The domain registry lists $225,000 as the value of bowlingballs.com, saturn.pl is worth $189,000, empire.com a mere $135,000. Due to the confidential nature of many secondary market domain name transactions it appears that there are few sales taking place, indicating that the market is in decline. This is not so, according to the latest report from Sedo, the sales in 2011 are on par with 2010 ($84,431,965 vs $101, 438, 953) exclude the sale of sex.com in 2011 for $13 million, and the figures are comparable and remain healthy.
Sales early in 2012 confirm this market to be growing: ule.com selling for $145,000, airline.com at $125,000, qe.com at $89,000. The domain name register at Sedo was led by .COM in 2011, this domain name extension is valued above all other domain name extensions, commanding five to ten times more than the same domain name with an alternative extension, followed by .DE (18%), .CO.UK (6%), .EU (4%), with .CO and .ME still too new to count.
Time to call in a professional
Certain domain names are highly sought after but not all are up for sale, purchasing and registering these domain names requires an expert to handle all areas of the negotiation.
Whilst the buying, selling and registration of domain names still occurs on public marketplaces and auction listings, confidential transactions currently dominate the arena. According to Sedo 80% of transactions in 2011 were held privately. It is therefore imperative that a registrar professional handles these confidential and possibly sensitive negotiations, one that is able to converse in the native language of the domain name owner whether they take place in Europe, America or Asia.
The marketplace includes domain names that have expired, along with names that the current owner is not looking to sell. If said owner needs encouragement to sell it is essential that a fair price is quoted, the purchaser’s identity must remain anonymous at all times to avoid any price increase.
Finally, the transaction must be secure financially, legally and technically.
Knowledge is power
The value of secondary market domain names can vary from thousands to millions of euro. The value of these domain names may be determined by:
• the extension in which the domain name was registered;
• the length of domain name – two and three character names are highly desired due to ease of recollection;
• search engine visibility;
• relevance to a specific audience;
• previous association with a high profile website – well established links with other websites bringing steady traffic.
Being anonymous
To purchase, sell and register your domain names successfully, anonymous transaction management is of primary importance. eBrand Services offers your business the professional help you require for all domain name transactions.
eBrand Services is the corporate branch of EuroDNS, providing solutions and consultation for corporate clients. Specializing in domain name management for companies throughout Europe, customers include multinationals, SMEs, international organizations such as the United Nations, law firms and communication agencies. Support and guidance is provided for optimizing online visibility, and the fiscal aspects of both domain name management and trading.
For more information, please contact Sylvie Rouen, CEO, eBrand Services, srouen@ebrandservices-fbs.com.