DomainTools Blog

Domainer Mardi Gras Auction wraps ups soon but continues doing good along the way for New Orleans.

At 4:00pm CST today, February 27, it all comes to a rousing conclusion with the end of the Extended Afterparty Auction – but there is time to bid and deals still abound. You can still attend the party!

Below is the list of the 27 names available for bidding – only available until 4:00pm Friday, February 27! Don’t miss this opportunity to get a great deal – register, bid and win a great domain name.

GolfSet.com *
Engrossing.com
DNSales.com *
Music365.com
PHO.com *
BathMirrors.com
Credenzas.com
PhotoPapers.com
GoCart.com
PurchaseOffer.com
Mahogany.com
HealthyMenu.com
Trays.com *
BasketballPants.com
Favorites.com
CustomSites.com *
ElectronicToys.com
XXXFilms.com
Operable.com
TheFrenchQuarter.com
CozumelIsland.com
CashForSites.com *
MovieBuff.com
DownAndDirty.com
VirtualServer.com
RentalVillas.com *

*Remember that names with an ‘asterisk’ above are available for six month 0% financing once they reach $5000.

Also note that Aftermarket.com and Domainconsultant.com decided the extended auction should continue the trend of doing good for the New Orleans community by donating proceeds to the Habitat for Humanity. We will each be donating $50 for every name sold in the Afterparty auction to the local NOLA chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Help us make a difference!

Thanks to all who took part live and in NOLA and don’t forget you all have to go home at 4pm!

Domainer Mardi Gras Auction Afterparty – ‘No Reserve’ Names, Habitat for Humanity Invited

From DomainConsultant.com

What’s an after party without those great, fun ‘No Reserve’ names to add some fresh fever and flavor to the mix? Aftermarket.com and DomainConsultant.com are proud to announce the addition of ten high-quality, keyword-rich domains – at the perfect price! This includes premiums like Engrossing.com, HealthyMenu.com, PhotoPapers.com, Music365.com, Operable.com, CozumelIsland.com, BathMirrors.com and more.

These names have been added to an auction that already includes premium generics like RentalVillas.com, Mahogany.com, GolfSet.com, Pho.com, DNSales.com and more- many with 0% financing available (denoted with * below).

Third-Party Valuations Included
In an effort to help identify value, we chose third-party data and comparables aggregator Estibot.com (with which we have no affiliation) to provide snap valuations for each name in the inventory.

The result is we found some of the names valued below price, yes (brandables rarely produce good comparable figures) but also noticed that most of the names are being offered at figures well-below their current market value and resale potential. Valuation figures are included next to prices and should be used as informational only – not as set valuation.

Here is the current rundown of availability with fresh comments from DC analysts plus Estibot valuations:

Domain	Price	Estibot	New Notes
Mahogany.com	$25,000.00	$88,000.00	$2 bids, lots of ads – $88,000 valuation. Mountains of resale value on this name – huge buyer pool for a RARE brandable AND premium generic.
Pho.com*	$25,000.00	$75,000.00	Rare, uncompromising LLL that looks and sounds good and has lots of advertisers. VERY popular restaurant/dish in many areas. Financing available.
xxxFilms.com	$10,000.00	$460.00	Few things still do well in adult but adult video and dvd stores and VOD sites are one of them. They still convert, this is a major term in a segment that produces lots of return customers.
CustomSites.com*	$15,000.00	$2,600.00	Major brandable for template service or design and development firm – priced right for industry margins, financing makes ROI short and efficient.
MovieBuff.com	$15,000.00	$1,800.00	The e-commerce potential for known term such as this is massive. Consider posters and memorabilia, videos, apparel and more. Name for the most loyal of a massive global industry.
Credenzas.com	$13,500.00	$35,000.00	TONS of advertisers on a very specific, targeted industry domain. Valued at $35,000 and previously priced much higher. This is someone liquidating, take advantage!
Golfset.com*	$4,500.00	$26,000.00	Frequent term for a set of clubs – many advertisers, rare seven L golf domain. With 0% financing too! Valued at $26,000.
TheFrenchQuarter.com	$24,000.00	$5,100.00	I imagine the cost of anything with a roof in The French Quarter (correct saying) is far more than this name. Sell one property and recoup.
VirtualServer.com	$50,000.00	$77,000.00	One of the best domains in the offering (beyond voodoo.com) – $6 bids, $80k valuation. Emerging, growing and spreading – likely never see this name as affordable again.
GoCart.com	$75,000.00	$180,000.00	Lots of usage and frequency, traffic and potential sales – big ad term and commercial marketplace.
ElectronicToys.com	$33,000.00	$110,000.00	More ads on this name than any other in the auction. Better ads, better advertisers, better price and value than that ‘other’ one.
DownandDirty.com	$5,000.00	$19,000.00	Seriously, for $5k – this is a great, known and recognizable term asking to be a hip brand. Resale value galore on names like these.
Trays.com*	$25,000.00	$120,000.00	Valued at over $120,000 because of the sheer size and scope of the marketplace. Lots of ad competition – with financing too!
RentalVillas.com*	$9,000.00	$9,600.00	Phenomenal two-worder covering a vast and profitable travel biz. Advertisers and financing to boot.
DNSales.com*	$5,000.00	$1,200.00	With DnJournal, DNNews, DnForum, etc. – where is this name? Has likely traffic and financing is available!

Here is the new guest list for the after party but don’t forget – it all ends Friday, February 27th at 4:00pm CST. Bidding is now open on these NR names.

NEW! ‘No Reserve’ Guest List

Each Domain Sold Benefits Habitat for Humanity
Building on the success of raising over $1000 in donations with the Mardi Gras gift packages benefiting the local Habitat for Humanity, we thought we’d continue the effort and donate a portion of each name sold to this worthwhile and highly needed cause. We are donating $100 for each No Reserve domain sold – no matter what the sales amount is. If we sell each of the 10 additional domains, that will be an additional $1000 for Habitat for Humanity!

Many who were in NOLA were affected by some of the conditions, including us – so we’d like to do more. You can do more too by visiting Habitat for Humanity – New Orleans website.

After Party Ends Friday, February 27th at 4:00CST

Bidding is open! To bid on any of these premium names, simply login or register before it all ends at 4:00pm CST on February 27th, 2009 and everyone is sent home.

DomainConsultant.com continues their effort to help all understand why names were chosen for the DMG Auction, we will be presenting daily reviews of highlighted names in the inventory. We hope each helps you identify value perhaps you did not notice on first glance.

RentalVillas.com
If there is any ’sure-thing’ in the domain business, it is travel domains – quality travel names, which have become exceedingly rare. This premium generic covers a globe of villas – the more common term for vacation rentals. Villa rentals are part of a gigantic pie – a highly competitive pie serving up $3 PPC bids. Add in the available financing and this name is phenomenal mix of traffic, revenue, SEO, CPA, PPC and resale.

AirlineRewards.com
Perhaps you didn’t notice but rewards have become a bigger and bigger aspect of modern travel. And as above, this domain fulfills all sorts of variants related to this eternal industry. Rewards are now bought, sold and donated. They are used for merchandise or transferred between services. This is a keyword-rich domain with huge e-commerce potential yet generic enough to cover the whole marketplace. Price on this name is a steal – a business waiting to happen. Financing too!

xxxFilms.com
Adult may be looking for air but one area continues to deliver – and always has. Films, videos, DVD, VOD combined with excellent CPA programs like Mallcom that allow you to build a private label store. Truth is, these types of names/sites still convert their visitors better than most mainstream sites. With SEO value galore, this expense should be easy to recoup – would’ve have been $100k a few years ago.

Credenzas.com
I once saw a handmade, artist-created credenza for over $10,000. So when this domain popped up, I took notice – largely because it is a vast segment of the office/home furniture empire. Lucrative describes these high-end products best – they produce large margins, they are specialty items, they come in all shapes, sizes and materials. At DC, this is referred to as a ‘premium generic’, a category killer — defined as the best domain in a notable industry. Credenzas.com fits the description – its inexpensive price does not. This is a true one word, product-specific rarity – for the high-end.

Mahogany.com
Reminds me of ‘mercury.com’ – the type of domain an end-user comes along and pays big money for. Yes, it happens and your chances are greatly increased with a brandable generic like mahogany.com. But wait! Mahogany is also a product, an expensive wood – making this that rare domain that can serve global corporate needs – as brandable OR keyword. Of course, it is also a color like a blue.com or red.com -I could go on and on, so many different ways to look at this name and find huge long term value at this price. Also reminds me of the exact type of names that used to sell at auction for $100,000-$200,000 not long ago – and will likely demand those figures again. Mahogany.com is a one of kind. Domainers should have learned by now – it’s the kind of name you just can’t lose with.

PetHospitals.com
In the age of ‘domain development’ what is there not to love about this keyword-rich domain absolutely screaming to be a directory – a lucrative angle when dealing with professionals like doctors, lawyers, CPAs, etc. These are the old Yellow Pages advertisers who hogged entire sheets. Veterinary medicine is lucrative and in demand – largely set to expand in recession environments. It’s local, it’s needed and it’s really well priced for such simple, worthwhile development. Oh yeah, finance it and build it before you’re done paying!

Remember to join us today LIVE at 12:45PST online and in NOLA for the exciting conclusion of this journey, um, auction. Happy Hunting and remember that financing is available on many names once they reach $5,000! Take advantage.

Cheers and thanks,
DomainConsultant

Interest in today’s Aftermarket.com domain auction at Domainer Mardi Gras seems to be building to near fever-pitch – we’ve had plenty of people pre-register to bid, we’ve fielded tons of inquires about the zero-percent financing option and we’ve seen pre-bids placed on over 40% of the lots. This auction is shaping up to be one you don’t want to miss.

The auction today will also showcase a few new features our team has added to the bidding system. We recommended that even those familiar with prior Aftermarket.com domain auctions review these features in advance – some of them will affect how you bid, and if you wait until live bidding starts to learn about them, you might not have enough time to adjust.

First Steps

• Visit the auction early to ensure your computer is compatible. You need a modern, up-to-date browser (Internet Explorer or Firefox) with the Adobe Flash plugin.
• NOTE: We recommend [Firefox] for the best bidding experience.
• Login as a DomainTools user, or create a new free account. This is important: if you are not logged in, you won’t see new bids updated in the live auction interface.
• Register to bid in the Domainer Mardi Gras auction. Follow the links from the live auction page and it will guide you through a simple verification process. The $1 we charge to your credit card as confirmation on your account will be donated to grassroots.org.

Pre-Bid Early
There’s no need to wait for live bidding to start – you can bid immediately after registering.

• Browse the auction catalog on the right side of the screen. A few things to remember about that list:
  • Domains with a diamond are participating in the zero-percent finance option.
  • BusinessProblem(s).com is a lot with 3 domains: BusinessProblem.com, BusinessProblems.com
• Click on a domain in the catalog to view details
• In the flyout that appears, enter your maxium bid and click “Place Bid”.
  • Your bid must be greater than the current high bid plus a pre-defined bid increment that changes depending on the current price of the lot. Click the “What’s a proxy bid?” link and then “Bid Increments” for details.
  • The system will auto-bid on your behalf up to the maximum bid you entered
• Domains that you bid on will be added to your watchlist. Click the “My Watchlist” link above the catalog to view it.

During Live Bidding

• When live bidding starts, you’ll see the page change to focus on the lot currently active with the auctioneer.
• The auctioneer will call out an “asking price” to the room and the auction staff will broadcast that number to online bidders. When the “Bid Now” button becomes available, click it to place a bid at the auctioneer’s asking price.
• IMPORTANT: You cannot enter a proxy bid when the domain becomes active with the auctioneer. Proxy bids entered prior to live bidding will be honored, but new proxies cannot be entered.
• Our Recommendations:
  • Pre-bid early on lots – you won’t be able to enter proxy bids when the domain becomes active with the auctioneer.
  • Consider using the Firefox web browser – the Javascript engine in it is far faster than Internet Explorer which means it does a better job keeping up with lots of bidding events.
  • Only keep one window, in any browser, active with the auction on your computer at a time. Multiple windows or multiple browsers can cause you to miss important auction events.

As part of our eternal effort to bring something fresh to the formula that is the live auction, we are proud to offer several Mardi Gras merchandise baskets for bidding with proceeds from the sales to benefit Habitat for Humanity.

Each terrific package, put together by DomainTools & DomainConsultant staff, includes the following New Orleans “must-haves”:

Charity Package #1: Mardi Gras Package

• Exclusive New Orleans Street Car Tin Pralines from Pralines.com
• Beignet Mix and Coffee from Cafe du Monde
• A King Cake from KingCakes.com
• Pat O’Brien’s Hurricane Drink Mix
• Mardi Gras Beads and Masks
• Domainer Mardi Gras T-Shirt from Parked/Modern Domainer

Charity Package #2: Crawfish Package

• Fresh Crawfish delivered to your door from Crawfish.com
• The Food of New Orleans – Authentic Recipes from the Big Easy coobook
• Selection of New Orleans Hot Sauce

Charity Package #3: Voodoo Package1

• Voodoo doll – Exclusive, One of a Kind – to be announced at start of auction – DON’T MISS OUT!
• Voodoo and Hoodoo book

Charity Package #4: Voodoo Package2

• Voodoo doll – Exclusive, One of a Kind – to be announced at start of auction – DON’T MISS OUT!
• Voodoo and Hoodoo book

This is a great opportunity to support a worth-while cause and get a New Orleans’ style thank-you in return. Be sure to tune in and help us make a difference in someone’s life.

We will be auctioning these exclusive gift baskets during the live portion of the DMG Auction being held on Saturday, February 21st at 12:45PST / 2:45CST. We sincerely hope you join us.

For more information on Habitat for Humanity, go to http://www.habitat.org

DomainConsultant.com continues highlighting domains selected for the Aftermarket.com auction. The auction is open now for bidding with the live auction scheduled for February 21, 2009, 2:45CST at the Domainer Mardi Gras conference. The selections below further draw attention the overall value of the catalog.

Domain Consultant Team
Jobless.com
Stunning to see a domain like this surface at a time like this and listed at this price. It’s been a very long time since I came across a good, affordable job domain. And this one is a one-worder! Not only that, it’s a word on the lips and minds of TV anchors and analysts, politicians and ordinary folks. Still amazed we were able to get it for the auction – it’s an exceedingly rare breed.

VirtualServer.com
Targeted and growing, necessary and premium – virtual servers are environments as well as the newest, hottest option in hosting services. This domain is one of a kind, beyond just keyword-rich. It’s one of the best in an industry with high conversions and high margins – the opportunity to make revenue are endless when we’re talking about $200+ commissions. We’re also talking about a term with $6 bids and no lack of advertisers. And with those bid prices, you are almost assured a healthy profit on resale – people are spending tons on this phrase!

TextLinks.com
In considering all the high-level ‘advertising’ domain sales of late, it’s hard for me not to point to this domain as the finest value of them all. Text links are an integral, effective media option (applicable in mobile as well) – used regularly by web marketers everywhere. Ask Google in fact. Truth is this domain simply screams to be developed into a service – targeted traffic, SEO value, patented need. Amazingly low price considering it gives you the ability to eat up market share (of a multi-billion dollar pie) starting on day one.

CustomSites.com
As a long time web designer and site developer, I can tell you that building sites for third parties is a profit machine. By the time I ended I was making anywhere from $150-$300/hr. doing designs for corporations. That is why you see so many logo and site design ads around the internet – if you get the hosting along with the site job, then you add residual income. This doesn’t even take into account automated options like templates, site systems and industry-specific product offerings. Right person with the right network or skills could turn this expense around in a couple months.

As part of DomainConsultant.com continuing effort to help all understand why names were chosen for the Domainer Mardi Gras Aftermarket.com Auction, we will be presenting daily reviews of highlighted names in the inventory. We hope each helps you identify value perhaps you did not notice on first glance.

Domain Consultant Team

ElectronicToys.com
As many people know, Toys.com sold for a whopping $1.7m in a bankruptcy auction. I don’t speak for others but for myself, my money, this domain is far better, more targeted. Problem with a name like toys.com is the sheer generic-ness of the traffic and thus the corresponding ads and advertisers. Electronictoys.com will draw a better audience, better advertisers, higher bids, more gift-oriented – much better value overall.

Resolve.net
At first glance we liked it because of the dispute resolution industry and opportunity that area represents. But it occurred to us that it is also an excellent name for DNS and resolution services. In fact, being a .net or network makes the name even more appealing, suited well to the extension. No argument on price either.

Trays.com
Think about all the ‘trays’ you encounter and you can see the value here – this is a gigantic and far reaching industry beyond the restaurant and kitchen to the office and fashion, jewelry and displays. They come in plastic, wood, metal, gold, decorative, etc. Plus, further study shows a big pool of advertisers on this surprising premium generic. The price may fool you but there is little denying this is a stunningly rare category-killer making it to the market at an unheard of offering. This name has mountains of SEO value as well – given its competitive nature to boot.

MovieBuff.com
Extremely well-know phrase for those with hardcore love for movies, past and present. This is perhaps one of the best names in the industry, think about it: it will attract the upper core of moviegoers. We’re talking about the spenders who buy posters and collectibles, merchandise and yes, movies. The truly dedicated followers in a massive industry. This is a ‘top buy’ for sure, price is perfectly ripe – sign of the times.

The Aftermarket.com Domainer Mardi Gras auction list is complete – and the auction is OPEN for bidding! Again, Thought Convergence elected to work with Domain Consultants on the reviewing and selection process. We have found using a third party reviewing submissions offers a unique, unbiased opinion. They also bring other ideas to the table. For example, it was during a planning discussion with them that the idea of the 0% Financing came about. They have proven to be good consultants for Aftermarket.com to team with.

The selection process Domain Consultant put the names through has been rigorous, creating a balance of premium names, competitively priced and crossing multiple areas of interest. Negotiations have been long and diligent, crafting the list below, in its current state, with commentary from the consultants.

Domain	Price	Comments
Mahogany.com	$25,000.00	Great potential for a whole slew of different uses and industries, products and brands. The term is also very prominent in African American culture. No need to delve into a dissertation at this price.
StorageFacility.com	$3,500.00	One of the most competitive industries on and offline and one of the best keyword combos in it. Superb pricing too.
Decor.net	$1,500.00	Winner, winner chicken dinner!! A true can’t lose domain – just consideration of the industry size alone shows it is worth much more. Big search volume to boot.
GolfSet.com	$4,500.00	A good golf set can run anywhere from $500 to $10,000. Golf includes a stable base of affluent players with ever changing equipment needs. Top pick for keyword domains, mucho, mucho resale potential here.
MardiGrasTube.com	$500.00	Several recent “tube” domain sales have racked up 5 figure numbers. Wish this were developed and running already because I’d visit for sure. Hot name, hot price, hot segment – ouch! Caliente!
CandyCane.com	$10,000.00	A seasonal, global gem with broad uses for the holidays or not. Brandable, traffic, revenue and more. This is a top pick – that rare gem that surfaces occasionally.
Heal.tv	NO RESERVE	.TV certainly has a place and this one is a no-brainer in that regard. Uses in fitness, medical, holistic, etc. Heal thyself partakers of Mardi Gras!
VirtualServer.com	$50,000.00	VPS is the fastest growing segment in hosting, becoming highly competitive, very profitable. Tons of advertisers, $6 bids on ppc, very rare hosting premium.
RentalVillas.com	$9,000.00	Needless to say, an enormous market. $3 ppc bids. Target specific, global and local. Priced to be a steal.
Titillation.com	NO RESERVE	Oh the sheer titillation of a sumptuous domino like this, at such a delicious and scrumptious fee no less. Club, perfume, spa, show, etc – tons of apps.
Jobless.com	$10,000.00	Hugely relevant one-word job domain for less than most homeless make in a year (sad but true). Stellar all the way, got to love those job names. Rare opp.
DownAndDirty.com	$5,000.00	What isn’t there to love about this? Especially in the Big Easy. Almost universal and fun term priced cheap.
Discretion.com	$3,000.00	Don’t tell anyone about this solid brandable generic going this cheap. Applicable to burgeoning privacy/security biz, dating, personals, even ecommerce.
TheFrenchQuarter.com	$24,000.00	In a hat tip to Mardi Gras, we offer one of the best domains in it’s stead, a world-famous location and ideal.
Resolve.net	NO RESERVE	For dispute resolution or hosting or DNS services – perfect word for .net extension.
ExerciseGuide.com	$3,000.00	A good ‘guide’ domain has and will always have value – particularly in the age of development. Winner all around.
Favorites.com	$500,000.00	World class domain for all sorts of uses and functions and features. A global word people see daily on their browser. This word has been branded.
CashForSites.com	$1,500.00	Very relevant to the times and needs of domainers. Also fits with whole ‘cash for homes’ verbage and concept.
ShowMeYourBoobs.com	NO RESERVE	Ah, Mardi Gras!
Pho.com	$25,000.00	Best LLL we’ve seen in a long time. Cool to say, related to a gigantic growth industry – phone services. Also an extremely popular Vietnamese dish – restaurants, noodle bars, etc.
ItalianHoliday.com	NO RESERVE	Smart domainers know ‘holiday’ is much more common globally than ‘vacation’. This is a steal given costs associated with travel fulfillment.
DCW.com	$5,000.00	Solid, exceedingly rare three letter with the price to make it fly today and down the road.
Suntanning.com	$22,500.00	Applicable and generic at the same time, there is no doubt as to the staying power of the sun or people’s need for it – to live! Think long, long term.
Babefest.com	NO RESERVE	As opposed to a domain conference which is commonly referred to as a ’sausage fest,’ these are two words that just go together or should go out together.
TextLinks.com	$22,000.00	Ask Google how big text links are? Better than ‘advertise’ for my money. Think this one speaks for itself – targeted advertising premium generic. Make a mint with this one.
Dreamy.com	$4,000.00	Fantastic brandable with tons of apps and industries. Popular word for attractive people, places and things.
WorkPrograms.com	NO RESERVE	Had to do a double-take when I saw No Reserve on this one. Little need to delve into potential and value.
FinancialBailout.com	$2,500.00	Recent entry in American lexicon that will no doubt endure on a national and personal finance level. Bailouts are a new business.
PetHospitals.com	$4,500.00	Pet hospitals are specific to needs – thus recession proof. This is a highly competitive field with advertisers at all levels. A good directory would eat up the market with this name.
SongDirectory.com	NO RESERVE	I smell ringtone income, repeat traffic, updating content.
CustomSites.com	$15,000.00	Superb keyword-rich domain for growing, competitive and highly, highly profitable segment.
DNSales.com	$5,000.00	Domain industry? Meet dnsales.com. We think you guys would make a great couple.
BusinessProblem/s.com	NO RESERVE	Trifecta! The singular(businessproblem.com), the plural(businessproblems.com) and no reserve. I know folks who make a lot of coin solving business problems.
ElectronicToys.com	$33,000.00	MUCH better price than ‘other’ that sold last week. More specific and targeted – HUGE segment of industry with large supply of advertisers. Priced right for lots of profit and resale.
AirlineRewards.com	$5,000.00	Everyone wants and has these – big part of today’s travel lifestyle. People buy them, trade them, use them for purchases.
Trays.com	$25,000.00	Great product-specific domain for a massive, multi-billion dollar industry. Also a common name – think clubs, stores, industrial, commercial, restaurant, etc. LOTS of advertisers, manufacturers.
Couple.org	NO RESERVE	Perfect word for .org extension, made for relationship/counseling industry. Lucrative, needed service area with local advertisers – tons of SEO value on popular term.
Overwhelmed.com	NO RESERVE	A common state of mind many are in, especially in today’s world of instant gratification and virtually non stop barrage of information.
Voodoo.com	$300,000.00	Nothing but love for this one – so as not to curse myself. Buy it or we’ll use it on you. Truly upper level domain with tons of searches, ads and products attached. Major brandable, category killer.
XXXFilms.com	$10,000.00	With video, DVD, play-on-demand, private label affiliate programs, etc, you rarely see a name like this one anymore – especially at this price point.
LowFare.net	NO RESERVE	The .com version of this stellar travel domain sold for mid-six figures in November. Would you like to know more? (yes, I love Starship Troopers).
RapidMoney.com	$999.00	Perfect for money transfers, tax services, settlement advances, money wires, payday loans. If there’s one thing people need in this economy, rapid money is it.
Gocart.com	$75,000.00	Best name in a big industry. Product-specific, entertainment-based, branded and known. Category killer at an unreal price – traffic, revenue, big end-user resale.
MedicalTextbooks.com	$1,000.00	Product-specific, lots of advertiser competition. Stunning value overall that extends beyond just students to specialties, bookstores, publishing, doctors, etc.
TicketBooth.com	$2,100.00	Tickets are always a hot commodity, a great converter on the CPA side.
Credenzas.com	$13,500.00	Credenzas are a specialty item. Credenzas are vast and expensive, decorative and known. As specific as you can get in the upper-echelon of furniture domains. Specific and strong ad base.
GasCash.com	NO RESERVE	Just sounds cool – like a brand or service or promotion. Two hot and needed items: gas and cash.
NurseCollege.com	$2,000.00	College names are a premium, especially with a national-level term like this. Keyword-rich is an understatement. Avg ppc bid is in the $3 range
MovieBuff.com	$15,000.00	Well-known term for hardcore movie fans. What could be better? A targeted movie name with TONS of e-commerce potential and more.
BrightenTeeth.com	NO RESERVE	Great name priced to sell. Teeth brightening is big business. $3 clicks in this niche prove that these leads are valuable.
PortableDrive.com	$1,500.00	A product that virtually everyone is familiar with – a common site at domain conferences. Also applicable in cloud computing concepts. Good search volume. Perfect for advertising specialties industry – grande indeed!

Aftermarket.com Domainer Mardi Gras Auction Offers Value, Price & 0% Financing

In the ongoing discussion regarding auctions, a continuing theme is the lack of quality inventory – a certainty given the finite state of the domain product.

Yet, like all industries, it is the ‘curve’ that dictates the state of the marketplace, the availability of great domains, the willingness of the seller to discount and to part with the beloved.

So with that in mind, and the current state of things, we have taken several steps to respond:

1. 0% Financing: In case you haven’t heard, you can finance the purchase of a name over $5,000 for a six month period. This is an old tool used by domainers to acquire better names than they can normally afford.

2. Smaller Inventory: Perhaps the best option at this time is to streamline and focus, so we have brought the total catalog down to fifty (50) select, premium names at below-market prices.

In doing so, we learned the smaller the lot, the more focused and stingy you have to be on quality and price and value. A lot of price negotiation went on behind the scenes – it was a matter of being able to easily replace any name with off-kilter pricing. In this case, less is more.

The end result, we feel, is one of the best catalogs we’ve seen in eons – many of these names have not seen the light of day since their registration. These are category killers, premium generics, brandable generics, ‘no reserve’ names, keyword-rich and alternate extensions. No stone was, indeed, left unturned in order to find something for all levels.

Here is the catalog breakdown, as you can see, creating balance in opportunity was also central:

12 No reserve domain names
7 Domains under $2500
9 under or at $5000 – 0% financing kicks in at $5000
3 under or at $10,000
7 under or at $25,000
2 under $50,000
2 over $100k

Initiating the financing option, created delays in the review and selection process for the final catalog. In fact, there remains a couple of outstanding negotiations. But, we recognize people are anxious to know what has been selected.

So the final inventory includes gems such as Jobless.com, Favorites.com, VirtualServer.com, WorkPrograms.com, Pho.com, Mahogany.com, MovieBuff.com, RentalVillas.com, Suntanning.com and many more ultra-premium selections priced to sell today – and tomorrow.

Plus, we added Mardi Gras-type fare including Voodoo.com, TheFrenchQuarter.com, DownandDirty.com, MardiGrasTube.com and more.

The rest of the catalog is available on the Domainer Mardi Gras auction site.

Bidding is now open and will continue throughout the week with live finale from Mardi Gras at 2:45pm CST on Saturday February 21, 2009. And don’t forget – financing is available on purchases above $5,000.

Login or register to begin bidding right now! And good luck!

New Option Designed to ‘Stimulate’ Industry

At Aftermarket.com and at Domain Consultant, the primary considerations in creating a successful auction always include the state of the industry, the state of the individual domainer and the buyer. Having immersed ourselves in the domain industry for many years, our teams understand what makes buying and selling successful and recognize the need for constant innovation in this process.

That being said, when it came time to discuss the upcoming Aftermarket.com live auction at Domainer Mardi Gras, taking place February 21st, 2009, our teams focus centered on the current needs of the buyer and the seller. We determined that current buyer and seller issues involve cash, which is at a premium, and cash flow, which is currently in a tenuous and trending downward. -

As a result, Aftermarket.com is excited to now offer six month zero percent financing for all Aftermarket.com domain purchases greater than $5,000. Financing has historically been offered by other industries, as evidenced in ads throughout all media channels, and is designed to give the buyer increased payment flexibility, a necessity for maintaining and managing cash flow.

Aftermarket.com buyers will have the option to pay for their purchase in full, or set up a six month payment plan. Default on payment terms will results in the name going back to seller with the seller keeping payments up to that date as well. Successful domainers have used owner financing for many years to expand buying capabilities, diversify risk and gather great names beyond their general means and standard avenues. For the domain seller, benefits of owner financing include increased spending budgets and added bids and bidders. For example, a domainer with a $3000 budget may increase it to $5000 if financing is an option. These are among the many reasons we have decided to offer this option to our valued clients

Sellers will of course maintain the right to remove their domain from the financing program. It should be noted; however, that we review and rank all domain names based on value and – financing is a variant in that formula, with added weight in times of economic distress.

Financing is not only a vehicle for the buyer, but also a benefit for the seller. This is promoted extensively throughout mainstream media for many industries- they are not just helping buyers, they are clearly helping themselves.

Formerly, owner financing has proven successful, especially when motivated buyers and sellers coincide in a time when large investments are unpredictable in return.

We sincerely hope zero percent financing option expands investment opportunities for buyers and sellers in these difficult economic times.

Here are some of the financing variants, in greater detail:

• Financing term: 6 months
• 30% down payment required
• $5000 minimum domain value available for financing
• Funds are put escrow as payments received and disbursed to seller
• Domain(s) DNS changes to buyer during financing term (this allows buyer to earn income, but control of domain ownership remains with Aftermarket.com/Thought Convergence)
• Buyer defaults – seller receives payments made to date (minus handling fees) and the domain returned
• All payments are non-refundable

UPDATE:
The complete financing terms:

• 30% down payment due immediately
• 6 month payment term, paid in full at end
• Minimum monthly payments due
  • 1st month: 30% down payment
  • 2nd – 6th month: Balance / 5 monthly payments
• 0% financing for the 6 months
• Payment NON-Refundable
• No pre-payment penalty
• Domain is transferred to Aftermarket.com/TCI
• DNS is pointed to Buyer’s account to collect revenue
• Funds are disbursed to Seller as received, minus the commission transaction fee
• End of Financing:
  • Domain is fully transferred to Buyer
  • Final payment is made to Seller

An example of successful transaction:

$10,000 domain sale
$3,000 down payment due immediately
$7,000 balance due within 6 months,
(= $1400 minimum payment months 2 – 6)

Paid in full:

• Domain transfers to Buyer
• Seller received all payments as made by buyer, minus transaction
• Transaction is complete

An example of Default Transaction:

$10,000 domain sale
$3,000 down payment due immediately
$7,000 balance due within 6 months,
(= $1400 minimum payment months 2 – 6)

Month 4, Buyer defaults:

$3,000 down payment due immediately
$4,200 – 3 monthly x $1400
$2800 – defaulted, no payout to Seller on the remaining balance

Default transaction:

• Domain returns to Seller
• Seller received all payments to date, minus commission transaction
• Transaction is complete