Odd... Is the 'best case scenario' end-user SELLING their premier .us name?

[Jaco]

The domain beer.us is registered to Anheuser-Busch.

The domain beer.us is on SEDO as a make-offer listing.

In the whois contact info, there is an Accounts Payable tracking number- Accounts Payable Service Order # 4800062558 / M - meaning that they're expecting to RECEIVE money for this domain....

Thoughts?

No interest in the best possible keyword in the US ccTLD for $7.50 a year, so they're just pitching it to raise cash?

Rogue IT employee selling it off an 'unusued' company domain name, hoping that no one notices?

Grassy knoll?

 

[Rich]

I would like to think whoever's in charge over there at Anheuser-Busch would know about the sale, definitely a ballsy move if one guy is just trying to make some cash.

Maybe it didn't fit into their development plans since they are "Belgium-based" from selling in 2008. It would make a great community site, hopefully someone over there wakes up. :gn:

 

[Jaco]

What corporate braintrust came up with this idiotic scheme?

It costs them SEVEN DOLLARS PER YEAR to carry it! If for nothing else, throw the damn thing in the vault so your competition can't have it.

The amount of cash the sale might raise- presuming it was another 'best case scenario' type sale- would be a drop in the bucket to an operation like Anheuser-Busch, yet for that insignificant drop in the bucket, they're handing over that domain to a competitor (since we can safely assume that whoever buys it will be a competitor) ????

This makes NO sense. I could understand if it were a liability that burned cash, but it doesn't and it's monumentally relevant to their business. It costs nothing to just keep for a rainy day. There is little to no upside selling it, potential downside selling it when you hand over to your competition what has the potential to be a very powerful marketing tool.

 

[mrjohn]

I think what they're hoping is that someone make a highly advantageous offer. Like the the one the folks who bought buy.com made.

 

[DU]

Sedo's not the best at tracking legitimate ownership... domain was last transferred about the same time the Sedo account was setup.. Perhaps a disgruntled employee set it up before they were bought?

So maybe the Sedo <> Busch.

Inbev may want to disassociate from "American" beer.. also

Otherwise... No freakin idea.... seems stupid to me but I made a bid for it. lol

 

[snoop]

What corporate braintrust came up with this idiotic scheme?

It costs them SEVEN DOLLARS PER YEAR to carry it! If for nothing else, throw the damn thing in the vault so your competition can't have it.

The amount of cash the sale might raise- presuming it was another 'best case scenario' type sale- would be a drop in the bucket to an operation like Anheuser-Busch, yet for that insignificant drop in the bucket, they're handing over that domain to a competitor (since we can safely assume that whoever buys it will be a competitor) ????

This makes NO sense. I could understand if it were a liability that burned cash, but it doesn't and it's monumentally relevant to their business. It costs nothing to just keep for a rainy day. There is little to no upside selling it, potential downside selling it when you hand over to your competition what has the potential to be a very powerful marketing tool.

If they they think name is worth a reasonable amount then what is wrong with trying to sell it? They aren't doing anything with it so what is the compelling reason to hold it?

Regarding selling to competitors large corporates do that every day, plant, equipment, brands, factories etc. I really doubt beer.us is of any significance to their business.

 

[Jaco]

They aren't doing anything with it so what is the compelling reason to hold it?

It's fantastic potential relative to it's non-existent cost to carry. It doesn't take Nostradamus like foresight to know that in their business, where marketing dollars flow like water, totally unique, wholly definitive branding devices that might not be in use now will probably have a use at some point in the future. Selling off such assets for a infinitesimally small (relatively speaking) one time payment is kinda retarded given what you're giving up and what you're getting in return.

Regarding selling to competitors large corporates do that every day, plant, equipment, brands, factories etc. I really doubt beer.us is of any significance to their business.

You're comparing apples to aardvarks.
Domain names are unique and have no associated costs. There are any number of strategic reasons why it might make sense to jettison a plant or a brand, but no sense whatsoever to get rid of an untapped, very potent, industry defining generic branding device that has no associated costs and cannot be replaced once it's gone.

 

[snoop]

It's fantastic potential relative to it's non-existent cost to carry. It doesn't take Nostradamus like foresight to know that in their business, where marketing dollars flow like water, totally unique, wholly definitive branding devices that might not be in use now will probably have a use at some point in the future.

$8 isn't the true cost of holding the name. The true cost is what the money could earn elsewhere.

Domain names are unique and have no associated costs. There are any number of strategic reasons why it might make sense to jettison a plant or a brand, but no sense whatsoever to get rid of an untapped, very potent branding device that has no associated costs and cannot be replaced one it's gone.

There is dozens/hundreds of domain names it could be replaced with.

 

[DomainTalker]

You're comparing apples to aardvarks.

Hahhahaha...

Love how you use words, Jaco.....

Domain names are unique and have no associated costs. There are any number of strategic reasons why it might make sense to jettison a plant or a brand, but no sense whatsoever to get rid of an untapped, very potent, industry defining generic branding device that has no associated costs and cannot be replaced once it's gone.

I agree.

A sale of an industry-defining domain name asset (even if currently unused) goes against the instincts of most Corporates....Most Corporates spend an inordinate amount of time & money acquiring, holding, and defending, any & all intellectual property that directly, or indirectly, could impact their business.

Beer.us is clearly in this category for a beer company.

$8 isn't the true cost of holding the name. The true cost is what the money could earn elsewhere.

No, snoop...The true cost of NOT holding this domain is the multi-million dollar BRAND that a competitor could build on it, and hurt your business with.

Rogue IT employee selling it off an 'unusued' company domain name, hoping that no one notices?

Remember the sale of Sofa.com...?? (rogue employee sold off a company domain for $200,000).



This smells.

It looks like either a monumental blunder by this company....Or...

Its an illegitimate sale.

.

 

[snoop]

No, snoop...The true cost of NOT holding this domain is the multi-million dollar BRAND that a competitor could build on it, and hurt your business with.

See the name for what it is, it is not a multi-million dollar brand. It is domain and somewhat likely that it will never be developed into anything significant. People are putting the [domain] on a pedestal here.

 

[DomainTalker]

See the name for what it is, it is not a multi-million dollar brand. It is domain and somewhat likely that it will never be developed into anything significant. People are putting the [domain] on a pedestal here.

You're thinking like a domainer, snoop...Not a major business.


Corporates in the Beer market could Brand a descriptive domain like Beer.us into a major market position (especially to the US market) with millions of dollars, using petty cash...

By letting Beer.us go, these mugs are giving their competitors that opportunity.


In business, you don't give your competitors a free kick. You acquire, lock down, and deny, intellectual property assets, used, or unused, to anyone else, if at all possible (ask Microsoft, or Google (notable in this area) and any number of other Corporates).

.

 

[snoop]

You're thinking like a domainer, snoop...Not a major business.


Corporates in the Beer market could Brand a descriptive domain like Beer.us into a major market position (especially to the US market) with millions of dollars, using petty cash...

By letting Beer.us go, these mugs are giving their competitors that opportunity.


In business, you don't give your competitors a free kick. You acquire, lock down, and deny, intellectual property assets, used, or unused, to anyone else, if at all possible (ask Microsoft, or Google (notable in this area) and any number of other Corporates).

.

We can see how "major business" is thinking, they clearly don't plan to do anything with it and are considering a sale.

Actually I would say people in this thread are thinking like domainers to give this name far more importance than is warranted. If beer.us is sold it won't change their billion dollar business and the chance of a competeitor buying it and doing much with it is very remote, just like the majority of .us domains. More than likely a domainer would buy it.

 

[DomainTalker]

More than likely a domainer would buy it.

You may well be right on that, snoop...


But, if I were them, I sure as hell wouldn't let a core Geo market ccTLD key generic keyword domain for my industry go.

.

 

[liquidcherry]

the sale is due to the fact that ICAAN just announced the new .beer extension...

Cheers

Liquid

 

[Sparhawke]

If I owned Beer.us there is no way in hell I would ever sell it for what would at most amount to $10k, which is as has been said absolutely sod all in the grand scheme of things.

If I am Budweiser and sold it to Carlsberg for nothing then maybe I don't deserve to be in business since I am handing a rival a very powerful marketing tool to crush me for nothing.

The person who set this up should be fired.

 

[NetOctave]

Mostly one of the previous owner had the name for sale on sedo and did not remove the listing...

 

[Kate]

In the whois contact info, there is an Accounts Payable tracking number- Accounts Payable Service Order # 4800062558 / M - meaning that they're expecting to RECEIVE money for this domain....

This is for the billing contact only, if I'm reading right.

Mostly one of the previous owner had the name for sale on sedo and did not remove the listing...

Could be... but look at the registration date:
Fri Apr 19 22:17:56 GMT 2002

This is pre-landrush domain. It has no name servers and is inactive. I have not researched history but they might have owned it since 2002. I guess they just never got around to using it yet.

 

[Jaco]

Hmmm... Pre landrush. Meaning that Anheuser-Busch made a trademark claim on a totally, totally, totally generic term?
And was awarded that totally, totally, totally generic domain?
And is now trying to sell it?

 

[Kate]

I dunno about the ownership history but I would guess the name was not added to Sedo by the rightful owner. It happens sometimes, either by mistake or malice.

 

[snoop]

If I owned Beer.us there is no way in hell I would ever sell it for what would at most amount to $10k, which is as has been said absolutely sod all in the grand scheme of things.

If I am Budweiser and sold it to Carlsberg for nothing then maybe I don't deserve to be in business since I am handing a rival a very powerful marketing tool to crush me for nothing.

The person who set this up should be fired.

Who said they are looking to sell it for 10k? Secondly why should this person be fired?