Is there a market for free email addresses?

[the_poet]

I know most providers clearly state buying/selling their email addresses violates their terms, but I'm asking this just out of curiosity. Take for example Mail.com, they offer free addresses in a collection of premium .com domains, including some excellent geos: the idea of owning "premium" email addresses like [email protected] or [email protected] is at least enticing, isn't it?

 

[Kate]

Few people get the point of owning their own domain name, let alone a vanity E-mail.
The majority are happy with free E-mail addresses like gmail.

I don't think there is a market really. Vanity E-mail has been around since the early days of the WWW

 

[the_poet]

As far as you know, has there ever been any email address sale?

I've read somewhere that [email protected] was sold for $250 on eBay a few years ago.

 

[Syamsul Alam]

I believe there's someone somewhere selling 'pretty' email address. Heck, people even selling 'pretty' .blogspot domain names. Lol.

 

[Robin]

Owning a premium domain along with a premium email address is so great and enticing.

 

[NPer]

The guy who started mail.com owns quite a bit of top domains, I think India.com is one of them. But that is separate from mail.com.

I remember having a mail.com account baaaack in the day! haha... still have it and check up on it from time to time.

It was cool, coz it was simply your name @mail/photographer/etc

But we eventually grow out of the free services... it just doesn't do it at a certain point anymore.

 

[the_poet]

But we eventually grow out of the free services... it just doesn't do it at a certain point anymore.

OK, but think about someone running a hotel in London who owns [email protected] or a pub in Dublin with [email protected], the most desirable and memorable email addresses they could have. That's what I'd call a premium email address

 

[NPer]

I agree. In that sense, it can be a "premium" email address.

Perhaps sold together with a similar domain... londonconstruction.com with [email protected]? Makes the deal seem sweeter doesn't it?

 

[the_poet]

Perhaps sold together with a similar domain... londonconstruction.com with [email protected]? Makes the deal seem sweeter doesn't it?

Exactly, that's what I was thinking when I started this thread: offering the email address as a "gift" to the prospective buyers of a domain. That would sure make the deal more alluring

 

[NPer]

Exactly, that's what I was thinking when I started this thread: offering the email address as a "gift" to the prospective buyers of a domain. That would sure make the deal more alluring

Since it's an extra which costs nothing, I think it's a great concept-and mainly coz it makes the deal seem soooo much sweeter to the buyer. :tu:

 

[dgridley]

For me, I'd rather own a site similar to Gmail because you can advertise to and append ads to each email.. tho I can see the appeal of owning a vanity email address, I don't think I'd pay much for one.