The domain name Ringtones.com just sold on Namejet.com for $105,000.
The reserve price seemed to be $100,000.
In all there were 218 bidders and the bidder with the id easydomains won the domain name auction with a bid of $105K
The domain name has an Estibot.com value of $909,000
Ringtones.com sold at Sedo back in 2010 for $750,000 although it’s not clear if the buyer of the domain name at $750,000 was the seller or if the domain sold a time or two since then.
There were only 6 bidders of $20,000 or more out of the 218 bidders.
Someone seems to have taken a bad loss along the way as can happen when you invest in Tech domain names when technology changes as it always does.
As Technology changes so does the values of the domain names involving bang on tech products.
DVD’s, Pay Phones, Record Players, CD Players, brick and mortar movie rental stores, and soon DeskTop computers are just a few example of hot tech products that are either now replaced by newer tech products or so imbedded into apps and services that they are no longer current or a stand alone technology.
If you want a Ringtone go grab one from the App store or your cell provider or just make your own like I did around 4 years ago.
Still using a taste of Lapdance by N.E.R.D as my Ringtone cost me $1.99.
Another takeaway is that you can lose money on .COM as well….
Plus so called Estibot estimate lovers should take a note its a stupid computer program…. the Best ever computer created by God, so trust Human Logic
That’s too much of a loss to bear. Even at $105k and considering no one really buys ringtones anymore, what type of profitable business could one possibly build with such domain? Unless of course, ‘ringtones’ is given a new meaning in the near future.
Every (new) domainer ought to take note of this point: “As Technology changes so do the values on domain names involving bang on tech products.”
Technology domain names have their expiration. And this is exactly what applies to ringtones(.com).
Do you remember CDnow.com? Great business, a lot of profit, but one day it stopped. Who buys CDs today? Who buys ringtones today? Very rarely.
@LeonardBritt – Like in every kind of business, there have to be losers. If everyone makes profit on domain names, today we would pay millions for stuff that cost hundreds.
Spot on, Michael. The Ringtone market died after the crackdown on re-bill offers. Technology and the crackdown made this domain worth a lot less.
The lesson here, it seems to me, is this: Since technology is transient, domains related to technology ought to be
(1) sold while buzz is peaking
and
(2) developed rapidly to cash in on commercial opportunities in the tech retail market for the longest stretch of time possible.
Strictly as a domain resale, RingTones.com represents a staggering loss. If the domain had enjoyed 5 years as a prominent website, selling into a robust market demand for ring tones, then the domain might have paid for itself long before this. And in that case, any domain sale now might have been icing on the cake.
Practically speaking, I’m not saying this could have been done with RingTones.com and the actual ring-tone market during the past 5 years. But (in general) if you’re paying $750,000 for a domain name, then you’d better be sure it has permanent relevance; or else you’d better be ready to hit the ground running with a commercial website … and milk that domain for all it’s worth!
“as technology changes so do the value of the domain names involving bang on tech products”
well said couldn’t be more true
same goes for many services and virtually all fads
what happened to the “experts” proclaiming apps would make domain names irrelevant in a matter of years? kind of like realnames were going to replace domains in 1999-2000
The lesson here is what’s this say about Estibot.
Estibot estimate lovers should take a note its a stupid computer program…. the Best ever computer created by God, so trust Human Logic
The question is was the domain since 2010 at one time developed. …… If not then maybe he could have cashed some in parking or redirecting traffic.
I wouldn’t say that the domain has lost value as the keyword still commands some good search volume. There are endless possibilities in rebranding. This can as well be a tech company website. …. maybe a new app or music site
Maybe the auction winner would like to buy the tube television, pager, walkman, and other crap I have in a box in my basement.
old is gold
One of Apple’s First Computers Just Sold for $905,000 | TIME
time.com/3531033/apple-i-auction/
Ringtones market is death in U.S. But it s still live in some countries. Let s see how finish the history.
I’m amazed by the 750k figure for the domain back in 2010! Maybe there was a website/business attached as part of the deal?
By 2010 smartphones were established with full audio mp3 ringtones and snippets from your audio library. Back in 1997-2002 there was a huge shift from the 8-bit (correct terminology?) to a few more tones (terminology?) to the full evolution of mp3 tones the few years after.
Just found the evolution of Nokia ringtones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck7g5uu1cMA
I think this domain would have been valuable in the early 2000’s. Even with .com boom-bust and compared with today, fewer people using a cellphone… back then people would pay $30 to change half the faceplate on a Nokia brick, 50c/minute to make and receive calls, 50c/minute to use WAP (pre-internet (basic text display) on cell phones), plus ringtones sold for up to $3.99.
Tend to think the price is still too high.I wonder if this is going to be resold at a loss in the future.
This domain isn’t worth 10 grand. Does anyone even buy ringtones anymore? The only reason it sold for 105k is because some fool thinks he’s getting a great deal since it sold for 750k 5 years ago. What a bad purchase.
The easydomains namejet bidder id seems to be linked somehow to the co.com registry. Ken Hansen, Paul Goldstone or Gregg McNair possibly.
According to this article (do a find for “ringtones.com” on the page), it was owned by Daniel Negari.
http://www.dnjournal.com/cover/2013/august.htm
Old classic…. by N.E.R.D =)
If you really believe your name is worth more than 100K never put it up for auction. Auctions tend to attract domainers/speculators. We put Whisky.com up for auction three times. Never received a bid over 100K. The $3.1 million we got for it last year was from an enduser we targeted.
It seems that ultimately the domain back to the mobile industry ,
the new whois is a mobile entertainment company.
In 2017, Ringtones are booming in Nigeria and the rest of sub-Saharan Africa.