.mobi A Question About The Recent Sales

[sashas]

I'm just looking at some of the .mobi sales. I'll admit that I'm surprised, even shocked. Music.mobi for 600k+ is just HUGE.

Now most of the .mobi investors must be really rejoicing at this sale, but somehow, it worries me. Its just too high!

.mobi is a very very new extension, with almost no public recognition. The average Joe still knows of .com, .net, .org and .edu. And most of the .mobi sales are surpassing .net and .org by a very very healthy margin.

Music.mobi is a great name. If it had gone for 60-80k, I would've said, "Great!". But when it goes for 611,000, I just have to say, "Wait a minute...something's not right here".
Simply put, 611k for a name, howsoever great it might be, in an extension that has hardly any public recognition, receives minimal type-ins (as compared to .com or .net) is just way too over inflated.

I know that mobile browsing is the thing of the future. But as it stands today, its still stuck in the future. The infrastructure still cannot handle mobile browsing, wifi hotspots are few and far to come in between, and most of the services offered by the large carriers are pathetically slow. And this is in just the US. In developing countries like India, mobile internet is about 10 years behind. I can't imagine what its like in Africa. This essentially limits the market for mobile browsing to a very handful of people in the developed world. There might be 3 billion mobile phones in the world, but I can bet that less than 5% of them have ever even tried mobile internet.


So here's my question: Doesn't 611,000 for a name in .mobi seem overtly inflated, considering that it'll take several years for mobile browsing (as well as .mobi) to be mainstream? And by God, when mobile browsing does become mainstream, what kind of prices will we see for .mobi? 10 million for Movies.mobi? This is happening just way too fast and way too conveniently and way too soon. Movies.mobi for 611k in 5 years would've been fine with me, but not just after 2 years..


Just to set the records straight, I'm no hater, and I'm not writing this to flame or start any verbal sparring match. If you're interested in doing that, please don't reply to this thread. I'm looking for honest opinions because such high sales make me incredibly skeptical. I'm sure there are many here who'll share the same skepticism.

 

[pcaero]

If that's the case then who are the bidders that offered 400k for games and 600k for music?

It takes 2 to tango...
Both these names were bid up by multiple bidders...

pc

 

[Mobi Cheap]

I'm just looking at some of the .mobi sales. I'll admit that I'm surprised, even shocked. Music.mobi for 600k+ is just HUGE.

Now most of the .mobi investors must be really rejoicing at this sale, but somehow, it worries me. Its just too high!

.mobi is a very very new extension, with almost no public recognition. The average Joe still knows of .com, .net, .org and .edu. And most of the .mobi sales are surpassing .net and .org by a very very healthy margin.

Music.mobi is a great name. If it had gone for 60-80k, I would've said, "Great!". But when it goes for 611,000, I just have to say, "Wait a minute...something's not right here".
Simply put, 611k for a name, howsoever great it might be, in an extension that has hardly any public recognition, receives minimal type-ins (as compared to .com or .net) is just way too over inflated.

I know that mobile browsing is the thing of the future. But as it stands today, its still stuck in the future. The infrastructure still cannot handle mobile browsing, wifi hotspots are few and far to come in between, and most of the services offered by the large carriers are pathetically slow. And this is in just the US. In developing countries like India, mobile internet is about 10 years behind. I can't imagine what its like in Africa. This essentially limits the market for mobile browsing to a very handful of people in the developed world. There might be 3 billion mobile phones in the world, but I can bet that less than 5% of them have ever even tried mobile internet.


So here's my question: Doesn't 611,000 for a name in .mobi seem overtly inflated, considering that it'll take several years for mobile browsing (as well as .mobi) to be mainstream? And by God, when mobile browsing does become mainstream, what kind of prices will we see for .mobi? 10 million for Movies.mobi? This is happening just way too fast and way too conveniently and way too soon. Movies.mobi for 611k in 5 years would've been fine with me, but not just after 2 years..


Just to set the records straight, I'm no hater, and I'm not writing this to flame or start any verbal sparring match. If you're interested in doing that, please don't reply to this thread. I'm looking for honest opinions because such high sales make me incredibly skeptical. I'm sure there are many here who'll share the same skepticism.

Thank you Sashas!

I'm not being facetious, I really mean it.

And before people jump on the OP, please take my word for it - Sashas is really not a mobi hater. I've argued with him before and he is a genuine, thinking person.

And now I can afford to be a little bit less serious: Sashas, I'm looking forward to reading many similar posts from you in the not too distant future.

 

[sags]

Thrilled as I am to witness them, I have to wonder about these sales as well.

It seems odd to me that someone would pay 611,000 for music.mobi which is an outstanding premium domain but in an extension that still has a precipitous road ahead, when invest.com is still available for 431,000 on sedo auction. Given, it may reach much greater heights in the next 13 hours and be eventually sold for much higher than music.mobi

Although I am a believer in mobi, I would have to admit that I would be more interested in invest.com as a purchase than music.mobi. This would be from a simply defensive position.

A domain such as invest.com is bankable, as are many of the other .com names still available for auction on sedo, for the foreseeable future.

A person can use a domain like invest.com as collateral for financing, if desired. I am not sure music.mobi would be as readily accepted.

My hope is that a bunch of idiots didn't assail sedo with fake bids just for the fun of it. Who knows in this technogical world? A bunch of goofballs in a third world country can simply sign on and have some fun at the expense of everyone else.

They can also put down a server.

Someday, something like this will happen. We can count on it. Perhaps the domain auction houses should take a cue from the big antique auction houses, such as Sotheby's, where a bidder must be pre-approved for bidding rights. Anyone who objects either doesn't have the money or is just playing around.

I hope the sale goes through and it is a great day for mobi but I agree that something doesn't feel quite right.

If the sales are legitimate, I believe it must be a huge end user, such as billboard or a simliar company. Domain speculators would have been gone long before the 500,000 mark.

Hoping for the best for all mobi enthusiasts.

Regards,

Sags

 

[connections]

like they say "no risk, no reward"

investing into .mobi is a huge risk their is the question if it will take off or if it will be a huge flop.

I have only just turned 20 and I put 7k cash into the latest .mobi's aution. It could pay off or I could loose it all in the near future.

Its a risk as a domainer you have to take,

I think if you look at all the high level domainers who are buying .mobi's up must know that their is a good chance that it will be very popular in the future.

If you look at places like Asia look how popular mobiles are look at how densily populated these area's are every person has a mobile.

I think people will adapt to this new extension once its advertising more main streem, why because .mobi is designed only for mobiles.

My ideas for mobile are to buy decent names that will be popular on phones, you have to think when people are out using their phone what will they jump on looking for?

cabs, night clubs, alcohol, bars, restaurants ect ect.. people wont want to bother looking via .com they will just think ok I will just type in restaurants.mobi and see where I will eat.

well this is what I can see happening,

if .mobi is a flop I will loose a decent amount of money, but as a investor its a risk you must take, I don't want to see a domain I could have had 3 years down the track sell for 20 times what I could have purchased it for.

 

[sags]

I'm not questioning mobi as an extension. Quite the contrary. I am questioning these sale prices, especially since one person has claimed that he has purchased some of the top domains and is going to try to flip them.
(see other threads)

The sales could be legititimate, in which case I would be thrilled. If one person bought them, it is his decision what to do with them. It's his money.

Or, they could be "bought" by a wackjob who used a few IP addresses, registered with sedo, and bid against himself, all the while intending not to buy the domains.

Or, and quite unlikely, as suggested in another thread, a group of .com owners want to "submarine" the mobi extension. I think this is about as remote a possibility as it gets.

We will soon know if the sales go through. We will also know if the "next bidder" is a legitimate offer.

It will be an interesting couple of days. Let's hope for the best and big companies have decided these mobi domains were "must haves".

In any event, why not "pre-authorize" bidders? Is there a valid reason against the idea? The big auction houses don't sell a Renoir painting without knowing the "buyer" can pay.

Regards,

Sags

 

[connections]

I understand what your saying,

They have been strong .mobi sales in the past,

Us mobi investors can only hope that the bids on games.mobi and music.mobi are legitimate.

I have a feeling they are, I cant see why some one would want to fake such a thing, I mean what would they gain from it?

Apart from giving false hope to .mobi investors.

I can see your point of view but.

 

[Alan Glennon]

Domainers often are trying to predict how a market will develop in a few years. The big players prefer to drive the market's development themselves.

As far as value or legitimacy, as long as the bill gets paid, the new owner(s) can create a site telling how stupid .mobi is for all I care.

 

[sashas]

I'm not even questioning the legitimacy of the sales or the bids. To me, they're entirely legitimate. But this pattern of highly inflated sales resembles the classic pump and dump model used in the stock market for ages. And this is whats worrying me.

As I said, this sale is just too big for a very new extension, particularly in a field that is yet to take off. Mobile internet is the next big thing, yes, but its not quite there yet. We don't have the infrastructure to support it even in the US, let alone third world nations. So why would someone spend 611k in an extension that relies on a technology that is yet to be mainstream (i.e., mobile internet).

Think about the number of internet users in the world

Then think about the number of internet users with broadband or higher speed connection

Then think about the number of mobile internet users in the world.


If you come down to the last category of mobile internet users, it's a very very small fraction of the number of total internet users in the world.
Someone mentioned that there are lots of mobile phone users in India and China. Here's the thing: I come from India, so I know that country. There might be tons of mobile phone users, but there are almost negligible mobile internet users in the country, and its these mobile internet users that matter at the end of the day. You can have a billion phones in the world, but if no one uses them to surf the internet, it comes down to zilch. So investing so heavily in an extension that is still about 5 years from reaching maturity is just too fast, just too soon.


Its been great to see some excellent responses and I hope to continue this discussion further.

 

[GijsZePa]

Gambling...just gambling..

Sounds me like a guy who would also put 500K on red or black in the casino. Probably loaded .....

I didn't expect these figures and hate the Idea that he's not developing..

Martin

 

[noonoo1]

Someday, something like this will happen. We can count on it. Perhaps the domain auction houses should take a cue from the big antique auction houses, such as Sotheby's, where a bidder must be pre-approved for bidding rights. Anyone who objects either doesn't have the money or is just playing around.

This is something i would like to see.

 

[sashas]

Gambling...just gambling..

Sounds me like a guy who would also put 500K on red or black in the casino. Probably loaded .....

I didn't expect these figures and hate the Idea that he's not developing..

Martin

Hey man, I was a skeptic, but just read this:
http://alvaroalbarracin.blogspot.com...obi-names.html

Basically, all the names were bought by some dude who has no experience with the domain industry and who was basically led by the hype. Congrats mTLD.

If Rick, Frank or Sahar would've bought one of the big names, I would've been a believer, but seeing that one single noob with a lot of money was suckered into buying them all, I can't see any reason to believe. The hype worked basically.

The funniest part in the blog post: "I plan on selling these names soon"

This is just classic noob comment. Music.mobi cannot be sold for a profit anytime soon, unless some other noob gets suckered in. Heck, Invest.com is still hovering much below 500k, so anyone paying more than 611k for Music.mobi seems completely out of the question.

I'm disappointed, really.

 

[GijsZePa]

Hey man, I was a skeptic, but just read this:
http://alvaroalbarracin.blogspot.com...obi-names.html

Basically, all the names were bought by some dude who has no experience with the domain industry and who was basically led by the hype. Congrats mTLD.

If Rick, Frank or Sahar would've bought one of the big names, I would've been a believer, but seeing that one single noob with a lot of money was suckered into buying them all, I can't see any reason to believe. The hype worked basically.

The funniest part in the blog post: "I plan on selling these names soon"

This is just classic noob comment. Music.mobi cannot be sold for a profit anytime soon, unless some other noob gets suckered in. Heck, Invest.com is still hovering much below 500k, so anyone paying more than 611k for Music.mobi seems completely out of the question.

I'm disappointed, really.

I had seen that already... i don't like it...

That's why I was comparing it with gambling..

One thing to think about is that he was'nt the only one taking this auction so far...

Martin

 

[Alan Glennon]

I took a look at the auction progress (thanks to dotmobiz.com!). Even the third highest unique bidder's offer for each of the domains would have been incredible results:

$299,000 music.mobi
$300,000 games.mobi
$90,000 sports.mobi
$60,000 movies.mobi

So, there are at least three people/businesses on the planet who think that these domains are worth that much. Hard to be disappointed in that.

 

[sashas]

I took a look at the auction progress. Even the third highest unique bidder's offer for each of the domains would have been incredible results:

$299,000 music.mobi
$300,000 games.mobi
$90,000 sports.mobi
$60,000 movies.mobi

So, there are at least three people/businesses on the planet who think that these domains are worth that much. Hard to be disappointed in that.

Come on man...as if we don't know about Sedo's excellent policies to keep out shill bidders.

 

[Alan Glennon]

Now we're on to something I think we can all agree on --- domaining needs more viable, credible marketplaces!

Come on man...as if we don't know about Sedo's excellent policies to keep out shill bidders.

In any case, that's why looking at the top three seemed like a better combo than just the top two.

 

[sashas]

I would believe all the hype if I knew that one of the big domainers was in on the race. But to think that Rick, Frank, Kevin, etc. would let ALL six of the best names go to some noob is something I can't digest. So to me, these guys stayed out of the auction unless they say something to the contrary.

 

[Alan Glennon]

Those guys are looking to buy undervalued domains. I certainly didn't see any today, and I don't think many other domainers did either. The final buyers for these top domains were outside our community. That's a good thing. If they have all been purchased by one guy who does not know the market... he's either a visionary or an idiot. As domainers, I think we're all leaning toward the latter.

I would believe all the hype if I knew that one of the big domainers was in on the race. But to think that Rick, Frank, Kevin, etc. would let ALL six of the best names go to some noob is something I can't digest. So to me, these guys stayed out of the auction unless they say something to the contrary.

 

[accent]

It may well be that some or even all the top bids are suspect. Put that aside for a moment. I believe it is not unthinkable for major music and video game industries to pay a great deal more than yesterday's prices for those two names. In today's market.

Both the music and video game industries are hugely profitable and highly competitive. It could be argued that there is only one .Mobi name that defines each industry.

Taking Sashas estimate of five years from now for the mobile web to become mainstream, is that so far away for those company boardrooms to ignore? I think not. They have to position their company as early as they can, grab the high ground as soon as it is identified. Will the mobile web run on .Mobi or .Com? If you don't know you grab both. The stakes here are so enormous that millions of dollars are merely white poker chips.

If Apple, Billboard, and the major music labels and game companies were not at this auction (and I do not know that they were) then they have lost a step and are now behind.

For domainers these prices were unreasonable. For the potential top real estate in multi-billion dollar per year industries - industries with very small per-customer cost, by the way - the prices were well below what they could be.

 

[Carlton]

I would believe all the hype if I knew that one of the big domainers was in on the race. But to think that Rick, Frank, Kevin, etc. would let ALL six of the best names go to some noob is something I can't digest.

Frank S. doesn't like the mobi tld so he would not be a buyer. The names that sold are great biz opportunities though and each one is so strong that they could be developed into successful mobile sites. I am also a bit discouraged that a single wealthy investor bought them all and plans to flip them so early. That's nothing out of the ordinary as tons of quality .com's were subject to the same thing. Mobi is a robust market. Domain industry full of surprises.