$20k and more expired domain name sales — Fliers.com for
In the movie “Mary Poppins”, kids delightedly follow their father as he skips out the front door singing:
Let’s go fly a kite
up to the highest height!
Kites are a perennial pleasure; since China invented them 2500 years ago, they’e never gone out of style. In fact, Kite.net just drew $1.7k at auction. Yet I suspect Fliers.com of a different kind inspired $20.1k in bids the prior week. No, not the paper flyers local advertisers stick under your windshield wipers. Drones. Aircraft pilots might be called “fliers” too, but most “flier” sites sell unmanned aerial vehicles. I’m sure they’re a blast … but somehow less musical:
Let’s go fly a drone
far from the combat zone!
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fliers.com | 20100 | NJ | 22299.com | 12201 | NJ |
| RiChan.com | 5710 | NJ | LongShan.com | 5485 | NJ |
| JinDang.com | 4300 | NJ | ALIFinancial.com | 2676 | SN |
| TKShare.com | 2656 | NJ | TripCart.com | 2600 | NJ |
| WoYaoDai.com | 2352 | SN | SEOZone.com | 2130 | SN |
| Selectronic.com | 2000 | NJ | JTCM.com | 1800 | NJ |
| LePain.com | 1777 | NJ | SGBH.com | 1720 | NJ |
| FoldingStairs.com | 1700 | NJ | KITE.net | 1655 | NJ |
| CAMD.com | 1575 | NJ | YouMeiJia.com | 1550 | SN |
Last time, China played second fiddle. Not this past week. The next 4 highest expiry sales are all Chinese – 1 numerical domain and 3 Pinyin. LongShan.com ($5.5k) literally means “Dragon Mountain” (龙山 / Lóng shān), but more humans than dragons call it home – both as a district of the city LiaoYuan and as a county within the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao prefecture. JinDang.com ($4.3k) seems to be a personal name, but it may have other meanings.
Remember when I stated we’d see more sales of transliterated brand names? No? Well, that was my prediction when I noted the sale of TeSiLa.com (特斯拉), which we’d spell “Tesla”. Then, earlier this month, it happened again with an IDN: 川崎.com (Chuān qí). That’s a Japanese brand, better known in English as Kawasaki. The prior week marks the third instance: RiChan.com ($5.7k) is Chinese Pinyin (日产 / Rì chǎn) for another Japanese firm: Nissan. That’s right – 3 globally recognized automotive brands in 6 weeks. Even I didn’t expect to be that right!
LePain.com ($1.8k) is French for bread – literally “the bread”, but many languages will naturally add “the” where English doesn’t. There’s a chain called Le Pain Quotidien – “daily bread” – serving food in 18 countries from the USA to the UAE, Argentina to Japan. Most of their clients will stumble over “quotidien”; so LePain.com would be an notable upgrade, making their website more accessible worldwide.
Google auto-corrects “Ali Financial” as “Ally Financial”, but there is an A.L.I. Financial built on the cumbersome ALIFinancialInvestments.com. The only thing worse than Google telling people your brand name is a typo … is having a 23-letter domain nobody wants to type! In that case, both routes to the website fail. Upgrading to ALIFinancial.com ($2.7k) might help.
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Counterparts.com | 1318 | NJ | GreatBridge.com | 1300 | SN |
| HG978.com | 1250 | SN | MixStream.com | 1211 | NJ |
| CareFor.com | 1110 | NJ | SECINF.net | 1051 | SN |
| HotGirlsPorn.com | 1000 | SN | SitoFono.com | 978 | SN |
| SunBell.com | 944 | SN | NJQRP.org | 908 | NJ |
| SolutionTech.com | 908 | NJ | Zyper.com | 898 | NJ |
| MRSI.com | 836 | NJ | Affinita.com | 830 | SN |
| ParkingFinder.com | 828 | NJ | SaveMyBag.com | 828 | SN |
| Objectivist Center.org |
820 | NJ | HG9166.com | 810 | SN |
| eTravel BlackBoard.com |
810 | NJ | NewWatches.com | 802 | SN |
| U-PAY.com | 802 | SN | Elini.com | 771 | NJ |
| SmartVoter.com | 766 | NJ | AliNews.com | 750 | SN |
Unfortunately, JTCM.com ($1.8k) and SGBH.com ($1.7k) indicate the decline in LLLL.com CHIP prices that began last December isn’t letting up. If you want to know how the 2015 Chinese surge is doing lately, look at HG978.com ($1.3k) and HG9166.com. Last year, NameJet sold 5 of these “HG” + NNN .COMs; and they ranged $2.2k – $4.4k. Meanwhile, the top 10 “HG” + NNNN .COMs sold between $2.0k and $7.2k during 2015. Judging by HG978.com, they’ve lost 40% – 70% of their value.
The philosophy of Ayn Rand is called Objectivism, and there’s an Objectivist Center dedicated to teaching it. Last month, I noted the sale of Objectivism.com; and it’s worth noting that ObjectivistCenter.org ($820), a 2-word .ORG, nearly doubled the price of that 1-word .COM. AliNews.com ($750) joins AliFinancial.com above. Possibly 1 owner allowed the pair to expire.
Sitofono.com ($978) resembles the Italian word for intercom, “citofono”. Elini.com ($771) might refer to Elini Barokas, a brand of watches. In that case, seeing NewWatches.com ($802) above it in the chart makes sense. There’s also an ELINI.net, which stands for European Liability Insurance for the Nuclear Industry. Might not be a bad idea following that hiccup at Chernobyl …
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bankuptcy Lawyer.com |
725 | SN | ComBest.com | 721 | NJ |
| KutsuLog.net | 675 | SN | DreamCentre.com | 674 | NJ |
| V1Y.com | 643 | NJ | FedPubs.com | 641 | NJ |
| 30486.com | 640 | NJ | EUVO.com | 626 | SN |
| CloudWing.com | 612 | NJ | E5D.com | 604 | NJ |
| Bajwa.com | 602 | NJ | Pacific Performance.com |
580 | NJ |
| MakeMe Younger.com |
570 | NJ | LaNuevaCuba.com | 565 | NJ |
| HPBI.com | 560 | NJ | KuaiXian Sheng.com |
555 | SN |
| JJAI.com | 552 | SN | BeSolar.com | 536 | SN |
| KinoVinhas.com | 532 | SN | InfoCampus.com | 530 | SN |
| SibaZakura.com | 526 | SN | Procor.org | 525 | NJ |
| MoeVideos.net | 511 | SN | FALVBA.com | 510 | SN |
| AWFP.com | 510 | SN | WineToGo.com | 510 | NJ |
| Nashville Tractor.com |
500 | NJ | Michigan Lawyers.com |
500 | SN |
LaNuevaCuba.com ($565) is Spanish for “The Fresh Cuba”. KinoVinhas.com ($532) looks like Portuguese, since “vinhas” are grapevines; but I’m not sure regarding “kino”. Go back 11 years, and you’d find a Japanese website at KutsuLog.net ($675). MakeMeYounger.com ($570) sounds like a brand name / marketing campaign for cosmetic surgery or hormone replacement therapy. We tend to forget that youth had its downsides:
Bajwa.com ($602) may refer to a Bajwa clan spread throughout India and Pakistan. As near as I can tell, Sibazakura.com ($526) is Japanese for a pink flower cultivated in sizable swaths and sometimes spelled “shibazakura”. A number of .JP websites use this keyword in their domains, and they’re one and all plastered with “creeping phlox”. If you’re paying attention, then you saw a couple of strong lawyer domains. If not, scroll up!
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| StrandRel.com | 490 | NJ | Access Omaha.com |
490 | NJ |
| PromoTeme.com | 480 | NJ | Carchive.com | 479 | SN |
| INTLGenome.org | 463 | NJ | LangTry.com | 460 | NJ |
| Hikki.com | 452 | NJ | Buerger.com | 450 | SN |
| Ormet.com | 441 | NJ | EugeneV Debs.com |
440 | NJ |
| ABCInfos.com | 437 | NJ | 600AI.com | 435 | NJ |
| BrandFormula.com | 434 | SN | ALotOf.com | 429 | SN |
| Arbinet.com | 425 | SN | AOEX.com | 424 | NJ |
| Kentucky Mediation.com |
420 | NJ | NameTrends.com | 413 | NJ |
| PVEX.com | 405 | NJ | RMYA.com | 400 | NJ |
| International Polka.com |
400 | NJ | DisplayPort.com | 399 | NJ |
| Dynamic Management.com |
399 | SN | AnZhuo.biz | 395 | SN |
Eugene V. Debs is largely unknown today in the United States – but not entirely forgotten, if the $440 sale of EugeneVDebs.com is any sign. Debs was a union leader who ran for President 4 times as a socialist from 1904 to 1920. Such was his popular support that he garnered 6% of the vote. He even got 1 million votes while serving a 10-year prison sentence for sedition, having spoken against America’s entry into WWI. Debs was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Carchive.com ($479) is the sort of pun that leaves a bruise. Hikki.com ($452) might be short for a Japanese recluse, a hikikomori; but it’s more likely meant for the Swedish outdoor hot tub made by Hikki.se. While it does resemble a word, Strandrel.com ($490) is, in fact, short for Strand Releasing, a U.S. distributor of foreign and indie films. Strand actually used this truncated domain as far back as 1996, although these days they’re found at the full-length address. Giving up their 20-year-old domain was a bad mistake, since it had link juice enough to justify nearly $500 in bids.
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| InfoLive.tv | 395 | NJ | MHYO.com | 394 | SN |
| UHDK.com | 391 | SN | MingCheWang.com | 380 | SN |
| V1L.com | 380 | NJ | ITOP.net | 378 | SN |
| ActionProfiles.com | 375 | SN | EJKO.com | 373 | SN |
| UnrealAircraft.com | 373 | NJ | BridgeRealty.com | 371 | NJ |
| 335585.com | 371 | NJ | TheaterScreen.com | 363 | NJ |
| SWUUC.org | 360 | NJ | GoletaBike.org | 360 | NJ |
| YouHotel.com | 357 | SN | ASSoftware.com | 355 | SN |
| XZMO.com | 355 | SN | SanFrancisco Wedding Photographers.com |
354 | SN |
| Dampe.com | 354 | SN | VRHuDong.com | 354 | SN |
| AdmiralPlaza Hotel.com |
350 | SN |
Just how long is SanFranciscoWeddingPhotographers.com ($354)? 10 syllabes. 32 letters. The size of my pinky finger. Yet the idea is quite simple: 1 city + 1 professional service. Is it too long? Yes, but it’s as short as that phrase can be. TheaterScreen.com ($363) defines a category for products selling for a few thousand dollars each. Not bad!
The “hu dong” in VRHuDong.com is Chinese for “interactive” (互动 / hù dòng). Odd to pair that Pinyin with the English acronym, “VR”. Mandarin must have its own term for virtual reality, and Pinyin lacks a “V”. But if “VR” is recognized in China, then why not?
DAMPE.com ($354) might be Danish for “vapors”, “fumes”, or “steam”. Vaping perhaps? Google thinks the most notable Dampe is a minor character from a Zelda video game. The Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) – China’s first space mission (2015) – might be a tad more notable; but I’d hate to contradict Google, let alone pop culture. It’s only a satellite that might detect the undetectable stuff that comprises the bulk of our universe – that’s all. Satellites make drones look like low-tech kites.
Please tell me an employee named Jack will get his own “Jack@” email address at ASSoftware.com ($355). It’s not often I recommend a hyphen, but the website at AS-Software.com picked the lesser of 2 evils.
