Ryan McKegney of
@DomainAgents has updated the Domain Valuation Guide for 2021. The biggest changes have happened in the high-end one word .com space. Strong hands now hold most of them and if you are interested in buying one, you will have to start with a very strong offer.
https://blog.domainagents.com/2021/05/31/2021-domain-valuation-guide/
I believe it is inevitable. Over the decades, these domains trickle down from one reseller to the next, upwards in the wealth chain with a few remaining in actual use, but most ending up with resellers who can sit on them and not sell for anything less than astronomical rates. Yes, plenty of them are in use, but I'd like to see more data on how many good one-word domains are in use versus how many are awaiting offers (actively or otherwise). In fact with really high valued domains, often times, smaller businesses might find it more profitable to sell them if they're not doing well.
Just to check I started coming up with good one-word names with whom I didn't associate any company (mentally). And I tried checking how many were in actual use. Here are my results for a random list of 30 such one-word domains. Please note that this is just for fun. Granted that such a small sample means nothing, but a lot of great names will keep on sitting, biting the dust. Why? I guess everyone will now treat their domains like it is Voice.com.
Undeveloped or for sale: (21)
macrocosm.com
whim.com
renew.com
cargo.com
superior.com
amaze.com
cobalt.com
ethereal.com
eternal.com
decrypt.com
encrypt.com
learn.com
speed.com
turnover.com
terrain.com
illustrate.com
devolve.com
brain.com
innovate.com
stride.com
fusion.com
Developed or had some page or service associated: (9)
divine.com
coin.com (Surprising how this survived all these years!)
feel.com
earth.com
alive.com
symbiosis.com
star.com
spot.com
ripe.com
So, for instance I checked later and there are companies operating with some of these names, but yet the .com names sit idle. Some of those companies certainly even have the money to make good offers, but have not acquired the names. Some may argue that the beauty of a good domain is when it is developed to its full potential. It may sit as a trophy in a collector's cabinet with millions of dollar in valuation, but I guess at some point you might think that overvaluation is also a problem. Yes, the market would correct for those things, one hopes. Maybe they'd go higher, maybe otherwise.