While .XYZ has been make headlines with its tremendous numbers of domain registrations for as low as $.01 at Uniregistry, (as well as other domain registrars for $.02) Uniregistry has deeply discounted the price of 12 other top selling new gTLD’s to $.85.
The $.85 price for 12 new gTLD’s is live on Uniregistry, but the special pricing only goes through June 7th.
Of the 12 new gTLD’s discounted to $.85, 10 of the domain extensions are in the top 25 of all new gTLD in terms of registered domains.
Here are the domain extensions included in the $.85 sale along with the normal rack rate for each extension (on Uniregistry) and its ranking in the number of domain registrations according to ntldstats.com
.club was $12.88 (5th most registered new gTLD)
.top was $9.88 (2nd)
.link was $9.88 (7th)
.site was $29.88 (6th)
.click was $6.88 (17th)
.lol was $33.88 (25th)
.website was $24.88 (20th)
.space was $10.88 (21st)
.online was $37.88 (14th)
.tech was $29.88 (23rd)
.pics was $19.88 (64th)
.sexy was $19.88 (75th)
None of these extensions will be around 5-10 years from now.
It’s a race to the bottom. With a lack of demand the only option is to lower prices.
Many of these new extensions have become the equivalent of slumlords in real estate.
Brad
Does Uniregistry accept bitcoins?
Why don’t they pay us 1$ for each registration of those crappy names.
Not sure if I have the facts.
If Frank paid $185 K for each of these extensions, the 12 cost over $2 million.
Then marketing, which must be a large percentage of the budget.
Who knows? $10 million?
Not sure how he can recoup his investment, besides selling the data of the registrants to data brokers , etc
But it’s his money. And it’s all legal. And he can do whatever he wants with it.
I still think a few extensions will survive, namely, .app, .store, .cloud, .club (I’m not as bullish as I was).
I must admit. I could not have forecast so many of the GTLDs being outright bombs. No doubt macroeconomics have played a role in their flame-outs.
Which macroeconomic, are we in a recession or what?
@Richard, Yes, just look at the [currency] exchange rate for all BRICS countries.
I’m afraid South America has crashed.
I have long thought that as an industry with high fixed costs (ICANN application, infrastructure) and very low marginal cost would lead rapidly to prices approaching marginal cost. It looks like several registries are running out of investor patience. Sales are not providing a sufficient return on fixed investment. Now they need cash flow to pay bills as investors are not going to sink more money in.
IMHO the whole exercise was misguided. There is no reason for google to be google.online, or Ford to be ford.cars. If the name of your company has no connotation for your potential customers having an address that describes your business segment adds little. So if you are a small consulting company with no name recognition, paying $100 a year for an internet address yourcompany.consulting adds nothing to your credibility. They are confusing the public who are finally used to adding .com to everything. They are benefiting private systems like facebook where there is less confusion.
I actually believe social media like facebook are peaking. They rely on advertising and advertising on mobile is problematic. When a customer visits your web page or emails you they do not have to pay for data to deliver them an advertisement.
The entire registry – all the big portfolio registries – are profitable. These are some of the best strings in this round and they will ALL be around in 20, 30 50 years (as long as domains matter). Many of the largest registrants participating in registrations are not who you might think. There are certainly some classical domainers in there but they mainly buy when the price gets low and then they try to resell and that salesmanship is certainly a form of free marketing that the registries enjoy. It comes at a price though, because good names are lost to present registrants and the secondary market, denying future registrants the ability to serendipitously discover these name endings as available, new, low-cost registrations. Just because you know one of these new name extension exist today doesn’t mean future registrants do. Tomorrow is a future developer’s first day. As a registry operator I have to balance the good ones being sucked up cheap by domainers today and the future registrant moving to a competing generic ending. .COM never had this problem because it developed slowly over many years. Domainers who saw the .com show (or read about it) but missed it are intent on not missing this one and have certainly tried to suck up the generics but mostly in the very beginning of the space (on EAP or Day 1,2,3) or when the sales start (now)
So about the sales. These won’t be the last sales you see but I think we will not go much lower from here and you never know when the registries will offer them again on these endings. The key is to participate a little bit at every opportunity. Take the hand you are dealt and do something. I am participating as a registrant in the best extensions. I’m also creating tools and infrastructure to run names and earning commissions on name sales. Then I’m still investing in .com/net when the prices are low.. but more and more I leave a namejet auction to check if the .click .link, .online .etc are available lol .. At 85 cents they are too cheap to ignore. In fact one smart move would be to look at the list of all sales and try to register them in these new endings during low price sales. I have not done that but may check in a few days if there are any left.
I think it’s great Uniregistry ( and .xyz ) gave an opportunity to many of us to experience
real bulk registrations. It doesnt matter if there will be full renewals as it serves many purposes such as gltd awareness.
The reason I appreciate the most, and this is where I do not understand why is everybody
so angry at this ( so it seems by the comments ), is the actual f-u-n .. the process of mining
names, learning words, registering without the fear of breaking the bank. That is, in my view,
the best part of name investing. The ( calculated ) risk is upon the Registry and Registrar, not the Registrant ( specifically on .01 cent per name ) – What’s the harm on spending 20 bucks, get 2k domains, put them to parking, no result ? drop them. it only costed 20 bucks.
Spot – on
.. some folks bought other names and don’t like the dilution of their portfolios and potential change. Venting against the perceived problem and things they can’t control. We all do it. Me too .. Won’t change the outcome.
The problem is they are only .85 for the first year Frank. Then what $15,$20,$50.
you’re overthinking this. These aren’t one word .com’s from 1995. You invested 85 cents. Buy lots of them.. renew as far as you can.. hold them.. wait for future discounts on renewal.. Buy, sell, trade, develop, promote, hustle.. repeat.. You’ll drop some for sure. That’s business .. just keep moving.
The good ones will define themselves in the next 12 months and you’ll keep them. This sale lasts a bit longer than the 1 cent .xyz’s .. move with dispatch though.
This is the time to get them. If we could go back 2 days we’d all have spent $500 for the first 50,000 good xyz’s
I really do not understand. There are lots of great .info .biz.and .mobi available. How are they different from .xyz or .club? Oh, and the .coop and the .museum and the .cc, the .co and the .aero – airplanes and travel, what could be better? I think domainers are grasping at straws, at one time good generic .com names were available for little cost and some people got rich as the internet took off (caugh Rick Schwartz) but he retired and is just selling from inventory. IMHO.