[...] Mystery Domain Auction shut down and no one has been able to replicate the success of the original Million Dollar Homepage [...]

[...] fail but the domaining bloggosphere – at least – is talking about it big time. See for yourself: Domain Name Wire News Mystery Domain Auction Isn’t About Domain Names – The Domain Industry’s … Innovative Mystery Domain Auction Site Launches | Domain Name News MysteryDomainAuction.com | [...]

1) For all, or most of us, it was obviously not a “revolution” in domaining, but rather a funny way to promote domainsas longs as bids didn’t go above $3. And I tested that: on the first day, I posted a link to a minisite I had just created – within 30 minutes, it generated more than 20 first visits and a few clicks on ads. The “revolution” advertised by John should rather be seen as an advertising trick. The primary purpose was to earn money – but most domainers hope to do that, don’t they?

2) “Black mark” on domaining? Certainly not, since the promotion campaign had not yet become very wide, and it presumably attracted interest primarily among domainers at this stage. So it will be remembered as a failed attempt, not as a black mark.

3) John – whom I don’t know and have never corresponded with – is obviously a decent man: I received refunds for my five small bids done in order of promoting small, new domains. So there is nothing to complain about.

4) Finally, a small lesson: the first mistake was to have the server in the US, not a place to be for somebody who wants to avoid litigation! The second one was not to think about the technical problem of the last bid just using Paypal.

Anyway, everybody can certainly derive some useful lessons about that failed experience – and I have enjyoed this thread with well-thought comments.

[...] Entries Mystery Domain Auction Shuts DownMystery Domain Auction Isn’t About Domain Names5 Domain Name Resolutions for 20092008 Domain Dunce Awards: Fired.comPeaches Uniforms Wants a Bite [...]

“Following legal advice obtained as a result of concerns raised by fellow domaining bloggers and some NamePros members about the legality of an all-pay auction in the US where this site is hosted in addition to consideration of the problems I may face at the end of the auction in case more than one person bids with the same amount which is very likely I have decided that the best option is to cancel this auction effective immediately.

All bids have now been refunded.

All affiliates that made sales have been paid out of my own pocket.”

I guess my comments in #5 above were justified?

Apparently I wasn’t the only one who had concerns.

Now, for everybody including John that thought this was going to be great for the domain industry, now it’s a black mark on the industry.

It shows a poorly thought out business model and now people are disappointed.

Sorry it didn’t work out.

[...] domainers expressed their disappointment via forums (eg. NamePros.com) and via personal blogs (eg. DomainNameWire.com / DnKitchen.com just to name a few). Some even went as far as calling it a [...]