Analyzing 100+ expired domain name sales: Roundup
Joseph Peterson analyzes the past week of expired domain name sales.
Among expired domain auctions, NameJet’s top seller the prior week was GreenBusiness.com ($8.6k), a name formed from 2 keywords that are each nTLDs in their own right: .GREEN and .BUSINESS. The name can be read as “environmentally friendly”; but “green” also suggests U.S. dollars (as in the GreenBacks.com sale last month). That’s a welcome association if people can be persuaded that going green makes them some green.
89890.com ($4.8k) is rather a high sale for the NNNNN.com category – but lower than this and this and this. China is no stranger to short alphanumeric strings, yet I was surprised to see a Chinese buyer behind SURA.net ($3.3k). A 69-year-old Latin American firm lives at the .COM, and the .ORG belongs to an academic research institution. But I expected to see an arab. Depending on which of 2 arabic letters you read into that “s”, “sura” means either a chapter of the Qur’an or “picture” / “image” / “photo” – both very significant words. اينكم يا عرب؟ أليس لدي شيخ من شيوخ دول الخليج ما يكفي من المال؟
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| GreenBusiness.com | 8600 | 89890.com | 4820 |
| LittleFish.com | 3969 | HealthTimes.com | 3600 |
| SURA.net | 3255 | QuickZip.org | 2595 |
| HYPP.com | 1770 | FoodExpert.com | 1700 |
| ELA.org | 1600 | StudyAtHome.com | 1520 |
| UELE.com | 1405 | bb888.com | 1100 |
| Verde.org | 1031 | 30488.com | 1010 |
| Australian Cricket.com |
1000 | ChicagoJob.com | 995 |
Some of you may have seen a film by the name “Little Fish” starring Cate Blanchett and Sam Neill. Based on past inaction within the domain market, the film industry probably didn’t care regarding securing LittleFish.com for their 10-year-old movie; but the name is shared by a theater, a group of audio engineers, and a seafood restaurant. That movie was set in a country that loves its AustralianCricket.com ($1.0k), by the way.
Verde.org ($1.0k), which is Spanish for “green”, echoes the top sale. If there must be another health magazine, then HealthTimes.com ($3.6k) will make a good name for it. FoodExpert.com ($1.7k) can be compared with Food.Expert, which right now forwards to OriginalKabobFactory.com. Many such nTLD comparisons could be made: Wood.Market, Guerilla.One, CastleHume.Golf, and Lerner.Photo were all purchased as .COMs (see below) in spite of nTLD availability in 3 out of 4 cases.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| HireJet.com | 960 | RoughRoad.com | 910 |
| CanadaJet.com | 831 | SimpleContracts.com | 812 |
| 15122.com | 775 | Ampie.com | 770 |
| FertileMinds.com | 760 | TrainDepot.com | 732 |
| GoBright.com | 730 | WoodMarket.com | 713 |
| 29358.com | 640 | FairsAnd Festivals.com |
629 |
| 87161.com | 628 | CarmelMovers.com | 620 |
| DrumDoctor.com | 599 | 78964.com | 519 |
| PlumTV.com | 515 | AllianceForArts.org | 510 |
| PCWM.com | 508 | FengShui.tv | 500 |
FertileMinds.com ($760) was an end-user purchase, meant to upgrade a web design firm’s .CO. Ampie.com ($770) is Italian for “big” (plural). It’s related to our English word “ample”. Apparently, Ampie is also a name among Afrikaans-speaking South Africans. Feng Shui is involved with architecture; and, as this tends to be visual, I suppose .TV is a good pairing for FengShui.tv ($500). FengShuiServices.com also sold for $210; so add FengShui.Services to the list for comparison. Ah, ambiguity!
It’s no surprise that “jet” names appeal to NameJet clients. The prior week there were at least 3 sales: HireJet.com ($960), CanadaJet.com ($831), and JetBorg.com ($69). One of those at most would be regarding literal jets. It’s a RoughRoad.com ($910) for those of us without private jets. Maybe we can go to the TrainDepot.com ($732).
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| GGNJ.com | 499 | 3114.net | 492 |
| DZLP.com | 470 | SCTCorp.com | 466 |
| Retinoblastoma.com | 454 | GCQM.com | 431 |
| JKHF.com | 431 | FLRP.com | 430 |
| CWXG.com | 430 | WokExpress.com | 403 |
| Levae.com | 399 | Forzo.com | 360 |
| BGStore.com | 357 | Parachute.net | 348 |
| ColorLED.com | 341 | Strukture.com | 329 |
| 01215.com | 312 | AlphaPharma.com | 301 |
Glance up at a stop light these days, and it might well be a ColorLED.com ($341). You don’t want Retinoblastoma.com ($454), a form of eye cancer. Lucky you! If you’re reading DNW then you’re probably too old to get this children’s disease. The assonance and repeating “pha” in AlphaPharma.com ($301) make the brand name a real pleasure. Parachute.net ($348) was a good buy, since this term is both commercial and symbolic.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| MuseLetter.com | 300 | ExtremeMarine.com | 300 |
| 38784.com | 290 | Chrysocolla.com | 285 |
| DiscoverIT.org | 280 | WFIB.com | 276 |
| 47485.com | 261 | GuerillaOne.com | 256 |
| GlitzAndGlam.com | 249 | Voltor.com | 222 |
| PPVM.com | 222 | SSVL.com | 211 |
| FengShui Services.com |
210 | International- Alliance.org |
207 |
| AllSomali.com | 193 | VLBM.com | 191 |
| Torato.com | 190 | MuseumSiam.com | 175 |
| 217333.com | 173 | 380555.com | 170 |
| BehindThe Jersey.com |
163 | MVLQ.com | 159 |
| PDFIO.com | 150 | TShirtPrints.com | 130 |
Torato.com ($190) is probably a surname. A Brazilian Torato (on .BR) sells kitchen appliances. Chrysocolla.com ($285) is a semiprecious mineral similar in color to turquoise. Even “made up” brand names will often have strong meaningful associations. Take Voltor.com ($222), for instance. Is Voltor a brunch cafe, a line of porcelain dolls, or an 8-year-old boy’s robot action figure? If you agree with me, then you won’t be surprised at all by what the firm VLTOR.com does. They really ought to play Wheel of Fortune and buy a vowel!
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| LernerPhoto.com | 125 | 40131.com | 121 |
| CastleHumeGolf.com | 121 | 49182.com | 121 |
| VYSL.com | 115 | PlasticFolding Table.com |
111 |
| AGrainOfSalt.com | 110 | FireStack.com | 110 |
| AnsonCounty ArtsCouncil.org |
100 | Inside Milwaukee.com |
99 |
| VFVD.com | 97 | American Shooting.com |
95 |
| YLEU.com | 95 | OJXP.com | 91 |
| Idearium.org | 91 | QSVV.com | 91 |
| CenterOnline.org | 90 | NHACD.org | 85 |
| CVQL.com | 83 | SmashApps.org | 81 |
| SolarPower Batteries.com |
80 | MasterUnion.com | 79 |
| PromoTrends.com | 79 | ReadTwit.com | 72 |
| XMLTutorials.com | 70 | TelCommunity.com | 70 |
| NewUse.com | 70 | JetBorg.com | 69 |
NewUse.com and XMLTutorials.com – now those were bargains at $70! SolarPowerBatteries.com ($80) will probably sell products for $400 on up. Idearium.org ($91) appeals as well. Maybe a kids’ museum or startup incubator. And CastleHumeGolf.com ($121) so picturesque that even a non-golfer like me begins to appreciate what the sport meant in its original Scottish landscape. Oh, by the way, I hear that the first million .XYZ registrations come with AGrainOfSalt.com ($110).
