Most Expensive Domain Names
The practice of buying up unused names, known as “domain parking”, is estimated to be worth more than $1 billion worldwide — and Australia is seen as a growing market for those with an eye for a dollar.
Domainers, as they call themselves, spot generic or popular names that have not been turned into websites and register them and as many variations as possible. They cram them with advertisements and watch as they earn a few cents per hit — big bucks when you have a large enough domain portfolio.
A 2008 article on theage.com.au refers to the success of one such Australian ‘Domainer’, Michael Gilmour. “Enormous money can be made out of parking still in Australia with dot au space, where a lot less penetration has been made than in America” he said. It’s as easy as seeing how many times a particular word is indexed on Google then seeing if it is taken or not.
In the world of internet entrepreneurship, where fortunes are often lost faster than they are made, parking is compared to real estate as they are both investments in limited stock that can earn big returns.
For over half a decade, Business.com reigned as the world’s most expensive domain name after its 1999 sale for $7.5 million. The record for most expensive domain name ever sold changed hands again in late 2009, when internet marketing firm QuinStreet purchased Insure.com for $16 million. Other top dollar domain sales of 2009 include Toys.com, purchased by Toys ‘R Us for $5.1 million in March of 2009, and Candy.com, sold for $3 million in June of 2009.
1. Insure.com, sold to QuinStreet for $16 million in 2009.
2. Sex.com, sold for $12-$14 million in 2006.
3. Fund.com, sold for $9.99 million in 2008.
4. Porn.com, sold for $9.5 million in 2007.
5. Business.com, sold for $7.5 million in 1999.
6. Diamond.com, sold to Ice.com for $7.5 million in 2006.
7. Beer.com, sold for $7 million in 2004.
8. Israel.com, sold for $5.88 million in 2004.
9. Casino.com, sold for $5.5 million in 2003.
10. Toys.com, sold to Toys ‘R Us for $5.1 million in 2009.
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