sales Voice.com sold by Microstrategy for $30 million

GeorgeK · Jun 18, 2019

Just announced!

https://www.businesswire.com/news/h...croStrategy-Sells-Voice.com-Domain-30-Million

Avijit Roy · Jun 19, 2019

Thanks for sharing.

Bob Hawkes · Jun 19, 2019

I see the sale is listed on NameBio now. So far in 2019 this one sale is $30M while the other 42,100 .com domain name sales on NameBio so far in 2019 combine for another $38.4M! A beautiful name, but this was certainly a fantastic price obtained for it.

Kai W. · Jun 19, 2019

It will drive the improvement of the entire industry

dande · Jun 19, 2019

This 30million Voice.com sales confirms my point, that Crypto.com owner should have demanded for more than 12million. After all the years of rejecting offers, 25-30million would have been a worthy bargain.

Kingslayer · Jun 19, 2019

dande said:
This 30million Voice.com sales confirms my point, that Crypto.com owner should have demanded for more than 12million. After all the years of rejecting offers, 25-30million would have been a worthy bargain.

You can’t look at previous sales and say ‘xxxxxxxxxxx. com should have sold for this or that’.

End of day previous owner of Crypto got a fantastic deal, life changing amount of money where he and even his children don’t have to work again (if they don’t want).

I do think this was a one off sale, not every company has or is willing to folk out $30 million for a domain name, but single word domains are certainly the thing to get involved in if you can (from an investment pov).

There’s lots of demand for them right now and with high street closures and more and more businesses moving soley online, i do think demand is only going to grow.

dande · Jun 19, 2019

Kingslayer said:
You can’t look at previous sales and say ‘xxxxxxxxxxx. com should have sold for this or that’.

End of day previous owner of Crypto got a fantastic deal, life changing amount of money where he and even his children don’t have to work again (if they don’t want).

I do think this was a one off sale, not every company has or is willing to folk out $30 million for a domain name, but single word domains are certainly the thing to get involved in if you can (from an investment pov).

There’s lots of demand for them right now and with high street closures and more and more businesses moving soley online, i do think demand is only going to grow.

Yeah, very correct. But I've felt that way right from day one, not just because of this sale. But then, Crypto.com owner is not a domain investor. And like you said, anyone can live comfortably with 12million for the rest of his life if they keep away from Las Vegas.

sgtppr · Jun 19, 2019

I am...in the same industry as the buyer. In that community we are debating whether this price was an overpay or not. As a domainer i think it was a massive overpay. What say you all?

What's wholesale price on this? My guess: $250k.

garptrader · Jun 19, 2019

Facebook paid a billion dollars for Instagram when it had no revenue. Facebook's market cap currently exceeds $500 billion. Can another social media network take a slice of that?

J.R. · Jun 19, 2019

wilfra said:
I am...in the same industry as the buyer. In that community we are debating whether this price was an overpay or not. As a domainer i think it was a massive overpay. What say you all?

What's wholesale price on this? My guess: $250k.

It was a fair market price because that is what Microstrategy demanded and that is what Block.One paid. Great deal for the domain speculation industry.

sgtppr · Jun 19, 2019

Jahe said:
It was a fair market price because that is what Microstrategy demanded and that is what Block.One paid. Great deal for the domain speculation industry.

that is not the question that i asked.

but you indirectly answered my questing by dodging my question.

it was clearly a massive overpay. no domainer would pay anything close to that if they were buying it as an investment.

you know why this industry is dying? because the culture of domainers is one of trying to fleece idiots. 'sure someone wants to pay $500,000,000 for turtle-drawings.mobi? fair price! that's the market value! by the way i own horse-drawings-night.network, only $1,500!"

RegBoss · Jun 19, 2019

GeorgeK said:
The buyer of the Voice.com domain name, namely block.one, has already filed multiple trademark applications incorporating the term "voice", so we can get a sense of how they plan to use it:

1) Voice: http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=88461547&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch

2) Voice.com: http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=88461546&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch

3) Voice logo/figurative mark: http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=88461543&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch

They might have some issues trade marking it. Are they going to tell all the people with voice in their trademark already that they can not use voice. Not likely. They might get the "naked" voice trade marked. Highly used word. I think trying to trade mark it a waste of time and money. They already paid a fortune for it.

Trade marked names containg voice. 7205 trade marks already.

http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=toc&state=4804:vqkwau.1.1&p_search=searchss&p_L=50&BackReference=&p_plural=yes&p_s_PARA1=&p_tagrepl~:=PARA1$LD&expr=PARA1+AND+PARA2&p_s_PARA2=voice&p_tagrepl~:=PARA2$COMB&p_op_ALL=AND&a_default=search&a_search=Submit+Query&a_search=Submit+Query

Looking at voice dot com does give me an idea for voiceox though. Make a blog and let people voice what they want. I had a blog before with socialspat but the problem is maintenance and monitoring all the replies. You also get some A-holes you have to watch or eventually block. Takes up a lot of time. You need an IT team to run it properly.

sgtppr · Jun 19, 2019

RegBoss said:
They might have some issues trade marking it. Are they going to tell all the people with voice in their trademark already that they can not use voice. Not likely. They might get the "naked" voice trade marked. Highly used word. I think trying to trade mark it a waste of time and money. They already paid a fortune for it.

Trade marked names containg voice. 7205 trade marks already.
http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=toc&state=4804:vqkwau.1.1&p_search=searchss&p_L=50&BackReference=&p_plural=yes&p_s_PARA1=&p_tagrepl~:=PARA1$LD&expr=PARA1+AND+PARA2&p_s_PARA2=voice&p_tagrepl~:=PARA2$COMB&p_op_ALL=AND&a_default=search&a_search=Submit+Query&a_search=Submit+Query

Looking at voice dot com does give me an idea for voiceox though. Make a blog and let people voice what they want. I had a blog before with socialspat but the problem is maintenance and monitoring all the replies. You also get some A-holes you have to watch or eventually block. Takes up a lot of time. You need an IT team to run it properly.

Whatever Square did, they'll do that. I'm sure there are still some protections.

Lots of startups are using dictionary words these days.

satsdifference.com · Jun 19, 2019

I like. Does wonders for our niche all "Digital Assets" Mainstreaming..

-have a special day

TauseefKhan · Jun 20, 2019

I cay say 'sex is down' and 'voice is up'
http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/dnjournal-all-time-top-20-cash-domain-sales.htm

it will be interesting if the single word dot com owners raise their expectations exponentially after this sale.

J.R. · Jun 20, 2019

wilfra said:
that is not the question that i asked.

but you indirectly answered my questing by dodging my question.

it was clearly a massive overpay. no domainer would pay anything close to that if they were buying it as an investment.

you know why this industry is dying? because the culture of domainers is one of trying to fleece idiots. 'sure someone wants to pay $500,000,000 for turtle-drawings.mobi? fair price! that's the market value! by the way i own horse-drawings-night.network, only $1,500!"

The sell-off of Voice.com was a voluntary exchange, between Microstrategy and Block.One. There was no overpay, because there are 1,000 GTLDs that Block.One could have used (Voice.Horse anyone?), but they made the cost-benefit analysis that the Voice.com asset value was at least $30M for them; they made a calculation. Obviously, what a wholeseller pays for an asset or good, has little bearing on what the retail value is to the right buyer.

When you are talking about premium 1-2 word dot-Coms with commercial and/or dictionary meaning, scarcity and use plays a HUGE role in valuation.

The domain speculation industry isn't dying, its being bought out as the premium assets are finite; there are only so many 1-2 word premium dot-Coms with commercial and/or dictionary meaning to go around. For that reason, Block.One was willing to make the $30M purchase because they know more about their business than you do.

Notice the false analogy you use, "I own horse-drawings-night.network" to compare to a digital blue diamond like Voice.com. That is why Microstrategy earned $30 million, and you are stuck playing armchair domain valuation expert.

Lesson in there...

sgtppr · Jun 20, 2019

edit. see next comment.

sgtppr · Jun 20, 2019

Jahe said:
The sell-off of Voice.com was a voluntary exchange, between Microstrategy and Block.One. There was no overpay, because there are 1,000 GTLDs that Block.One could have used (Voice.Horse anyone?), but they made the cost-benefit analysis that the Voice.com asset value iwas at least $30M for them; they made a calculation. Obviously, what a wholeseller pays for an asset or good, has little bearing on what the retail value is to the right buyer.

When you are talking about premium 1-2 word dot-Coms with commercial and/or dictionary meaning, scarcity and use plays a HUGE role in valuation.

The domain speculation industry isn't dying, its being bought out as the premium assets are finite; there are only so many 1-2 word premium dot-Coms with commercial and/or dictionary meaning to go around. For that reason, Block.One was willing to make the $30M purchase because they know more about their business than you do.

Notice the false analogy you use, "I own horse-drawings-night.network" to compare to a digital blue diamond like Voice.com. That is why Microstrategy earned $30 million, and you are stuck playing armchair domain valuation expert.

Lesson in there...

ok boss, i'll make a less hyperbolic analogy. say frogs.com sold for $300 billion.

everything you are saying would also apply to that 'digital blue diamond'

you're pretending that because something is valuable, there is no such thing as an overpay. that's not how valuation works. for domain names or anything else.

J.R. · Jun 20, 2019

wilfra said:
ok boss, i'll make a less hyperbolic analogy. say frogs.com sold for $300 billion.

everything you are saying would also apply to that 'digital blue diamond'

you're pretending that because something is valuable, there is no such thing as an overpay. that's not how valuation works.

No, you are pretending there is an objective standard by which to measure the value of a premium 1-2 word dot-Com with commercial and/or dictionary meaning. Hence, your dependence on using extreme numbers like $300 billion to make your case when we have more a more dependable scale. As of today, the largest valuation of a domain name by the major blue chip accounting firms is Cars.com at $872 million!

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/39899/000003989915000006/gci-20141228x10k.htm

So, until a greater valuation point has been reached on an applicable URL asset that is the highest standard we have on that particular domain name but every premium dot-Com is unique. So, even considering the current scale of $0-$872M, the Voice.com deal might be considered a steal in the right context.

Even using your Frogs.com example, it would depend on use. Let's say, a professional sports team franchise was allocated to a new city. Maybe they want to use the nickname Frogs and desire Frogs.com. How much would they be willing to pay? How much would the seller demand? I don't know...but I do know $375K was the sell price for Rangers.com; but is that a starting or ending point for negotiations? If it is a savvy hard-nosed negotiatior like MicroStrategy; it might be the beginning of a email convo - maybe. For others, a dream offer.

To make a claim for an overpay, you would have to provide proof that there is an objective standard by which to measure these unique, scarce and income producing digital diamonds like Voice.com. As of yesterday, Estibot.com had Voice.com valued at $618K; how wrong were they?

But the purchase of $30M of Voice.com as the highest public URL sell to date disproves your claim.

sgtppr · Jun 20, 2019

Jahe said:
you are pretending there is an objective standard by which to measure the value of a premium 1-2 word dot-Com

i would say you are pretending there isn't. but yes, that's accurate.

we both know if you could afford to do it, you would not pay $30 million for voice.com. you probably wouldn't even pay $5 million for it. but here you are saying it's a great price for buyer and seller. when you yourself wouldn't pay it.

J.R. · Jun 20, 2019

wilfra said:
i would say you are pretending there isn't. but yet, we seemed to have reached agreement. i think domains can be valued and you think beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

but we both know if you could afford to do it, you would not pay $30 million for voice.com. you probably wouldn't even pay $5 million for it.

Again you present a false comparison, an individual domain speculator with no plans to develop the digital asset but only to buy, hold and sell versus development for market share capture. In the Voice.com situation, the buyers are in the BOOMING crypto & mobile/digital communications industry. So what I, as a 3rd rate domain specualtor would pay is irrelevant because I'm a wholeseller not a retailer in need of the income producing asset to improve my web presence, market position and gain more sales.

Also, I don't have a $5M budget, or even $1M, so thats another theoretical argument you are making when we have the concrete evidence of the Voice.com sell for $30M and the Cars.com valuation at the SEC level of $872M.

Do you want to accept the facts as they are; or create your own false reality of how things should be because you say so?

sgtppr · Jun 20, 2019

Jahe said:
Again you present a false comparison, an individual domain speculator with no plans to develop the digital asset but only to buy, hold and sell versus development for market share capture. In the Voice.com situation, the buyers are in the BOOMING crypto & mobile/digital communications industry. So what I, as a 3rd rate domain specualtor would pay is irrelevant because I'm a wholeseller not a retailer in need of the income producing asset to improve my web presence, market position and gain more sales.

Also, I don't have a $5M budget, or even $1M, so thats another theoretical argument you are making when we have the concrete evidence of the Voice.com sell for $30M and the Cars.com valuation at the SEC level of $872M.

Do you want to accept the facts as they are; or create your own false reality of how things should be because you say so?

you don't seem to be able to understand the point being made when one makes a comparison between two things, so i will attempt to restrain myself from making another one.

but how much money a buyer has, or what their plans are, don't impact the value of a domain name. since you deny that domains even have an objective value, there isn't much more for us to discuss. i disagree very strongly with you on that.

sgtppr · Jun 20, 2019

wilfra said:
What's wholesale price on this? My guess: $250k.

Note that this was my question. What is the wholesale value of voice.com.

J.R. · Jun 20, 2019

wilfra said:
Note that this was my question. What is the wholesale value of voice.com.

No, that was ONE of your questions, you asked several in your original post:
I am...in the same industry as the buyer. In that community
Q1: We are debating whether this price was an overpay or not?
Q2: As a domainer i think it was a massive overpay. What say you all?
Q3: What's wholesale price on this? My guess: $250k.

You asked three questions in your original post. I was responding to Q1 & Q2 and you know this from our exchange. Now, I can answer question three because Voice.com was originally purchased by Microstrategy for around $115,000 from what I read on the web. I can't find the citation, but that is the claim.

So, Microstrategy team are savvy investors and negotiators...

GoKaizen · Jun 21, 2019

The plural was an excellent buy at $30k.

https://www.domainsherpa.com/david-ciccerelli-voices-interview/

ThatNameGuy · Jun 21, 2019

GeorgeK said:
Just announced!

George, I know you're pretty well respected around this industry and thanks for sharing. I'm still a relative newbie who still thinks this industry is BY FAR the most screwed up industry on the planet. Here is what I just posted on Morgan Linton's blog a few minutes ago;

"Just to show how screwed up this industry truly is, I just reg'd VoiceSynchronization.com and paid GD a whopping $8.50 for it. GD says the word "Synchronization" is valued at $2,000, "Voice" is a popular keyword, and "VoiceSynchronization" is highly memorable."

George, either I'm drunk or we're all living in the twilight zone. However, like with Donald J. Trump, the entertainment value is absolutely priceless

sales Voice.com sold by Microstrategy for $30 million

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