NameJet Expired Domain Note: CarAds.com, MyDealer.com and more
Joseph Peterson reviews recent expired domain name sales at NameJet.
My first thought when seeing NameJet’s $5.4k auction for CarAds.com was of a road luxuriously winding along sea cliffs and the convertible traversing it filmed from a helicopter conveniently muted for the voice over. But used-car classifieds or dealership ad distribution are more likely business models for this domain.
Speaking of dealers, MyDealer.com ($2.8k) was the second-highest expired auction at NameJet to chart. Who knows what he deals in – cars, Caravaggios, cocaine, or cannabis?
I’m not 100% sure how to explain the $2.7k paid for HULI.net, since the amount is well above market averages for CVCV .NET domains; and HULI.com simply forwards to a Chinese website. One possible buyer would be popular video service Hulu, which owns HULU.net. (The “i” key sits adjacent to the “u”, which might make “HULI” a relatively frequent typo.) Much more interesting to me is the fact that Huli is a Papua Fresh Guinean language that counts using a base-15 numeral system! In base 15, Huli.net sold for $C00. (C=12, and $2700 = 12 x 15^2.)
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| CarAds.com | 5400 | MyDealer.com | 2777 |
| HULI.net | 2700 | MobileTopUp.com | 2500 |
| SuiQu.com | 2300 | Zippi.com | 1959 |
| PaidReviews.com | 1900 | 539999.com | 1810 |
| PanDao.com | 1710 | GreenCooling.com | 1477 |
| Telian.com | 1217 | ENGC.com | 1010 |
| MOO.org | 1009 | International Kitchen.com |
1000 |
| AgenciaDigital.com | 999 | CyberTherapy.com | 930 |
| ExTravel.com | 906 | TheMosaic.com | 900 |
| FastWorld.com | 897 | AdultToyBox.com | 895 |
| XARU.com | 885 | Z8J.com | 857 |
| Inventory Services.com |
832 | Domotec.com | 825 |
| EDAP.org | 819 | XOTS.com | 810 |
| eWorkForce.com | 810 | RightStock.com | 800 |
| OTGE.com | 800 | TheatreWorks.com | 779 |
| TheTruthIs.com | 756 | SBNS.com | 755 |
| CWare.com | 752 | PDRG.com | 700 |
| JackLee.com | 691 | MexicanWar.com | 660 |
| 1CA.com | 616 | SurfingSupply.com | 579 |
| OHNY.com | 578 | Mispell.com | 560 |
| ToroRojo.com | 502 | Genomic Solutions.com |
470 |
| PMMedia.com | 425 | SOH.org | 404 |
| NIBCapital.com | 400 | C4E.com | 398 |
| TheCardigans.com | 365 | ShareALot.com | 365 |
| 31373.com | 342 | Z7C.com | 305 |
| TBBF.com | 303 | FSRR.com | 266 |
| FPDB.com | 252 | Weaks.com | 237 |
| MoslerAuto.com | 235 | TTWR.com | 229 |
| 30269.com | 210 | WorldWide Punk.com |
205 |
| NewYork Flights.net |
164 | ESC-SEC.org | 147 |
| TheCIA.net | 122 | TDGZ.com | 119 |
| LouerVoiture.com | 110 | ThirdAge- Ireland.com |
99 |
| InvestGreen.org | 93 | Fateless.com | 80 |
| PeoriaHouses.com | 79 | USLegalOffice.com | 69 |
MobileTopUp.com ($2.5k) has one clear application: adding minutes or data to prepaid cell phone plans. The phrase “top up” is by now in widespread use by advertisers. Back in 2005, Zippi.com ($2k) was geared towards eBay sellers; yet by 2012 it had become a site for iPhone app developers. Next it may sell cooling fans.
PaidReviews.com ($1.9k) will step into a ready market – thousands of firms eager for consumer feedback … and for shills to endorse their products. I hope to hear MOO.org ($1k) advertise the dairy industry; otherwise it’s self-defeatingly satirical.
We don’t usually see 6-digit numerics sell for $1.8k; so 539999.com remains something of a curiosity. Those repeating 9s almost make it look like a price tag. Indicative of more widespread trends in the Chinese domain market, perhaps, are these 3 LNL.com domains that sold between $305 and $857: Z7C.com, C4E.com, Z8J.com.
ToroRojo.com ($502) is “Red Bull” in Spanish. Arguably, it could stand for the energy drink; but, in point of fact, Red Bull retains its English brand name even in Spanish-language advertisements and unofficial discussions.
I’m struck by the number of domain auctions whose terminal keyword matches an nTLD. The doppelgänger of InternetKitchen.com ($1k) is reserved by the registry. Yes, the same is true for AgenciaDigital.com ($1k). FastWorld.com ($897) has been shadowed by an nTLD version that someone is renting for around $600 per year. And, for the same price, TheatreWorks.com ($779) still can be. Of those I see above, only GenomicSolutions.com ($470) and NIBCapital.com ($400) appear to have been registered in their nTLD versions for below $100 annually.
This bears stressing. Out of 68 expired domain auctions at NameJet from the past week – selected only on the basis of bidding activity – I count 6 domains (9%) that match fresh TLDs but were fought for in .COM.
