When looking through the just released Moniker live auction list, the most important thing I am looking to find are domain names that I can use commercially. When buying at auction, I assume the domain name’s sale price is far greater than any potential PPC revenue I could ever earn, and I also assume that since the sale price is public, it would be difficult to re-sell the name in the short term at a profit. As a result, the only time I personally would buy at an auction is if I plan to develop the domain name.

At this point in my career, I am now looking to buy domain names that I can develop and build into another website/business, so that’s what I am looking for on auction. I haven’t spent much time reviewing the list yet, so I don’t know if I will bid, but I am going to take some time this weekend to look. When you have a chance, check out the TRAFFIC Auction list (via TheDomains.com blog).

According to DotWeekly, Snapnames is allowing customers who use their Seller Program to auction their names without transferring them to Snapnames’ registrar. They will now allow Moniker-residing domain names to be auctioned on their platform. Previously, if you wanted to auction your names using the private program, you had to transfer them to Snap first. With no guarantee of sale, it was doubling the registration fee, so it wasn’t always optimal.

I am kicking myself a bit right now, having recently sold 45 decent names for $1,000. My names were at Moniker, and I thought they would be great to sell via Snapnames, but I didn’t want to pay the $7+/- transfer fee. Three of the names on the list were similar to a name I sold via Snapnames in October for $750. Tough break, but my buyer got a great deal!

This is a great idea, and I applaud the folks at Oversee.net and Moniker for making this happen. Frequently when companies are acquired, the biggest hassle is when they try to work together. It seems that there is some good synergy between these two companies, and it’s working to benefit their customers.

 Moniker recently announced that they will auction domain names at no cost to benefit the Internet Commerce Association at the TRAFFIC East conference in Orlando. This is a great opportunity to help the Internet Commerce Association while earning a tax deduction (for contributors) or enhancing your portfolio (for buyers). Moniker plans to auction the best 5 names in their live auction format, and the remaining names that were selected will be auctioned in the silent auction.Thank you to Moniker and TRAFFIC for supporting the rights of domain registrants by supporting the Internet Commerce Association. Please submit donated names to Michael Collins and he will forward them to Moniker. 

After reading an excruciatingly long thread on DNForum that deals with allegations of scamming, stolen domain names, missing funds…etc, I wanted to share some general advice when buying and selling domain names. The advice I give is only based on how I personally do business, and I recommend using an attorney if that makes you more comfortable.

Before I purchase a domain name, I always check the Whois history to make sure the name looks like it is free and clear of problems. Frequent changes in ownership, different/inconsistent email addresses or phone numbers, and incorrect-sounding information always ring bells in my head and requires further checking. I also like to search using Google and the domain forums to see if the name has ever been in a dispute or had “issues.” Because I mostly Read More »

I don’t think the results were particularly strong for tonight’s TRAFFIC West auction in Las Vegas, but it resulted in $4.3 million in domain sales. There were some great names up for auction, but in the end, most of them didn’t end up selling.

The silent auction continues for the next few days, and the names that didn’t sell will be available to purchase. The full auction sales list can be found at TheDomains.com.

I found a few names in tomorrow’s live TRAFFIC auction that I like, but apparently I won’t be able to bid on them online since I have a Mac Book with a Leopard OS. According to the Snapnames website’s online bidding requirements:

“Live Auction Software Requirements

Microsoft Windows operating system
Audio output
Internet Explorer 6.0 (or newer) or Firefox 2.0 (or newer)“

Kind of a bummer, but no big deal I suppose.  Guess I should have thought about this earlier!

Thanks to Mike at TheDomains.com for providing the results of yesterday’s auction at TRAFFIC. The Moniker No/Low Reserve Auction is the precursor to Wednesday’s highly anticipated live auction, and it netted $190,000.

The results of the auction can be seen at TheDomains.com.

Moniker publicly released the TRAFFIC West live auction domain list this morning. They received over 120,000 submissions for next week’s auction, and after reviewing the names, I think this auction will set a record for highest grossing domain auction - even though it is missing the great multi-million dollar domain name that is still reasonably priced. There are some strong domain names listed, with many at reserves I would consider reasonable.

The full live auction list can be seen Read More »

As reported on DNN, Moniker recently closed a $4 million deal for the domain name Bored.com and all associated content to JW Media. The company paid an additional $500,000 for a portfolio of 170 undisclosed websites. With over 2 million monthly visitors, Bored.com has a strong returning visitor base, which will help the buyer earn a return on its investment.

This marks the second multi-million dollar private deal that Moniker helped close in 2008.

According to a news release today, Moniker recently brokered the sale of adult domain name FreePorn.com for $4 million. This marks the largest domain sale of 2008, and one of the largest domain sales ever. In May of 2007, Porn.com sold for $9 million.
Read More »