Moniker Live Auction, The Economy and The Web - Are We There Yet?

Interesting domains at upcomming auction but are there buyers or bargains

[Webwork]

What appears below is the live auction domains for Moniker's auction at DomainFest New York on August 18th.

Lately, I've taken to "not" looking at lists since a) I'm not in the market; b) Auctions have been pretty quiet events for awhile; c) They've been quiet not only due to a stagnating economy but also due to the domain prices remaining unrealistically high.

The list is a pretty interesting one. Some domains might even be about "right priced" but that begs the question since sales won't happen, even at lower prices, so long as domain auction events don't draw the attention of the enduser market by actively bringing the domains to the market's attention.

So, at these prices and in the current climate I have to ask: Are we there yet? Any domain get your salivary glands all juiced up?

Will it blend? ;)


Domain NameOpening Bid/Range
Adapter.com$100,001 - $250,000
AdvancedLoans.com$10,001 - $25,000
AircraftRental.com$10,001 - $25,000
Alcohol.com$1MM - $5MM
Answering.com$25,001 - $50,000
Antibiotic.com$50,001 - $100,000
Artist.com$250,001 - $500,000
Assurance.com$1MM - $5MM
Athletics.com$500,001 - $750,000
Authorization.com$10,001 - $25,000
BabyAdoptions.com$100,001 - $250,000
Babysitting.com$250,001 - $500,000
BadCreditRefinancing.com$5,001 - $10,000
BanquetHall.com$25,001 - $50,000
BigApple.com$50,001 - $100,000
Bikini.net$50,001 - $100,000
Blogs.net$50,001 - $100,000
BridalSets.com$1001-$2500
ByOwner.com$1MM - $5MM
Cable.com$1MM - $5MM
CableTelevision.com$50,001 - $100,000
CableTelevision.net$5,001 - $10,000
ChiantiWine.comNo Reserve
CigarBars.com$5,001 - $10,000
Cj.org$25,001 - $50,000
CoffeeBeans.com$100,001 - $250,000
CommercialBank.com$250,001 - $500,000
Companion.com$25,001 - $50,000
ConeyIsland.netNo Reserve
Confession.com$100,001 - $250,000
CourtDate.com$10,001 - $25,000
CreditCardLoans.com$25,001 - $50,000
CreditRate.com$25,001 - $50,000
Customs.com$750,001 - $1MM
DancingShoes.com$25,001 - $50,000
Dating.net$100,001 - $250,000
Disco.com$100,001 - $250,000
DiscountAirfares.net$5,001 - $10,000
DiscountJeans.com$1001-$2500
Drummers.com$50,001 - $100,000
Duplicates.com$10,001 - $25,000
DvdRental.com$50,001 - $100,000
Efn.com$10,001 - $25,000
Exterminating.com$25,001 - $50,000
FlatbedTrucks.com$10,001 - $25,000
FootballGame.com$25,001 - $50,000
FreeCreditReports.us$1001-$2500
GoatCheese.com$500,001 - $750,000
Grant.com$1MM - $5MM
GroceryStore.com$10,001 - $25,000
Guaranteed.com$750,001 - $1MM
Hamburgers.com$250,001 - $500,000
HM.net$25,001 - $50,000
Hoarders.com$1001-$2500
Humble.com$50,001 - $100,000
Inspection.com$500,001 - $750,000
Intelligence.com$100,001 - $250,000
InvestmentPlanning.com$10,001 - $25,000
Invitro.com$250,001 - $500,000
JerseyShores.orgNo Reserve
Judgment.com$100,001 - $250,000
KidsFashion.com$10,001 - $25,000
Koran.com$250,001 - $500,000
Lawsuits.com$250,001 - $500,000
LearningDisorders.com$501-$1000
Lightning.com$250,001 - $500,000
LoanApplications.com$25,001 - $50,000
LocalNews.com$100,001 - $250,000
Lotto.info$5,001 - $10,000
LuxuryApartments.com$50,001 - $100,000
Manage.com$100,001 - $250,000
MarriageLicences.net$1001-$2500
Message.com$250,001 - $500,000
Mild.com$50,001 - $100,000
MobileHomeParks.com$100,001 - $250,000
Natural.net$10,001 - $25,000
Newlyweds.com$50,001 - $100,000
NewYorkApartments.com$50,001 - $100,000
Night.com$250,001 - $500,000
Nurseries.com$50,001 - $100,000
Opticians.netNo Reserve
Order.net$10,001 - $25,000
Partner.com$250,001 - $500,000
PartyGifts.com$50,001 - $100,000
Patents.com$5MM and up
PetStores.com$250,001 - $500,000
Physicians.com$1MM - $5MM
PokerSets.com$50,001 - $100,000
PreMedical.com$10,001 - $25,000
Preschoolers.com$10,001 - $25,000
PrinterCartridges.com$100,001 - $250,000
Program.com$1MM - $5MM
QualityControl.com$500,001 - $750,000
Quotes.com$1MM - $5MM
Rate.com$500,001 - $1MM
Ravioli.com$100,001 - $250,000
Reggae.com$100,001 - $250,000
Relocating.com$50,001 - $100,000
RockBands.com$50,001 - $100,000
Scan.net$10,001 - $25,000
SecuritySystem.com$100,001 - $250,000
SeniorCitizens.org$25,001 - $50,000
ShowerHead.com$25,001 - $50,000
Solution.com$250,001 - $500,000
Sportscaster.com$10,001 - $25,000
StockQuotes.com$500,001 - $750,000
Stocks.com$1MM - $5MM
StreetMaps.com$50,001 - $100,000
Stromboli.com$1001-$2500
Supplement.com$250,001 - $500,000
Sweat.com$100,001 - $250,000
Testing.com$1MM - $5MM
TheUnitedStates.com$50,001 - $100,000
Trauma.com$250,001 - $500,000
Tshirts.com$250,001 - $500,000
Upgrades.net$10,001 - $25,000
Veggies.com$50,001 - $100,000
Verification.com$500,001 - $750,000
Voters.com$50,001 - $100,000
Wastebaskets.com$10,001 - $25,000
WebsiteBuilders.com$10,001 - $25,000
X X X.com$5MM and up

[jmccormac]

Was looking at the domains for the Dublin TRAFFIC show next week. The price guidelines should win an Oscar for the best comedy yet. There are supposedly Irish targeted domains that are so completely screwed up in terms of pricing that they are beyond a joke. (The main TLDs in Ireland are .IE/.COM). There are a few .eu domains but they are a joke in terms of value compared to the main ccTLDs in Europe. The .co.uk domains look interesting but seem to be priced for the gullible rather than operators. For all the waffle that some domainers come out with about ccTLDs, I think that they haven't a clue about ccTLD markets and how they differ from the gTLD markets. There are some interesting ones but finding good domains these days is like panning for gold in a sewage farm.

Regards...jmcc

[Bennie]

Owning a domain simply to profit from being able to sell it is not only immoral it also impedes the ability for others to think of domain names that don't suck or sound like some sort of acid that will melt your face off.

Interesting theory, I wonder if you walk the streets of your local area and curse at the undeveloped blocks of land?

In the 'real world' real estate developers are considered smart and successful, since when was the internet any different?

How the internet was a great thing for the small guy and such, allowing them to compete with big business! Now everyone has the attitude that the web owes them a favour. Those days are long gone. Adapt or perish, simple really.

[onepointone]

A keyword based TLD isn't required to succeed

I agree.

Great Domain
Killer Content
Big Money (for marketing)

I think you need at least 2 out of the 3 to succeed. (Scale them down for a lower amount of success).

Do people think that insurance.com is going to be available for them to slap some generic content on?

Get inventive, or get some money, bring something to the table, stop whining.

[edited by: onepointone at 8:01 am (utc) on Aug 22, 2010]

[jmccormac]

In the 'real world' real estate developers are considered smart and successful

I think that the real world may have changed when you weren't watching. ;)

Regards...jmcc

[Webwork]

Round 2 of "Is the Economic Bounce Imminent":

Find the complete T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Dublin August 25th auction inventory here -> [ricklatona.com...]

P.S.: SeoulKorea.co.uk? What?! A new British colony?

SeoulKorea.co.uk 1 – 1,500 Euro
MunichGermany.co.uk 1 – 1,500 Euro
UI.com 100,000+ Euro
BS.com 100,000+ Euro
SaaS.com 100,000+ Euro
Bankers.co.uk 5,001 – 20,000 Euro
DA.com 100,000+ Euro
PregnancyTest.com 100,000+ Euro
Dublin.net 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
Models.co.uk 100,000+ Euro
Headache.org 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
ER.com 100,000+ Euro
Career.co.uk 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
Outsourcing.in 1,501 – 5,000 Euro
HomeSchooling.com 100,000+ Euro
BrewersYeast.com 5,001 – 20,000 Euro
Seasonings.com 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
Inns.co.uk 5,001 – 20,000 Euro
ScotlandTours.com 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
TrackAndField.com 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
Lifts.com 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
WV.com 100,000+ Euro
L.biz 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
PreLaw.com 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
SEO.in 5,001 – 20,000 Euro
CTR.com 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
MakeMoney.com 100,000+ Euro
Keyboard.com 100,000+ Euro
Gold.co.uk 100,000+ Euro
Disabled.com 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
GreensFees.com 1,501 – 5,000 Euro
BankAuctions.com 100,000+ Euro
WomensNutrition.com 1,501 – 5,000 Euro
BreastEnhancement.com 100,000+ Euro
Music.co.uk 100,000+ Euro
Portugal.biz 1,501 – 5,000 Euro
ShortFilms.com 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
Flori.st 1,501 – 5,000 Euro
AutoInsuranceCompanies.com 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
Saws.com 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
SupremeCourt.com 100,000+ Euro
RateQuote.com 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
Enlist.com 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
75.com 100,000+ Euro
IrishBlog.com 1 – 1,500 Euro
BreastCancer.net 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
HomeRefinancing.com 100,000+ Euro
Luimneach.com 1 – 1,500 Euro
Recovery.com 100,000+ Euro
WorkAtHome.com 100,000+ Euro
Affiliates.co.uk 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
Breaks.com 100,000+ Euro
BusinessApparel.com 1,501 – 5,000 Euro
Rankings.com 100,000+ Euro
Congress.co.uk 1,501 – 5,000 Euro
Photograph.com 100,000+ Euro
GourmetSnacks.com 1,501 – 5,000 Euro
Effort.com 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
Marina.com 100,000+ Euro
USK.com 1,501 – 5,000 Euro
Pickles.net 1,501 – 5,000 Euro
Discs.com 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
WorkOnline.com 100,000+ Euro
DigitalImaging.com 100,000+ Euro
Skaters.com 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
N.biz 20,001 – 100,000 Euro
Programming.in 1 – 1,500 Euro
Incompatible.com 1,501 – 5,000 Euro
DrinkMix.com 5,001 – 20,000 Euro
Messages.us 1 – 1,500 Euro
Advertisements.us 1 – 1,500 Euro

[jmccormac]

The TRAFFIC Dublin auction seems to have been a bit of a washout.
[domainnamenews.com...]

There were a few good domains but a lot of poor quality domains. The prices/reserves were too high. It is 2010 in Dublin but those reserves were straight out of 2007.

Regards...jmcc

[Webwork]

Those "results" :P are pathetic. What an embarassing flop.

It's time to stop holding auctions. Period.

If the auction "audience" is going to continue to be 99.9% domainers then stick to sending out emails and holding private auctions.

[HuskyPup]

What an embarassing flop.

Could it be that many companies/individuals now have an adequate "stock" of domain names they want/need for current and/or future use plus many now also realise that it is still pretty easy to be inventive with new names?

If the auction "audience" is going to continue to be 99.9% domainers

And does therein lie the inherent problem? Sellers trying to create a false market and find gullible newbie purchasers?

Realistically, there were some "nice" names available but, in all honesty, just what would one create and put on some of these names and make it worthwhile?

[woop01]

Many of those are priced at what I like to call "Marchex Pricing"

"We know what eight extremely similar domains including the plural of this one recently sold for and none of them were over $2k. What makes this domain worth mid-five figures?"

"We don't deal in domains under $50k."

If the auction "audience" is going to continue to be 99.9% domainers then stick to sending out emails and holding private auctions.

Or get rid of the reserves, hold an actual auction, and let the market work instead holding grand displays of just how out of touch domain investors are. Plenty of domainers would bid if it weren't for the fantastical reserves on those listings.

[jmccormac]

The problem with the TRAFFIC Dublin auction was twofold. The most obvious was the insane reserves on lacklustre domains. The less obvious one was the poor quality of many of the domains. Unlike the US, most of Europe has strong ccTLDs in each country. Some of these ccTLDs are larger than the .com market share for those countries. Other TLDs like .net, .org etc are third or fourth choice registrations at best. The .eu ccTLD is a joke in the European Union and taken on a country by country basis (Eurid publishes country by country break downs of registrations), it represents, on average, less than 10% of each country's domain footprint. There were some good domains at auction but the reserves killed most of them. As for the old aphorism about the US and the UK being two countries separated by a common language, the Americanisms such as babydiapers.co.uk and bookstores.co.uk demonstrated that what may work in the US dominated .com does not work in the UK.

Regards...jmcc

[joeventura]

A keyword based TLD isn't required to succeed, in fact the biggest and most successful sites online have more unique and brandable domain names

True, but I have been trying to sell a 4 letter name with a format of VCVC.com for LOW four figures and no one is interested.

Wonder how much NBC paid for HULU