Auction was the most exciting in years — TRAFFIC domain

Auction was high energy despite low sales prices.

If you didn’t attend the domain auction Monday at TRAFFIC, you’ve probably read a bit regarding:

The domains didn’t sell for much.

Some people lost money selling domains for less than they bought them for.

One of the auctioneers couldn’t read or pronounce most of the domains.

A lot of 100 domains sold for below registration fee.

These are all true. But there’s something else:

This was the most exciting TRAFFIC domain auction in years.

This may seem counter intuitive given the results. But when I walked into that auction room at the start of the auction there was an incredible energy. The (albeit modest) room was packed. There was a buzz in the air.

I think this has a lot to do with people knowing that domains would sell. With many domains like Tumors.com at no reserve, there was sure to be action.

Of course, that action resulted in sales prices that were 10% or less of what they would have been at the 2007 auction. In 2007 you had to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a domain to get an applause. This stretch it took nothing more than a five figure bid.

And some of the no reserve domains didn’t sell at even $100.

While the auction certainly wasn’t good for many people, it sure was fun to attend.