |
235 |
| JogosDeMeninas Online.net |
235 | AirHostess Academy.com |
235 |
| BusyPeople.com | 230 | WorkLifeMonitor.com | 230 |
| BerkeleyThaiHouse.com | 230 | LoreBrandComics.com | 230 |
| GCPA.org | 230 | HandymanFinder.com | 227 |
| VanAbel.com | 225 | Phuket-Voyage.com | 225 |
| TestimonialMonkey.com | 225 | VUML.com | 223 |
| 16609.com | 220 | RadarNews.com | 210 |
| CharlotteCommunity Charter.com |
210 | ExhibitCNTR.com | 210 |
| JOWW.com | 206 | Adefesio.com | 206 |
| KadyCross.com | 206 | OnlineReceipt.com | 206 |
| CounterData.com | 206 | RGLE.com | 205 |
| MicroGrids.org | 205 | MissOlliesOakland.com | 205 |
| FoxITBlog.com | 205 | HWMT.com | 205 |
| EJUU.com | 201 | 4Ceda.org | 200 |
| RareAustin.com | 200 | BuenaVentura Press.com |
200 |
| Banki.net | 200 | HouseOfSoulFood.net | 200 |
| 8MonkeyLabs.com | 195 | IJEP.com | 193 |
| LoseYourAppetite.com | 186 | AZZG.com | 186 |
| BestFreeDating Sites.com |
185 | EyeInTheSky.net | 185 |
| IMRX.com | 175 | Mayhews.com | 165 |
| Colombianos Viajando.com |
164 | EatSuperFoods.com | 160 |
| ChristmasText.com | 160 | 9524.net | 157 |
| DubaiGlobal.com | 156 | SocialNetwork Advertising.com |
137 |
| ArtIntel.com | 132 | Orange.cc | 125 |
| 05503.com | 117 | 524999.com | 111 |
| ETFReport.com | 105 | BoatHeaven.com | 100 |
| StreamBay.tv | 100 | ZipLane.com | 75 |
| HDMovieStream.com | 71 | DotFest.net | 60 |
| RetroFlicks.com | 59 | PartTime Prosperity.com |
39 |
If you’re watching TV in the USA, you may have seen a spate of commercials for walk-in bathtubs. CompareWalkInTubs.com ($1k) ought to generate its share of orders for products averaging $4k to $5k each. Meanwhile, vending machines all around planet earth don’t replenish themselves. Since someone must come along regularly to collect the cash, restock that junk food, and service those machines, VendingService.com ($811) seems to me like an ideal description for people who staff a multi-billion-dollar-per-year industry.
SnapText.com ($671) riffs on popular app SnapChat, one of whose customary uses is sending selfies. I’ve seen an absurd number of “selfie” domains registered since the term became trendy, but one “selfie” domain that makes complete narcissistic sense is this one: Selfies.me ($685).
What else? A good buy at $515, PaymentPros.com is by now listed for sale at $80k. BoatHeaven.com, which cost a mere $100, proves that a business can still find a short, clear .COM domain today without spending a fortune. Orange.cc ($125) is an echo of Pink.net’s $8.7k sale the previous week. PartTimeProsperity.com ($39) is a great phrase – something many a domainer is chasing, although most of us latecomers to the industry remain BusyPeople.com ($230).
Those of you who remember the $500k sale of GamesForGirls.com and similar items such as the $15k sale of DressupGamesForGirls.com might be curious regarding JogosDeMeninasOnline.net ($235). It’s Portuguese for the same 3-word phrase – plus “online” obviously. SitioCL.com ($1k) is Spanish for “website” plus the abbreviation for Chile. We even have “Colombians Traveling” as ColombianosViajando.com ($164). CiSalt.com ($417) was 2-year-old Arabic tech forum. The Turkish surname Pamukçu sold for $350 as a non-IDN .COM. Terorist.org ($560) is not a typo if it’s Romanian; otherwise somebody’s down one “R”. As near as I can tell, LaMuie.com ($267) is Romanian for oral sex.
Two marketing domains sold very cheap: SocialNetworkAdvertising.com ($137) is a significant topic. Indeed, it’s a Clash of the Titans between Facebook and Google. QR codes represent a fundamentally different way to navigate the web, and QRMarketing.com ($240) has room to grow.
NBC.tv ($400), TheNokiaBlog.com ($720), and InsideSportsIllustrated.com ($265) at first blush look like blatant cybersquatting to me. PlentyOfFishComLogin.com ($242) might do plenty of phishing. OccupyPhilly.org ($790) is regarding as dated as if it stated “2011”. With ETFReport.com ($105) we have a strong financial domain at a bargain price. DubaiMoney.com ($2.6k) cost a good deal more than DubaiGlobal.com ($156), but what is $2.6k to Dubai?
One theme shared by both GoDaddy and NameJet the prior week was banking. Setting aside other financial sectors such as WorldInsurance.com ($3.3k), PayDayLoanLenders.com ($1.8k), or even PaymentPros.com and ETFReport.com, GoDaddy still had BankAdda.com ($1.5k), HomeBank.net ($740), and Banki.net ($200). In addition, you’ll notice OnlineReceipt.com ($206), which I predict will replace paper during the next 10 years.
And NameJet? Take your pick: DohaBank.com ($6k), KoreaBank.com ($591), or MarginCall.com ($1.8k). Actually, the last of these was a movie regarding yesteryear’s banking crisis starring Kevin Spacey and Jeremy Irons. Worth a watch …
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Praga.com | 6901 | DohaBank.com | 6000 |
| Con.org | 2520 | MarginCall.com | 1755 |
| BetChat.com | 1620 | BulaFiji.com | 1612 |
| BPAI.com | 1300 | KoreaBank.com | 591 |
| AvianInfluenza Info.com |
542 | Executive Marketing.com |
511 |
| PCMCIA.org | 510 | BRTI.com | 360 |
| EpsilonConcepts.com | 296 | JMTZ.com | 269 |
| ZaiDian.com | 259 | NNKM.com | 225 |
| OrganicBaby Clothing.com |
216 | ACUCouncil.org | 210 |
| Smoker.info | 160 | Watergy.org | 150 |
| ToddlerTShirts.com | 121 | MultiGig.com | 69 |
Praga.com ($6.9k) may turn out to be a decades-old Czech motor firm, a district of Warsaw, Poland, or neither. If I were the Public Interest Registry (operator of .ORG), I would use Con.org to raise awareness throughout el mundo hispanohablante regarding what people can do “With .ORG”. (“Con” is Spanish for “with”.)
AvianInfluenzaInfo.com ($542) reminds us how terrified we aren’t of bird flu now that Ebola is the darling of the news media. Those epidemics come and go, but Smoker.info ($160) is associated with far more deaths outside of Africa.
Global pandemics, market ups and downs, and even EyeInTheSky.net ($185) all remind me of my personal hero, Simpsons reporter “Arnie Pye in the Sky”, whose bird’s eye view of events I do my utmost to emulate.
