Huge domain sales : Are they good for the domain industry?

Domain investors probably had palpitations earlier today, after the uncovering by George Kirikos of a huge domain sale.

The “lease to own” sale of LasVegas.com for the astronomical amount of $90 million dollars, stirred the otherwise relaxed waters on a Friday morning.

Such domain sales are quite rare, but they do occur when there is a profit to be reaped for a brick and mortar business; in this case, the owners of Vegas.com that acquired the geo-domain’s full name.

What exactly are the benefits of disclosing information to the public about such large domain sales?

These days, the signing of non disclosure agreements is part of the domain selling game, particularly when it involves large sums. Domain investors and corporations alike, could live without the flashes of media attention, allowing them to proceed with the business plans in mind.

That being said, many domain sales are reported for the direct benefit of the seller and brokers involved. Reputation is often built on numbers, and such large domain sales rejuvenate the domain industry’s belt of achievements, adding yet another recorded notch.

Domain investors willing to expand into a territory that such sales might hint of, are often given the final “push” to materialize their ideas and make a decision.

It’s therefore safe to say, that disclosure of such domain sales generate a secondary movement of capital, through the subsequent sales and acquisitions that occur.

Riding on the “coat-tails” of a large sale isn’t a bad thing, for the most part.

At the same time, huge domain sales broadcast the wonderful world of domain investors outside of our industry. They act as ambassadors to a world that Main Street still perceives with caution, ignorance and even hatred.

Switching away from the usual unsavory epithets of being “cybersquatters“, “hoarders” and “speculators“, domain investors get the proper acknowledgement that we deserve.

Comments

  1. James Iles says

    I think Rick S’s prices are about to go up…

  2. James – That’s true. 😀 Expect his next NNN .com sale to have an extra digit in the front.

  3. Could it be that the high price has more to do with the “What happens in Vegas…” mantra?

    LasVegas.com is run by the visitors and convention authority. Vegas.com is private, if I’m not mistaken.

    Will both sites operate independently in the future and who’s actually selling LasVegas.com?

  4. Bobby – What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Unless you have to submit a SEC filing. 🙂

  5. Check out what happened to the ownership of Utah.com last. $$$

  6. True.

    It seems a little suspicious to me, given the length of the agreement, that this isn’t some sort of cooperative deal and the value is only on paper — not saying the domain isn’t worth that.

    I mean LasVegas.com will continue to operate as a separate site for the next 25 years?

  7. Bobby – The best advice on the pricing of valuable domains was given by Rick Schwartz a few years ago.

    Say you’re 48 years old with an expected life span of 78 years (of course, we all want to live to 100+ but that’s another story.) You price the domain based on the remaining life of 78-48=30 years.

    In the case of corporations, they can and most definitely outlive their founders.

  8. I like it.

    I guess this could be a case of the LVCVA realizing there’s no sense competing against one another while getting a huge payout for the city.

    Maybe like what other cities consider doing with their toll roads and public holdings.

  9. Bobby – Don’t forget .Vegas 😉

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