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

[buckworks]

I look at that list, and the comment that goes through my mind most often is, "Cool domain name ... but I have no idea how I'd monetize a site about that topic."

One that leaps off the list at me is Drummers.com, whose price I think is wildly, crazily over-optimistic.

Earlier this year I bought the keyword dot-com domain for a different kind of instrumentalist for 34 bucks.

[HuskyPup]

"Cool domain name ... but I have no idea how I'd monetize a site about that topic."

I totally agree and some seem to be way over-priced, for instance is this an American thing?

ByOwner.com$1MM - $5MM

I assume that's for the property market?

The current site is selling property using AdSense!

[MamaDawg]

To me, many of them seem way overpriced for the current market. A couple of good prices in the lower end and some really nice names, but an awful lot of optimism too. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

[Webwork]

"By Owner" is shorthand for "For Sale By Owner". In a profitless real estate market selling "by owner" has gained more ground since a broker's/realtor's commission can push a deal into negative (loss, not profit) territory.

GroceryStore.com @ $10,001 - $25,000. delivers the goods. ;)

Most of the rest . . eh. Still too pricey, especially in this market and especially will domain auctions still being dominated by . . deal seeking domainers.

Sure, Stocks.com is a mighty fine domain but . . I get the feeling that if the registrant waits any longer the value will be going down, not up.

[Webwork]

Hrrummmph.

I was just checking some primo geo domains that have been "developed" . . cough . . cough . . where the "development" consists mostly of feeds from third-party sites.

What really diappoints me, though, is when such primo domain site's rely on sheer-junk pops ups . . for whatever little extra revenue they generate. Balance those pennies against certain annoyance and the decreased likelihood of return visits. Do I really want to return for more? :( UNLESS pop-ups add relevant REAL VALUE . . . like . . "Wait! Here's a coupon for 1/2 off this-or-that in City-X . . . " they only serve to convince me that a website is desperate for cash.

[Webwork]

Live auction results puts up respectable numbers "for a down economy":

disco.com $255,000.00
bigapple.com $70,000.00
newyorkapartments.com $65,000.00
companion.com $45,000.00
exterminating.com $35,000.00
grocerystore.com $32,500.00
bridalsets.com $7,000.00
cabletelevision.net $6,000.00
cigarbars.com $5,100.00
chiantiwine.com $3,000.00
opticians.net $2,800.00
stromboli.com $2,250.00
coneyisland.net $1,750.00
discountjeans.com $1,700.00
freecreditreports.us $1,500.00
hoarders.com $1,500.00
learningdisorders.com $1,500.00
jerseyshores.org $300.00

Source: [domainnamenews.com ]

Significant disparity between the initial reporting of the auction results and the latest report. The problem is attributed to a SNAFU with the Snapnames system whereby it reported sales where there were none.

[edited by: Webwork at 1:12 pm (utc) on Aug 19, 2010]

[Webwork]

Best deal?

Companion.com -> $45,000.00
LearningDisorders.com -> $1500.00

Worst deal?

JerseyShores.org? I live in "Jersey". We have "shores"? I didn't know that!

[HuskyPup]

Best deal?

Companion.com -> $45,000.00

Hmmm...I'm from the UK, what's the significance of this or are you thinking along the lines of a dating site?

[Webwork]

Older/Matured folks may think less in terms of "hot-ness" (implicit / explicit sexuality based values) and more in terms of "someone whom I find enjoyable/funny/engaging/intelligent/honest/fun/faithful/valued/etc . . . companion, someone to accompany one's self through life's little adventures (or the absense thereof).

The very old may not think much at all and would therefore, and all the more, find value in, or need for, "a companion".

[HuskyPup]

I wonder who bought companion since I have just checked all the major extensions and they are all parked or do not resolve however the .eu is pointed at a very well known product page...interesting:-)

[walkman]

Looks like a failure to me. The best names were not sold. Of those sold, bigapple.com was the best deal IMO

[weeks]

disco.com $255,000.00
!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

[werty]

JerseyShores.org I would say really only has value due to the "Jersey Shore" show on MTV. Not sure what you would do with it, but I have spent 300 on worse things in my life :P

That said I would not buy it.

Hoarders is also a TV show... think that is a good value at 1500. Type ins alone would pay for it I would think, or sell it to the tv station.

Stromboli I think is the domain that got away... that is both a food and an island... so I would think making 1k back on owning an Islands domain would be pretty probable.

Natural.net seems like a solid domain too, and could be built numerous ways.

[carguy84]

there's no way hoarders.com was actually for sale. Unlikely my neighbor would part with that if he still has his newspapers from 1980 in the back yard...

[StoutFiles]

The only valuable names here are keywords that people would type in directly, otherwise, you can monetize ANY name. This excludes disco.com though, because paying 255,000 for something that died a long time ago is moronic.

[walkman]

Cablete...net can be easily done since cable cos pay a small fortune in leads but frankly anything under $20K-$50k is not worthy of an auction.

[httpwebwitch]

aw come on. If I owned disco.com, I know exactly what I would do with it. I'd build an homage to the most fantastic site on the internet, which is of course [khalid.ca...]

[JAB Creations]

Use it, prove it, or lose it.

Use your domain, that is why they exist.

Prove that you intend to use your domain.

Lose your domain if others will put it to good use.

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.

- John

[brotherhood of LAN]

My worry would be the fairly realistic chance that there'll be countless number of TLD's available before long... seems to be that'd take some of the shine and value of these valuations when .anything is being used.

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

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.

Google, Yahoo, Bing, Facebook, Twitter, Bebo... etc.

Of course you CAN spend mega bucks landing a single keyword domain but you could also buy yourself a cottage in the Riviera for the same price to relax in while you contemplate what YOUR brandable name will be.

[Future]

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.

maybe useful to target newbies on internet, who are unaware about eastablished websites.

[HuskyPup]

My worry would be the fairly realistic chance that there'll be countless number of TLD's available before long

Yes but...in general gTLDs rank better and faster than ccTLDs and with Google being more geo-centric these days the extension is a critical consideration and especially so when launching a brand new site.

[drall]

Having been in this since 96 I was actually shocked at just how cheap some of these names are now.

[rogerd]

GoatCheese.com for $500K sounds like a bargain!

[drall]

Well GoatCheese is very good for you!

[jcoronella]

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

[Edwin]

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.

Wrong conclusion, because the sample's biased. By starting from the most popular sites and working backwards to your conclusion, it's like taking the finalists in the Olympic 100m and concluding everyone can run a sub-10s race.

By picking only the winners in your example, you're glossing over the hundreds of thousands of smaller sites and all the sites that have tried and failed to gain traction. Also, most of the sites on your list have at least tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars in investment propping up their leader status.

[johnhh]

A keyword based TLD isn't required to succeed

I've been considering this for some time. Better to think up a brand name and promote it or use a keyword domain ?
At the end of the day I think I agree with Edwin - to establish a brand takes mega-bucks, if you haven't got that , or a really hot marketing/PR team, in a practical sense the keyword route may be the way to go. Actually I am testing that now as we own a non-keyword brand and related keyword domains.

<edit>spelling></edit

[walkman]

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.

Of course not. But do you have the $200 or so million to advertise the next Geico ? Or you can have [typeof]insurance .com . Average mom and pop stores will be much, much, much better with a keyword based tld. If you hit it big you can hire a big name media company that will choose a name for you [bellatlantic.com...] like