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TajMahal.com sells for $30k on NameJet, down 40% from 2009

by — Domain Sales 5 Comments

Someone took a bath on this domain name.

TajMahal.com sold for $29,999 on NameJet yesterday. The last public sale record was for $50,000 in 2009–also on NameJet.

The domain name TajMahal.com sold on NameJet yesterday for $29,999. That’s down 40% from 2009 when the domain name sold for $50,000 on NameJet.

TajMahal.com has been passed around many times. According to DomainTools historical Whois, Internet REIT acquired the domain in 2007. It sold the domain to Daniel Negari’s Cyber2Media in 2008. The domain went under Whois privacy just before the 2009 sale for $50,000, so it was either Negari’s company that sold it for $50,000 or someone made a quick flip.

It’s been under Whois privacy ever since, so it’s possible the 2009 buyer took a $20,000 bath. It’s also possible they sold it to someone else.

While many domains like this have dropped in value over the past ten years, a Domain Name Wire reader pointed out that there’s a bit of controversy around the name Taj Mahal and a push to change the name. According to this BBC fact check, it’s a right-wing push based on Hindu nationalism. I can’t tell how serious it is, but from what I’ve read it seems unlikely the name will change.

Nonetheless, location and tourism names can be affected by external forces. I bought EgyptianPyramids.com before the unrest in Egypt; I have no doubt its value was negatively impacted by a decline in tourism to Egypt.

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Ice.com, a domain with a rich history, sells again. This time for $3.5 million.

by — Domain Sales 9 Comments

Once a dot-com darling, the Ice.com domain name finds a new owner.

Ice.com circa 2004, from Archive.org Wayback Machine

Today’s announced sale of the Ice.com domain name for $3.5 million brings me back down memory lane.

I remember shopping on the site in the early 2000s.

That was in a much earlier incarnation of Ice.com. It was a dot-com darling founded in 1999 (launching in 2000 on Ice.com) that raised about $50 million in funding.

Back in 2006, Ice.com bought rival Odimo for $9.5 million. That included $2 million for inventory at $7.5 million for its domain name Diamond.com — making it one of the most expensive domain names ever sold.

But Ice.com ultimately didn’t make it.

An Austin-based company bought Ice.com for $3.0 million in 2014. They subsequently raised $2 million of investment.

That business didn’t work out, either, which leads us to today: an announcement that the domain sold for $3.5 million, making it the most expensive domain name sale of 2018 in what’s shaping up to be a very big week for domain name sales announcements.

Brian Harbin from GritBrokerage.com and David Clements from Brannans.com represented the seller and buyer respectively.

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Some domain name thoughts for your weekend

by — Uncategorized 3 Comments

Here are a few domain-related notes as you head into your weekend…

I sold my second new top level domain this week. I didn’t get rich. Just $1,150. I stayed away from domains with heavy premiums and focused a lot on the generic top level domain endings. I think the most generic TLDs are the toughest to sell because there’s so much competition. Is there anything that really sets apart .online, .click, and .xyz? How can I hold out for more money for a decent .click domain when someone can just choose the same second-level domain in another generic extension?

The domain I sold was a .cloud, and that means that both of my sales to date have been .cloud domains. That’s not bad considering I purchased about 10 .cloud domains. What made .cloud appealing was low annual costs, decent domains that didn’t have premiums, and a valuable subject matter.

…I went to Vegas last week for the third time this year. This one was for pleasure, and it’s the first time I’ve been to Las Vegas for something that wasn’t work-related. My family wanted to see the decorations for Chinese New Year and catch a cirque du soleil show. The highlight of the trip was hiking in Red Rock Canyon. Those are the mountains you see to the West of the city. It’s incredibly scenic. If you’re looking for something active to do next year before or after NamesCon, I recommend spending a day there. It’s only a 30-minute drive from The Strip.

Also, I saw one .Vegas domain while I was in the city. It was on the screen of a taxi meter.

…A marketplace owner told me January and February are the best months in terms of sales. Perhaps people have goals for the year that include starting a business. I’ve had a bunch more inquiries these first two months than normal and a handful of sales. I usually find December to also be a good month, but December 2017 was slower than usual for me.

…I’ve recorded a few great podcast interviews this week that will be published in coming weeks. Stay tuned!

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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times – DNW Podcast #131

by — Podcasts 12 Comments

One market for domain names is very strong but the other is lackluster

dnw-podcastThis week we chat with domain name broker Andrew Rosener of Media Options about the domain name market. He says it’s a very bifurcated market, with different results in the end user and investor markets. Andrew also discusses the challenge of premium renewals. Also: new TLD sales, lots of legal stuff (yay!), and a domain escrow deal.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:52 — 28.8MB) | Embed

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Subscribe via iTunes to listen to the Domain Name Wire podcast on your iPhone or iPad, view on Google Play Music, or click play below or download to begin listening. (Listen to previous podcasts here.)

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Sell more domain names! – DNW Podcast #124

by — Podcasts 21 Comments

Jeff Gabriel gives specific tips and strategies for selling more domain names.

dnw-podcastJeff Gabriel knows how to sell domain names. He broke into the industry as a domain broker and now runs sales as VP at Uniregistry. Jeff gives tips for how to price your domains and respond to inquiries for maximum sales results. He also explains the process he recommends for outbound sales of your domain names. Also: Godaddy’s big number, Chinese domains, and Amazon’s domain choice.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:46 — 27.1MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | RSS

Subscribe via iTunes to listen to the Domain Name Wire podcast on your iPhone or iPad, view on Google Play Music, or click play below or download to begin listening. (Listen to previous podcasts here.)

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