Poor Reporting of .IN Sales is the Weakest Link

If buyers were to make calculated commercial decisions about the value of .in domains, the values would be a lot higher. .In domains are really cheap compared to the commercial difference they can make to a business over the lifespan of the domain. The impact a good .in domain can make for a business is much, much greater than its actual cost.

So, why aren’t Indian businesses willing to pay more when .in domains can help so much? They are making decisions based on what they believe is acceptable, rather than on the domain’s value to them. What they believe is acceptable is based on several factors, but I think one of the biggest issues plaguing the .in market is poor reporting of sales. This takes many forms.

1. A visible reseller market. Now that domainers are starting to recognise just how valuable .in domains are, there is more and more reseller trading in .in domains. Obviously, reseller prices are significantly below end user prices. These reseller sales are then made public. An end user searching for price information about .in domains is going to find primarily a volume of sales at a massively lower price point than what they are be asked to pay. This is going to skew the end user’s perception of the value of domains.

2. Old domain sales data. .In domains were just launched 12 years ago, and the market has developed rapidly since then, including a significant increase in domain prices, especially in the last 3 or 4 years. This means that even sales data from 3 or 4 years ago is outdated, and sales prices from then are normally too low to use as comparables.

3. Sales not made. Many of the best quality .in domain are in “strong” hands – held by people who can afford to wait until the market realises their value. So, you won’t see a lot of high priced sales at this point. Owners are holding onto them rather than selling them, so as to get a big payday down the line, rather than small profits now. So there is no sales data to report.

4. Sales not reported. A lot of .in sales don’t get reported. That’s true in all domain extensions; however, from what I’ve seen behind the scenes in the .in market, that’s more the case for .in than most extensions. Indians aren’t the same braggarts that Americans are, and one’s personal financial circumstances are guarded more privately.

I think that these issues are coming to a head. I’ve noticed, and so have many colleagues, that the number of inquiries made on .in domains has increased dramatically in the last year. Every day, we are fielding many inquiries, so the interest in obtaining a quality domain is there. However, despite this increased interest, the amounts offered are still very low. Sometimes I know that I could sell the domain to a reseller for more than what the end user is willing to pay! So, end users in India are understanding that there is value in these domains, they just are not willing to pay for it yet.

I’ve been discussing these issues with Stephen R Wilson of Keyword Acquisitions Inc. He has a quality .in portfolio, and has kindly offered to share some of his sales that are not covered by an NDA. Here are the sales that he is able to report (all figures in USD):

alphabet.co.in – $1,999
bsb.in – $7,750
curtains.in – $6,500
cycle.in – $16,500
diapers.in and yoyo.in – $62,000 for both
distance.co.in – $1,100
filmschool.in – $15,000
flirting.in – $2,700
gmat.in – $4,000
hem.in – $7,990
hollywood.co.in – $7,000
letters.co.in – $999
nba.co.in – $5,000
onlinegambling.in – $5,000
onsale.in – $4,400
passover.in – $4,500
pepper.in – $6,500
recall.in – $8,800
specs.in – $3,600
still.in – $2,990
tack.in – $8,250
wash.in – $15,000
wwe.co.in – $1,500

Thanks for sharing, Stephen. There are some excellent sales there, and these are representative of the types of prices that .in sales should be receiving.


Smart Indian Companies That Understand Domains

wegetit

Using premium domain names for marketing a website is still a fairly new concept in India. However, there are a number of savvy companies that are doing this, either by using a generic domain name that exactly represents what their website is about, or by using a premium domain name to brand their website. Here are some of these smart companies and their websites:

Generic domain names – For these websites, you do not even need to go to the website to know what it is about – the domain says it all. The domains are easy to remember, because they match exactly what they sell.

Freelancer.in – If you are a freelancer, or need to find a freelancer, then where else would you go.

Registry.in – The .IN Registry itself knows the important of domain names.

Housing.co.in – Leading portal to buy a sell a house.

Copyright.in – The Government of India’s Copyright Registration Office understands the importance of intellectual property.

Hosting.co.in – Stellar domain to stand out in the competitive hosting arena.

Paycheck.in – The Indian Institute of Management gets it and uses a generic to provide a comprehensive information portal.

SEO.in – If you are looking for an SEO company in India, these guys seem to be switched on.

Ping.in – Blog ping service.

Tshirt.in – Where else would you get a tshirt?

Yoga.in – Find a yoga school or retreat.

Gadgets.in – For all the gadgets you could ever need.

StartUps.in – Understands the importance of a domain name for start ups.

LiveScore.in – Get live scores of the latest football and other games.

Recharges.in – The place to get your mobile recharged.

brandable

Brandable domain names – For these websites, an easy-to-remember term is used brand the website.

Click.in – Free classified ads.

Next.co.in – Air conditioning to keep you cool

Indeed.co.in – Job portal

Crossword.in – Leading retailer of books and other media.

Hike.in – Messenger service.

Pair.co.in – Hosting and related services.

Matrix.in – Provides international mobile communications services. What a mouthful – good reason to choose a catchy brand.

Sync.in – Offers a web based word processor.

Clay.co.in – Provides wireless telecom solutions – again, something that makes sense to brand rather than use a generic term.

Gigabyte.in and Gigabyte.co.in – Memborable domain name for a technology company.

Readers.in and Readers.co.in – Offers stationery and technology products and services.

Payback.in and Payback.co.in – Multibrand loyalty program.

Naturals.in – Hair and beauty salon.

Busy.in and Busy.co.in – Easy to recall name for a provider of business software.

Mustard.in – Design studio that obviously understands marketing.

Photon.in – Provides omnichannel and digital experiences.

Hop.in – Cool app for copying and sharing content.

Accurate.in – Group of leading academic institutions.

Safari.in – Sells designer travel bags.

Ensure.co.in – Web design company.

Genie.in – Android app.

Magnificence.in and Magnificence.co.in – Designer gift packing boutique.

Supreme.co.in – Leader in India’s plastics industry.

Reliable.co.in – Check out their reliable forex software.

Speciality.co.in – Restaurant company that will make you feel special.

 

Think about how competitive the market in India is. Why deprive yourself of a competitive advantage and make do with an inferior domain name? Secure a premium generic or brandable domain, and leapfrog your competition.


DNAcademy Domaining Course Review

No one understands the power of a good learning system for domaining like someone who has learned the ropes the hard way and lost a lot of money in the process. As someone who has made every mistake in the book along the way, I can appreciate the value of a quality learning system for domaining.

There have been several courses on domaining that have been offered through the years. However, there has never been one that I recommended – until now. DNAcademy is that course. Although quite expensive, it is well worth the price.

dnacademy

Like most of you, I learned about the author of the course, Michael Cyger, from his podcasts on Domain Sherpa.

During his podcasts Michael has interviewed all the top players in the domain industry, from Frank Schilling to Rick Schwartz and everyone in between. He has picked up a wealth of knowledge that he constantly displays in his interviews. What’s more, he has managed to parlay that knowledge into practical use and done well in domaining himself.

There is more to the course than just the extensive curriculum. If you are a pro member, you can join a private forum and receive greater interaction with, and attention from, the course instructors.

I’m not going to give away the contents of the course, as I’m sure Mr Cyger would not be very happy about that. But here is an idea of what you will learn taking the course. You’ll learn about what domain names are, the importance of keywords, how to value a domain, valuation tools, buying domain names, selling domain names, and the basics of running a domaining business.

The course is professionally laid out. There are numerous videos and examples throughout the course to help you learn, and exercises to do along the way. You can work through the material at your own pace, when you have the time.

If you are at the beginning or intermediate stage of your domaining career, I recommend registering for DNAcademy. Taking the course will save you hours of time figuring out how the ropes work, and likely save you from thousands of dollars of mistakes. It’s time to stop dabbling with domain names and get serious – so, check out the course now.

If you have any questions about the course, please let me know.


Top 10 Domaining Stories of All Time

Everybody else is putting out “Top 10” domaining stories of 2009.  Well, we here at INForum.in had to do them one better – so, here is our first annual “Top 10” domaining stories, not just of 2009, but of all time.

1.  GoDaddy Girls.  After years of being dull as dirt, Bob Parsons kicked the excitement level of domains up a notch by introducing the Godaddy Girls.  Now domains are not only profitable, but sexy as well.  You’re just reviewing Bob Parsons marketing strategies when you look at those pictures and videos aren’t you?  You’ve got to keep on top of things, so to speak.

 

 

 

2. Rick Schwartz Coronated.  Every kingdom needs a king, EVEN THE KINGDOM OF DOMAINING.  Fortunately, Rick Schwartz volunteered for the quite THANKLESS TASK.  Plus, the sales of CAPS LOCK keys doubled overnight.

 

 

 

3.  Dot Mobi.  The dot mobi is our hero because it is responsible for at least 50% of all domaining jokes.  And because dot com needed a run for its money.

 

 

 

4.  The Number 28. You thought that 42 was the answer to life, the universe, and everything.  Well, you’d be wrong – the answer is 28.  Just ask the good folks over at Bido.

 

 

 

5.  Domain Gang. The domain industry has always needed a place where you could get all the domaining news you need from a trusted source.  Fortunately Domain Gang fills this gap by keeping you up to date on everything you absolutely must know to be a successful domainer.

 

 

 

6.  Domain Tasting Ends;  Wine Tasting Takes Over.  The once very profitable practice of domain tasting was made unprofitable by ICANN.  Entrepreneurial domainers looked for alternative types of tasting to fill this void.  Never ones to turn down a drink, domainers gladly turned to wine tasting instead.

 

 

 

7.  India (and other countries) prohibiting adult domains.  Stats definitively show that no one from these countries uses the internet for porn.

 

 

 

8.  Halvarez.  You thought that Kevin Ham owned the internet.  You thought that Frank Schilling had the best portfolio of any individual.  But the reality came out – Halvarez was involved in more domain auctions than both Kevin and Frank combined.

 

 

 

9.  Tuvalu Gains Its Independence. On October 1, 1978, Tuvalu gained full indepedence from the United Kingdom.  Thank goodness for that, otherwise there could be no .tv on the internet.  We’d just have to use .com or some other extension for that.

 

 

 

10.  Domain Appraisals. Want to get rich overnight?  Hand register a bunch of domains and then pay for them to be appraised.  As the appraisal values of hundreds and even thousands of dollars for each domain roll in, start counting your profits.  Ka-Ching!

 

 

 

(OK, I hate disclaimers, but in case you haven’t noticed, everything in this post is fabricated and meant only for humorous effect)


November Indian Domain Sales Report

Following our October sales report, November was a quieter month in the .in world, but there still were several nice domain name sale.

Headlining the month of November was the sale of eStore.in for 2,000 EUR or $2,905 at Sedo.

There were a few other four-figure sales at Sedo:  Editions.in went for $2,500,  Bounce.in jumped up to $1,100, Marcaria.in sold for $1,000, and B2B.in went for $2,124.

Rounding out the month were Writer.in which published $760, Sav.in which sold for $200, iTax.in which confiscated $750, BlogSite.in which sold for $100, and LasVegasEscorts.in which climaxed at $500, all at Sedo.

On Bido, GreenTea.in brewed $289.

Currently there aren’t any.in domain auction running on Sedo, but there were 7 nice sales today which will be included in the December report.

Upcoming .in sales on Bido include Buddhists.in, DomainTrading.in, InternetGame.in, and Vultures.in.


October Indian Domain Sales

In October there were several four figure Indian domain sales.  Leading the pack was Roulette.in which won 1,161 Eur or $1,737 at Sedo.

Following closely behind was ForexBroker.in, which traded for $1,500 at Sedo.

Another great sale was Leasing.in, which went for 960 Eur or $1,436 at Sedo.

Rounding out the month was Christians.in, which sold for $1,000 at DNForum.

There were a number of smaller sales as well.  Sexes.in got off at $150, Arts.co.in drew $330, Kompass.in (Kompass is German for Compass) directed 366 Eur or $547, and the geo domain hack Wiscons.in sold for $400.  All of these sales were at Sedo.

There are currently two Indian domains on auction at Sedo – 124.in and BlogSite.in. Upcoming Indian domain auctions on Bido include Tested.in, and BikiniShop.in.

As usual, you can find a complete list of all reported sales over $100 here.


India Domains Sales Report

Last week we covered summer sales of .in and .co.in domains.  Now let’s look at what happened in September.  Sales volume picked up quite nicely with summer ending.  September sales included many end user sales, which is always good news and highlights the growing importance of .in internationally.

Headlining the month was a nice LLL.in sale – DAS.in for 3,500 EUR or $5,202.  The sale is an end user sale, with the owner being a German insurance company with several brands, including “D.A.S.”

The category killer forum domains Forum.co.in and Forums.co.in sold for $2,000 each via Sedo.

Other four figure sales included CSS.in for $1,200 via Sedo, Krause.in for 1,200 EUR or $1,797, which was bought by a Mr. Krause in Germany, Data.in via Sedo sold for $1,533 to Data Infosys Ltd., and MovieTickets.co.in for $1,000, which sold to MovieTickets.com.

Rounding out the month was Pick.in for $170, SmartBook.in for $250, Lean.in for 120 EUR or $178, Kredite.in (German for Credit) for $160, iPoker.in for $290, and GreenPower.in for $200, all through Sedo.  On Bido, Trap.in captured $158, SportBook.in won $250 and bidding for MichaelJackson.in died at $416.

There are currently two Indian domains on sale at Sedo – eStore.in and Acai-Berries.in.  There are also some Indian domains coming up for auction on Bido:  Captcha.in, Ruth.in, and DrunkDriving.in.

As usual, you can find a list of all reported sales over $100 here.

Update December 6, 2009: the CSS.in sale did not go through.


Indian Domain Names Sales Report

It has been a while since I did a sales report, so there are lots of results to report.  While the summer was slow, things have really picked up in the autumn.  Today I’ll cover the summer, and I’ll follow this up with a post of autumn sales soon.

June
There was one more sale in June that didn’t get reported – Zahnarzt.in for $1,470 at Sedo.  Zahnarzt is German for dentist.

July
In July the headliner was Windows7.co.in which browsed to $10,200 at Moniker.

Sedo covered things up nicely with Bra.in for $5,000.

There was also a private sale of Then.in for $1,500.

Webmaster.in sold at Sedo for $1,400 (after previously selling for $2,050 last December).

Docomo.in went for 1,000 Eur or $1,470 at Sedo.

Sedo rounded out the month by selling CasinoCity.in for $800, Mover.in for $500, Hoffmann.in for 250 Eur or $368, AyurvedicMedicine.in for $260, iHosting.in for $100, PlayChess.in for $101, and Lent.in for $180.

August
August saw the entry of Bido on to the Indian domain auction scene, and a number of domains sold there, including Vodka.in which drank $1,159, ComputerClasses.in which taught $508, and GlobalWarming.in, which heated up to $211.

Afternic.com sold SkinCareProducts.in for $500.

Sedo cleaned up with Soaps.in for $180, Kelkoo.in for $1,500, and Banner.in for $510, Govv.in for $150, SpeakEasy.in for $100, Durg.in for $250, MicroPay.in for $330, FBU.in for 100 GBP or $164, and Sce.in for $110.

There is only one domain currently at auction on Sedo – Writer.in.

As usual, you can find a list of all reported sales over $100 on our blog.


INForum Featured in Chef Patrick’s News

chefpatrick1As many of you are aware, Chef Patrick cooks up a weekly video of the latest domain news with his co-anchor Tia (pictured left).

Watching his weekly Friday video is a great way to keep up with what’s going on in the domain world in an interesting and enjoyable format.

INForum is proud to have sponsored the latest episode of the Chef’s domain news and Tia is proudly wearing the INForum t-shirt in it.

Thanks to Chef and Tia for doing such a great job.


The Indian Domain Sales Scoop

It has been a while now since my last roundup of Indian domain sales.  A lot has happened in the .in world since then.

The highlight was likely the Amsterdam cctlds TRAFFIC conference, where I gave a talk about Indian domains.  There were several really good sales of .in domains, both at the live auction and the silent auction.

Here are the sales from the live auction:

Fuel.in – 700 Euros ($995)
Human.in – 1,100 Euros ($1,560)
Wiz.in – 200 Euros ($280)

The silent auction went very well for .in domains – 8 out of the 32 domains that sold were Indian domains.  The results are:

Refrigerator.in – 1,064 Euros ($1,466)
Publish.in – 700 Euros ($964)
Hang.in – 532 Euros ($733)
CricketGame.in – 532 Euros ($733)
LawSchools.in – 360 Euros ($496)
Powergenerators.in – 200 Euros ($275)
Antidepressant.in – 200 Euros ($275)
ComputerDegree.in – 200 Euros ($275)

As I blogged about before, Bido has started auctioning off Indian domains.  So far they have had the following sales:

Success.co.in – $292
Translate.co.in -$375

I’m informed that there are a couple more Indian domains that will be coming up on the Bido auction block soon – namely, Pradesh.co.in and Photograph.co.in.

There have also been a fair number of Sedo auctions since our last roundup, including several four figure sales.

Leading the pack was Are.in, which took $3,716.  Kumar.in sold for $3,250.   Walk.in strode off with $2,500.  Domain.co.in went for $1,450.  Webmaster.in sold for $1,400 (a drop from it’s previous sale price in December of $2,050).

Rounding out the sales were:

Tree.in – 185 Euros ($260)
StellaMccartney.in
and StellaMccartney.co.in – 350 pounds each ($576)
Kurse.in
– 80 Euros ($112)
GSMHandsets.in – 50 pounds ($82)
TaxReturn.in – $260
Vea.in – 60 Euros ($84)
Wmv.in – 60 Euros ($84)
HealthShop.in – $300
May.in – $311
Prostitutes.in – $275

There is only one domain currently at auction on Sedo – ThemeParks.in.

Although not a .in domain, interestingly enough India.de sold at Sedo for $1,794.

That’s all for this week.  As usual, you can find a list of all reported sales over $100 on our blog.

stellamccartney.in