Yes, Voice.com is the most expensive (publicly disclosed) domain ever sold
Some domain sales lists include domains that shouldn’t be on them.
When MicroStrategy disclosed this stretch that it sold Voice.com for $30 million, I noted: “This is a record–by a sizable margin–for a public domain-only sale.”
Some people took issue with this. What regarding CarInsurance.com? VacationRentals.com? Each of these has been noted as a domain sale for more than $30 million.
Yes, each of these has been noted. And misreported. Sometimes by domain investors who want numbers to seem bigger and often by press making domain stories. Even GoDaddy’s own site lists these domains above its Voice.com sale.
The problem with these other sales is that they were full web businesses, not just domain names.
Another domain often on the list is PrivateJet.com at just over $30 million. Right now that domain forwards to FlyVictor.com. So you’re telling me someone paid $30 million for that domain to forward it?
PrivateJet.com was a cash and stock deal. Equity in private firms is easy to manipulate.
Let’s say Andrew Rosener of Media Options decides he wants to buy Reglike to add to his domain media properties. Instead of paying cash, he buys it with equity from a firm he just set up. He and I agree the equity is worth $50 million and he gives me half of the firm. Wallah, he just bought Reglike for $25 million! But we all know that’s not really the case.
If a public firm buys a domain with stock and there’s no lock up and it’s liquid at that price (e.g., not a penny stock or OTC), then it’s as good as cash. But equity in a private firm is not.
The best list of true domain sales is at DNJournal. There is one on the list that I have an issue with (Fund.com) due to some weird stuff with the firm, but I understand why Ron Jackson included it following much questioning.
So $30 million for a domain? Yep, that’s a record by a long shot, topped only by Sex.com for $13 million. It was actually more than $30 million since the buyer, block.one, paid a commission to GoDaddy.
Of course, these are just the public sales. Most big domain sales are never made public.
