Joseph Peterson reviews recent expired domain name sales at NameJet.
My first thought when seeing NameJet’s $5.4k auction for CarAds.com was of a road luxuriously winding along sea cliffs and the convertible traversing it filmed from a helicopter conveniently muted for the voice over. But used-car classifieds or dealership ad distribution are more likely business models for this domain.
Speaking of dealers, MyDealer.com ($2.8k) was the second-highest expired auction at NameJet to chart. Who knows what he deals in – cars, Caravaggios, cocaine, or cannabis?
I’m not 100% sure how to explain the $2.7k paid for HULI.net, since the amount is well above market averages for CVCV .NET domains; and HULI.com simply forwards to a Chinese website. One possible buyer would be popular video service Hulu, which owns HULU.net. (The “i” key sits adjacent to the “u”, which might make “HULI” a relatively frequent typo.) Much more interesting to me is the fact that Huli is a Papua New Guinean language that counts using a base-15 numeral system! In base 15, Huli.net sold for $C00. (C=12, and $2700 = 12 x 15^2.)
Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
---|---|---|---|
CarAds.com | 5400 | MyDealer.com | 2777 |
HULI.net | 2700 | MobileTopUp.com | 2500 |
SuiQu.com | 2300 | Zippi.com | 1959 |
PaidReviews.com | 1900 | 539999.com | 1810 |
PanDao.com | 1710 | GreenCooling.com | 1477 |
Telian.com | 1217 | ENGC.com | 1010 |
MOO.org | 1009 | International Kitchen.com |
1000 |
AgenciaDigital.com | 999 | CyberTherapy.com | 930 |
ExTravel.com | 906 | TheMosaic.com | 900 |
FastWorld.com | 897 | AdultToyBox.com | 895 |
XARU.com | 885 | Z8J.com | 857 |
Inventory Services.com |
832 | Domotec.com | 825 |
EDAP.org | 819 | XOTS.com | 810 |
eWorkForce.com | 810 | RightStock.com | 800 |
OTGE.com | 800 | TheatreWorks.com | 779 |
TheTruthIs.com | 756 | SBNS.com | 755 |
CWare.com | 752 | PDRG.com | 700 |
JackLee.com | 691 | MexicanWar.com | 660 |
1CA.com | 616 | SurfingSupply.com | 579 |
OHNY.com | 578 | Mispell.com | 560 |
ToroRojo.com | 502 | Genomic Solutions.com |
470 |
PMMedia.com | 425 | SOH.org | 404 |
NIBCapital.com | 400 | C4E.com | 398 |
TheCardigans.com | 365 | ShareALot.com | 365 |
31373.com | 342 | Z7C.com | 305 |
TBBF.com | 303 | FSRR.com | 266 |
FPDB.com | 252 | Weaks.com | 237 |
MoslerAuto.com | 235 | TTWR.com | 229 |
30269.com | 210 | WorldWide Punk.com |
205 |
NewYork Flights.net |
164 | ESC-SEC.org | 147 |
TheCIA.net | 122 | TDGZ.com | 119 |
LouerVoiture.com | 110 | ThirdAge- Ireland.com |
99 |
InvestGreen.org | 93 | Fateless.com | 80 |
PeoriaHouses.com | 79 | USLegalOffice.com | 69 |
MobileTopUp.com ($2.5k) has one clear application: adding minutes or data to prepaid cell phone plans. The phrase “top up” is already in widespread use by advertisers. Back in 2005, Zippi.com ($2k) was geared towards eBay sellers; yet by 2012 it had become a site for iPhone app developers. Next it may sell cooling fans.
PaidReviews.com ($1.9k) will step into a ready market – thousands of companies eager for consumer feedback … and for shills to endorse their products. I hope to hear MOO.org ($1k) advertise the dairy industry; otherwise it’s self-defeatingly satirical.
We don’t usually see 6-digit numerics sell for $1.8k; so 539999.com remains something of a curiosity. Those repeating 9s almost make it look like a price tag. Indicative of more widespread trends in the Chinese domain market, perhaps, are these 3 LNL.com domains that sold between $305 and $857: Z7C.com, C4E.com, Z8J.com.
ToroRojo.com ($502) is “Red Bull” in Spanish. Arguably, it could stand for the energy drink; but, in point of fact, Red Bull retains its English brand name even in Spanish-language advertisements and unofficial discussions.
I’m struck by the number of domain auctions whose terminal keyword matches an nTLD. The doppelgänger of InternetKitchen.com ($1k) is reserved by the registry. Yes, the same is true for AgenciaDigital.com ($1k). FastWorld.com ($897) has been shadowed by an nTLD version that someone is renting for around $600 per year. And, for the same price, TheatreWorks.com ($779) still can be. Of those I see above, only GenomicSolutions.com ($470) and NIBCapital.com ($400) appear to have been registered in their nTLD versions for below $100 annually.
This bears stressing. Out of 68 expired domain auctions at NameJet from the past week – selected only on the basis of bidding activity – I count 6 domains (9%) that match new TLDs but were fought for in .COM.
KC says
Yes, HULI.com simply forwards to the Chinese website.Haimi.com which helps Chinese consumers to buy products cheaply from sellers outside China. Since it is an e-commerce using the Net, it’s possible that they also want the net version if they intend to build up Huli.com someday as an Internet business.
Huli may refer to the word 狐狸 (fox) and also an app on Huli.cn to help users find and download Android/iOS app quickly, So Huli.com is also a good fit for Huli.cn.
Joseph Peterson says
Great information, KC. Thanks. I had checked out the Hiami.com site, but I wasn’t 100% sure what it was.