4L.coms = domains...Comparing domains to currencies? Can't do that.
I have good sales (many reported) in LLLL.com $x,xxx- $xx,xxx and experience in choosing the names that has potential to sell-so I am very certain that I will continue on the righteous path. It just so happens that quite a portion of my names have received hits from Chinese folks-even some containing vowels like "a". I have many llll.com without vowels too- some of which are "quad premium" by Western domainer standards. Now I did not buy these domains to make "scrap value" sales to Chinese via email or to low-ballers on Godaddy/Sedo/etc, so I am keeping them, or selling them my usual prices. But it is nice to know to that the "scrap value" has increased-and understandably so: Times are changing.
Why should anyone pay $10k upwards for a LLL.com when these were selling for under $5k last year, even under $3k several years ago? Well, if you want to buy them now you will need to fork out $10k+. Is this a bubble? The answer is No. Will you have the opportunity to buy a LLL.com under $5k again? Highly doubt it, only if you are lucky and spot a rare deal, but chances are slim. Even if you do manage to come by some crazy deal, you wouldn't be able to buy multiple names at that price level. In 3-5 years time, it will never be back under $5k- even if you say $10k is bubble prices. In fact, in 3-5 years time, it might not be at $10k minimum anymore.
Now-with "Chinese Premium" LLLL.com (as it is being called)- these are limited: 20^4=160,000. Not all of these are random. Not all are on sale-some are developed. Plenty of them have actual meaning and not just to Chinese. So to say prices are going to fall/ or it's a bubble... think again. Let's say that you have TLLC..com which happens to be a "Chinese premium" just how can the value of this domain be lost with a supposed bubble? The current $550-$600 minimum offers are too low to buy this domain. Now, If you have qxwd- this kind mainly appeal to Chinese-and may be affected (if there is a bubble, which I highly doubt). Seeing how domaining has grown over the years an is still growing, and more people realsing the value of short domains.... the minimum on these are not going to fall. Soon the Chinese will realise their offers are too low/unrealistic for some of these domains that they are targeting because, it might just have meaning/value to people outside of China, and will increase their offers: which we are already seeing.
The number of LLLL on the market is drying up and in the future will be far less, people will hoard them (in fact some have been hoarding for years now), supply will run out... and guess what... prices will be higher.
You want to talk about the future? I'm staring at the moon.