Website.com sells for 750k!

Jason · July 21, 2005, 01:13:57 PM

The domain (not the site) "website.com" was sold yesterday for $750,000 making it the most expensive purchase (recorded) this year.

Nice to think a cheap registration could have that sort of yield. We're all sitting on veritable goldmines.

And for the domain name alone! Wow.

Full article: http://www.thewhir.com/marketwatch/sed072105.cfm

Mark · July 21, 2005, 02:51:11 PM

WHOA!!! That's amazing, imagine if YOU where the owner. Though unless someone really wants www.gravityxzone.com, www.angrysandwich.com, or www.spotthemouse.com I don't think I'm really sitting on a gold mine $:-\$

Jason · January 24, 2006, 12:14:38 PM

As an update...that was apparently nothing...

CNN: Source: Sex.com sold for $12 million

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/01/24/sex.com.sale.reut/index.html

Quote
SAN FRANCISCO, California (Reuters) -- Sex.com, long coveted as potentially one of the most lucrative sites on the Web because of its catchy name, has been sold for about $12 million in cash and stock, a source familiar with the deal said on Monday.

A group of anonymous buyers, Boston-based Escom LLC, said in a statement it had acquired the Web address Sex.com from Gary Kremen, chief executive of Grant Media LLC and the founder of Match.com. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Sex.com is seen as one of the most recognizable and therefore financially most promising Web domain names but does not currently have much content.

The new owners said in the statement that they plan to transform Sex.com into "the market-leading adult entertainment destination," which they said would include "adult dating opportunities," sex and relationship advice, erotica, video-on-demand and live chat.

XBiz.com, an adult entertainment trade site, first reported the sale of Sex.com last week and said Escom had agreed to pay $14 million.

But the source said the value of the deal was closer to $12 million and involved cash and stock, as well as requirements that the business meet certain performance targets.

The sale ranks as one of the most expensive Web domain name transfers ever and outpaces the $7.5 million paid for business.com in 1999 at the peak of the dotcom boom.

Kremen -- the founder of Match.com, the matchmaking site now owned by IAC/InterActiveCorp -- regained control of Sex.com after a legal battle dating back to 1997 and subsequent struggles over management and ownership interests.

The site makes money selling banner ads pointing to online pornography sites.

Apparently because of its current role as an intermediary site, Sex.com does not even rank among the top 1,000 adult entertainment sites among U.S. Internet users, according to data by Web measurement firm Hitwise.

Kremen plans to continue as an adviser to the site.

Wow.

I spoke with a guy in the mid-90's that claimed to be friends with the guy who registered sex.com initially. I certainly can't confirm that claim, but even back then, I think it was rumored he sold it for upwards of $50-60,000. Pretty good return on investment I'd say!

Mark · January 25, 2006, 12:12:05 AM

Man that would be awesome! So how much do you think www.somesecretplace.com would be worth in the future? I wouldn't mind selling it for a nice chunk of money

Jason · January 25, 2006, 08:25:40 AM

Dunno, but I think godaddy has a new service where they will have some "qualified" person use formulas to give you an appraisal. It's less than $10 I think. Although, if they tell you $2, then I guess it's not worth your payment

Mark · January 25, 2006, 02:59:25 PM

lol, that would suck if they told you it was worth less than what you payed for it, and what you paid for the appraisal service

Jason · January 25, 2006, 03:48:28 PM

Exactly!

Though it's a brilliant move on their part because they get paid for a service that's basically subjective. They can quote you any price basically and there really isn't another source out there (to my knowledge) that can confirm/disprove that value.

Mark · January 26, 2006, 11:44:23 AM

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Domain+Appraisals&btnG=Google+Search

Now weather or not I would trust those, I don't think so

Jason · January 26, 2006, 11:49:09 AM

That's my point...I don't believe there's a regulatory group that can control that market. The value one company says may be nothing like another and who is to say what some company might pay for something -- all depends on how much they really want it.

Mark · January 28, 2006, 11:42:50 PM

Oh I see! I didn't catch what you ment about that sorry