In the first article, I looked at what owners are asking for their 4L .com domains while my fixed $10,000-per-domain experiment continues. This time, I want to put those price tags beside the recorded sales history and explain what each comparison actually tells us.
The headline is striking: a $9,995 median asking price against a $330 median recorded sale. More interestingly, the gap remains around 26.2 times when the comparison holds the mix of letter composition, consonant/vowel patterns and repetition shapes fixed. Sellers’ expectations are a long way above the price levels in this historical sample.
That deserves scrutiny. It also deserves a fair comparison: reported investor purchases and business purchases may be mixed, historical records come from different periods, and a price someone asks is a different kind of evidence from a reported completed sale. I want to see how much of the gap survives closer inspection before drawing conclusions.
What is in the data - and what each count means
The report combines current BIN listings collected from Afternic/GoDaddy, Sedo, Namecheap and Dynadot with reported sales collected from NameBio and GoDaddy. My ownership exclusion list was applied to both datasets. Current listings were reduced to one entry per four-letter .com domain at its lowest accepted asking price.
- 165,378 unique current listings: asking prices from $131.07 to $1,000,000 in the cleaned snapshot.
- 112,384 recorded sales observations: all retained rows in the supplied sales file, covering 92,128 distinct domains. The observed price range is $100 to $15,500,000.
- 92,128 sales references: one median recorded price per distinct sales domain, used for the asking-price comparisons.
A domain with three recorded sales contributes three rows to the historical sales tables, but one value to the reference comparisons. That value is a summary of its recorded prices; it need not equal any single transaction price. This is why the overall raw sale median is $330, while the median of the domain references is $339. Against the $9,995 median ask, those produce gaps of 30.3× and 29.5×, respectively.
The sales file has no dates. It includes the whole supplied history, with no time adjustment. The $100 minimum in the collected sample is a price cutoff and does not remove old sales by date. These are reported observations, not a complete census of all 4L .com transactions.
Figure 1. The recorded-sales sample: 112,384 observations across 92,128 domains. The median is $330, the average is $2,755, and the middle half of recorded prices runs from $197 to $800
The average is more than eight times the median because a relatively small number of very expensive observations pull it upward. The $2,500 90th percentile gives useful context: roughly nine in ten recorded prices are at or below that level. Those exceptional high-price records should not become the default expectation for every four-letter domain.
Sales price bands: where the recorded prices actually sit
Each row below is a separate price interval. A $1,000 observation belongs in the band ending at $1,000; a $1,000.01 observation belongs in the next band. Each recorded row appears once, so the counts add up to 112,384. The first band starts at the sample’s observed $100 minimum.
| Recorded price | Recorded rows | Share of recorded rows |
|---|
| Up to $500 | 73,632 | 65.52% |
| Over $500 to $1,000 | 15,073 | 13.41% |
| Over $1,000 to $2,000 | 10,010 | 8.91% |
| Over $2,000 to $3,000 | 4,435 | 3.95% |
| Over $3,000 to $5,000 | 3,913 | 3.48% |
| Over $5,000 to $7,500 | 1,768 | 1.57% |
| Over $7,500 to $10,000 | 1,148 | 1.02% |
| Over $10,000 to $15,000 | 894 | 0.80% |
| Over $15,000 to $20,000 | 490 | 0.44% |
| Over $20,000 to $30,000 | 401 | 0.36% |
| Over $30,000 to $50,000 | 242 | 0.22% |
| Over $50,000 to $75,000 | 111 | 0.10% |
| Over $75,000 to $100,000 | 68 | 0.06% |
| Over $100,000 to $150,000 | 63 | 0.06% |
| Over $150,000 to $250,000 | 37 | 0.03% |
| Over $250,000 to $500,000 | 45 | 0.04% |
| Over $500,000 to $1,000,000 | 25 | 0.02% |
| Over $1,000,000 | 29 | 0.03% |
Intervals include their upper boundary. Percentages use all 112,384 observations and may not add to exactly 100% after rounding.
- 65.52% of recorded observations are $500 or less; 78.93% are $1,000 or less.
- 95.27% are $5,000 or less, and 97.86% are $10,000 or less.
- Only 2,405 observations, or 2.14%, exceed $10,000. There are 29 observations above $1,000,000; the sales sample has no equivalent to the listings’ $1,000,000 upper cap.
Figure 2. Recorded sales price ranges. Bar lengths count observations, and percentages describe this historical file - not the odds that a listed domain will sell at that price
Compare that with current inventory: 47.37% of listings ask more than $10,000. A price level that is above almost 98% of recorded observations is being requested by nearly half the current listings. These populations are different, but the contrast shows the scale of the expectations gap.
Ask and sale distributions: reading the whole picture
The three curves show current asks, individual recorded sale observations, and the one-reference-per-domain sales series. Pick a price on the horizontal axis and read upward to a curve: its height is the percentage of that series at or below the price. Each curve has its own denominator.
Figure 3. Ask and sale distributions. The three stepped curves describe 165,378 current asks, 112,384 recorded observations and 92,128 domain references, respectively
The curves let us compare the lower, middle and upper parts of the samples instead of relying on one average. A large separation means many asks sit well above the recorded price distribution. It does not mean the chart has measured a future sale probability: that would require knowing which comparable listings were exposed to buyers, for how long, and which sold or remained unsold.
Recorded observations by letter-composition category
To organize the names, I use four letter groups: J/Q; U/V/W/X/Y/Z; F/G/H/K; and A/B/C/D/E/I/L/M/N/O/P/R/S/T. They are ordered from lower to higher in this classification. The 35 categories cover every way four letter occurrences can be distributed among these groups.
Read the first four columns as counts, including repeated letters. They always add up to four. This method ignores letter order, word meaning, combinations such as HQ, UI, QC, etc., and repetition premiums. Category order is a classification rule, so it does not promise that every successive row will have a higher price.
Recorded observations by letter-composition category
| J/Q | U/V/W/X/Y/Z | F/G/H/K | A/B/C/D/E/I/L/M/N/O/P/R/S/T | Recorded rows | Distinct domains | Median sale | Middle 50% |
|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | $1,136 | $911–$1,336 |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 36 | $232 | $146–$467 |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 17 | $326 | $196–$862 |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 109 | 84 | $225 | $155–$475 |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 164 | 138 | $218 | $133–$362 |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 169 | 150 | $204 | $142–$359 |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 691 | 581 | $210 | $135–$347 |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 58 | 49 | $292 | $164–$945 |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 406 | 363 | $229 | $141–$409 |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 970 | 808 | $250 | $161–$450 |
| 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 389 | 321 | $213 | $140–$325 |
| 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 670 | 559 | $215 | $135–$310 |
| 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2,616 | 2,149 | $210 | $140–$340 |
| 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 387 | 336 | $208 | $139–$342 |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3,341 | 2,857 | $210 | $145–$350 |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6,932 | 5,767 | $240 | $156–$400 |
| 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 100 | 86 | $350 | $193–$1,215 |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1,057 | 905 | $240 | $154–$500 |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4,445 | 3,793 | $250 | $162–$440 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5,764 | 4,821 | $300 | $190–$625 |
| 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 376 | 290 | $241 | $159–$513 |
| 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 785 | 631 | $230 | $149–$399 |
| 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3,152 | 2,509 | $252 | $161–$469 |
| 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 711 | 582 | $242 | $151–$400 |
| 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5,823 | 4,759 | $239 | $158–$400 |
| 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 11,259 | 9,299 | $298 | $181–$575 |
| 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 284 | 243 | $258 | $168–$406 |
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3,534 | 2,987 | $256 | $174–$450 |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13,788 | 11,405 | $305 | $200–$637 |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 17,063 | 13,989 | $412 | $242–$1,200 |
| 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 66 | 53 | $774 | $302–$1,307 |
| 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 790 | 632 | $400 | $225–$900 |
| 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4,385 | 3,528 | $417 | $246–$900 |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 11,536 | 9,126 | $511 | $305–$1,319 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10,502 | 8,273 | $819 | $425–$2,500 |
The first four columns count letter occurrences. Prices summarize recorded rows; the historical comparison charts instead use one median reference per domain.
The category containing four letters from the final group has 10,502 observations and an $819 raw sale median. One U/V/W/X/Y/Z letter plus three F/G/H/K letters has 284 observations and a $257.50 median. That is a meaningful difference in recorded price levels. Still, the first category - four J/Q letters - has only three observations across two domains. Its $1,136 median is far too thin a basis for overturning the broader picture.
Letter-composition categories: sales versus asks
In this chart, each marker is a median and each horizontal interval contains the middle 50% of its series. The interval shows price dispersion, not a confidence interval and not the full minimum-to-maximum range. Sales use domain references here, while asks use one current price per listed domain. Read the axis labels carefully: the price scale spans several orders of magnitude.
Figure 4. All 35 composition categories on one chart. The sale-reference and asking-price markers share each row. The lines show P25–P75; there are no average-price markers
For the four-final-group-letter category, the current median ask is $24,999 versus a $926 domain-reference median, about 27.0×. With one F/G/H/K letter and three final-group letters, the figures are $19,000 versus $528.25, about 36.0×. Better letters have stronger sales references, but their owners also ask much more.
Recorded sales: all 16 C/V patterns
C means consonant; V means one of A, E, I, O or U. Y counts as a consonant. The counts describe reported observations within each pattern. The middle-50% column shows how dispersed those prices are, and the average helps reveal the influence of unusually expensive records.
Recorded sales: all 16 C/V patterns
| Pattern | Recorded rows | Distinct domains | Median sale | Middle 50% | Average sale |
|---|
| CCCC | 38,521 | 32,696 | $350 | $195–$971 | $1,328 |
| CCCV | 12,979 | 10,469 | $275 | $175–$460 | $762 |
| CCVC | 12,748 | 10,273 | $305 | $190–$570 | $2,912 |
| CCVV | 3,111 | 2,523 | $326 | $200–$575 | $1,378 |
| CVCC | 13,537 | 10,922 | $335 | $200–$816 | $5,529 |
| CVCV | 2,787 | 2,143 | $3,250 | $1,400–$8,000 | $18,773 |
| CVVC | 2,958 | 2,373 | $565 | $280–$2,235 | $8,697 |
| CVVV | 737 | 577 | $529 | $302–$1,590 | $2,631 |
| VCCC | 12,785 | 10,439 | $262 | $170–$450 | $853 |
| VCCV | 3,137 | 2,528 | $400 | $227–$1,000 | $1,992 |
| VCVC | 3,267 | 2,543 | $500 | $251–$1,820 | $8,408 |
| VCVV | 744 | 630 | $720 | $348–$2,121 | $2,803 |
| VVCC | 3,254 | 2,588 | $265 | $169–$449 | $762 |
| VVCV | 728 | 607 | $526 | $268–$1,701 | $2,818 |
| VVVC | 880 | 668 | $303 | $195–$505 | $939 |
| VVVV | 211 | 149 | $499 | $276–$810 | $1,326 |
Sale statistics here count every retained observation. Dollar figures are rounded to whole dollars for display only.
CVCV stands out in the sales data too: 2,787 observations across 2,143 domains, a $3,250 median, and a middle half from $1,400 to $8,000. Compare that with CCCC at $350, VCCC at $262, or VVCC at $265. CVCV has a substantial recorded premium; treating every four-letter name as interchangeable would hide it.
The following table gives each sales domain one reference value before comparing it with current asks. The ratio divides the median ask by the median sales reference within that pattern. It is a comparison of price levels in two samples, rather than a purchase-and-resale multiple earned on the same names.
C/V patterns: listings and sales references
| Pattern | Current listings | Sales reference domains | Median current ask | Median sales reference | Ask / reference |
|---|
| CCCC | 65,208 | 32,696 | $9,995 | $361 | 27.7× |
| CCCV | 18,267 | 10,469 | $8,289 | $278 | 29.8× |
| CCVC | 18,281 | 10,273 | $9,500 | $310 | 30.6× |
| CCVV | 4,297 | 2,523 | $11,000 | $335 | 32.8× |
| CVCC | 17,290 | 10,922 | $9,999 | $336 | 29.8× |
| CVCV | 2,006 | 2,143 | $68,400 | $3,750 | 18.2× |
| CVVC | 3,856 | 2,373 | $18,000 | $600 | 30.0× |
| CVVV | 951 | 577 | $19,999 | $525 | 38.1× |
| VCCC | 18,897 | 10,439 | $7,950 | $265 | 30.0× |
| VCCV | 4,227 | 2,528 | $12,000 | $400 | 30.0× |
| VCVC | 4,301 | 2,543 | $19,111 | $510 | 37.5× |
| VCVV | 915 | 630 | $19,999 | $768 | 26.1× |
| VVCC | 4,680 | 2,588 | $9,000 | $270 | 33.3× |
| VVCV | 887 | 607 | $19,999 | $540 | 37.0× |
| VVVC | 1,069 | 668 | $12,000 | $302 | 39.7× |
| VVVV | 246 | 149 | $19,999 | $502 | 39.8× |
One median of the recorded prices is first calculated for each sales domain. The reference column is the median of those domain values. Ratios use unrounded amounts; an em dash means unavailable.
Figure 5. C/V patterns: recorded sales versus current asks. Read the median markers alongside the middle-50% intervals and the sample counts, rather than treating a pattern as a single fixed price
CVCV has a $68,400 median ask against a $3,750 sales-reference median: 18.2×. CCCC is $9,995 versus $361: 27.7×. VCVC is $19,111 versus $510: 37.5×. The pattern with the highest asking prices does not have the largest relative gap. CVCV’s stronger recorded sales base explains part of its higher price tags, while leaving a substantial gap of its own.
Recorded sales: all 15 repetition shapes
Here A, B, C and D are placeholders for different letters. ABAB means two letters alternate, AABB means two matching pairs, ABBA is a mirrored pair, and ABCD means all four letters differ. These shapes describe repetition, independently of whether the letters are vowels or consonants.
Recorded sales: all 15 repetition shapes
| Shape | Recorded rows | Distinct domains | Median sale | Middle 50% | Average sale |
|---|
| AAAA | 7 | 4 | $12,500 | $8,203–$17,600 | $26,515 |
| AAAB | 288 | 193 | $1,000 | $411–$2,608 | $1,804 |
| AABA | 278 | 205 | $616 | $253–$1,374 | $1,239 |
| AABB | 149 | 122 | $2,545 | $1,200–$5,900 | $3,843 |
| AABC | 3,616 | 2,960 | $399 | $225–$905 | $1,095 |
| ABAA | 290 | 211 | $625 | $300–$1,756 | $1,531 |
| ABAB | 199 | 154 | $2,609 | $1,000–$6,000 | $22,512 |
| ABAC | 3,910 | 3,162 | $405 | $221–$1,010 | $3,654 |
| ABBA | 207 | 162 | $1,253 | $513–$2,935 | $3,937 |
| ABBB | 280 | 187 | $1,385 | $482–$3,000 | $2,371 |
| ABBC | 4,047 | 3,211 | $401 | $215–$1,009 | $4,705 |
| ABCA | 3,694 | 3,063 | $390 | $220–$999 | $1,718 |
| ABCB | 3,722 | 3,016 | $440 | $230–$1,364 | $4,069 |
| ABCC | 3,774 | 3,084 | $440 | $236–$1,150 | $2,346 |
| ABCD | 87,923 | 72,394 | $310 | $187–$691 | $2,661 |
Sale statistics here count every retained observation. Dollar figures are rounded to whole dollars for display only.
The raw median is $310 for ABCD, $1,253 for ABBA, $2,545 for AABB and $2,609 for ABAB. Repetition premiums therefore appear in the recorded sales sample as well as in sellers’ price tags. But ABAB has only 199 observations, and its $22,512 average is far above its median. The exceptional upper end should not become the expectation for every alternating pair.
AAAA records a $12,500 raw median, but that comes from seven observations across four domains. There are no AAAA listings in the retained current snapshot. A missing asking-price comparison here means unavailable data, not a zero value.
Repetition shapes: listings and sales references
| Shape | Current listings | Sales reference domains | Median current ask | Median sales reference | Ask / reference |
|---|
| AAAA | 0 | 4 | — | $16,301 | — |
| AAAB | 254 | 193 | $21,750 | $1,115 | 19.5× |
| AABA | 212 | 205 | $20,785 | $620 | 33.5× |
| AABB | 165 | 122 | $38,332 | $2,505 | 15.3× |
| AABC | 5,870 | 2,960 | $10,662 | $404 | 26.4× |
| ABAA | 210 | 211 | $19,995 | $720 | 27.8× |
| ABAB | 164 | 154 | $39,999 | $3,000 | 13.3× |
| ABAC | 5,395 | 3,162 | $12,000 | $412 | 29.1× |
| ABBA | 165 | 162 | $27,000 | $1,401 | 19.3× |
| ABBB | 255 | 187 | $23,799 | $1,421 | 16.7× |
| ABBC | 5,361 | 3,211 | $10,805 | $410 | 26.4× |
| ABCA | 5,494 | 3,063 | $10,042 | $400 | 25.1× |
| ABCB | 5,184 | 3,016 | $12,763 | $450 | 28.4× |
| ABCC | 5,323 | 3,084 | $11,592 | $460 | 25.2× |
| ABCD | 131,326 | 72,394 | $9,799 | $319 | 30.7× |
One median of the recorded prices is first calculated for each sales domain. The reference column is the median of those domain values. Ratios use unrounded amounts; an em dash means unavailable.
Figure 6. Repeated-letter structures: sales versus current asks. All 15 shapes remain visible; AAAA has recorded history but no retained current asking-price sample
ABAB compares at $39,999 versus a $3,000 reference median: 13.3×; AABB at $38,332 versus $2,505: 15.3×. ABCD is $9,799 versus $319: 30.7×. Sellers of recognizable repeating structures have more historical support for a premium, although these ratios still do not establish what a particular buyer should pay.
Sales letters: which letters appear in higher-priced records?
Each row includes recorded observations of domains containing that letter anywhere. A domain such as ABBA belongs to both A and B, but contributes only once to each of those letter groups per observation. Because groups overlap, their counts cannot be added to obtain the total number of sales.
Sales Letters
| Letter | Recorded rows | Distinct domains | Median sale | Middle 50% |
|---|
| A | 17,663 | 14,306 | $426 | $240–$1,305 |
| B | 16,327 | 13,370 | $350 | $201–$888 |
| C | 15,243 | 12,733 | $446 | $234–$1,250 |
| D | 16,254 | 13,324 | $361 | $209–$910 |
| E | 19,089 | 15,349 | $355 | $206–$809 |
| F | 15,991 | 12,953 | $310 | $185–$620 |
| G | 14,864 | 12,337 | $320 | $190–$747 |
| H | 15,697 | 12,855 | $320 | $190–$647 |
| I | 18,120 | 14,658 | $359 | $205–$925 |
| J | 14,807 | 12,528 | $252 | $164–$450 |
| K | 14,743 | 12,383 | $303 | $182–$580 |
| L | 15,094 | 12,455 | $359 | $202–$908 |
| M | 16,889 | 13,858 | $389 | $211–$995 |
| N | 16,386 | 13,378 | $375 | $214–$938 |
| O | 19,379 | 15,335 | $350 | $203–$800 |
| P | 17,068 | 13,885 | $360 | $205–$878 |
| Q | 14,736 | 12,335 | $225 | $150–$385 |
| R | 16,710 | 13,698 | $390 | $211–$980 |
| S | 15,246 | 12,694 | $495 | $250–$1,368 |
| T | 16,012 | 13,165 | $400 | $216–$1,027 |
| U | 18,901 | 15,218 | $270 | $171–$490 |
| V | 19,736 | 15,894 | $245 | $160–$400 |
| W | 14,584 | 12,183 | $282 | $175–$561 |
| X | 14,355 | 12,012 | $295 | $175–$647 |
| Y | 15,674 | 13,013 | $315 | $185–$796 |
| Z | 13,802 | 11,617 | $265 | $168–$510 |
Sale statistics here count every retained observation. Dollar figures are rounded to whole dollars for display only.
The highest raw letter-anywhere median is S at $495, followed by C at $446 and A at $426. At the lower end are Q at $225, V at $245 and J at $252. These are whole-domain prices associated with the presence of a letter; they do not isolate the value contributed by that letter.
Domains containing each letter: listings and sales references
| Letter | Current listings | Sales reference domains | Median current ask | Median sales reference | Ask / reference |
|---|
| A | 24,232 | 14,306 | $12,888 | $433 | 29.8× |
| B | 23,679 | 13,370 | $9,995 | $360 | 27.8× |
| C | 21,305 | 12,733 | $12,500 | $458 | 27.3× |
| D | 23,861 | 13,324 | $10,500 | $379 | 27.7× |
| E | 25,000 | 15,349 | $10,999 | $356 | 30.9× |
| F | 24,583 | 12,953 | $9,158 | $313 | 29.3× |
| G | 22,583 | 12,337 | $9,534 | $326 | 29.2× |
| H | 23,974 | 12,855 | $9,995 | $327 | 30.6× |
| I | 23,709 | 14,658 | $10,588 | $360 | 29.4× |
| J | 26,424 | 12,528 | $7,950 | $260 | 30.6× |
| K | 23,279 | 12,383 | $9,534 | $310 | 30.8× |
| L | 22,130 | 12,455 | $10,000 | $365 | 27.4× |
| M | 23,168 | 13,858 | $12,000 | $400 | 30.0× |
| N | 23,180 | 13,378 | $11,000 | $385 | 28.6× |
| O | 25,410 | 15,335 | $10,000 | $350 | 28.6× |
| P | 23,189 | 13,885 | $10,000 | $364 | 27.5× |
| Q | 25,561 | 12,335 | $6,000 | $228 | 26.3× |
| R | 23,322 | 13,698 | $11,725 | $400 | 29.3× |
| S | 21,663 | 12,694 | $14,900 | $500 | 29.8× |
| T | 22,947 | 13,165 | $12,250 | $405 | 30.2× |
| U | 26,886 | 15,218 | $8,673 | $270 | 32.1× |
| V | 28,103 | 15,894 | $7,495 | $248 | 30.2× |
| W | 24,019 | 12,183 | $8,000 | $290 | 27.6× |
| X | 24,334 | 12,012 | $8,995 | $300 | 30.0× |
| Y | 25,074 | 13,013 | $9,800 | $321 | 30.5× |
| Z | 24,420 | 11,617 | $7,950 | $272 | 29.2× |
One median of the recorded prices is first calculated for each sales domain. The reference column is the median of those domain values. Ratios use unrounded amounts; an em dash means unavailable.
Figure 7. Domains containing each letter: sales versus asks. The groups overlap, and the other letters, word meaning and structure can differ within every row
The comparison ratios range from about 26.3× for Q to 32.1× for U. S-containing domains compare at $14,900 versus a $500 reference median; Q-containing names at $6,000 versus $228. Sellers recognize broad letter differences, but the asking-price gap persists across the entire alphabet
Distinct letters and recorded sale prices
This chart asks a simpler question: how many different letters does the domain contain? A four-letter name can contain one, two, three or four distinct letters. Lower counts create more repetition, but they can represent very different shapes - for example, AABB and AAAB both use two distinct letters.
Recorded prices by number of distinct letters
| Distinct letters | Recorded rows | Distinct domains | Median sale | Middle 50% |
|---|
| 1 | 7 | 4 | $12,500 | $8,203–$17,600 |
| 2 | 1,691 | 1,234 | $1,076 | $415–$2,969 |
| 3 | 22,763 | 18,496 | $407 | $225–$1,050 |
| 4 | 87,923 | 72,394 | $310 | $187–$691 |
Sale statistics here count every retained observation. Dollar figures are rounded to whole dollars for display only.
Figure 8. Distinct letters and recorded sale prices. The chart shows averages, medians and middle-50% intervals for raw recorded observations; the one-letter group has just four distinct domains
The medians decline from $12,500 with one distinct letter to $1,076 with two, $407 with three, and $310 with four. That is a descriptive repetition association, not a rule that deleting letter variety always increases value. The one-letter result is particularly fragile because of its tiny sample, and commercial meaning remains outside this grouping.
Sale medians by letter position
Each cell summarizes recorded observations with a particular letter in a particular position. It shows a median and an observation count. The color scale is logarithmic: equal color steps correspond to multiplicative price changes, so use the printed dollar value when making a precise comparison.
Figure 9. Sale medians by letter position. Each position includes the whole recorded-observation sample; the same observation appears once in each of the four position rows
Q has the lowest median in all four positions: $249, $216, $220 and $225.50. At the other end, names ending in S have a $611.50 median, compared with $510 when S is first. That is an association between the complete names in those cells and their recorded prices. It does not prove that moving S to the end of any domain causes the price to rise.
This also corrects an easy overstatement about the letter groups: J is often near the lower end, but it is not consistently the second-cheapest letter. Grouping the alphabet is useful for organizing evidence; the detailed results still have exceptions.
Letter composition of the two samples
Before blaming the whole gap on unrealistic owners, we should ask whether the two datasets contain different kinds of names. This chart compares each category’s share of the 165,378 current listings with its share of the 92,128 sales-reference domains. Each sample totals 100% before rounding. The sales side here counts distinct reference domains, not all recorded rows.
Figure 10. Letter composition of the two samples. Different category shares show why a single unadjusted median cannot settle the comparison
Names made entirely from A/B/C/D/E/I/L/M/N/O/P/R/S/T account for 6.60% of current listings versus 8.98% of sales-reference domains. Names with one F/G/H/K letter and three final-group letters account for 8.20% versus 9.91%. Differences like these are exactly why the next comparisons control the structural mix more carefully.
A category’s large share of current listings does not establish weak buyer demand. These are a snapshot of available inventory and an incomplete accumulation of historical records, without a common exposure period. We can describe representation; we cannot calculate sell-through from these shares.
Asking-price ratios after structural matching
For each current listing, the report first looks for sales-reference domains with the same letter-composition category, C/V pattern and repetition shape. If fewer than 20 distinct peers remain, it broadens the match to composition plus C/V, then to composition alone. It never crosses into another composition category. The listed domain itself is removed from its peer pool before the count is checked.
The listing’s ask is divided by its matched peers’ median reference. The chart then takes the median of these individual ratios within each category. This is different from dividing two broad category medians: each listing can have a different peer group, particularly where the method falls back to a broader match.
How closely could the listings be matched?
| Match used | Current listings | Share of current listings |
|---|
| Composition + C/V + repetition | 155,597 | 94.09% |
| Composition + C/V | 8,585 | 5.19% |
| Composition only | 1,148 | 0.69% |
| No qualifying peer group | 48 | 0.03% |
| Nonpositive asking price | 0 | 0.00% |
The minimum is 20 distinct sale-reference peers after self-exclusion. This is a practical sample-size rule, not a guarantee of reliability.
Figure 11. Asking-price ratios after structural matching. All 35 categories share one linear-scale chart. Read the ratio together with its matched count and coverage; a missing ratio means insufficient support
The four-final-group-letter category has a median matched ratio of 28.6×. One F/G/H/K letter plus three final-group letters is 30.6×; one U/V/W/X/Y/Z letter plus three final-group letters is 31.3×. These gaps survive matching on the measured structure instead of comparing the whole market indiscriminately
Two categories have no supported ratio: four J/Q letters, and three J/Q letters plus one F/G/H/K letter. Together they account for the 48 unmatched listings. Elsewhere, the category with two J/Q and two F/G/H/K letters reaches 55.6×, but it contains only 130 current listings. Matching is a useful check, while sparse groups and fallback matches still deserve care.
Comparison at a fixed structural mix
This is the most controlled price-level comparison in the report. It keeps the exact composition + C/V + repetition cells fixed, and uses only cells with at least 20 reference domains. Unlike the previous per-listing calculation, all 45,091 sales domains that also appear in current listings are removed from this reference pool. No broader fallback cells are substituted.
Within each qualifying cell, the report compares its median ask with its median sales reference. It then gives cells weight according to their share of covered current inventory and combines the ratios with a geometric average. A cell with twice as many covered listings receives twice the weight. In everyday terms, it compares like structural groups and makes both sides reflect the same covered mix of names; proportional gaps are averaged multiplicatively.
Figure 12. Comparison at a fixed structural mix. The weighted cell-price summaries are $10,193.58 for asks and $389.49 for sales references, producing a 26.1716× ratio
The result is 26.2×, covering 143,819 listings, or 86.96% of current inventory, across 296 of the 1,285 structural cells observed in the market. The uncovered 13.04% is outside this result. The $10,193.58 and $389.49 figures are weighted geometric averages of cell medians; neither is the pooled median of all asks or all sales. Coverage and peer exclusions also change, so the difference from 29.5× cannot be attributed solely to the structural mix.
That is the finding I consider hardest to wave away: matching the measured letter and repetition structure does not make the asking-price gap disappear. But 26.2× is still a comparison with this historical reference sample. It leaves differences in time period, buyer type, reporting coverage, word meaning and individual commercial quality unresolved. It is not a measured overvaluation multiple or a discount every seller should apply.
Four historical sales profiles worth inspecting
Each profile below uses one median reference per sales domain for its historical curve and comparison. Its raw recorded-row count is supplied in the explanation. This distinction matters: it lets us see the history without giving repeatedly recorded names extra weight in the price reference.
0 J/Q + 0 U/V/W/X/Y/Z + 0 F/G/H/K + 4 A/B/C/D/E/I/L/M/N/O/P/R/S/T
Figure 13. Four letters from A/B/C/D/E/I/L/M/N/O/P/R/S/T: 8,273 sales-reference domains and 10,917 current listings
There are 10,502 raw recorded observations with an $819 median. Once each sales domain gets one reference, the median becomes $926, with a middle half of $460–$2,627. The current median ask is $24,999, around 27.0× that reference median. This is a stronger-letter category with substantial history, yet its typical asking price is still far above the central recorded reference range.
0 J/Q + 0 U/V/W/X/Y/Z + 1 F/G/H/K + 3 A/B/C/D/E/I/L/M/N/O/P/R/S/T
Figure 14. One F/G/H/K letter plus three letters from A/B/C/D/E/I/L/M/N/O/P/R/S/T: 9,126 sales-reference domains and 13,564 current listings
The 11,536 raw observations have a $511 median. The domain-reference median is $528.25, with a middle half of $324–$1,450. Against a $19,000 median ask, the broad category ratio is 36.0×. Its matched per-listing ratio is lower, at 30.6×, showing that finer structure changes the comparison without eliminating the gap.
0 J/Q + 1 U/V/W/X/Y/Z + 0 F/G/H/K + 3 A/B/C/D/E/I/L/M/N/O/P/R/S/T
Figure 15. One U/V/W/X/Y/Z letter plus three letters from A/B/C/D/E/I/L/M/N/O/P/R/S/T: 13,989 sales-reference domains and 23,371 current listings
This large category contains 17,063 recorded observations, with a $412 raw median. Its domain-reference median is $425, and the middle half is $250–$1,215.50. The current median ask is $14,000: about 32.9× the broad sales reference, or 31.3× under the per-listing matching method. The sample is substantial, so the large gap cannot be dismissed simply as a handful of unusual records
0 J/Q + 1 U/V/W/X/Y/Z + 3 F/G/H/K + 0 A/B/C/D/E/I/L/M/N/O/P/R/S/T
Figure 16. One U/V/W/X/Y/Z letter plus three F/G/H/K letters: 243 sales-reference domains and 587 current listings
Here the evidence is thinner: 284 raw observations, with a $257.50 median. The domain-reference median is $254, and the middle half is $170.50–$414. The median ask is $7,950, giving a 31.3× ratio. Even a group priced below the overall asking median can sit far above its historical reference prices. Its smaller sample calls for more caution than the three profiles above
What this says about sellers’ expectations
I find the scale of these expectations difficult to defend as a general picture of the market. Five-figure price tags are common in current inventory, while the central recorded prices remain in the hundreds. CVCV and recognizable repetition shapes have meaningful sales premiums. The data gives us reasons to distinguish names; it gives much less support for treating an ordinary four-letter listing as an automatic five-figure asset.
Some owners are deliberately waiting for an exceptional business buyer. Investor-to-investor transactions may explain a considerable part of the lower historical prices, but the export cannot tell us how large that part is. An unusually high sale can happen. The unanswered commercial question is how often a comparable name finds that buyer, how long the owner waits, and what the carrying costs are. These files do not measure that.
My criticism is of the confidence attached to the price tags. A seller asking 20, 30 or 50 times a structural sales reference needs a convincing case for the particular name and the buyer it can serve. An ambitious BIN by itself supplies no evidence that the market agrees. That applies to my own $10,000 experiment too: neither a marketplace median nor a rare comparable sale proves that my chosen price will work.
The report does not justify claiming that most owners will never sell, or that every domain should be repriced to $330. It supports a more specific criticism: sellers’ posted expectations are far above this recorded evidence, and the difference remains large after the structural checks available here.
Data notes and disclaimer
Source: the supplied analysis report generated on September 13, 2026, plus my stated collection sources. Only four-letter .com names are included. Ownership filtering removed 23,298 listing rows covering 23,198 distinct names and 6,377 historical rows covering 5,300 names. The exclusion list contained 23,255 unique names. No venue-by-venue or annual analysis is used here.
Prices are nominal USD, with no inflation, recency, fee or commission adjustment. The sales and asking samples also have different price limits. Displayed table prices are rounded to whole dollars; ratios use the report’s unrounded underlying amounts.
I have tried to clean the data and calculate the statistics correctly, but I give no guarantee of accuracy, completeness or current availability. Reported sales can be incomplete or repeated, listings can be stale, and letter-based groups cannot capture every name’s commercial value. The article presents my analysis and opinions. It is not an appraisal, investment recommendation or promise of a selling price, sale probability or outcome.
