CV.ca Smashes Records as MyID Auction Ends Successfully

May 30, 2008

The MyID auction ended as a resounding success. The domain CV.ca closed at $53,300 (Canadian) – making it the third largest dot ca domain sale of all time. There were several other great sales. The most contested domain was Diploma.ca, which closed at $17,352 (Canadian). Another highly contested domain was Income.ca, which closed at $25,299. All of this is likely DNJournal material, as soon as payment is made.

Below is a table of unofficial (and possibly inaccurate) results that I compiled from the auction. N/A means that there were no bids. All figures are in Canadian dollars. I’ll analyze the figures over the weekend and post some further thoughts then. Without further ado, here are the results:

Domain

Reserve Range

Closing Bid

0b.ca (reserve not met)

$501 – $1000

$652

AccountingJobs.ca

$501 – $1000

$2350

activeholidays.ca

$1001 – $2500

N/A

Anywhere.ca (reserve not met)

$2501 – $5000

$2701

AssuranceMaladie.ca (reserve not met)

$1001 – $2500

$1001

BCapartments.ca (reserve not met)

$1001 – $2500

$1101

BirthInjury.ca

$501 – $1000

N/A

BoatRental(s).caBoatRental.ca + BoatRentals.ca

$2501 – $5000

N/A

buh.ca (reserve not met)

$251 – $500

$276

calgarian.ca (reserve not met)

$251 – $500

$251

calgaryrentals.ca

$0 – $100

$185

camrosehomes.ca

$501 – $1000

N/A

canadafsbo.ca

$251 – $500

N/A

CanucksForum.ca

$0 – $100

$50

CarAppraisal.ca

$501 – $1000

N/A

CardioStripTease.ca

$251 – $500

N/A

Chiropractice.ca

$501 – $1000

N/A

cv.ca

more than $ 5000

$53300

delicacy.ca

$501 – $1000

N/A

denim.ca (reserve not met)

$2501 – $5000

$2802

Diploma.ca

$2501 – $5000

$17352

eFares.ca (reserve not met)

$1001 – $2500

$1001

eFit.ca (reserve not met)

$2501 – $5000

$2702

eImmigration.ca (reserve not met)

$1001 – $2500

$1202

eLaws.ca (reserve not met)

$2501 – $5000

$3503

eleve.ca

$501 – $1000

N/A

enceinte.ca (reserve not met)

$501 – $1000

$501

Enjoy.ca

$501 – $1000

$1800

Eyeglasses.ca (reserve not met)

more than $ 5000

$10999

Feminine.ca

$501 – $1000

N/A

fitnessdiet.ca

$501 – $1000

N/A

Fling.ca (reserve not met)

$1001 – $2500

$1951

FloorTiles.ca

$501 – $1000

$1150

forexsystemtrading.ca

$501 – $1000

N/A

freeinternetgames.ca

$251 – $500

N/A

gagnez.ca (reserve not met)

$2501 – $5000

$2601

geriatrician.ca

$501 – $1000

N/A

giveaways.ca

$1001 – $2500

N/A

HomeFinancing.ca (reserve not met)

$2501 – $5000

$2501

homeloanrates.ca

$501 – $1000

N/A

HotelOnline.ca (reserve not met)

$2501 – $5000

$2902

iborrow.ca

$501 – $1000

N/A

icar.ca (reserve not met)

$2501 – $5000

$3650

iGuide.ca (reserve not met)

$1001 – $2500

$1001

income.ca

more than $ 5000

$25299

iPoker.ca (reserve not met)

$2501 – $5000

$2902

istore.ca

$501 – $1000

$950

jetset.ca

$501 – $1000

$750

kau.ca

$251 – $500

N/A

kun.ca

$251 – $500

N/A

lactosefree.ca

$501 – $1000

N/A

LawyersToronto.ca

$1001 – $2500

N/A

LegalHotline.ca (reserve not met)

$1001 – $2500

$1101

LoanDirect.ca & DirectLoan.ca (reserve not met)

$2501 – $5000

$2902

LoansCanada.ca

$2501 – $5000

$3000

montrealfashion.ca (reserve not met)

$251 – $500

$251

MontrealMortgages.ca

$1001 – $2500

$2499

offreemploi.ca (reserve not met)

$501 – $1000

$501

ontariojob.ca

$501 – $1000

$750

PentictonJobs.ca

$101 – $250

$199

Pharmacies.ca

more than $ 5000

$15100

Pies.ca

$501 – $1000

$995

priceshopper.ca

$1001 – $2500

N/A

primetime.ca

$2501 – $5000

N/A

princealberthomes.ca

$1001 – $2500

N/A

provider.ca (reserve not met)

more than $ 5000

$5000

pz.ca (reserve not met)

$2501 – $5000

$4802

quatre.ca

$501 – $1000

N/A

quebechome(s).ca

$2501 – $5000

$2999

Randys.ca

$1001 – $2500

N/A

std.ca

$2501 – $5000

$3999

sweats.ca (reserve not met)

$2501 – $5000

$2701

VancouverTravel.ca

$1001 – $2500

$1750

webtemplates.ca

$501 – $1000

$1503

WeddingCaterer.ca (reserve not met)

$1001 – $2500

$1001

WhistlerTrip(s).ca

$1001 – $2500

$1500

zz.ca

more than $ 5000

$9600

Canadian Domain Auction Scene

May 27, 2008

Pool is continuing with their one-at-a-time premium dot ca domain auction format. Their next auction is for Dates.ca, which is obviously a top of the line domain. According to Pool, the site receives 600 uniques per month and earns $300 (Canadian) per month – which shows just how profitable the dating niche is. Browsing through archive.org, it looks to me like it formerly was a “sex search – free adult personals and adult dating online” website, which is where the traffic must be coming from.

[Read more]

What’s A Dot Asia Domain Worth?

May 25, 2008

The sunrise dot asia domains are finished and so are some of the initial landrush auctions. This gives us some idea what domainers are valuing dot asia domains at – and perhaps what you should bid if you’re involved in an upcoming .asia auction. From the Pool DotAsia website, there is a ticker tape listing all the completed auctions. The results are as follows:

[Read more]

Weekly Roundup

May 25, 2008

I’m going to introduce a weekly feature on my blog – every Sunday, I’ll select 10 of the best blog posts from the domainersphere and discuss them in more detail. Like my blog, rather than concentrating on news stories, I’m going to select blog posts that have good practical value and will help you succeed as a domainer.

In no particular order, here are the posts I found most informative this week:

[Read more]

Mobi Market Meltdown

May 24, 2008

Yesterday’s Traffic Auction showed that what I had predicted has come true: the dot mobi market has melted down.

Here are the .mobi auction results:

mortgage.mobi – $18K
drugs.mobi – $17.5K
sales.mobi – $10.5K
men.mobi – $10K
films.mobi – $10K
escort.mobi – $10K
computers.mobi – $9.5K
airlines.mobi – $9.5K
records.mobi – $8.5K
boats.mobi – $6K
forsale.mobi – $5K
show.mobi – $5K
religion.mobi – $3K

[Read more]

Live Blogging the Traffic Auction

May 23, 2008

I’ll be live blogging the Traffic Auction for the first few hours (at 5 pm EST I have to pick up my son from school).

It will be interesting to see how the auction goes given all the concerns with the bad economy. If it goes badly, expect people to say that timing was bad, long weekend, late in the day, low attendance at Traffic, etc. But it will do the market a lot of good if this auction is successful – so I really hope that it is.

It looks like a couple domains have been scratched from the auction: something.com was one of them and busy.net the other.

At the start of the auction, there are 40 viewers and 45 bidders online. Starting about 8 minutes late – pretty good. Monte makes a welcoming speech and goes over the rules. Brent Corwin won the draw (congrats!). Room looks about half empty. Prizes will be given out at the end of every hour. Drinks and desert in the back.

Most of the .com’s are up front, then .mobi’s, then .org and ended with .net’s. Auctioneer will be bidding on behalf of sellers – unfortunate :-(.

Without further ado, here are the results so far:

10. doug.com – pass at 75K.
20. portfolios.com – pass at 900K – not sure if this is a real bid or on behalf of seller.
30. gasprices.com – sold $225K – internet bid.
40. DiscountTravel.com – comes with DiscountTravel.mobi – sold $300K
50. loancalculator.com – sold $350K.
60. Susan.com – sold $50K.
70. oh.com – pass $250K.
80. MARINA.COM – pass $150K – not sure if this is a real bid or bid on behalf of seller
90. FreeHoroscope.com & FreeHoroscopes.com – pass $250K – not sure if this is a real bid or bid on behalf of seller
100. Greek.com – sold $275K.
110. partner.com – pass $225k.
120. Pagers.com – pass $70K.
130. Grass.com – heavy bidding on this one from the internet – sold $70K – internet bidder #14026.
140. pay.com – pass $2MM – not sure if this is a real bid or bid on behalf of seller.
150. con.com – pass $85K.
160. koran.com – pass $450K.
170. InsuranceRates.com – sold $225K – internet buyer #13904.
180. sagittarius.com – heavy bidding on this one – $33,500 – bidders were all in the room.
190. Athlete.com – sold $122K.
200. Track.com – heavy bidding on this one -sold $92.5K to internet bidder #14026.

It’s now 2:30 p.m. – 89 viewers, 67 bidder. The auction continues:

210. TVschedule.com – sold $17K to internet bidder #14005.
220. BabyFood.com – pass $125K.
230. coloradoriver.com – pass $22.5K.
240. confession.com – pass $85K.
250. uscitizenship.com – pass $125K.
260. SpecialOffer.com – sold $35K to internet bidder #13977.
270. Ankle.com – Monte says: “anyone with an ankle raise their paddle” – pass $25K.
280. jackpot.com – Monte says: “let’s hit the jackpot” – pass $2.5MM -not sure if this is a real bid or bid on behalf of seller.
290. Managed.com – pass 65K
300. Autobody.com – pass $425K
310. IllegalImmigrants.com – pass $15K – not sure if this is a real bid or bid on behalf of seller.
320. televisionshow.com – pass $50K.
330. ow.com – some telephone bidders – heavy bidding – Monte whacks the auctioneer and calls out “ow!” – sold $120K to bidder in room – lots of cheering.
340. Dieselcars.com – pass $40K.
350. CLOSINGS.COM – sold $25K to internet bidder #13993. Monte calls out that we’ve reached $1MM in sales.
360. HOTPOTATO.COM – developed site. Pass at $17.5K.
370. FreeMerchandise.com – Monte says: “everyone wants this and we’ll be giving out some of this” – pass $10K.
380. travelconditions.com – pass $25K – not sure if this is a real bid or bid on behalf of seller.
390. Yachts.com – developed website + developed website YachtCharters.com – includes Yachts.net and a forum – pass $3.5MM – not sure if this is a real bid or bid on behalf of seller.
400. lasvegasresorts.com – pass $60K.
410. maybe.com – Monte makes a lame maybe joke – heavy bidding – sold $40K to internet bidder #14015.
420. Israel.com – crown jewel of the auction – pass $5MM – not sure if this is a real bid or bid on behalf of seller.
430. affiliateprogram.com – pass $1.25MM
440. ComputerParts.com – very heavy bidding – sold $80K to internet bidder #13993.
450. blueray.com – sold $30K to internet bidder #14036.
460. Tune.com – pass $250K – not sure why – reserve was $100K – $250K – perhaps this was a bid on behalf of seller.
470. rainbow.com – sold $170K – to internet bidder #14005.
480. ladybug.com – pass $45K.
490. PregnancyCenter.com – pass $25K
500. action.com – pass – not sure if this is a real bid or bid on behalf of seller
510. minerals.com – pass $150K – not sure if this is a real bid or bid on behalf of seller
520. idol.com – pass – not sure if this is a real bid or bid on behalf of seller
530. SUPERSTARS.COM – pass $25K – not sure if this is a real bid or bid on behalf of seller

It’s now 3:00 p.m.. There’s a draw going on. Jeff Beasley wins. We’re at 106 viewers and 70 bidders online.

540. carwax.com – pass $70K.
550. breathalyzer.com – pass $45K – not sure if this is a real bid or bid on behalf of seller.
560. SexShows.com – sold $55K to internet bidder #13903.
570. XmasList.com – pass $4K – not sure if this is a real bid or bid on behalf of seller.
580. liens.com & bankliens.com -pass $150K – not sure if this is a real bid or bid on behalf of seller.
590. hoodia.com – pass $400K – reserve was $100K to $250K – must be bid on behalf of seller.
600. UsedLamborghinis.com – sold $3,500 to paddle #215.
610. CertifiedDiamonds.com – pass $200K – not sure if this is a real bid or bid on behalf of seller.
620. FertilityServices.com – pass $30K.
630. flavoredwater.com & flavoredwaters.com – pass $30K.
640. SleepAwayCamp.com – pass $20K – looked like a bid on behalf of seller.
650. FilmMaking.com – active website – sold $55K to internet bidder #14026.
660. crowds.com – pass $40K.
670. WeddingParty.com – includes .ca, .org., .biz, .net, .info, etc. -includes active website – pass $200K -looked like a bid on behalf of seller
680. laptopcomputer.com – pass $45K.
690. SoccerBalls.com – pass $45K.
700. something.com – scratched.
710. Anger.com – heavy bidding on this one, but in small increments – sold $49K to internet bidder 14026.
720. desktopcomputer.com – pass $45K.
730. MetricConversion.com – very heavy bidding on this one – sold for $8,250 to internet bidder 14182.
740. ClothesShopping.com – auctioneer says: “someone asked why I hold my wife’s hand all the time – if I let go she goes shopping” – pass $25K – looks like bid on behalf of seller.
750. patti.com – heavy bidding on this one – sold $12K to paddle 254
760. Lemons.com – pass $50K.
770. exerciseballs.com – sold $17.5K to internet bidder 14037. Energy level in the auction room seems really high.
780. SlangDictionary.com – pass $25K – looks like bid on behalf of seller.
790. boxingnews.com – sold $25K to internet bidder 13895.
800. Affect.com – pass $15K – looks like bid on behalf of seller.
810. Naturalists.com – pass $20K – looks like bid on behalf of seller.
820. Hector.com – pass $20K – looks like bid on behalf of seller.
830. LabSupplies.com – heavy bidding on this one – sold $18K to paddle 216.

It’s now 3:30 p.m. – 115 viewers and 70 bidders.

840. refinancerates.com – sold $12.5K to internet bidder 13980.
850. underconstruction.com – sold $12.5K to internet bidder 14083.
860. luxurygifts.com – pass $30K – looked like bid on behalf of seller
870. PinballWizard.com – pass $10K – looked like a bid on behalf of seller
880. ElectronicFundsTransfer.com – Monte says: “this is how we take most of the payments for this auction – pass $12.5K.
890. FootballScores.com – sold for $37.5 to paddle 217.
900. MusicDVDs.com – pass $15K – looked like a bid on behalf of seller.
910. floortiles.com – sold $30K to paddle 239
920. GraphicsSoftware.com – sold $2.5K to paddle 249
930. nannycams.com – pass $8K – looked like a bid on behalf of seller.
940. Asphyxiation.com – pass $4K – looked like a bid on behalf of seller.
950. longer.com – Monte says: “Who’s longer?” – pass $45K.
960. CarpetStores.com – Monte says: “If you have floor tiles you should go to a carpet store” – pass – looked like a bid on behalf of seller
970. typo.com – Monte says: “Very popular in the domainer community” – sold $25K to internet bidder 14033.
980. ENDORSEMENT.COM – heavy bidding on this one – sold $16.5K to internet bidder 14083.
990. InvestmentIncome.com – pass $20K – looked like a bid on behalf of seller
1000. onlinecounseling.com – sold $12.5K to internet bidder 14026.
1010. petbirds.com – auctioneer chirps like a bird – pass $10K – looked like a bid on behalf of seller.
1020. Conglomerate.com – sold $20K to internet bidder #14083.
1030. CivilClaims.com – heavy bidding on this one – sold $8.5K to internet bidder 13977.
1040. UniformServices.com – sold $3.5K to internet bidder 14114.
1050. VintageCigars.com – pass $4K – looked like a bid on behalf of seller.
1060. RainChecks.com – pass $5K – looked like a bid on behalf of seller
1070. livestreaming.com – Monte says “we’re live streaming right now” – pass $12.5K – Monte says “unbelievable”.
1080. Demonstrated.com – Auctioneer says “show ’em how its done” – pass $12.5K
1090. Flammable.com – pass $10K – looks like bid on behalf of seller – Monte says “wasn’t as hot as we thought it would be”
1100. thankyougiftbaskets.com – sold $3K to internet bidder 13916.
1110. beerkegs.com – pass $17.5K
1120. EmploymentAds.com – sold $9K to paddle #235

It’s now 4:00 p.m.. Monte says: “They’re going to be swapping out the food soon, in case you’re interested in the chocolate. Right hand corner of the room.
1130. engraved.com – very heavy bidding on this one – sold $19K to internet bidder 14083 – wild clapping in the auction room.
1140. WebClass.com – heavy bidding on this one – sold $5.5K to paddle 223
1150. Migrate.com – heavy bidding on this one – sold $9.5K to internet bidder 13925.
1160. BodilyInjury.com – auctioneer said “Monte said if I don’t sell any more, I’d better buy this name – I don’t know what he means by that” – pass $20K – looks like bid on behalf of seller.
1170. influential.com – Monte said “anyone influential in this room?” – sold $12K to internet bidder 13981.
1180. postalcodes.com – *extremely* heavy bidding on this one – lots of cheering – probably the most competitive auction so far – the crowds are going wild – sold $42.5K to paddle 274

There’s a new draw – nice GPS

1190. celluliteremoval.com – Monte says: “Gene Simmons and his wife just had this” – sold $10K to paddle 215.
1200. bavarian.com – Monte calls out “Beer!” – pass $7K
1210. FreeTrailer.com – auctioneer says to Monte “so you’re moving, are you?” – sold $17K to internet bidder 14026.
1220. subsidiaries.com – pass $6K.
1230. scraper.com – sold $5K to paddle 286.
1240. burningdvds.com – sold $3K to paddle 218.
1250. rabid.com – sold $3K to paddle 217.
1260. Commodes.com – Monte says “get off the pot” – Auctioneer says “no crap” – pass $20K – looks like bid on behalf of seller.
1270. establishcredit.com – pass $25K – looks like a bid on behalf of seller
1280. BathSupplies.com – Monte says “goes with floor tiles” – sold $9.5K to internet bidder 13977.

Dot Mobi Starts – 4:25 pm. Comes with usual terms of dot mobi premiums – ie must be developed in 6 months.

1290. computers.mobi – sold $9.5K to internet bidder 13886. Cheers from audience.
1300. airlines.mobi – Monte takes a cell phone call. He says “I’m in the middle of an auction right now – I’ll call you back” – sold $9.5K
1310. boats.mobi – sold $6K to internet bidder 13983.
1320. mortgage.mobi – heavy bidding on this one – sold for $18K to internet bidder 13981.
1330. men.mobi – heavy bidding on this one – crowd seems a bit more energetic than before – lots of cheering – sold for $10K to paddle 216.
1340. sales.mobi – heavy bidding on this one – again crowd is cheering – auctioneer says “it’s like 5 Euros” – sold – $10.5K
1350. forsale.mobi – Monte says – “you can’t let this one go if you’ve got sales.mobi” – sold $5K to paddle 425.
1360. drugs.mobi – heavy bidding – sold $17.5 to paddle 221.
1370. films.mobi – sold for $10K to internet bidder 13894.

OK, I’ve got to go now…

13 Reasons Why A Domain Has No or Low Value

May 20, 2008

A lot of things can impair the value of a domain. Here are 13 of the most common reasons that I’ve seen for domains to have no value or a low value:

1. Weak Term in a Weak Extension. For domains that are not .com or strong .ccTLDs, the keywords in the domain need to be much stronger to compensate for the weaker extension. A weak term in, for instance, a .info domain, isn’t going to have much value.

[Read more]

MyID Releases Auction List

May 19, 2008

The MyID auction is starting Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 15:45 EST and runs for one week to Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 15:45 EST. MyID has announced the domains to be auctioned. Here is the list, with reserve range in parentheses, as well as some of my comments:

[Read more]

Dealing with Email Enquiries for Your Domains

May 14, 2008

The best way to sell a domain is having an end user approach you for it. But what’s the best way to deal with such an enquiry? Recently, there was a good discussion about this at DomainState which is well worth reading.

[Read more]

iPowerweb Host is Hacked or Spamming

May 12, 2008

If you host any of your websites at iPowerweb Host, you should quickly check to make sure that they are alright. Thousands of iPowerweb clients have files and directories on their websites that they did not place there. These files and directories seem both to spam Google with unwanted links and some try to download potentially harmful files. Of course, these files will quickly harm your website’s SERPs.

You can see the extent of the damage by doing a search on Google for “4some girls” with quotes. You’ll see website after website with a nonsense subdirectory name, such as “jqywy” with hundreds of spammy pages under it, all on reputable websites. See the screenshots below.

If you look at the homepage of the sites listed in the screenshots above, you can see that they are all legitimate businesses. However, they all have a subdirectory dealing with 4some girls, 4some lesbians, etc.

Looking further, all of these websites use as nameservers ns1.securehostserver.com and ns2.securehostserver.com, which appear to be owned by iPowerweb.

It’s not clear at this point how these directories got there – whether this is a result of a massive hack of iPowerweb’s accounts, or whether this was placed there directly by iPowerweb.

Canadian Domain Auction Update

May 4, 2008

As previously reported, Pool has started a one premium domain at a time auction format. The first domain it auctioned was cafe.ca. Unfortunately, this domain did not sell, as it did not meet the reserve price. The next domain they are auctioning is slots.ca, which is also an extremely good domain. If you are interested in bidding on this domain, simply backorder the domain with Pool before noon EST on May 7, 2008.

The MyID auction has announced a new bonus for both its purchasers and its sellers. For every $10 spent by purchasers or received by sellers, you receive an “at-cost credit.” What’s an at-cost credit? Basically, it allows you to register, transfer or renew a domain at the cost that MyID pays CIRA – currently, $8.50. So, for instance, if you buy or sell a domain for $1,000, you would get 100 domain renewals for only $850. This is a substantial savings – representing 15% to 30% off what the cheapest registrars charge. For domainers with large portfolios, this is an extremely good deal – and hopefully will payoff in higher bids across the board. Start saving your pennies for the auction! The list of domains to be auctioned will be published by May 8, 2008.