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Stiff Greens Fee! Golf Courses.com Goes For Over $55,000 at Moniker/DomainSystems

by Ron Jackson  

We just went through our fourth hurricane in less than two months here in Florida but there was nothing but sunshine in the domain business this past week. Sales were deeper than local flood water with 9 five-figure transactions reported (and a 10th one that just missed)! The market was also broad with .net, .de and .co.uk joining perennial favorite .com on our new Top Ten chart. The bounty spilled over to the new extensions too with 9 four-figure sales marking the best week ever for the new TLD's.


GolfCourses.com led this week's hit parade after selling for $55,750 at Moniker.com/DomainSystems.com. The buyer was Brian Null of BeachFarmNine.com, better known to members at the DomainState.com forum as TheColumbian (a handle taken from his Columbia, Missouri hometown). Null's new acquisition will go well with GolfLessons.com which he acquired earlier this year. The GolfCourses.com sale was just one of three that CEO Monte Cahn's company placed on the big board in a banner week for the Florida company. They also took #5 after selling CMK.com to Carroll McNulty & Kull LLC of New Jersey for $19,000 and #7 with the $11,000 sale of WebDelivery.com.

Sedo.com also hit the trifecta this week taking three slots with #2 Party.co.uk at $27,183, #6 Bach.de at $12,151 and #8 Meet.co.uk at $10,880. By now no one can be surprised to see Sedo scoring such numbers with country code TLD's. They just about own that market and it's a good one to own as .de (Germany) and .co.uk (United Kingdom) trail only .com in worldwide registration numbers. 

.Net ranks fourth in total regs and that extension is also represented on the chart this week after Ad.net went for $24,990 at Afternic.com to place third on the new list. JokersWild.com was close behind after the Outboxes.com Network send that domain to Scott Brooks of OneStopCellular.com for $20,000 in a private transaction. Let's take a look at the complete Top Ten then we'll continue with our rundown of another very strong sales week:

Domain Name Journal's Top Ten 
Reported Domain Sales - Mon. Sept. 20, 2004 - Sun. Sept. 26, 2004
Euro to Dollar Conversion (� to $) is Based on Rates in Effect Tue. Sept. 28

  Domain

Sold For

Where Sold
1. GolfCourses.com  $55,750 Moniker/
DomainSystems
2. Party.co.uk �15,000 = $27,183 Sedo
3.  Ad.net $24,990 Afternic
4.  JokersWild.com  $20,000 Pvt Sale
5. CMK.com  $19,600 Moniker/
DomainSystems
6. Bach.de �9,860 = $12,151 Sedo
7. WebDelivery.com $11,000 Moniker/
DomainSystems
8. Meet.co.uk �6,001 = $10,880 Sedo
9. SlumberParty.com $10,010 Namewinner
10. FlowerGarden.com $9,700 Pool

Keep in mind that these are the highest value sales that have been reported to us in the past week. This column is meant to be an educational tool, not a complete list documenting ALL high value domain sales. Such a list is impossible to produce because many sales are kept private at the insistence of buyers, sellers or both.

Namewinner.com completed that nice 5-figure sales run with SlumberParty.com going for $10,010. That domain scores a solid 639 in Overture with the extension so the new owner can start recouping their cost right away with PPC revenue. 

Pool.com anchored the chart with FlowerGarden.com at $9,700 and they had a long list of additional sales worth noting. Those included WordOfLife.com at $8,800, Batterys.com at $7,500 and ScienceFairProject.com at $5,500. Pool also collected $5,101 for a very high traffic misspelled domain, BrittneySpears.com which scores 1,855 in OT with the extension. In addition, HentaiMovies.com and Invitaciones.com each brought in $5,000 and Tropicals.com added another $4,500. Other Pool winners included Vitaminas.com ($3,950), WebShort.com ($3,000), Borde.com ($2,800) and FabMart.com ($2,200). There was also a trio at $2,000; JKRowlings.com, SuperMarioBrothers.com and Roomster.com. GreatPictures.com was just below that level at $1,950

.Net was part of the act at Pool too with Cybernetics1.net going for $2,666, Comcas.net for $1,250 and 1b.net for $1,210. Shakespeare.net commanded another $1,060 and Pork.net fried up $1,050. Pool also had the #1 sale on our New TLD chart which we will talk about a bit later. There is a widespread expectation that Pool will be hurt by SnapNames.com's new alliance with Network Solutions that will channel all high quality Net Sol drops to SnapNames (and keep them away from Pool, Namewinner and other competitors). The full effects of that won't be seen for a few more weeks as there are still Net Sol domains going through the Redemption Grace Period that are not affected by the new arrangement. Those are fair game for all drop catchers when they fall but once those run out, the Net Sol domains will go directly to SnapNames without entering the RGP.

SnapNames just missed hitting this week's Top Ten with TaylorRain.com, a domain that went for $8,800. That's a nice traffic domain (410 with the extension in OT) that attracts people looking for the adult film actress. SnapNames also sold CDWriter.com for $4,500 and Papal.com for $4,200. They also made a strong showing on the new extension chart for the second week in a row with a bevy of .info beauties. More on that in the New TLD section below.

Enom's Club Drop made a nice contribution to this week's golf theme by selling Birdie.com for $8,630. They also racked up $4,610 with USGovernmentJobs.com and $2,110 for still another Britney Spears misspell - BrittenySpears.com. I'm not sure what is more common - Britney Spears misspellings or Britney Spears marriages!

One thing I am sure of and that is seeing an impressive sales list from Sedo week in and week out. In addition to their three entries on the big board, Sedo rang up $8,000 for On-Demand com and �4,640 ($5,715) each for Kurort.de and Kurorte.de ("spa" and "spas" in German). They added $4,500 for ClearLink.com and �1,850 ($3,354) for Muslims.co.uk. There was also a trio at �2,500 ($3,079); Azoren.de ("Azores"), M�beltransporte.de ("furniture transport") and LiveBet.com. EECH.com chipped in with another $2,750 and RebelRebel.co.uk raised a �2,000 ($2,463) ruckus. Sedo even scored with a .cc as Dragon.cc went for �1,500 ($1,848). As always, you will be hearing from Sedo in the New TLD section too.

Afternic.com has been on a nice roll lately too. They had the #1 domain last week (UniqueHotels.com) and this week's #3. SexPartners.com added $6,500 in financial bliss with HGM.com contributing another $3,150. Afternic also moved Second2None.com for $2,488 and WinAtPoker.com for $2,240. DotcomAgency.com was the seller in that WinAtPoker.com transaction and they sold several others in the same price range at their own site, including DraughtBeer.com at $2,880, ArtRocks.com at $2,830, BrowniePoints.com at $2,760 and FreeClear.com at $2,200.

England's Dale Hubbard sold a trio of domains worth noting. He collected $3,000 for PowerTax.com, $2,800 for MyMobile.net and $2,200 for WAPMail.com.

*****

GolfCourses.com joins our Year-To-Date Top 60 chart in the #24 position after going for more than $55,000.  Here is the complete rundown of big winners so far in 2004:

Domain Name Journal's Year-To-Date Top 60
Highest Reported 2004 Domain Sales through Sun. Sept. 26, 2004  
Euro to Dollar Conversion (� to $) 
Based on Rates in Effect When Sales Were Originally Reported by DNJ

 - Domains entering the chart this week are highlighted in green -

  Domain

Sold For

Where Sold
1. CreditCards.com $2.75 Million Private Sale
2. Mercury.com $700,000
(700K cash + $400,000 in goods & services)
Private Sale
3. ME.com $460,000 Moniker / DomainSystems
4. Smoking.com $325,000 GreatDomains
5. Viajes.com
("travel" in Spanish)
 $300,000 Sedo
6. Arab.com $225,000 Pvt Sale
7.  VisitFlorida.com $186,000 Pvt Sale
8.  Commerce.com $180,000 Sedo
9. Beef.com $150,000 GreatDomains
10.  SSM.com $145,000 Pvt Sale
11.  IQTest.de     �123,625 = $147,635 Sedo
12. TourismAustralia.com AUD $201,000 = US$146,200 Pvt Sale
13.  Sexkontakte.de
"Sex contacts" in German
 �110,000 = $141,175 Sedo
14.  MR.com $125,000 GreatDomains
15.  Truck.com  $101,000 Moniker / DomainSystems
16.  eCruise.com  $100,000 Pvt Sale
17.  Kreuzfahrten.de
"Cruises" in German
�70,000 = $88,853 Sedo
18.  Kazalite.com $83,500 Pool
19. Sedo.com $80,000 Private Sale
20.  BackCountry.com $75,000 Private Sale
21.  Boxen.de
"Boxing" in German
�56,500 = $72,509 Sedo
22.  Stop.com  $62,500 Moniker/
DomainSystems
23. ClearDay.com $60,000 Moniker / DomainSystems
24. GolfCourses.com  $55,750 Moniker/
DomainSystems
25.
tie 
FKK.de  �40,000 = $51,333 Sedo
25.
tie 
Busen.de
"Bosom" in German
 �40,000 = $51,333 Sedo
27.
tie 
Typing.com  $50,000 GreatDomains
27. 
tie
BoiseRealEstate.com $50,000 Moniker/
DomainSystems
27.
tie 
Harmony.com $50,000 GreatDomains
27.
tie
Mirror.com $50,000 Moniker / DomainSystems
31. CarFinancing.com $46,000 Pool
32. Hardcore.co.uk �25,000 = $45,951 Sedo
33. Meningitis.com $45,000 Private Sale
34. Claims.com  $40,000 GreatDomains
35.  Mister.com    $38,800 Pvt Sale
36. Faces.com $38,700 Moniker / DomainSystems
37. Metropol.com �30,500 = $38,230 Sedo

38. 

Nackt.de
"Nude or Naked" in German
�30,000 = $38,081 Sedo
39.  Fotos.com �30,000 = $35,793 Private Sale
40. WesternAustralia.com AU$50,000 = $35,178 Pvt Sale
41.  Cairo.com $35,001 Sedo
42.
tie 
SinglesTravel.com $35,000 Pvt Sale
42. 
tie
Miss.com $35,000 Afternic
42.
tie
Spamzilla.com $35,000 MarketEvolver
45.  Low.com $32,640 Moniker/
DomainSystems
46.  Refurbished.com  $32,000 Pool
47. CleanEnergy.com $31,950 Moniker / DomainSystems
48. Humor.de �25,520 = $30,449 Sedo
49.  EducationEssentials.com    $30,375 Moniker/
DomainSystems
50.  Single.co.uk  �24,600 = $30,341 Sedo
51.  DiscountDrugs.com $30,010 Namewinner
52.
tie
Cursor.com  $30,000 Sedo
52.
tie 
WebsiteDevelopment.com  $30,000 DotcomAgency
52. 
tie
DCJobs.com  $30,000 Pvt Sale
52.
tie 
CN.tv $30,000 Sedo
52.
tie 
AntiDepressants.com $30,000 Private Sale
52.
tie
Gray.com $30,000 GreatDomains
52.
tie
Actor.com $30,000 Sedo
59.  NewYork.info �22,000 = $28,086 Sedo
60.  Headstones.com    $28,000 Pool
Unforgettable Footnotes:
Below are landmark sales where the price level (denoted by X characters) was released but not the exact price paid. This will allow us to note significant sales that are among the Year-To-Date leaders but cannot be ranked numerically due  to a confidentiality agreement that kept the exact price private. Date shown indicates when the sale was first reported in Domain Name Journal. High - Mid - Low indicates the range within the price category shown by multiple X's.
Juegos.com (June 29, 2004) High $XXX,XXX Pvt Sale
Woman.com (Feb. 10, 2004) Low $XXX,XXX Sedo
CellularPhones.com (May 11, 2004) Low $XXX,XXX Pvt Sale
Spanish.com (Sept. 8, 2004) Low $XXX,XXX Pvt Sale
IS.com (May 4, 2004)  (No range) $XXX,XXX Pvt Sale
B�cher.de (Mar. 16, 2004)
{"books" in German)
High $XX,XXX Sedo


New TLD Section

The new extensions continue to burst out at the seams so it's time to expand our New TLD chart another notch. What has been the Super 7 now becomes the Great 8. Even after letting our belt out another notch we still can't fit all of the four figure sales on this week's chart. There were nine of them all together and several others that just missed. One thing that hasn't changed is .info's continuing dominance of the chart. That extension claimed 7 of the 8 slots on the new list. It took the highest 3-letter .us sale reported to date to prevent a .info sweep.

This week's leader is a real beauty - Girls.info at $3,600. Florida's Bryan Taylor won the domain in a hotly contested auction at Pool.com. The runner-up was AVI.us, sold by your humble servant for $2,500 in a private sale. The buyer was Augusta, Georgia businessman David Collins who will use it for one of his companies, Asian Ventures Inc. After that, it was all .info. England's Stuart Smith accounted for three of those buys, #3 Marble.info at $1,900, #4 Bakery.info at $1,850 and #7 Dogs.info at $1,300. He picked up the first two at SnapNames and the last one in a private transaction. 

SnapNames wound up accounting for three chart sales with #6 Use.info completing their trifecta at $1,550. Use.info was purchased by Warren Weitzman who is one of the domain industry's original pioneers. Seeing people like that starting to pay attention to the new extensions is a very positive sign in our opinion. 

Here are all of the top reported new extension sales for the week ending Sept. 26:

Domain Name Journal's New TLD Great 8 
  Reported .info, .biz & .us Domain Sales  Sept. 20, 2004 - Sept. 26, 2004
Euro to Dollar Conversion (� to $) is Based on Rates in Effect Tue. Sept. 28

  Domain

Sold For

Where Sold
1. Girls.info   $3,600 Pool
2. AVI.us     $2,500 Pvt Sale
3.  Marble.info  $1,900 SnapNames
4. Bakery.info      $1,850 SnapNames
5. Verbindungselemente.info
(German for "fasteners")
   �1,290 = $1,590 Sedo
6. Use.info  $1,550 SnapNames
7. Dogs.info $1,300 Pvt Sale
8. AngelInvestor.info $1,099 TheNameStore

Sedo always seems to have a presence on the New TLD chart and this week was no exception with #5 Verbindungselemente.info ("German for "fasteners") going for $1,590. Dale Porter at TheNameStore.com anchored the chart after selling AngelInvestor.info for $1,099.  There was still another four figure sale that fell just short of the chart, Clitoris.info, purchased by Stu Smith at Namewinner for an even $1,000. SEO.info would have easily placed among the leaders if it had been caught by one of the auction houses. Instead, a lucky buyer from Norway caught the domain with an $18 backorder at WildWest!

There were many other notable new extension sales this week including Kyoto.info for $825 at SnapNames and  Merchant.biz purchased by Shuhaib Shariff of Metafusion.com for $750 in a private transaction.  Pool sold Petrol.info for $700,  Rich.info for $525 and Novel.info for $510. At Sedo, Buddy.info sold for �575 ($708). They also moved three .biz domains, Biddeford.biz �500 ($616), SoftwareCommunity.biz �495 ($610) and Rank.biz �305 ($376).

Next week is shaping up as another strong one for the new TLD's. In auctions at SnapNames, Numbers.info closed at $2,050 and Accounts.info at $1,450. Only the transfers remain to be done for them to be eligible for next week's chart.

Though Girls.info is a great domain, it fell just a hair short of making our Year-To-Date New TLD list where the current entry fee is $4,000. Here are all of the top reported new extension sales through Sept. 26: 

Domain Name Journal's Year-To-Date New TLD Top 30 
Highest Reported 2004 .info, .biz & .us Domain Sales through Sept. 19 
Euro to Dollar Conversion (� to $) 
Based on Rates in Effect When Sales Were Originally Reported by DNJ

 - Domains entering the chart this week are highlighted in green -

  Domain

Sold For

Where Sold
1.  NewYork.info   �22,000 = $28,086 Sedo
2. Casino.info �17,500 = $20,899 Sedo
3.  HMS.info �9,280 = $10,492 Sedo
4.
tie
Tampa.info $10,000 Pvt Transaction

4.
tie

Moscow.info $10,000 Sedo
6. SolarStrom.info
("solar energy" in German)
 �8,000 = $9,802 Sedo
7. Vitamins.info $9,500 Afternic
8. RioDeJaneiro.info $9,000 Pvt Sale
9. Stocks.us $8,062 Sedo
10.  Party.info   �6,000 = $7,166 Sedo
11. Book.biz $7,000 Galcomm
12. BDSM.info �5,500 = $6,947 Sedo
13. Reifen.biz
"tires" in German
 �5,500 = $6,894 Sedo
14. Vancouver.info �5,000 = $6,378 Sedo
15. Party.us $6,000 Pvt Sale
16. Beach.info     �5,000 = $5,972 Sedo
17.
tie
Finanzen.info
("Finances" in German)
�4,900 = $5,888 Sedo
17. 
tie
Steuer.info
("Tax" in German)
  �4,900 = $5,888 Sedo
19. InvestmentFonds.info
("investment funds" in German)
  �4,750 = $5,673 Sedo
20. Vacations.info $5,500 Pvt Sale
21.
tie
Woman.info $5,000 Sedo
21.
tie
Michigan.info     $5,000 Pvt Sale
21.
tie
Minnesota.info  $5,000 Pvt Sale
24. Erotica.info �4,000 = $4,913 Sedo
25. KFZ.info  �4,000 = $4,873 Sedo
26. CityGuide.info 4,000 = $4,773 Sedo
27.
tie
Meningite.biz
("Meningitis in French & Italian)
$4,250 Sedo
27.
tie
Meningite.info
("Meningitis in French & Italian)
$4,250 Sedo
29.  Grafik.info   �3,500 = $4,249 Sedo
30.
tie
Houston.info $4,000 Pvt Sale
30.
tie
Washington.info $4,000 Pvt Sale
Unforgettable Footnotes:
Below are key sales where the price level (denoted by X characters) was released but not the exact price paid. This will allow us to note significant sales that are among the Year-To-Date leaders but cannot be ranked numerically due  to a confidentiality agreement that kept the exact price private. Date shown indicates when the sale was first reported in Domain Name Journal
Fashion.us (May 25, 2004)  $XX,XXX Private Sale

As always, we welcome all verifiable sales reports from companies, private sellers or individuals with knowledge of an important sale made through any channel. To contribute information and help make this column better,  just drop a note to [email protected].

We truly appreciate the industry leading companies represented on our charts who share their sales information with us to help everyone in the business get a handle on current domain values. Individuals like Richard Meyer of the American Marketing Corporation also provide invaluable help by sending us data for these sales reports each week.

Every Tuesday we publish the highest reported domain name sales for the previous week. On Monday our contributors send us their sales data for the previous 7 days. We then compile that information and write this report for Tuesday publication to give you the freshest sales report in the industry. 

We will close with this standard caution. These are not average selling prices - these are top selling domains. One of the biggest impediments to making sales is pricing domains at unrealistic levels. For most of us, pricing domains at the levels achieved on the Top Ten chart will leave us waiting a long time to make a sale! We hope you will use the information presented here as a measuring stick that will help you price your domains at levels that will put more money in your pocket more often!

Editor's Note: If you wish to review previous Domain Sales columns, they are available in our Archive.

 


 


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Domain Name Journal
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