Expired Domain Note: From CHSI.com to Adroit.com
Joseph Peterson recaps the past week in expired domain name sales.
Tim Schoon is generally credited with coining the term “CHIP”, which stands for “Chinese premium” and refers to the vowel-less, “V”-less, acronym-like domains prized in China – stuff like HNKT.com ($2.0k). Both the concept and the word itself are extremely useful in describing market behavior. Yet it’s simplistic to assume certain letters are always bad.
NameJet’s top expired domain sale the prior week is a case in point: CHSI.com ($8.3k) contains a vowel; but it sold 5 times higher than the median CHIP price, and the buyer resides in China. Clearly Chinese investors consider factors that go beyond that CHIP rule of thumb, which is (following all) a Western contrivance for understanding a complex foreign culture. Really, I don’t know why CHSI.com was valued so highly. But one possibility is that it’s half pinyin. “Si” can mean
- “pseudo” / “seem” (似 / sì)
- 4 (四 / sì)
- “personal” / “selfish” / “private” (私 / sī)
- “to die” / “impassable” / “rigid” / “extremely” (死 / sǐ)
- “to feed” (食 / sì)
- “to think” (思 / sī)
That hypothesis is just a stab in the dark. If I’m out to lunch, please spoon-feed me.
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHSI.com | 8288 | NJ | Adroit.com | 5311 | NJ |
| MG777.com | 4050 | SN | Numion.com | 3650 | NJ |
| 35352.com | 3588 | SN | X-C.com | 3020 | SN |
| Shika.com | 2760 | NJ | Series.net | 2357 | NJ |
| BoatService.com | 2278 | NJ | CMWK.com | 2180 | NJ |
| TennisOnline.com | 2166 | NJ | TechExpress.com | 2156 | SN |
| DSDZ.com | 2112 | SN | GJBW.com | 2000 | NJ |
Some readers in this global audience may not recognize the English word Adroit.com ($5.3k), which means skillful, nimble, clever. Positive associations like those make for a desirable brand name – especially when the word is so short. Series.net ($2.4k) shows that .NET can still be in high demand at a wholesale venue.
In case you’re wondering if X-C.com ($3.0k) demonstrates a Chinese tolerance for hyphens, it’s worth pointing out that the buyer’s in Massachusetts. Meanwhile, Shika.com ($2.8k), which isn’t obviously China’s type and might have been an upgrade for a hookah firm, did, in fact, go to China. Numion.com ($3.7k) was a site for measuring website speed back in 2001.
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HNKT.com | 1950 | NJ | NJPM.com | 1950 | NJ |
| Grief.org | 1911 | NJ | BeautyEquipment.com | 1825 | NJ |
| HiDog.com | 1810 | NJ | Andromda.org [sic] | 1805 | NJ |
| DatPhong.com | 1800 | NJ | Pioner.com | 1755 | SN |
| BuFang.com | 1702 | SN | ZhouSe.com | 1680 | NJ |
| Pahtusov.com | 1512 | SN | NYCOnline.com | 1508 | NJ |
| RUXE.com | 1505 | NJ | IntegralCapital.com | 1450 | NJ |
| 067.tv | 1410 | NJ | GameAddiction.com | 1410 | NJ |
| RiseGroup.com | 1409 | NJ | Incentra.com | 1405 | NJ |
| 138877.com | 1360 | SN | HanBin.com | 1302 | SN |
| SIIN.com | 1300 | NJ | PlanetLuc.com | 1210 | NJ |
A number of Pinyin domains sold between $1k and $2k. With 950,000 residents, HanBin.com ($1.3k) is the largest district of Anbang City. Not sure regarding ZhouSe.com ($1.7k). Any ideas? BuFang.com ($1.7k) has 2 possible meanings: “might as well” / “there’s no harm in” (不妨 / bù fáng) or else “to lay out a defense” (布防 / bù fáng). Funny: either laid back or uptight!
Although I can’t find a reliable source to confirm the Vietnamese meaning of DatPhong.com ($1.8k), search results orbit the idea of booking a hotel room. Pahtusov.com ($1.5k) is a Russian surname; and it spent 2 years as a music site recommending American alternative rock and reggae. Grief.org ($1.9k) – now that’s a keyword for the socially responsible, compassionate .ORG brand if ever there was one.
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MarsCapital.com | 1200 | NJ | Amazing RealEstate.com |
1120 | NJ |
| ResidenceInns.com | 1106 | SN | Rendezvous WithMadness.com |
1103 | NJ |
| EthicsWorld.org | 1100 | NJ | 467.tv | 1100 | NJ |
| XAcademy.com | 1100 | NJ | Maitrise- Orthop.com |
1051 | SN |
| GHW.org | 1003 | NJ | Symphonix.com | 913 | SN |
| BeerKing.com | 898 | NJ | CruisingGuide.com | 890 | NJ |
| WebMedic.com | 855 | NJ | ECUOnline.net | 830 | SN |
| ILDPR.com | 815 | NJ | MadLove.com | 809 | NJ |
| SingaporeClub.com | 797 | NJ | ThePenny.com | 787 | NJ |
| CESR-EU.org | 760 | NJ | TransRail.com | 735 | NJ |
| AquaMedic.com | 731 | SN | NongLai.com | 730 | SN |
| ZZBBB.com | 710 | SN | Goalz.com | 709 | NJ |
| NewColonist.com | 701 | SN | Hirco.com | 700 | SN |
Maitrise-Orthop.com ($1.1k) looks like it’s related to Maitrise-Orthopedique.com, a French website regarding – shockingly – orthopedic medicine. NongLai.com ($730) turns up restaurant results in Taiwan; beyond that, I dunno. But this much is clear: Here’s why the government won’t tell you regarding the NewColonist.com ($701) from the MarsCapital.com ($1.2k):
Archive.org has preserved no past screenshots for RendezvousWithMadness.com, but that must have been a developed site to sell as high as $1.1k. I count 6 different “TransRail” websites on page 1 of search results. Any of them might upgrade to TransRail.com ($735). ECUOnline.net ($830) used to be the website for the European Chess Union. Apparently they moved to EuropeChess.org.
ZZBBB.com ($710) gives us a benchmark for the best 5-letter CHIPs – i.e. those with repeating patterns. TZWWW.com ($531) didn’t fare quite as well since it has an extra letter. More impressive are a pair of 3-digit .TV domains: 067.tv ($1.4k) and 467.tv ($1.1k).
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NanoProducts.com | 700 | NJ | JRTI.com | 697 | NJ |
| HighDesert RealEstate.com |
696 | NJ | MedEdge.com | 690 | NJ |
| SandyRidge.com | 643 | NJ | 11MM.com | 640 | NJ |
| Zonis.com | 621 | NJ | ABWE.com | 615 | NJ |
| American Alliance.com |
609 | NJ | CalmBaby.com | 609 | NJ |
| NMON.com | 608 | NJ | SEOMasters.com | 601 | NJ |
| iShift.com | 595 | NJ | Ookaboo.com | 591 | NJ |
| WaltonMuseum.org | 590 | NJ | Colca.com | 580 | SN |
| HERC.org | 577 | NJ | SFB.org | 575 | SN |
| SweetJuice.com | 565 | NJ | ShaoZuo.com | 560 | SN |
| WorkInEurope.com | 559 | SN | MakerBook.com | 556 | SN |
| Sigarety.com | 554 | SN | Plakias.com | 550 | SN |
| Alexar.com | 544 | NJ | L3H.com | 538 | SN |
| 1122337.com | 535 | SN | TZWWW.com | 531 | SN |
| PPLMontana.com | 520 | NJ | CustomPhotos.com | 516 | NJ |
| KUNC.com | 515 | NJ | AZOE.com | 511 | NJ |
| FoundationFor HealthChoice.com |
510 | NJ | QEYS.com | 510 | NJ |
| OsonsLaFrance.com | 508 | SN | QTIQ.com | 505 | NJ |
| CatGirls.com | 504 | NJ | SaaSNet.org | 501 | NJ |
Say Sigarety.com ($554) aloud, and you’ll probably guess correctly that it’s Russian for “cigarettes”. Not knowing the Russian domain market very well, I can’t be 100% sure; but my hunch is that this domain was considerably undervalued. Plakias.com is a village in Crete where $550 might just book 2 nights in a hotel. For the proprietor of that hotel, 1 lead is worth more than the cost of the domain itself.
Denver, Colorado, is nicknamed the “mile-high city”. Santa Fe is nearly 1.5 miles high. So names like HighDesertRealEstate.com ($696) are pretty common in the area. WorkInEurope.com ($559)? Don’t mind if I do! On second thought, Peru sounds pretty good. Colca.com ($580) is the name of a Peruvian canyon twice as deep as the USA’s Grand Canyon … and that’s only the 2nd deepest in canyon the country!
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkiWest.com | 482 | NJ | NetworkReady.com | 478 | SN |
| FIFZ.com | 476 | SN | Kaning.com | 475 | SN |
| JoiningForces MentoringPlus.org |
460 | NJ | GreatBuilder.com | 459 | NJ |
| WMTech.com | 455 | NJ | 531116.com | 454 | SN |
| PhotoConcepts.com | 450 | SN | Throttled.com | 435 | NJ |
| Machines LikeUs.com |
430 | SN | InsideAmazon.com | 429 | SN |
| BookViews.com | 420 | NJ | EpicPolicy.org | 412 | NJ |
| 360RealEstate.com | 410 | NJ | RadarNetworks.com | 410 | NJ |
| AissaLogerot.com | 409 | SN | JBAD.com | 408 | SN |
| IHeartStitching.com | 402 | SN | SEOMaster.com | 400 | SN |
| EHKN.com | 400 | SN | Icoper.org | 390 | NJ |
| Klehm.com | 390 | NJ | ExtremeWeightLoss Casting.com |
376 | SN |
| 339967.com | 375 | SN | PlayLearning.com | 375 | SN |
| 碳纤维.com (xn--gezs0k4g.com) |
371 | SN | GISMonitor.com | 370 | NJ |
| FundResearch.com | 368 | NJ | ElCoco.com | 365 | NJ |
| SLXI.com | 364 | NJ | Vired.com | 362 | NJ |
| VisitTop100.com | 360 | NJ | FreedomTribe.com | 360 | NJ |
| ClassyKids.com | 355 | NJ | LFPV.com | 353 | NJ |
| YLC.biz | 350 | SN | KnoxPets.org | 350 | SN |
AissaLogerot.com ($409) matches the name of a Paris-based designer – half of a duo, actually, whose initials explain their website’s domain name: AC-AL.com. ElCoco.com ($365) is the Spanish equivalent of the boogeyman:
Duérmete niño, duérmete ya …
Que viene el Coco y te comerá!Sleep child, sleep now …
Here comes the Coco, and he will eat you!
Chinese IDNs began to appear in these charts a little under 2 months ago, and that trend continues apace. In all, there have been 9 IDNS in as many weeks ranging $250 to $3.6k. Actually, there may have been more, since I raised the reporting threshold to $350. This stretch’s item, 碳纤维.com ($371), means carbon fiber.
Naming any website with the keyword “Amazon” and getting it seen in SERPs must be a tough row to hoe. I even used that as an example of futility in an article last year. Yet here’s InsideAmazon.com ($429). The name itself is pretty good – especially for showing outsiders what it’s like to work as an employee of the e-commerce giant. For the rain forest, though, “Inside The Amazon” sounds more idiomatic. Hmm … Following writing that last sentence, I decided to register InsideTheAmazon.com for the sake of a tour firm, book, or documentary. Wait, no, surely that’s impossible; all .COMs were registered years ago.
