Expired Domain Note: a strong .net sale and more

Joseph Peterson takes a look at the past week in the expired domain name market.

There has been some discussion this past year among domain investors regarding the market outlook for .NET domains. Traditionally, .NET has played second fiddle to .COM for the most part, and some predict that wave following wave of fresh TLD releases can only erode .NET’s position. Just the prior week, a DNW reader expressed the view that “.NET is slowly dying”. Not everyone shares that opinion, still, as witnessed by NameJet’s $8.7k auction of Pink.net, which received 178 bids from 140 bidders. Few brand names are as vivid as “Pink”; and when a concise, versatile name in .COM is unobtainable / unaffordable, many of us will happily brand our internet ventures with .NET instead.

Tempting as it is to write a page or two on .NET and the future TLD landscape, I’ll shut up. Another NameJet auction, SmartSell.com ($2.5k), was a smart buy. Owners are usually unfamiliar with the ins and outs of selling big-ticket items such as houses, boats, fine art, domains, websites, or firms. They worry regarding making bad selling decisions; so some sort of expert is usually involved. Such experts will find SmartSell.com reassuring to clients. For a broker or salesman, trust means money.

Domain Name	End $	Domain Name	End $
Pink.net	8690	InfoPro.com	3100
SmartSell.com	2500	ADEE.com	1550
HealthA.com	1245	Echang.com	1205
SLEA.com	935	KDG.net	810
MGFS.com	555	ChinaKongZi.net	463
EGCM.com	360	PlanetPoint.com	198
LODX.com	139	SexNight.com	114

You’ll notice that the Namejet table is rather short this stretch – only 14 domains. My data is never comprehensive, since to track an outcome independently at NameJet I must obligate myself as a bidder; and I’d prefer not to risk purchasing dozens of unwanted domains ought to the higher bidders back out of payment. Actually, this past week I was following another 181 of the most active NameJet auctions; but those turned out to be non-expired domains, which I avoid reporting. Most didn’t meet the owners’ reserves anyhow.

Could GoDaddy’s $6.9k auction of Dilou.com refer to the Tunisian Minister of Human Rights and government spokesman, Samir Dilou? I’m not sure what’s going on with TransNeft.com, which has been advertising itself for sale since 2000 – most recently  with an asking price of $6k – and which just received bids up to $5.5k, just shy of its 14-year asking price. Archive.org has screen shots aplenty, but I didn’t see any developed content during that period. Still more peculiar is the $4.3k high bid for a 1-year old SaudiApps.info.

StockValuation.com ($3.9k) – now there’s a domain that has some bearing on the market. Financial topics tend to be worth something. GotMoney.com ($2.9k) is another example. Even StockTrading.info pulled in $1.1k. Another .INFO, Battery-Life.info ($3.6k), was developed with presumably enough information on phone and laptop charging to overcome the hyphen and TLD. As for PhimVu.com ($2.6k), well, as I’ve pointed out for 3 weeks in a row, if it sells for 4 figures at GoDaddy and looks like transliterated Vietnamese, then it’s almost certainly pornography.

Wisdom.co ($1.5k) is the sort of short, big-topic word that I personally like in .CO. Even shorter, Calia.com ($1.6k) is a good neologism (and first name) by now in use by at least a handful of brands ranging from hair care to furniture. HempWear.com ($1.1k) will find a cannabis clothing market ready and waiting. And it’s hard to go wrong with SellHemp.com at $57. Apart from its literal use in dating, TheMatchMaker.com ($1.1k) is a good match for brokers of any sort. A real estate agent could really stand out with this domain.

Domain Name	End $	Domain Name	End $
Dilou.com	6901	TransNeft.com	5527
SaudiApps.info	4251	TVChannelsFree.com	4049
MedTour.com	4000	StockValuation.com	3850
Battery-Life.info	3557	GotMoney.com	2851
PhimVu.com	2625	AddAny.com	2025
DripWorksUSA.com	2025	StartupVisa.com	2000
TouristVisaForms.com	1659	Calia.com	1626
Wisdom.co	1525	OfficeSupply Cheaper.com	1525
PIQO.com	1435	RobinsNest.com [malware]	1277
OccupyChi.org	1230	MonitorSecurity.com	1144
TheMatchMaker.com	1136	HempWear.com	1115
StockTrading.info	1075	ARMZ.com	1075
WeddingPlanning Directory.com	907	VavoomVintage Blog.com	900
YummyCakes.com	898	Chaidan.com	829
RiverWalk.org	821	RadiusIM.com	811
CloudContacts.com	810	BogdonAndGross.com	810
LegoLifeOfGeorge.info	810	PlayInc.com	800
MansuHotel.com	750	LiveScore.info	716
Clan.co	710	MasterM.com	710
Sharkle.com	710	AVMost.com	700
WebsiteAdvisor.com	660	SLNextDoor.com	647
92818.com	612	Penumbra BlackPlague.com	611
PodCampBoston.org	610	CappsFor Congress.com	609
Penumbra-Overture.com	601	GSSO.org	580
Incontinet.com [sic]	560	CrowdCreative.com	560
FlirtSpin.com	556	CultInfoBooks.com	550
Taskie.com	546	FabricTrends.com	540
JayBean.com	540	Xephon.com	535
Avkoo.info	511	Mapecos.org	511
FZA.org	510	GoldSummitCorp.com	510
FGCA.org	510	ShyDating.com	503
GameStop.co	501	SeattleComedy Competition.com	500
StreetHustle.net	480	Khmer-Buzz.com	476
EHBCC.org	471	MovieBadGirls.com	460
CarolineEM.org	458	Region14 Athletics.org	456
IOCellNetworks.com	455	VREC.com	449
TechPublishing.com	443	KenNorton.com	435
IKOZ.com	428	SMB03.com	425
MacBid.com	425	CampSertoma.org	425
ClubFresh.com	420	E-RealEstate.com	415
CERetailers.org	415	LuoKong.com	410
TucsonTransit Study.com	406	CBTComesa.com	405
ALMD.com	405	MakeYouHip.com	405
MathWhizz.net	405	Fab5.com	404
SanduskyFunSpots.com	400	CRSA.org	396
CrazyDogAudio Theatre.com	395	JohnLiu2013.com	392
Missing.info	385	HLAT.us	384
ShineSF.com	380	Tengerism.org	365
PassBox.com	361	SpicyChef.com	358
TheGTA.org	356	ADHDFamily Online.com	356
AZDirMA.com	355	MyDesignPick.com	355
Out-FitChallenge.com	350	TZDZ.com	350
GameFiesta.com	349	Triabetes.org	345
JoelHotaForMayor.com	345	BuySellApp.com	343
DetroitYoung Professionals.org	341	TongHua5.com	341
ChaYeGuan.com	338	Cinema0.com	338
CreativeGiraffe.com	336	SafeBuildings.com	332
TorrentTree.com	331	IKEAGift.com	317
NFBuilders.com	316	MinorityHealth.org	308
AmericanBobtail.com	307	Sabbatum.com	306
FreeRatio.org	306	SoldierPackages.org	305
CakeHead.com	305	67967.com	305
KatrinaAction.org	305	TheWorldIs Calling.com	305
AYUD.com	305	ProMods.com	304
BigIslandHome Searches.com	301	Templeton- Cambridge.org	300
STEA.net	299	TheHealthKick.com	295
CatawbaIndian Nation.com	295	90138.com	290
BCMStaffing.info	288	SciMago.com	285
MtWoodSongC.com	270	HarbourFinancial.com	270
58969.com	270	TranquilityBody Works.net	266
XYNS.com	265	NaniMau.com	265
Engrup.org	265	WCM.co	265
Job-Transport.com	265	FTO7th.com	265
BitsCo.com	263	IENCentral.com	262
FeedOurFamilies Blog.com	260	eVideoAdvisor.com	260
NLNF.com	260	IslandEyePiece.com	258
TarXienLocalCouncil.org	256	Workout-Without- Weights.com	255
SECub.net	255	ZedPower.net	255
TechPulse360.com	255	WVCareGivers.org	252
Local-Real-Estate.com	245	TheVogueVibes.com	238
MerryDating.com	236	SentenceSeek.com	236
TBBH.com	235	AmericasRevival.com	235
CabotLodge Gainesville.com	230	OnFreeSex.com	227
FFRecipes.com	226	MP3Kiss.com	226
USHomeBusiness.com	223	35865.com	220
FBRR.com	217	Mikey.org	216
TheLendingCo.com	216	Doctors-Medicine.com	216
OEAP.com	215	1PHPStreet.com	215
Derry-Chamber.org	215	360K.com	210
FDTB.com	206	APHNetwork.org	205
XTR4.com	205	ReadMeDotDoc.com	205
LowCost-Bankruptcy Lawyers.com	205	SatelitskeAntene.com	205
SportOf.com	205	MoviesWallet.com	205
RogerBolger.com	205	TESOL-Law.com	205
3D-Icons.com	205	CheapestOnline College.com	195
ChristianTherapists.com	193	FasterFixes.com	191
StreamingNHL.com	188	NFEP.com	182
GetRidOf.com	177	SufiBlog.com	175
PISQ.com	170	PaperPiecing.com	168
MFZM.com	165	EXNI.com	155
SWWH.com	150	LeadDigital.com	141
LTWW.com	136	NewYorkIntern.com	130
MakesYouThink.com	127	ChatSwap.com	125
TheGreenLantern.net	116	LikeToCook.com	115
TalentoTenis.com	115	UTIH.com	105
SoreWinners.com	105	OrangeTaxiCab.com	105
SzechuanChinese.com	105	DutchFlower.com	105
WingTipBoots.com	105	Caring.info	105
Hygroscopic.com	105	DayCoin.com	105
8E88.com	102	EKKC.com	100
Filmenator.com	95	Womens.co	91
HareRaiser.com	82	LifeFlux.com	80
Christies.co	71	SellHemp.com	57
DeCollage.org	55	PaginaDePoker.com	50
AmericanApparel.co	31	BetterSkies.com	25

You can tell purely from the naming style that PenumbraBlackPlague.com ($611) and Penumbra-Overture.com ($601) are first-person shooter or RPG video games. RobinsNest.com ($1.3k) is infected with malware, as stated by my browser. If the buyer of Clan.co ($710) intends to see that brand succeed in the USA, then he may find KKK racism gets in the way – notwithstanding the fact that “clan” has a much older meaning in Scotland and is by now used in gaming. Hopefully not.

Puns are a funny thing. Sometimes we like ’em. Other times … Let’s just say that nothing has surpassed UpUpAndAGay.com from 3 weeks ago. This stretch we’ve got Triabetes.com ($345), which I’d rather not try; SportOf.com ($205), which I’d sort of give a sporting chance; HareRaiser.com ($82) for scary rabbit rearing; SoreWinners.com ($105), who complain even while bragging; and Filmenator.com ($95), which is as Hollywood and tongue-in-cheek as Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. We tend to forget that the Beatles were a bad pun, yet that didn’t stop the Fab5.com ($404). Wait, that’s another!

Not all imitation is flattering or sincere. Christies.co ($71) may legitimately belong to some Christie other than the famous auction house operating the .COM, but it’s hard to argue that AmericanApparel.co ($31) bears no relation to the trademarked clothing firm.

A few nTLD registries have told us to GetRidOf.com ($177), although the public doesn’t seem to listen very well. Looks like Khmer-Buzz.com ($476) will continue to buzz with or without Khmer.buzz, which so far isn’t registered. MakesYouThink.com ($127).

ChristianTherapists.com was undervalued at $193, since almost everybody prefers to open up to those who share the same values or world view. For any Sufi ($175), SufiBlog.com would be an attractive domain. SzechuanChinese.com ($105) fits scads of restaurants, but I wonder how reliably we’d spell “Szechuan”. PaginaDePoker.com (“Poker Page”) was dirt cheap at $50.

Most of you are familiar with collage, the art of splicing together visual fragments. And you’ve probably seen its opposite, Decollage.org ($55), a tearing away to reveal underlying layers. But are you familiar with the related craft of PaperPiecing.com ($168). It can look like this.