$100,000 for 2-letter .com...

Too good to be true?

[dataguy]

My main site is a keywordkeyword.com, and is doing pretty good as far as branding position right now.

Today I was contacted by someone who claims to the owner of 'kk.com', the obvious abbreviation for my main site. They stated that the name could be mine for a cool $100,000.

That's a lot of money, but it would give some legitimacy to my business in a way that nothing else could give, so I'm considering it. I've flipped names as a hobby before, though I'm certainly no expert. It seems to me that $100k is cheap for this type of name. The only other companies that I'm aware of with a 2-char name is General Electric and Timer Warner/Road Runner.

Is this a good deal, or would I be moving to quickly to jump on this?

[john_k]

Can two letter .com names still be transferred to a new owner? I can't find a solid reference, but it seems like there is a "sunset" provision to reserve all two-letter domains. Here is a document at ICANN that indirectly references it. But it doesn't speak directly to the act of selling or transferring ownership.

[res-dom.iana.org...]

See the section A. Other names

[Shak]

[greatdomains.com...] is a good place to look

but yes, seems like a good deal

shak

[dataguy]

I can't find a solid reference, but it seems like there is a "sunset" provision to reserve all two-letter domains.

Hmmm, it would appear that way. I wonder how I could find out for sure....

[nativenewyorker]

ICANN changes now dictate that all 2 character .com's be retired if they are allowed to expire. The rule does not prohibit transfer of 2 character domains.

Sounds like a bargain considering the 3 character .com that just sold for a few thousand short of $100,000. As the saying goes, buyer beware, if it's too good to be true, it's probably not true. Be sure that this person contacting you is not a scammer.

[mcavic]

If you use an escrow service, you should be pretty well protected. The biggest danger would be trademark violations or ownership disputes, if any.

[Rollo]

If you plan to use it, it seems like a frivilous purchase. I'm not sure I would believe that there is any value of a two letter domain for users. If you're a speculator, could be a good aquisition however.

In either case, becuase they approached you, I'm sure you can get them to come way down.

[dauction]

JZ.com is also up for sale he wants for 25K , same letters (like KK.com)will cost more .

I doubt you can get it for less than 40-50K , Still a great buy .

Solid type-in traffic as a foundation and think about it ; you'll own a 2 letter.com.

if your business ever fails you'll still own a 2letter.com that will only appreciate in value.

[mcavic]

I'm not sure I would believe that there is any value

I suppose it depends on your users, and how likely they are to type the domain rather than bookmark it. To get to Amazon, Ebay, Google, Dell, etc, I always type them. I've even typed x.com to get to Paypal.

[maximillianos]

100k seems a bit steep to me. In this day and age, domain names are no longer the deciding edge in the online world. I have built a few sites from the ground up using domain names that were more catchy than short. Sure I agree a short name is better, but what real meaning can you brand into a 2-letter domain? I can't think of any 2-letter domains that I use/type in on a regular basis. Maybe I'm off on this one, but I would try to bring the price way down.

Good luck!

[Edwin]

Since most 2-letters will sell on any domain for sale forum in about 12 hours if priced under $20-25K, good luck getting the price down!

[dataguy]

If you plan to use it, it seems like a frivilous purchase.

If you are planning on your Internet business being around for the long-haul, then branding perception is everything. My type of web business is greatly helped by branding and a two-letter domain can give credibility like nothing else. Besides, when I decide to sell the business, this would certainly improve it's net worth.

[cyberair]

Branding with a 2 letter dot com seems like a dream. You have one advantage; he contacted you first. Almost anyone who throws an offer like that is fishing. He tells you $100k and the game is only starting. I would not be surprised if you can pull him down to 50k.

[dataguy]

Yeah, 50k is what I offered. Haven't heard back yet...

[hp11]

A two letter domain is definitely a nice aqcuisition for any business. Good luck, I hope it works out price wise for you.

[mickeymart]

The domain might be worth it from a cybersquat type investment, but I dont know that it would help much with search rankings.

The cool and easy factors are definitely there... cj.com is def easier to type than commissionjunction.com

[Planet_Six]

Got a 2 letter .com about a year ago myself. There was no problems with the payment, transefer aso. We used escrow i guess it was 6 months ago. At that point the seller also was the owner of KK.com and some other top end domains, but it seems to have been a owner change May 2004 to the current owner.

A 2 letter .com is a good investment for sure!

QU