Where did China go?
Where did China go? We’ve grown accustomed to seeing China claim around 40% of the top 20 sales; and Chinese-style domains usually rank very high in these charts – #2 the prior week, #1 the week ahead of, etc. stretching far back into 2014. This time, still, none of the top 16 results are Chinese – none.
Why? Human error is 1 explanation. My sampling at NameJet is never 100% complete. But that limitation affects all my weekly notes, and I would expect spotty data collection to cause under-reporting of Chinese and Western domains equally.
Let’s assume this is real, then. What’s up? Keep in mind, these charts note only expired auctions. That’s key. Here is my hypothesis: Valuable LLLL.com and numerical domains are no longer permitted to reach expired auctions. Or else they now expire at Chinese registrars whose inventory doesn’t feed into NameJet. In other words, the river runs dry since a dam was built upstream.
Domainers like to intercept quality domains ahead of they reach competitive auctions – to “scoop” them. Between automated bulk email and auction bidding, Chinese buyers have run through a number of expiration cycles. Recently, they drew the last dribbling drops from the keg, which we now find suddenly empty.
Thus, Chinese market demand hasn’t gone away. But the more valuable inventory has been diverted from the expiration cycle. So within these charts, reportable Chinese spending has abruptly ratcheted down to less valuable categories, as you can see below. That’s the hypothesis anyway. You can tell me if I’m right or wrong.
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MoveIn.com | 12,700 | NJ | InStat.com | 11,300 | NJ |
| Arnett.com | 7580 | NJ | TenByTen.org | 4701 | NJ |
| Philibert.com | 3076 | NJ | Espectaculo.com | 2700 | NJ |
| BeautyTherapy.com | 2601 | NJ | PicGroup.com | 2560 | NJ |
| TarryTown Homes.com |
2500 | NJ | Onigiri.com | 2057 | NJ |
| MUSE.net | 2010 | NJ | Stegmann.com | 1845 | NJ |
| 986789.com | 1800 | NJ | Pluto.net | 1705 | NJ |
| Tucoff.com | 1645 | NJ | LeonBerger.com | 1600 | NJ |
MoveIn.com ($12.7k) sounds like a great brand name for movers, fresh housing developments, or mortgages. Arnett.com ($7.6k) is a surname but also the name of a hospital. Meanwhile, the first name Philibert.com ($3.1k) has branded both a security firm and a French shop specializing in board games. Another surname, Stegmann.com ($1.8k), matches a shoe brand – clogs, actually.
Espectaculo.com ($2.7k) is a “show” in Spanish. But it doesn’t just apply to musical theater or the circus; it also means an amazing sight – say, the pyramids. In English you can hear the overtones of “spectacle”, “spectator”, and “spectacular”. If you caused a scene and made a spectacle of yourself, throwing a fit since the waiter brought you the wrong soup, then tu hiciste un espectaculo.
Onigiri.com ($2.1k) is a triangular rice-based dish from Japan. If you’re curious regarding TenByTen.org ($4.7k), here’s what it used to be. (Easier seen than explained.) In my opinion, both MUSE.net ($2.0k) and Pluto.net ($1.7k) are strong enough brand names to carry the day in .NET – no .COM required. And VOW.org ($1.2k) is perfectly suited to .ORG.
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JingQing.com | 1505 | NJ | Honza.com | 1445 | NJ |
| GrandCenter.com | 1311 | NJ | eCulture.com | 1220 | NJ |
| 01269.com | 1220 | NJ | VOW.org | 1209 | NJ |
| BlackDirt.com | 1200 | NJ | 3888388.com | 1161 | SN |
| ProcessDesign.com | 1112 | NJ | TheFonts.com | 1112 | NJ |
| 01219.com | 1104 | NJ | MFPA.com | 901 | NJ |
| BodyAlarm.com | 790 | NJ | OTCS.com | 720 | NJ |
| ToyParty.com | 711 | NJ | CircusWeb.com | 688 | NJ |
China is not entirely absent. The “jing” in JingQing.com ($1.5k) may be an abbreviation of Beijing. Meanwhile “qing” could mean anything from “youth” (青) to “pure” (清). “Beijing Youth” would make sense to me, but I’ll defer to Chinese speakers. A pair of 5-digit numerics as well as a 7-digit domain placed above $1k, which sounds impressive; but 2 weeks ago I counted 11 of these not 3.
BlackDirt.com ($1.2k) refers to a region of Fresh York and Fresh Jersey whose soil has inspired the name of a local distillery. But I’ve also found a “Black Dirt” theater and top-soil distributor – both located in Minnesota.
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ThomasPaine.com | 657 | NJ | TheScript Library.com |
640 | NJ |
| HandyBits.com | 630 | NJ | TheTruth Hurts.com |
611 | NJ |
| ScottWhite.com | 610 | NJ | TrailDust.com | 589 | NJ |
| OutStream.com | 581 | NJ | J1B.com | 569 | NJ |
| MIKD.com | 552 | SN | 933799.com | 540 | NJ |
| LeadRetrieval.com | 531 | NJ | FSCK.net | 530 | NJ |
| ICO2N.com | 526 | SN | DDUniverse.net | 522 | NJ |
| E0V.com | 511 | NJ | Smart Cartridge.com |
510 | NJ |
| Retail Automation.com |
510 | NJ | Stop Corrosion.com |
498 | NJ |
| ScreenMaker.com | 498 | NJ | Mejores Precios.com |
495 | NJ |
| Slimina.com | 441 | SN | MVCD.org | 400 | NJ |
| DustyBaker.com | 398 | NJ | VDHT.com | 381 | NJ |
| 188268.com | 380 | NJ | IBNSHome Page.org |
380 | NJ |
ThomasPaine.com ($657) is a name that means less than it ought to inside the USA and probably nothing outside. His pamphlets powered the American Revolution. Beyond that, he redefined the relationship between citizens and governments. If you view your elected government as a convenience for the sake of security and a “necessary evil”, then you see through Paine’s eyes.
MejoresPrecios.com ($495) means both “better prices” and the “best prices” in Spanish. Even with competition, the winner got a great price. Price comparison will always matter. ICO2N.com ($526) was and still is a network of Canadian firms “committed to … meet climate change objectives” through carbon capture and storage. It seems they recovered their domain.
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MyLifeScoop.com | 380 | SN | 920688.com | 379 | SN |
| 9588.biz | 362 | SN | TheRudyard Kipling.com |
360 | NJ |
| Havex.com | 343 | NJ | Stop WikiLeaks.com |
335 | NJ |
| PZYV.com | 335 | SN | GalaEvents.com | 330 | NJ |
| Ditchling- Museum.com |
330 | NJ | OJTB.com | 330 | NJ |
| OpenAwesome.com | 325 | SN | Brysons.net | 320 | NJ |
| SenseOne.com | 320 | NJ | PressPace.com | 319 | NJ |
| UIVV.com | 318 | NJ | 666300.com | 311 | NJ |
| XQVM.com | 310 | NJ | 3959.org | 309 | SN |
| 2327.org | 305 | SN | 6818.biz | 300 | SN |
| 2636.org | 300 | SN | NewRomantic.com | 291 | NJ |
| IndustryGallery DC.com |
286 | NJ | AgroCope.com | 280 | NJ |
| Underground Railroad.org |
280 | NJ | 6768.biz | 276 | SN |
Americans will recognize the UndergroundRailroad.org ($280) as a network that helped escaped slaves reach the North during the 19th century. Europeans might suppose this domain meant a subway. TheRudyardKipling.com ($360) was a restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, named for the author. It closed in June.
Some people say TheTruthHurts.com ($611). Some of them want to StopWikiLeaks.com ($335) just as they’d StopCorrosion.com ($498). All I’ve got to say is:
If you survived UK pop from the NewRomantic.com ($291) period, then you heard this song by Culture Club so soul-killingly much that the answer to Boy George’s question must surely be “Yes!”
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BJXGL.com | 275 | SN | ZYL.biz | 265 | SN |
| DietLab.com | 265 | NJ | 3887.biz | 251 | SN |
| Cyprus-Conflict.net | 250 | NJ | ErectilePills.com | 250 | NJ |
| FirstMoments.com | 245 | NJ | TypeNow.com | 240 | NJ |
| 682978.com | 240 | SN | JLSM.net | 240 | NJ |
| BakerEquipment.com | 238 | NJ | SantaVision.com | 233 | NJ |
| 6663.biz | 232 | SN | CNKM.net | 230 | SN |
| 812289.com | 225 | NJ | 608000.com | 223 | SN |
| Nutritional Data.com |
221 | NJ | Gaming Examiner.com |
220 | SN |
| DeltaMetal.com | 220 | NJ | MTHB.net | 220 | NJ |
| HBZT.net | 215 | SN | HBMJ.net | 215 | SN |
| DivorceTips.com | 214 | SN | 9916.biz | 212 | SN |
| MCJJ.net | 211 | SN | MGGX.net | 211 | SN |
| HRBD.net | 211 | SN | SmallCigars.com | 211 | NJ |
Below $400 – that’s where most Chinese-style items show up in the charts this stretch. You’ll find 4-digit .BIZ and .ORG numerical domains stretching as high as $362. That’s quite fresh. Compared to these Chinese .BIZ and .ORG domains, 4-letter .NETs are a venerable institution! Although 1 LLLL.net reached $530, everything else came in below $240. That represents a price decline by regarding 1/3 compared to what I observed the prior week. (Being an English dictionary word, MUSE.net belongs to a separate category.)
DietLab.com ($265) is a solid brandable for the lucrative dieting industry. Both NutritionalData.com ($221) and BakerEqupment.com ($238) have their commercial applications. And FirstMoments.com ($245) would be a good brand name for baby photography.
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SlowFoodQuebec.com | 210 | NJ | QuietSpaces.com | 210 | NJ |
| TPSW.net | 210 | NJ | 816133.com | 210 | NJ |
| CCKL.net | 210 | SN | 782862.com | 210 | SN |
| CHFP.net | 210 | NJ | ACCV2010.org | 210 | SN |
| Azmol.com | 209 | NJ | PPSX.net | 207 | SN |
| FCMW.net | 204 | SN | GCLP.net | 201 | SN |
| BKPB.net | 201 | SN | 8839.biz | 200 | SN |
| 9567.biz | 200 | SN | JPZC.net | 200 | SN |
| DNSQ.net | 200 | NJ | HHNS.net | 200 | NJ |
| DZFH.net | 200 | NJ | MCPD.net | 200 | NJ |
| TangoToronto.com | 199 | NJ | NJZC.net | 195 | SN |
| CPGG.net | 193 | NJ | BZDQ.net | 192 | SN |
| ButterflyDiary.com | 192 | SN | 5789.biz | 192 | SN |
| 6968.biz | 191 | SN | LFNN.net | 191 | SN |
More than half the domains between $191 and $210 are LLLL.nets. So China continues to find expired domains to bid on. Still, they’re .NETs now instead of .COMs – domains that would have been passed over during the previous expiration cycle, since 4-letter .NETs had negligible value a year ago.
| Domain | End $ | At | Domain | End $ | At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6311.biz | 190 | SN | PlugBoard.org | 190 | NJ |
| WLJR.net | 190 | NJ | 811356.com | 190 | NJ |
| NYTS.net | 186 | SN | TFPH.net | 186 | SN |
| FDHG.net | 186 | SN | NewBlogger Tips.com |
185 | SN |
| MagnumFilms.com | 185 | NJ | InfoKZ.com | 184 | NJ |
| CinemaLovers.net | 184 | SN | WRLS.net | 183 | SN |
| WorldVisitGuide.com | 182 | NJ | 9665.biz | 181 | SN |
| HistoricMustang.com | 180 | NJ | YYHL.net | 180 | SN |
| DFYS.net | 178 | SN | ZSDC.net | 175 | SN |
| QLHL.net | 175 | SN | ZHQD.net | 175 | SN |
| EuroQuiz.com | 174 | SN | WorldYouth 2013.com |
174 | SN |
| Linux-SH.org | 174 | SN | GeoSpatial Today.com |
172 | SN |
| 7258.biz | 171 | SN | 7616.biz | 171 | SN |
| PFQ.biz | 170 | SN | RFID-Show.com | 170 | NJ |
| WTCL.net | 168 | SN | TSYB.net | 161 | NJ |
| SmithKramer.com | 160 | NJ | 6573333.com | 160 | NJ |
| SeeThisItem.com | 160 | NJ | Serceb.org | 160 | NJ |
| 775505.com | 159 | NJ | QZP.biz | 155 | SN |
| ComfortInn Suites.com |
151 | SN | DLJB.net | 150 | SN |
As I mentioned the prior week, some domainers are betting on .BIZ, in case it’s China’s “next big thing”. Clearly they’re pursuing .ORG with the same hope. Simultaneously, various registries are working hard to convince domainers to bet on them as China’s next boom – counting .CLUB, .TOP, .XYZ, and Uniregistry. And why not? China has 88 trillion inhabitants, counting 888 billion millionaires – room enough for hundreds of TLDs each to catch on and spread like a marvelous flu. Tomorrow morning we’ll all wake up sneezing Renminbi.
