Auction of 200 reserved domain names will test the aftermarket for .mobi domain names.
I know the folks over at dotMobi like me, but I’m honored they selected my birthday to launch a massive .mobi auction over at Sedo.
The auction starting November 5 will include 200 reserved domain names, and there are some doozies such as Blackjack.mobi, Games.mobi (which previously “sold” for $401,500), and xxx.mobi.
After slowly auctioning off many of its previous domains at strong prices, dotMobi is opening up the floodgates with this auction. More uber-premium .mobi domains will be auctioned off in a single auction than during the entire history of .mobi. This is the defining moment for .mobi speculation. Are buyers still excited about this extension? Will there be enough cash to go around to snap up all of the good domains? Will the dismal state of financial markets scare off bidders?
For its part, it looks like Sedo has addressed the technical issues it had during last December’s auction. Sedo CEO Tim Schumacher said, “The incredible demand for .mobi domains during our last online auction with dotMobi caused the rare occurrence of technical difficulties. Recognizing how great the demand is for .mobi domains, Sedo has thoroughly addressed these technical issues to ensure the success of this highly anticipated auction, since it’s clear that the .mobi domain has engaged everyone’s interest in the possibilities of the mobile Web.”
And for those worried about .mobi compliance rules, it’s very easy to create a .mobi-compliant web site now thanks to new tools.
So what do you think? Will this be a shining moment for .mobi or a big disappointment?
Jamie Parks says
Only time will tell…
Will we see buys like those that occurred in Dec? I’m not sure. I’ll tell you this, I’m getting a substantial increase and consistency in traffic to all the .mobi domains in my portfolio.
It’s definitely a buyers market in many industries right now. But I believe the bigger and more important question is to be directed toward the sellers of domains (or any assets for that matter). What currency/commodities should they/we trade our assets in exchange for?
BIG decisions to be made… and not too sure that the $’s the best answer.
Gary says
I believe that the outcome of the auction may be dictated more by the global economy than the outlook for dotmobi.
There will be some strong sales but I doubt we’ll see any heady sales like last time.
But the woes in the financial sector could mean there will be some good buys to be had -and if this is the last premium sale this side of spring 2009 – it could be the last opportunity yet to acquire some Internet real-estate at attractive ‘ground level’ prices… because next year the future of the mobilenet will be more evident and future premium sales will reflect this – how much so depends on the broader economy but don’t miss this sale – some of the best names yet will be released!
I certainly know where I’ll be on the 5th November!
Steve M says
Anyone buying .mobis expecting to profitably flip ’em…would be better off buying sup-prime mortgage securities…at face value.
WQ says
>>Will this be a shining moment for .mobi or a big disappointment?
The latter.
Bill says
With the economy as it is these names will likely present a bargain price point entry opportunity for those who recognize the potential of the mobile web and great generic names.
The dotMobi registry held premium names come with the a development requirement – which generally states that within 9 months of receiving the Auth code you must have an active mobi-compliant website up and running.
Pure domainer flippers may be discouraged by this “limitation”. That’s alright as the intent by this registry is to get premium generic names built out and not just parked forever like most other extentions.
So ultimately the “success” of this auction can be viewed in a couple different ways.
Ron says
You can have a .mobi compliant website for about 50 bucks so that will not turn people away. My .mobi names have increased in hits for no reason at all during the last 30 days.
I think you will see some incredible deals. I put the .mobi above a .info .biz and even a .org. It falls behind a .net in my opinion.
People dont understand that the us is not the only place in the world.. Take a look at south africa, china, not everyone can afford a computer…
Francois says
No, no Andrew, in fact they first decided of the November 4th date until they remember it’s my birthday. So they push it to the next day so I can party 🙂
Stijn Veeger says
I think there are only about 10 blockbusters like XXX.mobi, Games.mobi and Blackjack.mobi.
There are also a lot of domains that have no meaning for people on the move. So don’t look at all the domains to decide whether .mobi was successful. Look only at the blockbusters and I think they will be sold go for high prices
Emil @KING.NET says
I would like to see Rick’s results today. I hope it will show a positive results.
Regards,
EMIL
Andrew says
Francois – didn’t realize you were a fellow Scorpio 🙂
Andrew says
@ Stijn – but a lot of .mobi domains that mean nothing for people on the move have sold for a lot already.
Andrew says
@ ron:
“People dont understand that the us is not the only place in the world.. Take a look at south africa, china, not everyone can afford a computer…”
I don’t think anyone thinks that the mobile web isn’t going to explode. The question I and others have is if you need a separate domain name to access this. For more about the mobile web and its growth see this previous article.