Generic & Keyword Auction – Domains Up To $36.65 A Click!

Just awhile ago I just received an email from the guys at Oversee regarding the Snapnames auction at Domainer Mardi Gras.

At first I thought….I’m already overloaded with conferences and auctions … do I really have the time to look at this? Honestly …. I couldn’t resist sneaking a peak and I’m glad I did. Why? Because these names are actually a lot better than some of the domains put up for auction recently.

Take a look at these .coms:

DatingOnline
DiscountDrugstore
OnlineDiscounts
DomainStats
HomeRefinancing
DownloadSoftware
CleanMyCredit
SpamProof
Lawsuits
ChocolateBars
OrganicFoodStores
ForexInvestments
Manufactures
PokerLessons
PublicGolfCourses
PorterhouseSteaks
Toasts
ActingLessons
SaturdayNight
SilverEarrings
WoodShutters

Not bad eh?

So, let me save you some time right now…. Home Refinancing gets $36.65 a CLICK! HELLO!!!!! Download Software gets $1.11 per click and has a local search volume in the USA of 6,120,000 EXACT matches !! Dating Online is another one at $4.73 a click with 22,200 EXACT matches.

You can bid online for these right now! Best of luck.

National Center for Science Education Moves Away From .ORG

The US National Center for Science Education (NCSE) has moved away from .org to .com.

The move appeared to be facilitated by NameMedia who reportedly provided a substantial discount on the ncse.com domain.

About: The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) is a not-for-profit, membership organization providing information and resources for schools, parents and concerned citizens working to keep evolution in public school science education.

How Domainers Can Profit From Companies That Go Bust!

In my opinion, the GFC presents us with an opportunity to make some serious money. Consequently, when I came across this “text book case” of Joe’s Sports, Outdoor & More – I just had to share it.

Bricks and Mortar Goes Bankrupt

The Oregon retail outlet “Joe’s Sports & Outdoor” filed for Chapter 11 around March 2009. The company listed both assets and debt ranging from $100 million to $500 million. It apparently owed its 30 largest unsecured creditors a total of $12.8 million.

Domains Acquired

Alberta-based UFA Co-operative Ltd acquired the domain names JoesSports.com and GIJoes.com. They outsourced the fulfillment to GSI Commerce – the same company that did it for the old bricks’n'mortar Joe’s. Essentially all that UFA Co-operative Ltd does now is sit back and earn a commission from all the sales.

A great story – very smart.

Sources: Oregon Live and Oregon Business News.

Match.Com Acquires Dating Sites For $80 Million Cash

IAC (NASDAQ: IACI) announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire People Media from American Capital Ltd (NASDAQ: ACAS).

People Media had $11.6 million of EBITDA in 2008 and operates 27 dating sites including BlackPeopleMeet.com, SingleParentMeet.com, SeniorPeopleMeet.com, BBPeopleMeet.com and LDSPlanet.com, with a combined 255 thousand paying subscribers.

New Deal On .Info Domain Names From Afilias

For those that don’t own their own registry, you may be surprised to learn that registrar deals even exist! Every now and again a special offer comes out, allowing you to buy that TLD or ccTLD at a discount.

Most of these secret deals are kept under wraps and are not published; however this has now changed. Afilias (the company that looks after .INFO) has published a deals page! This allows us to keep track of the latest registrar deals, sorting special offers either by date or registrar name. I think its great.

Save yourself some money on .info domain names and check out the deals page before you buy.

New Sites Set to Launch Regarding Cash for Clunkers Provision

Bill passed by congress this week leaves car dealers and auto makers laying plans to capitalize on “the cash for clunkers” provision. Analysts, however, are unconvinced the program will boost the new vehicle sales as expected.

The plan allows owners of vehicles getting less than 18 miles per gallon to receive a voucher worth up to $4,500 when they ditch their cars and opt for newer, higher–mileage vehicles. The program endeavors to raise overall efficiency of the nation’s vehicles.
While the government and auto makers are looking for ways to clear up customer skepticism about the plan, NHTSA planned to launch a website called cars.gov that would explain eligibility requirements.

In addition, Ford Motor Co. anticipates launching a site next week. According to a spokesman, the site would advertise qualifying Ford vehicles while outlining the program.

Sonic Automotive Inc., which operates 159 dealerships around the country, purchased the domain name cashforclunkers.com earlier this year. Their site, which is set to launch next week, will feature a frog becoming a prince. Lovely!

Via: WSJ

Should They Really Auction Off Wealth.com?

I was reading this article around TheInternetCompany, selling the domain name ‘wealth.com’ at a private auction run by Sedo. They want 2.9M and the VP was quoted as saying “we believe that now is the right time to monetize this asset and that an auction, rather than a traditional sale, is the best strategy“.

For the record, I disagree that “now is the right time”. Of course, I don’t know if there are financial issues/reasons behind the sale. However, if there were no issues, I’d hold onto it given the environment.

For those people who are “strapped for cash” and need to sell, feel free to get in contact and I’ll take those little gems off your hands. In a strange coincidence…. while typing this post I was sent a portfolio of 400+ domains looking for a new home.

What do you think about wealth.com? Should they auction it off?

Business Booms When American’s Go Broke

Due to the recent downturn in the American economy, many are losing their homes and tightening their spending. But some businesses seem to be benefiting from the bad breaks.

Eltman, Eltman & Cooper are bringing in the bucks by bringing in debtors. With a team of retired New York City law enforcement officers. “A judgment is a good investment for a debt buyer or credit card company” said Claudia Wilner (senior staff attorney with the Neighborhood Economic Advocacy Project).

Other business that have stumbled upon recent success are pawn shops such as Cash Now inc, liquor stores like Aida’s world of Liquor, and dollar store chains like Family Dollar. People are wining and dining at home, exchanging items for cash and spending smarter.

Internet domain name 4closures.com, owned by Michael Miscaile and Associates is also experiencing a surge in traffic due to the many homes that are in foreclosure. Recently, the company sold a two-family home for $270,000 (nearly fifteen percent less than the asking price).

Via: SILive

Currency Markets Impact Foreign Domainers

Domainers that don’t live in the United States have often reaped the benefits of the currency market.

With world markets going up and down like a game of Donkey Kong (well actually more down than up) its having a serious impact on our cost of goods.

As of today, 1 USD = 1.52384 AUD (Australian dollar), or to flip it around, 1 AUD = 0.656154 USD. If you look at the chart, you will see that six months ago, the Australian dollar was worth US$.96.

Great For Parking

The rest of the world is making MORE money (in their local currency) as they take advantage of being paid in US$ or Euro.

Bad For Buying

The cost of bidding against US domainers has increased.

Great For Selling

While this may seem all “doom and gloom”, there is a hidden upside. If you are a non-US domainer who is selling, then now is the time to sell in US$. Why? It should be worth more in your local currency.

If you are a domainer outside the USA, please feel free to post a comment. I’d love to hear your situation.

Tips: Making an Offer On a Domain Name

Kikabink News is running a series of articles around tips for domain name acquisitions. This is an area that is often under the radar of many people, not just newbies. Here are a few that I really like:

“when it comes to making an offer… don’t…..instead…. ask the domain name holder what they would be prepared to sell the domain for“

“While you wait to hear from the domain name holder, do what research you can into them, their business, their business model, their web statistics, etc. You want to get an idea of what the value of the domain is TO THEM.“

“the more certain you are about the value of the domain to you… and the value of the domain to THEM… the better the price you’ll be able to negotiate.”

The last one is particularly relevant because in 2001 I negotiated a very high 5 figure sum for a domain name that I owned. Believe it or not, the CEO of a well known company called me directly and said he wanted to buy it. Grin… I was very happy with that negotiation – as was the company that bought it. They still own the domain name 8 years later.

If you have any tips, feel free to post them in the comments.