Website.com, property.com Sell for $750,000 Apiece

The market for resold domains continued to trend higher with a series of spectacular deals this month. Meanwhile, prices for first-time domain registrations can't get much lower, with pricing unchanged at all major providers this month.

The sales of website.com and property.com for $750,000 apiece set the pace in the resale market. The mid-July sale of website.com was the highest sale price this year, according to auctioneer Sedo.com, topping the $700,000 sale of Local.com in March. The buyer, Hub Services Ltd., operates DotEasy, a free hosting service in British Columbia. That price was matched early this month when New Jersey commercial real estate professional Ted Kraus sold property.com for $750,000 in a private sale, with industry veteran Rick Schwartz reported to be the buyer.

As in July, pricing for first-time domain sales remained stable, with no significant price changes by major providers.

The two $750,000 deals overshadowed the $285,000 sale of shoppingcart.com, which was purchased by Monster Commerce. The domain was the first to be sold from @Home's portfolio of 119 quality domains, which have been placed for sale by the At Home Liquidating Trust, which is seeking to recover funds for investors in the bankrupt Internet company. Among the other names being sold are home.net. stuff.com and mystuff.com.

The disconnect between the primary and secondary domain markets is likely to mean continued strength in new domain sales, as speculators hope to convert names bought for less than $10 into a future windfall.