NameJet set a record during January with the most sales over $2k it has ever reported – 148 domain auctions in all. Its previous record was 131 sales back in December 2013. To put that in perspective, NameJet’s top month during all of 2014 scored only 105 sales; and its 2014 monthly mean was 78. Just 8 more sales, and the market place would have doubled last year’s average.
At the same time, NameJet’s highest sale during January ($29.1k) was below average – ranking 24th out of 44 months on record. Last year, 11 out of 12 months outperformed that $29.1k high. The previous January climbed as high as $155.7k.
What do these seemingly contradictory numbers tell us? They show a consolidated upsurge in 4 and low 5-figure sales without the distraction of ultra-expensive outliers. In other words, a healthy market with high, stable valuations and few flukes.
Whereas in past months I’ve looked at highlights from NameJet’s list, discussing them one pair at a time, on this occasion I’ve decided to experiment with the format. All 148 domains are present below, divided into groups.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| SelfieSticks.com | 29100 | WireTap.com | 14100 |
January’s not-so-high high sale, SelfieSticks.com, was already discussed in one of my weekly articles on the expired market. WireTap.com wasn’t #2; it was #8. In between was a desert of LLL.com’s and one 4-digit numeric. Apart from its meaning of eavesdropping on phone conversations, “Wire Tap” is a popular CBC radio program.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| GlobalMall.com | 8500 | LincolnRoad.com | 5000 |
| GreatShopping.com | 4366 |
Lately I’ve begun to notice how many domain names sell to shopping malls. Lincoln Road is an example I covered earlier. And I just wrote an article on Sedo end-user sales that covers a Polish shopping center (GaleriaLodzka.pl).
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| WinnersClub.com | 5700 | CasinoDownload.com | 4100 |
| DownloadCasino.com | 3400 | MiniVegas.com | 3000 |
| CasinoChat.com | 2875 | DreamCasino.com | 2445 |
| TokyoCasino.com | 2300 |
Casinos, Vegas, and gambling constitute a high-value niche within the domain market. Nearly every article I’ve written includes specimens. Last month I discussed a couple – one of which sold for $15.3k. For obvious reasons, domains about money … attract money.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| CheapCredit.com | 4055 | TruckFinancing.com | 2601 |
| NewYorkInvestment.com | 2000 |
Loans and investments are 2 sides of the same coin. And a very large coin it is.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| SwissFranc.com | 4999 | BitcoinTrader.com | 4200 |
Here we have 2 antithetical currencies.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| CarPartsForSale.com | 3882 | FreeClassified.com | 3655 |
“For sale” listings are a perfect fit for the vast bulletin board that is the internet. Such domains have obvious development / marketing potential.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| WebAffiliate.com | 2408 | ResellerProgram.com | 2300 |
Affiliate marketing is so vital that last week even an expired typo saw bids up to $2k.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| OmahaHomes.com | 6400 | Sammamish.com | 5000 |
| DenverCo.com | 2226 | Indonesians.com | 2100 |
| EastMidlands.com | 2001 |
Geographically specific domains in dominant TLDs hold value. Here we have a few different varieties. A pure city. City real estate. A city side by side with its state abbreviation (Colorado). A region of the UK. And a nationality, 252 million strong.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| HybridAuto.com | 4700 | TouchPads.com | 2909 |
| TailgatingChairs.com | 2800 | RaceCourse.com | 2600 |
| WineStopper.com | 2425 | WirelessKeyboard.com | 2100 |
These domains all represent a product category in a straightforward, definitive way. Except for a race course, they can all be shipped, making them ideal for e-commerce. Tailgating chairs and wine stoppers may not be big-ticket items like hybrid automobiles, but they still sell.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| CocaineRehab.com | 5100 | JewelryDesigner.com | 4900 |
| MBAProgram.com | 4800 | LitigationAttorney.com | 4100 |
| MortgageMarketing.com | 3188 | GeneticTest.com | 3144 |
| HelicopterSchool.com | 2110 |
Here we have a list of professional services that are sought after online. MBAProgram.com went especially cheap, considering tuition amounts to $10k – $100k per student.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| GameShare.com | 5201 | GameBit.com | 2950 |
Gaming, as an industry, has a wide enough consumer base and enough money invested in it that gaming domains frequently outsell names whose form is similar but whose topic is less thoroughly monetized.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| HealingFoods.com | 5001 | VegetarianFoods.com | 3000 |
People take an abiding interest in food, for some reason. Diet-specific foods are easier to merchandise, which gives domains in this niche an added value.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| GreenComputer.com | 2169 | GreenMagic.com | 2112 |
People use shopping as a convenient way to feel more responsible – in relation to their diet or their environmental foot print. So the buzzword “green” acts as an added selling point.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| AnxietyCure.com | 4500 | PainRemedy.com | 3200 |
Here is a pair of medical domains with a problem + solution format.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| QianTang.com | 8600 | JunLing.com | 3409 |
| ZhuGao.com | 2100 |
NameJet sold these 3 Chinese pinyin domains during January.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4994.com | 16100 | 3411.com | 12100 |
| 7553.com | 11905 | 2508.com | 11801 |
| 3571.com | 8694 |
NameJet also has China to thank for five 4-digit numerics.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| IYX.com | 23103 | WZC.com | 20509 |
| GYX.com | 18189 | KYN.com | 15900 |
| DDQ.com | 14544 | DQZ.com | 12401 |
| IXB.com | 12322 | QWH.com | 11217 |
| PFU.com | 11100 | YRP.com | 10800 |
| TQH.com | 10372 | NPQ.com | 10101 |
| XGU.com | 9756 | RQU.com | 9706 |
| ZUF.com | 9611 | VVQ.com | 8700 |
| XFU.com | 8600 | XUT.com | 8600 |
| GXV.com | 8450 | UQX.com | 8220 |
| ZEQ.com | 8105 | GQO.com | 7867 |
| YJU.com | 7768 |
Whether or not Chinese buyers won these 23 LLL.com domains, the value of this asset class has risen markedly during the past few years owing mainly to China.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| ON8.com | 3856 | 1LB.com | 2300 |
These 2 mixed-character domains might carry an English (rather than Chinese) meaning. Perhaps some TV viewer is wondering what’s on channel 8 while gorging on a pound of potato chips.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| OPIA.com | 10000 | TTMM.com | 6800 |
| ICHU.com | 5004 | SSNN.com | 4309 |
| QIGO.com | 4100 | UTEK.com | 3011 |
| ACSA.com | 3000 | MSGI.com | 2919 |
| PAGP.com | 2500 | CADM.com | 2010 |
LLLL domains are, naturally, 26 times more numerous than LLLs. But the category still produces high sales. There was some speculation earlier about the buyer of OPIA.com ($10k). Also, note the preference for AABB repetition.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| DOTS.org | 6766 | Darwin.net | 2101 |
This was NameJet’s only .ORG sale in the over-$2k list for January. During 2014, there were often 8 or 9 .ORGs reported per month – with 52 for the year. So for a month with record numbers, this percentage is especially low. Actually, there are just 5 .NETs in the January list. 142 out of 148 domains were .COM. Darwin had a phrase for that: survival of the fittest.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matinee.com | 6500 | Liquidating.com | 4200 |
| Confederation.com | 4088 | Borrows.com | 3901 |
| Unbelieveable.com [sic] | 3900 | Aggregation.com | 3100 |
| Understandable.com | 2600 | Reservoirs.com | 2322 |
Here is a batch of English dictionary words that either have a clear application (e.g. reservoirs, liquidating, borrowing, blog aggregation) or else flexible, positive connotations (confederation, understandable). Matinee qualifies for both. $3.9k was expensive for a typo.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distract.com | 7877 | Worse.com | 7003 |
| Misplaced.com | 3101 | Although.com | 2322 |
In contrast, these English words possess a meaning that is somewhat negative or defined indirectly in terms of something else. For branding purposes, they’re more challenging; and I’d expect market demand to be less. But that isn’t to say that they’re not each perfect for some unique project, as yet unimagined by yours truly.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commissioners.com | 2700 | Daiquiri.com | 2700 |
These 2 English words come into focus once someone mentions the context. A daiquiri is a much misspelled cocktail. Meanwhile, commissioners are bureaucrats found in police stations, sports leagues, and government bodies. Batman has his Commissioner Gordon counterpart, for instance.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bureaux.com | 4200 | Renne.com | 2000 |
French words sell as well. As I mentioned in another article, bureaux are “offices”, “desks”, or perhaps “agencies”. Renne would be rain deer, caribou; but it’s more likely a surname.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucie.com | 5600 | Renault.net | 2000 |
Another pair of French proper names.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nachricht.com | 3000 | ReizWaesche.com | 2022 |
German for “news” or “message”, in the first instance. And in the second – “reizwäsche”? “Sexy laundry” must mean lingerie.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| SelfServe.com | 3310 | ExtraSpecial.com | 2300 |
Both of these are common, real-world phrases.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| CareerBridge.com | 3720 | PureWorld.com | 3400 |
| BeautifulModels.com | 2722 | HappyWeekend.com | 2322 |
| TalentedPeople.com | 2076 | YouMove.com | 2000 |
In contrast, these half dozen domains consist of words that wouldn’t ordinarily be conjoined. They’ve been deliberately devised as brand names.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| QLight.com | 2800 | ZFitness.com | 2655 |
| eBillboard.com | 2007 |
A trio of words with single-letter prefixes.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syntegrity.com | 4122 | Eircom.com | 4094 |
| MissU.com | 3100 | DaCash.com | 2950 |
| Thankz.com | 2815 | Shyne.com | 2010 |
And a half dozen of what domainers call “brandables” – in this case, a mixture of neologisms and creative misspellings.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| OrangeCapital.com | 3456 | PlatinumCapital.com | 2910 |
| OmegaFinancial.com | 2510 |
Holding companies, vague B2B outfits, and finance LLCs will often conform to a convention like this one. Attach a word from list A to a word from list B, et voilà! I’m not a huge fan of the cliché, but it gets the job done.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| SecureComputer.com | 2800 | VPNTest.com | 2510 |
A pair with an IT service theme.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| ShopLingerie.com | 2800 | FuneralShop.com | 2200 |
“Shop” is a popular e-commerce keyword, and no surprise. From sex to death, shops can sell Tristan and Isolde anything.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| TheChrist.com | 2911 | ChildJesus.com | 2311 |
NameJet sold this pair of Christian domains last month. At present, religious groups don’t often pay top dollar for domains. Certainly, they’re less engaged in the domain market than the gambling industry, e-commerce, etc.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| USD.net | 3399 | JON.net | 3000 |
Just a pair of meaningful 3-letter .NETs. A personal name and the abbreviation for $$$.
| Domain Name | End $ | Domain Name | End $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rothwell.com | 8100 | MiCom.com | 7200 |
| 328888.com | 2200 | HG890.com | 2200 |
| TCSGroup.com | 2119 | Okazaki.com | 2102 |
| BDS.net | 2020 | SB1.com | 2100 |
Last and least, here are some odds and ends. Of Rothwell.com I’ve actually written a fair bit in an earlier article, but it remains something of a mystery.
I really like this new format of arranging the sales by group Joseph and appreciate the time it must take to do this, along with adding your insightful commentary.
In some cases there can be a crossover of the groupings, eg. RaceCourse.com could easily have also fit into your gambling category.
Keep up the excellent work.
That’s definitely true about RaceCourse.com; it would have fit better alongside the gambling set, in fact.
I like the format; but it’s probably too time-consuming to bear repeating. Other projects get jealous.