Here are the complete results of the two live domain name auctions held at DomainFest.
These results include the no reserve/ low reseve auction and the Premier auction.
All together there were just over $425K in sales, pretty disappointing for two auctions:
| won.com |
| $115,000.00 |
| loanquotes.com |
| $75,000.00 |
| camera.net |
| $35,000.00 |
| love.me |
| $32,000.00 |
| bridgeloan.com |
| $27,500.00 |
| damages.com |
| $26,000.00 |
| computercrash.com |
| $15,000.00 |
| trafficjam.com |
| $11,500.00 |
| partyfood.com |
| $11,000.00 |
| kiss.me |
| $10,000.00 |
| ufn.com |
| $10,000.00 |
| homeappraiser.com |
| $6,500.00 |
| icarts.com |
| $6,000.00 |
| officepark.com |
| $6,000.00 |
| savants.org |
| $5,000.00 |
| ajy.com |
| $4,000.00 |
| friendship.net |
| $3,500.00 |
| izt.com |
| $3,422.00 |
| joker.org |
| $2,500.00 |
| exhausted.com |
| $2,000.00 |
| networkconsultants.com |
| $2,000.00 |
| americans.org |
| $1,600.00 |
| legalizing.com |
| $1,500.00 |
| nextyear.com |
| $1,500.00 |
| michiganhouses.com |
| $1,250.00 |
| apathetic.com |
| $1,200.00 |
| careerforums.com |
| $1,100.00 |
| retiringearly.com |
| $900.00 |
| coughremedy.com |
| $700.00 |
| policedepartment.net |
| $500.00 |
| refinanceguide.com |
| $500.00 |
| anycard.com |
| $400.00 |
| clucks.com |
| $400.00 |
| healthlounge.com |
| $400.00 |
| irsdeductions.com |
| $400.00 |
| 3dreleases.com |
| $350.00 |
| stuffedanimal.co |
| $350.00 |
| cashchat.com |
| $300.00 |
| chefcookware.com |
| $300.00 |
| cower.com |
| $300.00 |
| dvd.fm |
| $300.00 |
| litigates.com |
| $300.00 |
| musicalfestival.com |
| $300.00 |
| onlineinvestigations.com |
| $300.00 |
| openingstocks.com |
| $300.00 |
| promotionscatalog.com |
| $300.00 |
| weekendplanners.com |
| $300.00 |
| instantgarden.com |
| $275.00 |
| searchingfordomains.com |
| $275.00 |
| adjustedloan.com |
| $250.00 |
| quarantines.net |
| $225.00 |
Looks like the pool of bigger-suckers is beginning to run dry…
– TBC
Why invite only domainers to premium auction when they all want wholesale price?
As PPC dries up and the need for development funds/resouces grows, less investors are buying names.
And I expect this to continue, causing a further drop in aftermarket activity and overall prices.
Where are the end users?
Most of them are recycled domains.
Garbage out and more garbage out.
The extended online auction usually nets a few big sales, so it’s too early to size things up yet.
The DomainFest Auction results are pathetic!
Bring back Monte!
Monte always knew how to bring in the endusers, the guy is simply the best salesman in the domain industry.
Mike, I wish you and Monte the best in the new joint venture, RightOfTheDot, when will you blog details with respect to this exciting venture?
One big downfall to Won.com! Great domain when you are looking at it, but when heard… it sounds like one.
Joker.org was a heck of a deal if anybody was around from Joker.com (domain registrar).
What is needed is a well constructed, professional marketplace that works to develop awareness and credibility within the domain and end-user communities. I know that there are many sellers of premium and super premium domains who are looking for a conduit to end-user buyers. I am positive that representatives for end-users (e.g. marketing/brand consultants) would find it extremely helpful to have a straightforward way to find the best domains for branding and marketing, and then to negotiate for these domains. It just doesn’t exist at this time and it is badly needed.
What’s most surprising is that the auction houses are the last to realize that this isn’t working (even if they say they do). This same thing will happen again at the next live event. Yet the domain market is strong as end user sales are making records month after month, just selling domains to a wholesale crowd at retail prices doesn’t make sense any more.
Every time before the auction for the past year I see these polls about what expensive domains will sell, and since about last year I always think to myself “none” but I usually don’t post because i don’t want to be a negative Nancy. I’m generally shocked at some
Of the choices of things people think will sell, but the variety of opinions is really a good thing that helps make this industry great.
My observation of what will actually sell at these wholesale live events: <$5k 2/3 keyword domains, and the best sales seem to be one word .nets for some reason which seem to like to fetch $10k+ fairly consistently. There is usually an outlier or two that sells for $50k+ and it's usually because somebody wanted that domain specifically not because it was an amazing deal they had to bid on.
The idea of end users at wholesale events is silly because you have to get at least 2 endusers per domain to even create a bidding war and both (or more) end users need to be willing to bid into the millions. How many end users can you realistically and reliably cold call into bidding against millions for all those million dollar domains? I don't that that's the typical way a big end user deal comes into play unless it's a super domain like sex.com. I doesn't hurt to try but let's be realistic it's a wholesale crowd, it should be an auction full of domains that need to change hands because the current owner hasn't been successful enough with it and perhaps the new owner thinks they can do better, or the current owner is trying to raise capital, not cash out.
Just my humble observation/opinion.
The sad thing is that the couple of names that did sell was all bought by one guy…Nelson Brady(bidder id: Halvarez)…LOL
Brand TM’s will be given more protection, less branded .com / country code domains, less TLD keywords 4 vertical development = less quality in the market 4 long tails to support. The cream will cost more.
Acquisition seems to have been completed btw:
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Internet-Brands-Announces-Completion-of-Acquisition-by-Hellman-Friedman-NASDAQ-INET-1371043.htm
http://www.internetbrands.com/our-brands/
love.me and kiss.me are two perfect domains, for some uses, so, they are really underpriced
Face
We bought Love.me to go with meet.me, date.me and marry.me.
Great buy Mike with Love.me – probably the crown jewel of .ME.
Can’t wait to see what you’ve got cooking with your little dating collection there!
I will be curious to see the buyer of loanquotes, of all of the sales, this was the most bizarre to me considering price vs present traffic…otherwise the whole auction was a complete bust and got very boring to watch online as nothing was selling..
Hi,
Gamnes and Rich very well said:
“Rich”… I have thought this for many year, after I attend the First “DomainFest” In 2007.
A “New Type” of domain name conference has to emerge for the total benefit of the domain industry…no matter if you own one domain or 50K+ of domains.
Weather that means a “collaboration” between some of the many different “players”…putting on the domain conferences that are and have been going on over 5+ years… or a different group of like minded people…that understands what “Rich” …conveyed in this post above.
I have been planning a big blog post about the very items you mention your post…just need to do and finish a lot more research on it.
_____
Keeping in mine, who puts on the main domain name conferences, Parking Companies, Auction companies etc…they were great for the first year or two…but the value of them has declined in the past year or two…pretty significantly…IMHO. As they are currently held and presented.
If it is OK with “MHB” I would like to post a “comment” I made FEB o4:
It’s on a different website (not mine) ~ But it has a very good article everyone should read once. It is a “bit’ off the the ‘domain conference’ subject…
But,
Has All to do with ‘domain parking’….
___
This was my comment and link to Article:
http://www.wannadevelop.com/blog/domain-parking-earnings/#comment-105
__start of comment:
“Very nice and well done post ~ More importantly it is the “TRUTH”!
What has your Parking Co. done for you lately…besides, paying you less every year that has gone by since 2005…?
Hold an over priced domain conference(s)?
2007 the 1st “DomainFest” $500.00
2011 the 4th “DomainFest” $1200.00+
I live 28 mile from the “DomainFest” conference being held right as I post this…its 2:39 AM PST in the morning here in So CA.
Must be having a hell of a great time at the “Playboy Mansion” 😉
I am working on a big blog post about what I think a “domain conference” should be all about…
The ones they have are OK…Lots of great people and a lot of fun.
But I live 28 miles from the event going on right now…and if I would have gone…I would have spent 2k+, when all is said and done in 2-3 days.
Not right the economy in CA. to do that…at least for me right now.
Anyway, if I got a ‘bit’ off track, my apologies.
But, a parking company puts on this event.
Great post Mike!…I will read it again and then maybe one more time. ”
end comment
Best To All,
Dan
More to come the this subject of “domain conferences”…..
@Dan From what I’ve seen, I think Mike Law has the beginnings of a very professional domain show with the Rocky Mountain Domain Conference (Feb. 26th, Denver). I have not decided whether I will attend, but he has put together a one day show that is very inexpensive with lots of people to meet and several informative panels. This is the way a professional show should be put together. Hopefully, he is able to induce end-user representatives (particularly those representing marketing/branding) to attend. Ultimately, that is where the money is to be made.
Hi Rich & all, very nice domain & site you have….and thanks for the follow up reply post.
I will not be able to make it to ‘Denver’…but I will look into it…sounds very interesting.
I will use two example’s of a large company I know of who is using “generic domain assets” properly IMHO.
They are using much more than just this one domain name…but the person in charge of their marketing… using ‘generic domains’…should be one of the first people invited to speak…even if you have to pay all his expenses at a “domain conference”.
And ALL the other persons from in his position in different companies, that who are have or have yet to ‘figure’ out how to use generic domains the right way for their companies benefit.
These people and marking and advertising reps from any and all major “Madison Ave firms. (most these people do not even know the the simple difference between” ~ hits, unique visitors,page views etc…)
This is who should be making up 90%+ of the attendees at “domain conferences”…not a bunch of domainers & parking company reps.
__
Side Note:
With all “due respect”… I do not give a flying crap, what “Bob” from Godaddy has to say…I do not care who is the new .CO Godaddy Girl is etc…
I do not care, what any “parking” company” has to say until they want to put into my account a report function, that tells me exactly how much an advertiser paid for the ad they click on my site…and what % of that money I received.
BTW: does anyone with a domain that is parked, say making $50 a day “Care” if the person(s) clicking on the ads on their parking page…ended up getting to the information or product they where looking for?
Or are they just 100% concerned with that particular domain… just continues to earn the same or more money everyday for them?
Should this be a concern?
Or as long as you get paid, and the advertiser wastes his money, because the potential customer click on an ad that seem to offer what they where looking for…but ended up being totally useless to them…
____
They can still hold…the same kind of ‘domain conferences” they do now…but there has to be at least one new major kind of “domain name’ conference” that emerges, where people in the Domain Industry and those out side that have figured out the great benefits and uses of generic domain names…speaking and teaching to the people I mention above….not just to crowd of domain owners that have been in the domain industry in one position or another. ( just speaking to choir)
That is the person(s) running J& J’s domain portfolio. Others here know of more than just these two domain name’s they are using correctly…I encourage anyone to post more of them.
Take the example’s of: baby.com & babycenter.com
1. Have special dedicated webstes for that part of their “specific product line”
2. The are just not, “redirected” to J&J ‘s home page…as this would be stupid, as they make…hundreds of thousands of different products.
3. Both domains are ranked #1 ~ #2. in Google…
Baby.com:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&biw=1024&bih=578&q=baby&aq=f&aqi=g4g-s1g5&aql=&oq=
BabyCeneter.com:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1024&bih=578&q=baby+center&aq=f&aqi=g2g-s3g1g-s4&aql=&oq=
4. They do not have to waste money for “Google adwords” for these search terms every month…only to get a 3% CTR…and the have to convert that 3% in to enough buying customers to cover all the expenses of the Adwords Campaign, plus other expenses…
5. Both sites, have a way to get people to join…or “opt-in” to get names and email address’s…which are just “gold” for them, as they can send, free samples, offer special discounts etc…
I could go on and on…. which I will 🙂
I hope I made some my point’s clear…and that they make sense for every domain name asset holder, no matter if you own just one or 50K+ domains.
Peace To All,
Dan
Hi again,
I do apologize for my type-O’s…in the above post. A bit embarrassing to say the least. It just sometimes my brain gets about 3x out in front of my fingers…or something like that… 🙂
On another note:
I do see J&J is using Google adwords at the top of the search results for the keyword: ‘baby center’
But,
This ad must get a very high CTR and A very high conversion rate… most likely do to the fact it is a ‘membership’ site.
So, I am sure it is very profitable for them. I think they are running an ad here , because it is more of a ‘specific’ domain name & website…where as the search term ‘baby’ is much more of a ‘general’ search term, and using an Adwords here makes much less sense.
Happy Super Bowl Day 2011 To ALL!
Dan