CIRA Board of Directors – Support Zak Muscovitch

August 23, 2010

Post updated – see updates in bold.

If you are a dot ca domain holder, you may be aware that the elections for the CIRA Board of Directors are underway.

Many of you know Zak Muscovitch, a domain name lawyer, whom we previously interviewed about Canadian domain laws.  Zak is seeking a seat on CIRA’s Board of Directors.  Given his background as a domain name lawyer who has successfully represented domain holders at CDRP cases and in court, I believe that Zak is eminently qualified for this position.  I also believe that he understands the concerns of domainers.

I am supporting Zak and am asking you to show support and vote for Zak as well.

To vote in the election, you must be a CIRA member.  However, just because you own a dot ca domain does not mean that you are a CIRA member.  From what I have seen, most .ca domain owners are NOT CIRA members.  You must separately apply to become a CIRA member at:

https://member.cira.ca/en/member.html

The process for becoming a member is very frustrating to say the least.  My application was sent in about two weeks ago.  Emails to CIRA about this were never replied to (e.g. CIRA confirmation number BEH-100818-023520).  On phoning CIRA about my application, I was informed that they could not find it.  The person I spoke with refused to provide his name.  I have heard similar stories from other domain owners.  Update:  this issue has now been resolved.  Thanks to CIRA for dealing with this.  I should add that I have been dealing with CIRA for years, and never had an issue before this.

So, please apply for your membership right away, and be sure to obtain proof of posting or screenshots if you submit online.  The process takes less than 5 minutes.

My understanding is that corporations are entitled to membership, so if any of your corporations own dot ca domains, they too can apply for membership.  Update:  CIRA has advised me that the rule is one person, one vote.  So, if you own a corporation, only you or the corporation can be a member.

If you spouse or significant other owns a dot ca domain, they can also apply for membership.  If they don’t own a dot ca domain, then you should ask yourself, why not?

It is important that membership be applied for by August 30 at the latest – that’s just one week away!

To be included on the Final Members’ Slate, Member Nominees must receive the support of at least 20 CIRA Members. Members will be able to Show Support at https://elections.cira.ca/2010/en/support.html from August 26, 2010 at noon (ET) until 6:00 p.m. (ET) on September 9, 2010. Voting will take place between September 22 and 29, 2010. Results will be posted on CIRA’s web site on October 6, 2010. Voting can be done online or at the CIRA Annual General Meeting.

TBR Over the Holiday Season

December 15, 2009

Just a quick note for the Canadian domainers out there – the TBR sessions scheduled for Wednesday December 23 and 30 will go ahead as normal.  There will be no changes due to the holiday season.

Join the Domain Owners Association of Canada

November 3, 2009

It’s about time that Canadian domain owners finally stand up for themselves and have a voice to protect their rights against those who wish to take them away, as well as encourage the development of the Canadian internet.  Fortunately, a new organization, the Domain Owners Association of Canada (or DOAC), has just been formed to do this.

The DOAC recently held its first meeting of members, which I attended.  I think that this organization has a lot of potential to improve the Canadian internet landscape in a way that is beneficial for all stakeholders.

The DOAC’s mission is the promotion of internet business and investment in Canada.  Let’s face it – the better that the Canadian internet does, the better it will be for all participants.

At the meeting, the DOAC went into more details, and discussed its mission statement, which includes:
1. To promote the registration and use of dot ca domains in Canada and globally.
2. To protect the rights and interests of dot ca domain owners.
3. To encourage the ethical and responsible use of dot ca domains.
4. To bring the collective voice of all dot ca stakeholders to CIRA.
5. To lift the dot ca presence requirements.

The DOAC also elected its directors: Frank Michlick, Harold Simpkins, Peter Maxymych, Rick Silver, Jeffrey Behrendt, and Larry Franschman.

The officers of DOAC were elected as well:
President: Rick Silver
Vice-President: Peter Maxymych
Vice-President of Communications: Frank Michlick
Treasurer: Harold Simpkins
Secretary: Jeffrey Behrendt

Zak Muscovitch, Canada’s leading domain name lawyer, is handling the legal aspects.

If you own a .ca domain, or provide services to .ca domain owners (such as hosting, web design, technical support, marketing, legal, etc.), then you should join the DOAC.  It’s free and easy – simply complete the form and click submit.  You owe it to yourself (and your clients) to stand up for the future of the Canadian internet.

Dropping.ca Enters the TBR Market

October 27, 2009

If you invest in .ca domains, then you know that one of the best ways of obtaining quality domains at reasonable prices is through the TBR (to be released).  Every week on Wednesday at 2.00 p.m. CIRA releases domains that have expired and not been renewed by the end their 30 day suspension period.  Among the dropping domains are usually many gems.

I am proud to announce that my company, in partnership with the renowned Hubbard Media of DropSystem fame, has entered the TBR market by launching Dropping.ca.  What Dropping.ca does is simple – we catch dropping .ca domains – hence our name!

As expert domainers all know, your best bet when trying to obtain a TBR domain is to backorder it from as many places as possible – as you can’t know in advance who will obtain it.  I encourage you to give Dropping.ca a try and backorder the TBR names you are interested in with us.

At Dropping.ca, we provide high-touch service, combined with a simple, easy to use interface.  We are happy to help you every step of the way, and you can be assured that all your questions will be quickly answered.  We also transfer your domains to you right after payment – we don’t hang on to them and collect your parking profits while you watch your expired domains lose their rankings in the search engines.

The costs are modest – there is a minimum charge of $60 Canadian (+GST) for a domain.  Our services are no win, no fee – so you only pay for the domains we catch on your behalf.  We require a $60 bond payment as security when you set up an account.  However, if I know you, please feel free to contact me through my blog and I’ll be happy to set up a personalized coupon code for you to waive this bond.  If more than one person backorders a domain, then it goes to auction.  Given that we are the new kid on the block, you can rest assured that our auctions are not as competitive as the established players and there are lots of good deals to be had.

So, what are you waiting for?  It’s easy to get started.  Head on over to Dropping.ca and sign up.

Peter Maxymych of Emall.ca Spills the Beans

August 27, 2009

It has been a few months since I last blogged and the economy and domaining world has changed dramatically since then.  I’ll be getting back into blogging again and share some of my thoughts about all these changes.  I’m happy to kick things off with an interview of Peter Maxymych, the founder and President of Emall.ca – one of the largest and most successful dot ca domaining companies.

I was fortunate enough to meet Harold Simpkins, Emall’s Vice President of Marketing, at a Pool.com luncheon here in Ottawa last year and he kindly put me in touch with Peter for an interview.  The interview contains lots of interesting insights into domaining, whether you are Canadian or not.  So, let’s get started:

1. Please provide a brief biography so that my readers know who you are.

I’m from Montreal, Canada and this remains the city of my primary residence. During the colder months, I spend time in Florida. Since earning my Bachelor of Arts degree from Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University), my career has focused primarily on real estate acquisition, management and partnership formation in Canada, the US and Europe. In 1998, I started Emall.ca Inc. and since then, I’ve been spending an increasing amount of time building, managing and monetizing the company’s domain portfolio.

2. How did you get into domaining? Why did you choose to invest in dot CA domains?

In 1998, I read about the sale of Loans.com to Bank of America for something in the order of $1.7 million and was initially blown away by the price that was paid for the domain. But then it hit me: top-level, premium domains are like prime undeveloped real estate with memorable, brandable addresses. It became crystal clear clear: Bank of America didn’t merely buy a domain; they bought what might be the most valuable address in their industry and with their resources could develop a website around this domain which could generate enormous returns on their investment. In my mind, domains were and are like raw land waiting to be developed. The better the address, the more valuable the property.

My next thought was to assemble a land bank of top-level, premium domains like Loans.com. But as everyone in the domain industry knows, by 1998, all of the great dot-com domains were already registered. For me the next logical step was to see if their dot-ca equivalents were available and they were. One of the very first domains that I registered was Loans.ca.

3. Most Canadian domainers know about Emall’s sale of nearly four hundred generic dot CA domain names to the Yellow Pages Group for $2.5 Million. Can you provide my readers with some colour about the deal? E.g. Who approached whom? How did negotiations go? How long did negotiations take? What did you learn from the deal? Do you have any regrets about the deal?

Actually, we approached YPG through our advisors, Price Waterhouse Coopers Corporate Finance. Shortly after PWC made contact with them, YPG expressed strong interest in buying 389 of our domains and we then met with four of their senior people. The meeting allowed both parties to get to know each other and it was very cordial and professional. After YPG made their initial offer, negotiations proceeded quickly and within two weeks we came to an agreement.

The YPG and PWC people were a delight to work with. I think everyone was pleased with how the sale worked and there are certainly no regrets on my part. This sale was the biggest in the history of dot-ca domains and the publicity that it generated for Emall.ca – on CBC Television’s Venture, on the front page in the Toronto Star and through mentions and interviews in a host of other major domestic and international media – put the company on the map.

4. How many dot ca domains does Emall currently own? What are your 3 favourite ones?

We now have more than 11,000 domains in our portfolio. My personal three favourites are Loans.ca, Cheaptickets.ca and, because it was the domain for Emall.ca’s very first website, Perfume.ca. By the way, Perfume.ca is now a co-branded site with FragranceNet providing the back end.

5. Why do you think Canadian companies are lagging behind American companies in their use of quality generic domains, and what do you think can be done to change this?

If we knew the definitive answers to these questions, we’d have the key to taking dot-ca domains to their next level of value. Compared to their US counterparts, many Canadian companies have been slow to adopt and integrate the Internet as a business and communications platform. They may be a bit more conservative and some have taken a ‘wait and see’ attitude. That said, history shows that Canada always catches up to the US when it comes to innovations. Think of television. It was available in the US in 1948 but Canadians didn’t adopt it until 1951. And after they did, they became among the heaviest TV viewers in the world.

Last year, the Domain Owners Association of Canada (DOAC) was formed. An important part of its mission is to promote the use of dot-ca domains by Canadian companies and by foreign companies doing business in Canada. As this organization grows in size and influence, I’m confident that it will increase the awareness of the benefits of using dot-ca domains and, in the process, accelerate their usage by corporations.

6. Most Canadian and American domainers know about Emall’s CheapTickets.ca case. What are your thoughts about how well the CDRP works and is it fair to domainers? Do you think the court decision in this case provides sufficient protection to owners of generic dot CA domains?

This was a long drawn-out and expensive affair. We prevailed with the CDRP and were obviously pleased with that. In federal court, we had the Cheaptickets trademark that the complainant had registered expunged. Attorney Zak Muscovitch’s counsel and work on our behalf was extraordinary.

I think we were treated fairly at both the CDRP and federal court levels. Both provide as much protection to domain owners as can be expected. But as is the case with all complex legal proceedings, costs can get into the tens of thousands of dollars very quickly. That said, I would encourage domainers whose rights to a domain are frivolously challenged to vigorously defend themselves. However, common sense should prevail give the high legal costs associated with this.

7. The Domain Owners Association of Canada has recently started. Can you tell us more about this organization, why it was started, what it does, and why domainers should join?

Last year, I proposed the idea of creating a domain owner’s association to a group of like-minded domainers including Rick Silver, Frank Michlik, and Zak Muscovitch at Domain Covergence in Niagara Falls. Tucows’ Bill Sweetman volunteered office space at Tucows where our initial meeting took place. One thing, among many, which we unanimously agreed on, was that members of the domain community in Canada and beyond – including domain owners, registrars, parking providers, lawyers, advertising agencies and the media – should have the ability to address the common domain-related issues they face with one collective voice. It was here that the Domain Owners Association of Canada was born. Over the next six month period, discussions and email exchanges concluded with a mission statement which, in bullet point form, includes:
· The promotion of the registration and use of dot-ca domains in Canada and globally
· The enhancement of the value of dot-ca domains
· Representation of DOAC members with governments and regulators
· The protection of its members from domain-related fraud
By joining the DOAC, members can take advantage of the following benefits:
· Staying up-to-date with the latest developments in the dot-ca domain industry
· Being among the first to know about sales of dot-ca domains
· Sharing of domain monetization strategies and tactics
· On-going contact with other dot-ca domain owners
· Representation with CIRA to encourage them to lower registration fees and invest in the promotion of dot-ca domains
Rick Silver did a great job designing and building the association’s website – www.doac.ca. Membership is free and there’s a sign-up form on the site.
By the way, within the next couple of months, from its membership, the DOAC will be appointing its board of directors and executive committee. So anyone interested in becoming a board member should join the association ASAP.

8. I haven’t seen many reported sales of French .ca domains. What are your thoughts about these? Does Emall invest in French .ca domains?

With French speakers representing 25% of the Canadian population, the market for French dot-ca domains is obviously much smaller than that for their English counterparts. But there are plenty of domain-related activities going on in Quebec. For example, Emall.ca has just concluded a joint venture agreement with www.Billets.ca, a French-language hockey ticket reseller. They will provide the back end for an English-language site using one of Emall.ca’s domains, HockeyTickets.ca.

We do own a number of excellent French dot-ca domains including Prets.ca, Assurance.ca, Noel.ca, Parfum.ca and Billet.ca.

9. What are your thoughts about Canadian ownership requirements for dot CA domains – should these be kept or removed, and why?

As is the case with any regulation or policy, I think that the requirements should be reviewed from time-to-time particularly in light of the blistering speed of change in the online sphere.

10. You are starting a new project at DomainExchange.ca – can you tell us about it?

We’ve been working for six months on DomainExchange.ca and the site is just about ready to go live. DomainExchange.ca will provide leading-edge domain listing and transaction services to domain sellers and buyers from around the world. Wouldn’t it be great if DomainExchange.ca could feature dot-ca domains for sale internationally as SEDO does for dot-de and dot-pl domains?

11. Many domainers are starting to get into development and Emall has developed several of its domain names. Can you tell us how you go about choosing which domains to develop and the development process you use?

Obviously market potential is our main selection criterion. The online travel market is valued in the tens of billions of dollars and that’s the key reason that we have invested in the development of Cheaptickets.ca. Getting back to my real estate analogy, I see Emall.ca as more of a land bank or landlord than an operator of online businesses. So when deciding which domains to develop, we look for professional, qualified joint venture partners who can build and manage the websites that ultimately carry one of our domain names. That’s certainly been the case with Hotels.com who back end Cheaptickets.ca, FragranceNet who back end Perfume.ca and Billets.ca who will back end HockeyTickets.ca. We also have a joint venture agreement with Oakville.com’s Richard Douglas. In partnership with Emall.ca and Hotels.com, Richard will be building and managing a number of travel sites using our BermudaHotels.ca, JamaicaHotels.ca, JamaicaResorts.ca, CubaHotels.ca and CubaResorts.ca domains. Finally, we are working on a joint venture agreement with a content provider and media partner for Recipes.ca.

12. What are your predictions for the future of the dot CA market?

Dot-ca domains have a very bright future. Double-digit growth of business conducted online in Canada will continue for the foreseeable future. The Internet is only now coming into its own as a marketing communications and entertainment medium. In 2008 it displaced radio as Canada’s third-placed advertising revenue generator. In increasing numbers, consumers of traditional media are sourcing their news, sports and entertainment online. Broadcasting is being replaced by narrowcasting.

Whether it’s a business or an online media outlet trying to reach Canadians or Canadians trying to locate a business or online media outlet, a dot-ca address is crucial to making these connections happen. Research has clearly shown that Canadians prefer to deal with organizations which have websites with dot-ca domains. Plus Canada as a brand is one of the most respected and trusted of any country brand in the world. Consequently, the potential appeal of dot-ca domains extends beyond Canada’s borders.

Thanks so much Peter!  Good luck with all of your ventures.

First Canadian Reverse Domain Hijacking Finding

April 20, 2009

Globe Media International Corporation tried to grab the generic domain ForSale.ca from Bonfire Development, Inc., through a CDRP proceeding (the Canadian equivalent of the UDRP) and failed.  Not only did it fail, but it resulted in Canada’s first ever finding of Reverse Domain Hijacking.

Background

In January of this year, the domain ForSale.ca dropped.  After it was caught, it was purchased by Bonfire Development for $29,000 CDN.

Trademark

The plaintiff had a trademark on the domain For-Sale.ca.  Although one might ask how they managed to trademark that term, the CDRP does not allow the panel to go behind the trademark.  In the circumstances, the panel found that the domain was confusingly similar to the trademark.

Bad Faith

Next, the panel analysed whether the domain was registered in bad faith.  They found that it was not, and made some statements that I consider very positive.  They state:  “the disputed domain is a generic term over which the Complainant in this particular case cannot claim exclusivity.  This is so despite being the owner of a trade-mark that is confusing with the domain name.  The term “for sale” is clearly and obviously a commonly used term by businesses and members of the public to say the least, and is one over which the Complainant would be hard pressed to assert a monopoly.”

It’s clear that the Panel understands what a generic domain is and the importance of a generic name being avaialable to all members of the public.  Kudos to them for this.

The Panel further stated:  “There is no question that the Respondent, or related parties, have been found in the past to have engaged in the practice of cyber-squatting.  In particular, Shaun Pilford, who appears to be related to the Respondent, is known to domain name panels.  However, this is not relevant to this particular case… While the Panel does not endorse the Respondent’s unauthorized domain name registrations, it needs to be proven that the Respondent was cyber-squatting in this case.”

That’s good news too.  Too often in UDRP decisions, if you lose one, you’re at high risk of losing all future cases because you’ve been branded a cybersquatter.  The Panel is correct just to look at the case before it, not the reputation of the parties.

Reverse Domain Name Hijacking

The Complainant had previously tried to get this domain before it dropped via the CDRP and failed.  Now it failed a second time and the Respondent asked for a finding of reverse domain name hijacking.

The Panel found that the Complainant has a history of registering trademarks for .ca domains of well known brands.  The Complainant had registered Versace.ca, Mentos.ca, Zantac.ca, Smirnoff.ca and also filed trademark applications for Versace.ca, Mentos.ca, Zantac.ca and Smirnoff.ca.  The Panel found that the Complainant had an extensive history of abusing trademarks to try to give it rights to domains it should not have, including in this case.

Adding all of this to the fact that the domain is generic, the Panel found that this was Reverse Domain Name Hijacking and in fact stated that the Complainant appears to have engaged in filching.

Costs have yet to be decided, but the CDRP allows cost awards of up to $5,000.

Congrats to lawyer for the respondent Zak Muscovitch for obtaining this finding!

Network Solutions to Offer .CA Domains

November 11, 2008


In a sign that Canadian domains are now a major player in the domain world, Network Solutions has announced that is going to offer .ca domain registration.  This is hot on the heals of Godaddy doing the same thing in July.

Network Solutions is charging $34.99 per year for a .ca registration – quite the markup from the wholesale price of $8.50.  At this cost, domainers won’t be rushing out to Network Solutions any time soon to register .ca domains.  But the fact that the major registrars are moving into the .ca market highlights the increasing growth and importance of the .ca space.

Sibername Increases .ca Prices for Second Time in a Year

September 10, 2008

I just received an announcement from Sibername that they are increasing their prices for .ca domains from $14.95 to $16.95 (Canadian).  This follows on an increase earlier in the year that increased prices from $12.95 to $14.95.

I am somewhat surprised at this aggressive pricing move, especially in light of Godaddy recently entering the .ca market.  Sibername blames the increase on the fact that “.CA domain names require lengthy procedure and communication for changes like administrative email change, registrar transfer.”  .Ca domains are definitely more complex than gTLDs, but this hasn’t changed recently and a lot of these functions are automated (although the CIRA process is so confusing, I bet Sibername gets a lot of requests for support).

In the past, Sibername was one of the top registrar choices for Canadian domainers due to their low prices and TBR success.  To me, this price increase signals a change in business strategy by Sibername away from catering to domainers.  Given the recent very vocal criticism of Sibername by some domainers (and I’m really not sure about the merits of this criticism), this is perhaps a good business decision by Sibername.

By comparison, CIRA charges registrars a wholesale rate of $8.50 per domain.  Namespro.ca, my Canadian registrar of choice, charges $12.88, and often runs $1 off specials and offers discounts to large portfolio holders.  Godaddy charges $12.99 USD, which currently works out to about $13.84.  10dollar.ca charges $10.45.  Netfirms.ca charges $9.95.  DomainsAtCost.ca charge $12.95.  Baremetal.com charges $12.50.

At least Sibername is still cheaper than Internic.ca, the registrar of choice for people with money to burn, which charges a mere $50, and yet manages to be used by most large businesses across Canada.

GoDaddy to Offer .CA Domains

July 10, 2008

Godaddy in CanadaAs most people know, Godaddy is the most popular registrar in the world, thanks largely to their aggressive marketing and reasonable pricing.  Unfortunately, one of their shortcomings is that while they offer ccTLDs from around the world, they did not offer .ca registrations.  This is about to change in the near future – Godaddy has announced that they have become a Canadian registrar.  They hope to be able to offer .ca registrations in one month.

This is sure to shake up the Canadian registrar industry significantly – Godaddy states that they have 5.5 million Canadian customers.  Considering that there are only slighly more than 1 million .ca domains registered, it would seem to me that Godaddy already has the market well covered.  (I find the figure somewhat astonishing – that means almost all Canadian domain holders don’t own .ca domains).

Godaddy is, of course, launching their entry into the Canadian market with a splash – by being the official broadcast sponsor of the NASCAR Napa Auto Parts 200 on TSN, Canada’s leading 24-hour all-sports network Aug. 2 in Montreal.

Exciting times ahead for the .ca world!

Canadian Auction Update

June 17, 2008

The second MyID auction completed successfully with three 5-figure sales: Interview.ca for $30,000, Bond.ca $19,100, and Gamble.ca $15,000. In all, 33 domains were sold. Here are the remaining results:

[Read more]

Canadian Domain Auction Update

June 11, 2008

At Pool‘s weekly auction, Betting.ca closed at $5,310. The result seems a bit modest to me.

Pool’s next weekly auction is for Cafe.ca. Astute readers may notice that this domain was previously auctioned. At that time, it failed to meet its reserve and was not sold. This time Pool is auctioning Cafe.ca on a no reserve basis. It looks like it could be a good bargain.

[Read more]

Auction Review – Detailed Look At the MyID Auction

June 8, 2008

As I previously discussed, there is a MyId dot ca auction in process. I said I’d analyze the domains soon, and now that it’s the weekend I’ve had some quiet time to do this. Here is the list of domains on auction, with the reserve range in brackets, and my thoughts on some of them afterwards:

[Read more]

Canadian Domain Auction Update

June 3, 2008

After the successful sale of Dates.ca, Pool is now auctioning off the premium dot ca domain Betting.ca. The auction starts tomorrow, so get your order in quickly. There is no reserve price on Betting.ca – the domain will sell at the highest bid. Pool seems to be continuing their no reserve policy which worked really well with the sale of Dates.ca.

Tomorrow the next MyId premium dot ca auction begins. They are also including a couple of no reserve auctions – PainClinic.ca and SummerSchool.ca. If these two auctions go well, the no reserve format will likely become popular in dot ca auctions, but likely only for strong domains at strong auction venues.

The list of domains was just released earlier today, so I haven’t had a chance to go through it in detail. They’ve got another great two letter domains VP.ca. Gamble.ca is another great domain on auction and it will be interesting to see how the sale price compares with Betting.ca.

[Read more]

Dates.ca

June 2, 2008

The great domain Dates.ca finished its auction on Pool today. The closing price was $18,353 (USD). Another DN Journal worthy dot ca sale following on the heals of Friday’s MyID auction.

The domain is an expired website and apparently earns $300 per month from affiliate sales. Bidding in the last half hour was incredible, driving the price up from about $9,000 to the closing price. The servers at Pool really were slow – I’m not sure if that affected bidding.

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]

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:

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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.

Canadian Domain Auction Landscape Changes

April 22, 2008

There have been some notable changes over the last few days in the Canadian domain auction landscape.

Sibername has introduced changes in their TBR system. First, they have raised the minimum bid from $15 to $25. While I’m sure domainers will complain about the increase in price (after all, who wants to pay more?), I believe that this is a good step. My guess is that Sibername was wasting a lot of resources trying to catch dropping domains that would only sell for $15, when these resources could have been reallocated to catching higher value domains. For $15, they are better off selling new registrations than TBR domains.

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Special Domain Deal For Canadians – 0b.ca For Sale

April 17, 2008

I’m offering a top NL.ca for sale – 0b.ca. NL.ca are obviously very rare – there are only 260 of them.

0b has overture of 113. There are 8,590,000 Google results for 0b. It makes a good acronym.

Here are some recent comparable sales (all in 2008):

A7.ca – $1,580
3W.ca – $1,500
X2.ca – $1,495
6X.ca – $1,250

There have also been several five-figure LL.ca sales in 2008. Some of them are:

RR.ca – $15,811
VV.ca – $10,000
BU.ca – $13,500

Prices of .ca domains are rising fast – it has been a record breaking year for .ca domains. Prices will continue to rise, now that we are at the one million .ca mark.

0b.ca will be on auction at the MyID Premium .ca Auction, which starts May 22, 2008. The reserve price is $1,000 (Canadian) and the BIN price is $2,000.

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