In this mini-series entitled Million Dollar Sales, we have been taking a look at every single seven-figure domain name sale that has been reported on DNJournal to see what those domain names are used for now. In this fifth instalment, we’re looking at nine seven-figure sales that range from Flying.com through to Poker.org.
Flying.com - $1.1 million
A company called UsedAirplanes, who had previously been operating under the UsedAirplanes.com domain name made quite the upgrade here, by buying Flying.com for $1.1 million. According to screenshots of the name from 2012, the domain hosted a fairly elaborate homepage that advertised aircraft for sale, flying lessons and a lot more.
It appears as though the domain has sold at some point since then, as the name now hosts a search portal for flights, which is operated by a company that also owns web properties on Staying.com, Tello.com and OnlyCars.com.
Cruises.co.uk - $1,099,798
A website called Cruise.co.uk spent over a million dollars to add an “s” to their domain name in 2008. The company bought the domain from a German travel company called Nees Reisen, with the intention of creating a new website to take advantage of the potential search and direct traffic.
Until recently, the name redirected to Cruise.co.uk. Now however, the name hosts a generic "DomainMonster" registration page.
Zip.com - $1,058,830
What do you do with a million dollar domain name? If you’re a DNStination Inc client, then it looks like you leave the name unresolved for many years. The name sold in the DOMAINfest Prague auction in October 2010, and since then, the domain hasn’t been used for anything at all.
The WHOIS shows DNStination as the listed owner, so it’s likely that the domain was purchased by one of their clients. There are no immediate clues as to who the exact owner is, but it’s a shame to see such a great name go to waste.
Fish.com - $1,020,000
This sale dates back to 2005 as the owners of Dog.com paid a seven-figure price to buy Fish.com, whilst also paying $200,000 for Bird.com and $20,000 for FishSupplies.com. Almost twelve years later, the name is still owned by the same company.
Aside from the domains mentioned above, the company also owns Horse.com, Solar.com and Garden.com. That’s an extremely impressive portfolio of domain names.
Webcam.com - $1,020,000
As you might expect, this domain is definitely not safe for work, but it is a seven-figure sale, which is why we’re including it on this list. This domain sale came to fruition after a Rick Latona live domain name auction in 2009, where this domain received a million dollar bid.
The name forwarded to a “Cam Live” website before being developed into its own adult webcam service in 2011. The domain’s website has stayed the same since then.
Invest.com - $1,015,000
This is a domain name that has definitely resold since this million dollar sale in 2008. According to reports at the time, the domain was put back up for sale just four years after its original sale. In 2014, it emerged that the domain had been resold, and although a price wasn’t revealed, it was widely reported that the price was above $5 million.
NamePros had the pleasure of interviewing the new owners of Invest.com in 2016, just after they had launched their new platform for trading and portfolio management.
Guy.com - $1 million
Guy.com is a domain name that was sold by Page Howe in 2007 and has had many incarnations since then, according to screenshots of the domain. For many years, it was a fully developed domain with targeted content for men, but now the website displays nothing at all.
Based on recent screenshots and WHOIS details, I believe that the owner is Michael Gleissner, a domain investor with an extremely valuable portfolio of names.
Topix.com - $1 million
Another 2007 sale for $1 million was for the domain topix.com. Topix is one of the hundred largest websites in the US, according to Quantcast. Before 2007, the company had been using topix.net to publish its website, but after three media companies bought a 75% share of the website, they soon made the switch to Topix.com.
The domain now displays hundreds of viral articles and quizzes designed to attain as many clicks as possible, it seems.
Poker.org - $1 million
Along with sex, a popular and profitable Internet industry is gambling. According to the British Gambling Commission, 29% of the gambling market share is now online, which in the UK equates to around $4.4 billion. It may come as no surprise then, to see Poker.org being sold for a million dollars.
The sale, completed in 2010, was brokered by Sedo on behalf of National A-1 Advertising. The name was sold to PokerCompany.com, although it’s unclear as to whether the domain is still owned by them. Currently, the name holds an informational site about poker and gambling.
This article is part of a series: View Series
Flying.com - $1.1 million
A company called UsedAirplanes, who had previously been operating under the UsedAirplanes.com domain name made quite the upgrade here, by buying Flying.com for $1.1 million. According to screenshots of the name from 2012, the domain hosted a fairly elaborate homepage that advertised aircraft for sale, flying lessons and a lot more.
It appears as though the domain has sold at some point since then, as the name now hosts a search portal for flights, which is operated by a company that also owns web properties on Staying.com, Tello.com and OnlyCars.com.
A website called Cruise.co.uk spent over a million dollars to add an “s” to their domain name in 2008. The company bought the domain from a German travel company called Nees Reisen, with the intention of creating a new website to take advantage of the potential search and direct traffic.
Until recently, the name redirected to Cruise.co.uk. Now however, the name hosts a generic "DomainMonster" registration page.
Zip.com - $1,058,830
What do you do with a million dollar domain name? If you’re a DNStination Inc client, then it looks like you leave the name unresolved for many years. The name sold in the DOMAINfest Prague auction in October 2010, and since then, the domain hasn’t been used for anything at all.
The WHOIS shows DNStination as the listed owner, so it’s likely that the domain was purchased by one of their clients. There are no immediate clues as to who the exact owner is, but it’s a shame to see such a great name go to waste.
Fish.com - $1,020,000
This sale dates back to 2005 as the owners of Dog.com paid a seven-figure price to buy Fish.com, whilst also paying $200,000 for Bird.com and $20,000 for FishSupplies.com. Almost twelve years later, the name is still owned by the same company.
Aside from the domains mentioned above, the company also owns Horse.com, Solar.com and Garden.com. That’s an extremely impressive portfolio of domain names.
Webcam.com - $1,020,000
As you might expect, this domain is definitely not safe for work, but it is a seven-figure sale, which is why we’re including it on this list. This domain sale came to fruition after a Rick Latona live domain name auction in 2009, where this domain received a million dollar bid.
The name forwarded to a “Cam Live” website before being developed into its own adult webcam service in 2011. The domain’s website has stayed the same since then.
Invest.com - $1,015,000
This is a domain name that has definitely resold since this million dollar sale in 2008. According to reports at the time, the domain was put back up for sale just four years after its original sale. In 2014, it emerged that the domain had been resold, and although a price wasn’t revealed, it was widely reported that the price was above $5 million.
NamePros had the pleasure of interviewing the new owners of Invest.com in 2016, just after they had launched their new platform for trading and portfolio management.
Guy.com - $1 million
Guy.com is a domain name that was sold by Page Howe in 2007 and has had many incarnations since then, according to screenshots of the domain. For many years, it was a fully developed domain with targeted content for men, but now the website displays nothing at all.
Based on recent screenshots and WHOIS details, I believe that the owner is Michael Gleissner, a domain investor with an extremely valuable portfolio of names.
Topix.com - $1 million
Another 2007 sale for $1 million was for the domain topix.com. Topix is one of the hundred largest websites in the US, according to Quantcast. Before 2007, the company had been using topix.net to publish its website, but after three media companies bought a 75% share of the website, they soon made the switch to Topix.com.
The domain now displays hundreds of viral articles and quizzes designed to attain as many clicks as possible, it seems.
Poker.org - $1 million
Along with sex, a popular and profitable Internet industry is gambling. According to the British Gambling Commission, 29% of the gambling market share is now online, which in the UK equates to around $4.4 billion. It may come as no surprise then, to see Poker.org being sold for a million dollars.
The sale, completed in 2010, was brokered by Sedo on behalf of National A-1 Advertising. The name was sold to PokerCompany.com, although it’s unclear as to whether the domain is still owned by them. Currently, the name holds an informational site about poker and gambling.
This article is part of a series: View Series
