The Next Web shared the interesting story of how Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff, gave a very special gift to Steve Jobs as thanks for his influence and sage advice.

In 2003, Benioff brought a few members of his executive team to visit Steve Jobs. The words of wisdom he would receive turned out to have profound implications for both Salesforce and Apple.

“You have a fantastic enterprise application here, but you’ve got to build an ecosystem.”

The Salesforce.com team took the advice to heart and developed a new technology called “App Store”, where users could buy enterprise applications and run them within Salesforce.

The project ended up launching under a different name, “App Exchange.” But, Benioff liked the App Store name so much that he purchased the domain name AppStore.com and corresponding trademark.

Years later, in 2008, Benioff was in the audience when Steve Jobs announced his own App Store. After the announcement, Benioff went up to Steve Jobs and offered the AppStore.com domain and the trademark rights as a gift, in appreciation of his help in 2003.

Apple now defends the trademark in court and uses the powerful generic brand to reign-supreme over other application platforms. Now that is a domain that is truly priceless.

How Steve Jobs Got The AppStore.com Domain and Trademark For Free DotSauce Magazine

Just like my first GoDaddy premium listing sale earlier this month, BrandBucket received a 30% commission on the sale and there was additionally a fee for logo design and marketing. My take-away this time was $1,300 or about 162 times my initial registration cost of $8.

Hard Lesson Learned

You may be curious why I accepted an offer of $2000 when my asking price was double that. Well, the sale of this domain also came with a hard lesson learned. I made one of the more common domaining blunders, having an old sale indexed in search engines.

I try to stay on top of deleting old sales post content, but it slipped my mind during a recent short-sale and it ended up hurting the bottom-line of the offer at BrandBucket.

I received word from a BrandBucket representative that a buyer was “very interested,” but had done his homework and believed I had purchased the domain from a forum sale for $500 some time ago. In actuality, it was me offering the domain for sale during 1 week of raising funds to launch the new DotSauce Domain Club.

You can imagine how viewing the $500 price tag on the same domain listed for sale for $3999 would affect an interested party’s offer.

Spring Cleaning

I am not going to dwell on what could have been, but I am definitely going to be wary about making this mistake again. When listing your domains for sale on blogs and forums, be sure to remove the post content after the sale has been finalized or it will remain indexed on search engines.

Savvy buyers will look up the name on Google to see its history. So, if you have old sales on domain forums, auctions, classifieds, Twitter, etc. I recommend you do some spring cleaning and delete anything that may be harmful to your current domain sales marketing efforts.

160x Domain Flip at BrandBucket and One Hard Lesson Learned DotSauce Magazine

In less than 2 hours from the time of this posting Domain Madness will be underway. The auction closing and final bids will be broadcast here at that time.

Update: Domain Madness Auction Results

Domain Name News has reported the final sales figures for the auction. Ocean.com has been sold for $100,000 and 11 other domains including Irons.com, SmoothLegs.com and GasDeals.com made up an additional $61,000 in sales.

Live Broadcast at 3pm EST

Domain Madness Auction Inventory

I would like to quickly feature the inventory for your review and invite you to participate in the live auction event. There are no reserves and many reasonably priced keyword domains.

Several lots have already received bids and will be sold.

• Ocean.com
• FamilyVacation.com
• Irons.com
• MensJewelry.com
• DomainDevelopment.com
• HomeOwnerInsurance.com
• HoneyBellOranges.com
• Pig.com
• LastMinDeals.com
• Title.info
• Gyrate.com
• Waikiki.me
• EliminateDebts.com
• DrugDeal.com
• DoubleOven.com
• ZoomLens.com
• Discount.us
• ChildDevelopment.com
• AutoRepairs.com
• LimoRental/s.com
• FinancialPlanners.com
• OfficeScreens.com
• BaseballTrainer.com
• BasketballDrills.com
• BaseballTicket.com
• BaseballGame.com
• NameGames.com
• SingAlongs.com
• SmoothLegs.com
• StationaryStore.com
• BigWinner.com
• MagicSpell.com
• iLoveShopping.com
• FlowerBouquets.com
• AthleticClubs.com
• MiracleCream.com
• Evenings.com
• StayCool.com
• GasDeals.com
• LocalSupplier.com
• ArmTattoos.com
• GPSdevices.com
• RefinanceCalculator.com
• TanningStickers.com
• CashBackCredit.com
• JobResume.com
• Cradle.net
• CheckCard.net
• Incentives.net
• Champs.tv
• RentHome.net
• FlightSale.com
• ForexCurrency.com
• YellowstoneNationalPark.net
• BroadbandProviders.com
• RibSauce.com
• OnlineTheft.com
• BetterBody.com
• SiteManagers.com
• Bet.ws
• Uncoordinated.com
• TractionTires.com
• ImpoundAuction.com
• FreezerBurn.com
• DrugDeals.com
• BasketballDrills.com

For complete details visit the official Domain Madness 3 Auction page.

I wish all parties involved; buyers, sellers and the DomainConsultant team all the best during this premier auction.

Domain Madness Live Auction Right Now! Featuring A Small Ocean.com of Keyword Domains DotSauce Magazine

Business.com has been a centerpiece for those wishing to prove credibility and sustainability of the domain industry. The business has continued to provide evidence for the near exponential growth in value of premium domains. Not to mention the opportunities a great domain offers.

It was Business.com that led to the idea of domain names and websites representing the “real estate of the Internet”. Here’s how the story played out.

Business.com Timeline

• Mid 1990′s - Purchased for $150,000 by domain investor Marc Ostrofsky. This was the most money ever paid for a domain at the time.
• 1999 – Sold to eCompanies for $7.5 million in cash and stocks, recorded by Guinness as a world record. The value of stocks eventually dwindled to $2 million.
• 2007 - The now business search directory sells at auction to RH Donnelley for $350 million. Donnelley filed for bankruptcy two years later.
• 2011 – Business.com is sold yet again, this time to Resource Nation with help from JMI Equity for an undisclosed sum.

The partnership is reported to be a great match. Business.com is now a widely popular marketplace for business-to-business services. Resource Nation provides B2B lead generation and has a network of 10,000 advertising partners.

It’s unfortunate that the sale price is not being announced, though I doubt the latest valuation would have added much more to the allure. Sometimes these transactions have a way of getting out to the public.

For now, we will have to wait and see where the next chapter in this story of internet success of will take us.

Business.com Is Good: Record-breaking Virtual Real Estate Sells Yet Again DotSauce Magazine

Headlining the list are some truly amazing domain names including Dating.com, Boating.com, Angels.com, Flying.com, Sex.com, Celebs.com, Business.tv, Poker.org and many other great generic keywords.

After reviewing the list of sales for the year, one name stands out from the rest.

How to Say Logo in 35 Different Languages

Logo.com was reported sold for $500,000 on November 3rd. The buyers, Adam Strong and Alan Townsend have formed a company primed to launch an internationalized logo design service for small business in 2011. They purchased the domain on Sedo.

I am selecting this domain name as my pick for best domain name buy of 2010 because of it’s global brand appeal. The word “logo” translates the same in over 35 different languages. This makes the domain name Logo.com priceless. The purchase is a brilliant investment at just half a million dollars for a brand name which will become the cornerstone of a business.

The logo design business is a thriving industry online. Thousands of popular websites including communities, design firms, design resources and logo design competitions are competing for business.

Logo.com has already captured a position on page 1 of search results pages because of it’s brand power. As the business develops, the domain will continue to rise in search ranking.

Coincidentally, DotSauce Magazine is due for a new logo design as I move in to the fourth anniversary of this publication in 2011. I hope to continue to expand DotSauce’s reach by adopting new development standards and a more professional look.

My best wishes to Adam Strong and Logo.com, LLC. Congratulations on your success thus far.

Best Domain Name Buy of 2010 DotSauce Magazine

Amazon’s latest acquisition offer came in at $540 million in cash according to Fortune. During hard times, the co-founders reluctantly accepted the offer. There was a sentiment that the company could do very well and expand on it’s own.

On a positive note, company co-founders have agreed to multi-year contracts for employees to continue work under Amazon. Additionally, the buyout price comes in at $240 million over the company’s latest valuation of $300 million.

Diapers.com has had tremendous success in recent years. They have an amazing brand name and gained Zappo-esque notoriety for customer service.  More impressive are the innovations in robotic warehouse management and shipping that allowed the company to be extremely efficient. (See video)

Congratulations to Quidsi on building such great companies and brands. I am sure than Amazon is wise enough to recognize the value of the domain names and continue to use them as independent retail outlets.

Amazon Dishes Out $540 Million for Diapers.com and Soap.com Takeover DotSauce Magazine

The 2010 GeoDomain Expo will be hosted in New Orleans beginning April 28th on through April 30th. The conference will feature talks on local web business, development, branding, marketing and more. Hotels.com co-founder David Litman will be delivering the keynote speech.

SnapNames has just announced the GeoDomain Expo Live Auction inventory which showcases quality geo, travel and local search related domain names.

Raleigh.com is listed for sale with a reserve price between $1M and $5M. This premium domain represents one of the largest cities in the U.S. and a truly unique opportunity to develop a business around it.  CNN Money ranked Raleigh as the #3 place to start a business in 2009.

Raleigh, NC is just a couple of hours inland from the coast where I live, so I like to visit when I can. I have friends in what is known as the Research Triangle Park, which includes Raleigh’s North Carolina State University and surrounding area universities; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University in Durham. I’ve also attended events like Startup Weekend in Raleigh’s beautiful downtown area. So, I must say that I’m a fan of the city and this gem of a domain name.

Raleigh.com is currently owned and operated as a city portal by the Associated Cities network who are also the hosts of the GeoDomain Expo.

Notable domains featured in the GeoDomain Expo auction include:

• Raleigh.com
• Lisbon.com
• CityMaps.com
• Bucharest.com
• Crete.com
• BeachResort.com
• FamilyVacation.com
• PapauNewGuinea.com
• Cannes.net
• LocalGyms.com
• NYShows.com
• RestaurantSearch.com
• AffordableVacation.com
• CaliforniaDesign.com
• DublinRestaurants.com

The auction officially comes to a close on May 4th at 3:15 ET so check out the full inventory and register to bid at SnapNames.

GeoDomain Expo: Live Domain Name Auction Features Raleigh.com DotSauce Magazine

The TRAFFIC, New York 2009 domain conference is underway and starting right now Rick Latona Auctions is broadcasting live on Domaining.com

Domains being offered today include gems like Bananas.com, Bourbon.com, Database.com, Hookahs.com, Draw.com, Referrals.com and many more.

To review all of the premium domains being auctioned today or participate in the auction you can visit the official auction page on Proxibid.

Frank Michlick will be reporting final sales prices live from DNN.com

Tomorrow, October 28th at 4:00 – 6:30 PM ET Moniker will host another live premium domain auction at the TRAFFIC conference.

Up for auction are some valuable properties including…

• Photo.com
• QB.com
• Feature(s).com
• Stuff.com
• OfficeSupply.com

To review all of the premium domains being auctioned tomorrow or participate, visit Moniker’s Auction Headquarters auction inventory. The extended online auction will continue through Nov 4.

Rick Latona Domain Auction Broadcasting Live – Moniker Auction Tomorrow DotSauce Magazine

Just a little over a month ago, veteran domainer Rick Schwartz made the announcement that he had sold his premium domain name, Candy.com.

Schwartz agreed to sell the domain for $3 million in a deal with the Melville Candy Corporation, founded by cousins Joe Melville (left in photo) and Greg Balestrieri.

The Boston Herald has just published an article on the new owners’ upcoming launch of Candy.com

Candy.com is scheduled to go live on July 20 and will be selling more than 6,000 different types of candy from over 500 manufacturers big and small. They will also be featuring product reviews and interactive discussion forums.

An Inside Look at a Premium Domain

Melville Candy is reporting that Candy.com receives 1000 visitors daily from natural type ins.  Type-in website traffic is really what separates an average keyword domain from a “generic” or “premium” or “category killer” domain. Whatever you would like to call it, Candy.com sure fits the bill!

Jeremiah Johnston, COO of Sedo.com domain sales and auctions made this guest commentary:

“There’s a certain misconception that people only navigate the Web through search engines, and that’s just not true.  It delivers many people to a company’s doorstop without them necessarily knowing what’s behind that domain name. For the people that run those domains, that’s a pretty valuable lead source right there.“

Greg Balestrieri, new Candy.com co-owner had this final comment…

“In five to 10 years from now, we’re going to look back and say that $3 million was a bargain.”

“The $3 Million Bargain” Candy.com Ready To Launch DotSauce Magazine

Michael Wong, SEO and Business blogger, published a fantastic editorial today featuring 8 ordinary people achieving extraordinary success.

These mostly young entrepreneurs, software developers, affiliate marketers and bloggers made their millions by developing businesses online.

However, there is one man that stands out who didn’t do anything like the others. He invested in domain names!

Yun Ye Sold His Domain Portfolio for $154 Million

The highlighted feature in Michael Wong’s editorial is Yun Ye, a domainer who got started in 1998.

Just four years ago he agreed to the sale of his 100,000 domain names. The portfolio was acquired by Marchex, now a leader in local search advertising.

Michael Wong and this 2006 DNJournal Cover Story report additional details that Yun Ye’s portfolio earned more than $20 million a year in parking revenue, with $19 million in profits. Marchex paid 8.6 times annual earnings, based on figures provided in SEC documents.

Build Your Online Empire Today

It’s inspiring and gratifying to hear about these life-changing stories of online business success. It’s good to see that even small online business can pay off big if you put your heart into it.

Yes, they had somewhat of a head start in their respective industries.  Revenue models change, Domainers obviously can’t rely solely on PPC or parking revenue anymore.

Development tools, software and social networks are evolving and innovating over time.  New technologies have been developed that make it easier to build and maintain online business.

There is virtually infinite opportunity still today to achieve extraordinary success online, and many will in the coming years.

Invest in domain names now and get your own head start!

Domainer Legened Yun Ye and Other Multi-Million Dollar Success Stories DotSauce Magazine

Don’t Miss This Live Auction Event

A portfolio of 2,600 real estate domains have been acquired over 10+ years and will be available for the first time.

Monte Cahn, Founder & President of Moniker had this to say about the upcoming auction, “It is extremely rare for such a preassembled platform of virtual real estate to become available.”

What’s Included In The Portfolio:

• 2,300+ U.S. City Geo-Targeted Collection Covering 99% of the Cities Greater Than 35,000 in Population
• All 50 U.S. State Level Domains
• Top 250 U.S. City Domains
• 145 International Domains
• All 210 Nielsen Media Market City Domains
• 95% of the Collection is Dot Com (.com) Extension

A complete list of domains to be auctioned can be found on JPKing.com.

Quality Geo Domains Representing All Major Cities

Houston, Seattle, Denver, Chicago and New York and more…

Hundreds of millions of searches are made each year for the domain keywords included in this auction.

It has been shown that 90% of today’s real estate buyers are beginning their search online.

This is a unique opportunity for a domain investor or developer to gain an enormous advantage by ranking for high traffic real estate search terms.

For comprehensive details on the real estate domain portfolio and the upcoming June 11th auction please visit WorldRealEstateListings.com.

Upcoming Auction: World’s Largest Real Estate Listings Domain Portfolio DotSauce Magazine

Topping the list was the sale of Ad.com for $1.4 million, an extraordinary domain name you’re sure to hear more about in the coming days and weeks.  Read more below about this sale.

Top 10 Sales from TRAFFIC Silicon Valley Auction

1. Ad.com  – $1,400,000.00
2. BottledWater.com – $45,000.00
3. Athletic.com – $40,000.00
4. Vixen.com – $32,500.00
5. Shutter.com – $25,000.00
6. Diets.net – $21,000.00
7. NonProfits.com – $20,000.00
8. OnlineTelevision.com – $20,000.00
9. Jonesboro.com – $19,000.00
10. SteakKnives.com – $18,000.00

You can view the complete list at Moniker’s Auction Headquarters.

Details On the Ad.com Sale

DNN reports the winning bidder of Ad.com to be Divyank Turakhia whom I had the pleasure of meeting at DomainFest Hollywood last year.

Divyank is the Co-founder of Directi and CEO of Skenzo, an industry leader in domain traffic monetization.

Congratulations sir on your new gem!

We look forward to seeing what plans you have for Ad.com.

TRAFFIC Silicon Valley Live Domain Auction Brings Over $2 Million in Sales DotSauce Magazine

There will be a live auction at Bido.com starting at 1PM today for the purchase of Astounded.com, biding starts at $1 and there is no reserve price!

More About Astounded.com Live Domain Auction

Expert commentary for the domain name has been very positive. Here are a few quotes from the comments on Bido for Astounded.com

“You can’t go wrong with this name. It’s an old name that was a built out site for 8+ years. It is not only a dictionary dotcom the root word astound has power. Kind of a shock and awe word. Strong one word names make the best domains. It is very brandable.”

“I could see this name worth close to 13k when the economy turns around… this domain is a solid investment.”

– Richard Keicher of NameOrder.com

“I would be ‘astounded’ if this went for under 1K. The history and flexibility of this domain give it great value.”

– Shane Cultra

“Astounded? You should be, here is a fantastic opportunity to get your hands on a very strong domain for any portfolio…. I expect this beauty to go for $5,000+ and wouldn’t want to see any less.”

– Gary Taylor of 3ac Domains

Read more comments and register to Bid at Bido.com

Bido is a great new domain marketplace that features 1 domain auction everyday at 1pm.  There is even a bidder chat room.  Simply sign up for a free account and verify a credit card to be able to participate in the live auction!

A Little History About Astounded.com

In 1998, I started a web hosting and design company while fresh into high school. My company, Astounded.com was born out of a passion for creating websites and online business.

I resold some amazing hosting and contracted out to a number web design savvy friends and freelancers for development and design work. I even signed up for this cool online banking service called X.com, now PayPal, and started selling websites and domain names. Back when the old Afternic domain aftermarket chat room was the place to be and domain registrations still cost you $70 a year.

Here is a newspaper clipping of when I was inducted into the Jacksonville, NC Chamber of Commerce as their youngest ever member.

Over the years I gained clients of all types from the local country club, chamber of commerce, musicians, organizations and at one point had 75 web hosting clients. Business was booming, but I was looking for something more that didn’t require so much tech support and allowed me to be more creative.

I later sold the hosting clients (not the company or the Astounded.com domain) and pursued a new path in writing, marketing, developing online businesses and of course domaining has been the foundation of my success online.

I will spare you my college years for now where more online businesses arose and fell and save those stories for another article.

So, with my experience and passion for domaining I have developed this website, DotSauce.com to be a top community of domain owners and my hope is to provide some of the best content, tools and resources available for the domain industry.

A good portion of the proceeds from the sale of Astounded.com will go into improving the DotSauce domainer community!

Sorry, not everyone can win Astounded.com!

Other ways you can support DotSauce…

1. Consider becoming a lifetime DotSauce Premium member.  There is lots of valuable domaining content to be discovered and other generous perks.
2. Advertise your domain industry business on DotSauce.  There are currently a select few positions available, if you feel your business is right then please contact me.
3. Join Rick Latona’s ccTLDs.com forum, I’m in the lead towards winning a conference ticket to TRAFFIC, Amsterdam!

Thanks to all the DotSauce readers new and old!

Astounded.com on Bido Live Auction Today at 1PM EDT – Read expert commentary and history of this 10 year old domain. DotSauce Magazine

Some great domains are being listed for sale in the auction, and YOU have to pick which ones will be winners!

It’s sort of like your college hoops tournament bracket, but a whole lot geekier and the winners get paid.

Read below for some pro commentary on how to take home the $1000 prize.

Auction & March Madness Contest Schedule

March 25th… Auction Opens – Prebidding

March 26th… Contest Closes – 11:59pm

March 31st… Pre-Bidding Closes: 2pm CST
Live Finale Begins: 2:15pm CST

April 7th… Official, Final Auction Results Announced

April 30th… Contest Winner Announced

For more information on participating in the auction visit the March Madness Auction HeadQuarters for more info and additional updates.

Insider Tips From DotSauce on How To Win the $1000!

There are two domain names that are being listed with no-reserve! So, we know that these domain names will sell. Click those names on your official Contest Entry form.  Remember, only click on the names you think will sell.

• IceSkating.net  $0
• StayThin.net  $0

DotSauce Picks for winning domains…

• Antidepressant.net $750
• BlockAds.com $250
• GJR.com $4200
• TravelGiveaways.com $900
• ToyFest.com $350
• SearchEngineTool.com $2000
• ITemployment.com $2200
• InsectControl.com $3800
• Groomed.com $2400
• Doodling.com $3500
• HomeCleaners.com $3300
• FinancialGrowth.com $1000
• Tale.com $8000

Of course other domain names will sell, but I feel the ones above have a really good chance of reaching their reserve price during the auction.

I would not be surprised to see some of the high ticket domain names selling also, there are some real gems here…

• AutoFinder.com $1.65m
• Speak.com $90,000
• Inventing.com $75,000
• Baby.net $44,000
• WeddingStore.com $40,000

But will someone be able to make the investment? Only time will tell. Go with your gut and a little bit of research into each name and you may just take home the $1000 contest prize. Best of luck!

March Madness Domain Auction and Pro Tips for Winning the $1000 Contest DotSauce Magazine

Each domain listing features expert commentary on the value and potential as a website or brand.  Occasionally you will see me personally providing my commentary on domain names.  You can view my Bido Expert profile. (Requires login)

On February 19th at 1PM EST the auctions will continue, featuring EquityGrant.com which has already received some commentary to the effect that this isn’t a valuable domain.  You have to remember though that this is a $1 no reserve auction, and Bido is meant for great deals to happen!

Would you want to be the first performer in a talent show?  I wouldn’t.  Rest assured, you should see some gems making appearances on Bido.

EquityGrant.com is to be followed by these domain auctions:

• BarPictures.com (Fri, Feb 20)
• FixedLoans.com (Mon, Feb 23)
• DressOrganic.com (Tues, Feb 24)
• HipHopPhotography.com (Wed, Feb 25)
• MyAstrologist.com (Thurs, Feb 26)
• BuyCheaply.com (Fri, Feb 27)
• MyEntitlement.com (Mon, Mar 2)
• WinningPick.com (Tues, Mar 3)

Register for a free account at Bido.com and be on the lookout each day at 1PM EST for some quality domain deals.

Bido.com Daily Domain Auction Starts Up Feb. 19th DotSauce Magazine

Domain Sales History

• DNJournal Domain Sales Archive – Most comprehensive and complete history of notable domain sales above $10,000 since 2004.
• NameBio – Searchable and sortable database of domain sales
• SoldNames.com – Premium sales history above six-figures

Free Domain Appraisals

• NamePros Appraisal Forum – Domainers willing to appraise
• Estibot – Automated appraisal tool
• DomainValuation – Free appraisal service
• DomainTops – Automated appraisal and keyword tool
• DomainScore – Compare “scores” between other similar domains

Domain Stats

• LinkScape by SEOmoz – Powerful new domain tool for SEO
• DNFame.com -Great information on social, search and reach data
• Archive.org WayBack Machine – History of any website built

Expired Domains

• FreshDrop.net – Powerful tools for searching and filtering domains
• NameJet.com – Marketplace for backordering expiring domains
• SnapNames.com – Marketplace for backordering expiring domains
• Pool.com – Marketplace for backordering expiring domains

Short Domains

• NameFunk – Extensive random character generator
• ReadableDomains – 5 Letter Vowel Swap
• DomainNameSoup – Random 5 Letter Generator
• 5Letter.com – 5 Letter Research
• MakeWords – Random “Word” Generator

20 Free Tools for Researching Domain Names DotSauce Magazine

They have agreed to pay Johns an additional $2.5 million if the site performs well over the next 12 months.

This sale is indeed confirmed by an official press release from Bankrate, Inc. (Nasdaq: RATE). Better yet, Johns answers some great interview questions about the sale in an article found on WebProNews here.

This is quite an inspiring story for all of us bloggers and web developers.  By working hard at developing quality consistent content and driving traffic for just 2 years this guy is set for life.  Congratulations Johns!

Alexa.com statistics for Bankaholic are quite impressive.  Currently sitting at an excellent ranking of 41,904 which means it is getting alot of traffic daily.  Being in the banking niche, I am sure Bankaholic benefits well from that traffic by referring visitors to affiliated savings accounts, credit card offers, and through top-dollar AdSense revenue.

22 Year Old Sells His 2 Year Old Blog For $15 Million DotSauce Magazine

The Green.com website currently resolves to a glorified “domain for sale” landing page which I believe is using some Jedi mind tricks.  Below the fold is a promotional blurb for the fabulous Entertainment.com coupon book.

GoGreen.com | Active | Registered in 1997

The ever popular catch phrase “Go Green” is currently owned by an organization based in Vancouver Canada that supports go green transportation initiatives.  Content is under review as the splash page says, but I genuinely did enjoy the “Seven Great Ways To Get Around” feature, nice retro clip-art!

GreenPlanet.com | Active | Registered in 2003

This beauty is owned by Green Planet Environmental Ltd, a non-profit organization based in Liverpool England. They make the planet green by developing sustainable products that work with nature for areas in most need such as Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Aboriginal Australia.

GreenEarth.com | Doomed | Registered in 1997

Currently a “Coming Soon” message.  A quick glance at Archive.org reveals that in all GreenEarth.com’s 12 years, it has never really been used, kinda sad!  Soon to be some form of marketplace for green products, we’ll see.

GreenMagazine.com | Active | Registered in 2001

The Green Magazine for none other than… John Deere tractor enthusiasts?  You guessed it!

GreenEnergy.com | Forwards | Registered in 1997

Forwards to TransAlta Wind’s Vision Quest Windelectric business channeling the power of wind into local power grids.

GreenMovement.com | Parked | Registered in 2005

Finally a domain that needs a home!  GreenMovement.com is currently parked.  A look at the whois shows that it is owned by somebody livin’ it up in the Grand Cayman Islands.  Hey Frank, is that you? :)

GreenProducts.com | Active | Registered in 1997

This Iowa based trucking company processes corn cobs into all kinds of great pet bedding and litter. The potential is lacking, technically this company isn’t “Green” in the since of environmental friendliness at all, rather it was founded by Clifford Green  in 1947.

GreenIdeas.com | Active | Registered in 1999

Personal blog of one Alibert Botogol of the United Kingdom.

GreenTechnology.com | Parked | Registered in 2001

Yet another parked green domain. I really like this one, anyone care to broker the sale, get a good deal for me!

Top Prices Paid for Green Domain Names

These are the highest reported sales for “Green” domains. Some listings have been removed that were not relevant.

GreenPackaging.com sold for $25,000 (Mar 2008)
GreenhouseGases.com sold for $21,975 (Dec 2007)
GreenVehicle.com sold for $15,000 (Feb 2008)
Greenster.com sold for $10,895 (Mar 2008)
GoGreenToday.com sold for $10,000 (Jul 2008)
GreenStyle.com sold for $10,000 (Mar 2008)
GreenTips.com sold for $6,288 (Jun 2008)

Sources: NameBio & DNSalePrices

After looking into all these green domains, I am surprised not to see more premium sales recorded. Hopefully that means there are still good deals to be done.

The real winners here are those who picked up green domains before the word went viral. However, it is still very possible and probably profitable to invest into the green domain niche.

I would really love to own a great “green” .COM domain name for a project I have in mind.  Feel free to contact me.

Do you have any Green Domains?

Leave a comment below! Tell us about your green domain names or any stories you might have about this trend.

The Greenest Domains on Earth: A Look at Premium “Green” Dot Coms DotSauce Magazine

• I’m back from a great family vacation in Texas and have a ton of work to catch up on, bear with me!
• If anyone would like to get some great exposure for their business or blog, DotSauce is currently accepting guest post article submissions related to domain names and/or development.
• My available domains newsletter subscribers received another list of high quality available domains last night, many of which have already been registered.

Action.com Sells for $230,000

The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal. The top dog this week was a one-word .com domain that attracted close to a quarter of a million dollars in one of the year’s 20 biggest sales. We expanded our usual Top 20 chart to make way for another wave of completed live auction sales. .Com wound up claiming 23 of the 30 positions but the country codes fared well again, taking four spots on the all extension leader board. A Canadian three-letter ccTLD soared all the way to the #6 position. The top chart also sported a pair or .nets (one ranking #3 overall) and a .org. You can get all of the details at the DNJournal sales report.

~ Via Email from Ron Jackson

GMX.ca Sells for €20,000 ($31,200)

Position #6 on the DNJournal sales report is held for the first time by a .CA domain sale. GMX has something to do with language translation standards and is also a German email company, though I’m not sure why exactly this specific domain fetched such a high price. Nonetheless an impressive sale and great exposure for the Canadian ccTLD.

Action.com Sells for $230,000 and a .CA Breaks Into the Top 10 DotSauce Magazine

First Auction a Success

The domain name “DiscountImages.com” was successfully sold at Bido auction for $911 to “TheMadHat” which I can only assume is Aaron Chronister of Mad Hat Media Group, LLC (SEO and Marketing specialists). Congrats on the purchase Aaron!

Upcoming Bido Domain Auctions

DotSauce has been approved as a Bido expert! Be on the lookout for my comments on upcoming auctions. Here is a listing of the next week of domains to be auctioned off, starting with GolfIowa.com tomorrow.

Bido Successfully Auctions First Domain on Launch Day DotSauce Magazine

CBS has a network of over 300 local affiliates who publish content and reach 82% of all online users in the United States. This acquisition should make CBS the 10th most popular website on the Internet.

$1.8 Billion – Steal of a Deal for CNET’s Domains?

CNET has always been known to be the owner of several extremely valuable domain names, I would even go so far to say that domains such as News.com, TV.com, Com.com, Search.com are invaluable. This is, in my humble opinion, one of the smartest acquisitions I have ever seen. The value of the .com brand names involved in this trade is amazing.

Watch this video from Yahoo! Finance with more insight into the deal.

CNET’s Domain Portfolio Includes these Gems

• News.com
• TV.com
• Search.com
• Download.com
• Downloads.com
• Upload.com
• Chat.com
• Com.com
• Help.com
• Shopper.com
• Radio.com
• Mp3.com
• Kids.com
• Computers.com

CNET’s Established Online Presences…

• GameSpot.com
• Chow.com
• ZDnet.com
• BNET.com
• MySimon.com
• UrbanBaby.com
• TechRepublic.com

What are your thoughts on CBS Purchasing CNET?
Please leave a comment below.

CBS Buys CNET Along with Some of the Most Valuable Domains in the World DotSauce Magazine

Michael Kovatch started an internet company in 1993 and was inspired by Microsoft’s now ancient communications software “Net Meeting.” After searching for and finding InternetPhone.com unavailable, Michael reserved his domain iPhone.com knowing that the internet would be used for phone service in the not-so-distant future.

Once again, Starbucks proves to be a great place to meet interesting people. Today, I met Michael Kovatch, who is recently “Internet” famous for selling iPhone.com to Apple… Following is a brief video interview where Michael explains how he acquired iPhone.com…

Via: ThinkingSerious.com

Quite an interesting story, a realistic glimpse into the beginnings of domaining as we know it.

Before Apple’s iPhone there was iPhone.com DotSauce Magazine

Download the Auction Inventory Catalog (Excel)

There are hundreds of generic words and phrases, premium GEO domains as well as three 2 letter .com domains (OH.com, YQ.com and JF.com). Popular first name domains up for bid are Doug.com, Susan.com, Patti.com and Hector.com.

Some amazing domains that will be featured in the live auction:

• NAME – OPENING BID
• Pay.com – $1MM – $5MM
• Idol.com – $100,001 – $250,000
• Greek.com – $250,001 – $500,000
• Action.com – $250,001 – $500,000
• Longer.com – $50,001 – $100,000
• Marina.com – $100,001 – $250,000
• Yachts.com – $1MM – $5MM
• Jackpot.com – $1MM – $5MM
• Partner.com – $250,001 – $500,000
• Closings.com – $10,001 – $25,000
• Rainbow.com – $100,001 – $250,000
• Athlete.com – $100,001 – $250,000
• Israel.com – $5MM and up

Information on registering to participate in the auction can be found at Moniker here.

Best of luck to all buyers and sellers!

TRAFFIC Orlando Master Auction Catalog Published DotSauce Magazine

Those names which are less than extraordinary will be pushed back to the extended live auction where bids can be placed online.

TRAFFIC East Auction Schedule

TRAFFIC East Premium Contenders

These high quality domains will most likely be seen on the auction block.

 Calcium.net		Denmark.net		How.info
 OH.com			TVSchedule.com		Confession.com
 BodilyInjury.com	Athlete.com		Gouda.com
 AirlineFares.net	DesktopComputer.com	Invest.org
 Organic.info		ForSale.mobi		Emeralds.net
 BadCredit.net		Track.com		GoatCheese.com
 BabyFood.com		DiscountTravel.com	LaptopComputer.com
 Pay.com			Men.mobi		Groceries.net
 Israel.com		Grass.com		Havarti.com
 Boats.mobi		Drugs.mobi		Lemons.com
 Religion.mobi		AutoBody.com		Koran.com
 Jackpot.com		Model.net		Judgment.com
 ClothesShopping.com	FootballScores.com	Marina.com
 Sales.mobi		Chocolate.net		Partner.com
 Yachts.com		Flossing.com		Hoodia.com
 Piano.net		Michigan.info

The full list of all the domains accepted into the auction should be out towards the end of this week. They will be posted here at Moniker’s website.

TRAFFIC East Live Domain Auction DotSauce Magazine

The buyer of the Fund.com domain name is now aptly named Fund.com Inc., a New York based firm previously known as Meade Technologies Inc.

Former Record Holder

Guinness World Records books reports the previous record holder to be the purchase of Business.com for $7.5 million in 1999. There was alot of controversy and skepticism regarding domain names and how they could possibly warrant these multi-million dollar price tags.

Amazingly enough, just eight years later in July of 2007 the Business.com company was sold to yellow pages publisher, RH Donnelly, for $345 million, 47 times the original purchase price.

Domaining In the Public Eye

Top domain name sales stories will slowly continue to hit the front pages of the most popular financial publications around the world. Investors will start taking serious interest, much more so than they already have. More and more generic domain portfolios will go public.

Exciting times to be a domainer! It’s almost like having a second chance to go back to 1998 and start buying domains with Frank Schilling, Kevin Ham and the Castello Brothers. OK, so it’s not quite that awesome… but we, as domainers, are one step ahead of those just now entering the business of buying, selling and monetizing domain names.

Highest Official Domain Sales Prices

Take a look at this list below and you will notice one thing really stands out. Over half of these sales prices and bids were made in 2007. Does this mean that 2008 will bring even higher premium domain sales? It’s almost guaranteed.

Fund.com                 9,999,950         2008
Porn.com                 9,500,000         2007
Business.com             7,500,000         1999
Diamond.com              7,500,000         2006
Beer.com                 7,000,000         2007
Asseenontv.com           5,100,000         2000
Seo.com                  5,000,000         2007
Auction.com              4,500,000         Reserve 2007
Dermatology.com          4,500,000         Reserve 2007
HorseRacing.com          4,500,000         Reserve 2007
Slots.com                4,500,000         Reserve 2007
PuertoRico.com           3,500,000         Reserve 2007
Shop.com                 3,500,000
Altavista.com            3,300,000         2002
Creditcheck.com          3,000,000         2007
Scotland.com             3,000,000         Reserve 2007
Student.com              3,000,000         Reserve 2007
Vodka.com                3,000,000         2006
Wine.com                 2,900,000         1999
CreditCards.com          2,750,000         2004
PressReleases.com        2,500,000         Reserve 2007

CNN Reports New World-Record $10 Million Domain Sale DotSauce Magazine

SnapNames Live Auction Recap

Apart from the wildly enthusiastic networking session with the NetworKING himself and an awesome themed party at the Highland Nightclub, the SnapNames Live Auction turned out to be the most fun. Even though I did not participate directly aside from snapping pictures and keeping the open bar lively, I enjoyed watching the bidders battle it out for premium domains.

I was going to post the domain sales from the live auction directly, but it seems many other domaining blogs have had the same idea. So, sparing myself the data entry, I’ll direct you to these lists of updates on the auction: Day 1 & Day 2 results from Frank Michlick.

Domainer’s Choice Awards Winners

During the closing dinner at DomainFest, the Domainer’s Choice Awards were announced. DotSauce was a final nominee for the category of Best Domain Publication. However, DotSauce didn’t take the win, but congratulations to Ron Jackson’s DNJournal and all the other winners for taking the top spots.

Best Domain Auctions – Tie → SnapNames & Moniker
Best Domain Financial Services → Escrow.com
Best Domain Marketplace → Sedo.com
Best Domain Publication → DN Journal
Best Domainer Tools → DomainTools.com
Best Domainers Blog → ElliotsBlog.com
Best Hosting Company → GoDaddy
Best Industry Spokesperson → Frank Schilling
Best Registrar Award → Moniker
Domain Ambassador Award → Michael & David Castello
Domainers Rising Star → Michael & David Castello
Industry Achievement Award → Kevin Ham
Industry Customer Service Rep → Eben Smith of Sedo
Industry Trade Association → Internet Commerce Association
Parking Company Award → TrafficZ

Sharing the Knowledge

Stay tuned for upcoming articles about my experiences at the DomainFest conference. I had a chance to sit down and talk with some brilliant minds such as Tan Tran of FreshDrop who shared some phenomenal advice with me. I would also like to share some of what I learned at the sessions with Frank Schilling and John Battelle, co-founder of WIRED Magazine.

Networking & Sponsorships

For all those whom I met and promised access to a DotSauce Premium Subscription, please get in touch with me. I would love for you to check it out, contribute, and offer your opinion on the exclusive content.

To the individuals and companies who expressed interest in advertising on DotSauce, please see more information on the Sponsorship page or contact me privately.

Looking Back on DomainFest 2008 DotSauce Magazine

Five co.uk domains made the list, as well as five .mobi and four .net.
A .info, .de and .at were represented with one six-figure sale each.

1. Porn.com – $9,500,000
2. Computer.com – $2,100,000
3. Seniors.com – $1,800,000
4. Tandberg.com – $1,500,000
5. Scores.com – $1,180,000
6. Vista.com – $1,250,000
7. Chinese.com – €810,001 = $1,120,008
8. Guy.com – $1,000,000
9. Topix.com – $1,000,000
10. Poker.de – €695,000 = $957,937
11. Investment.com – $900,000
12. Melbourne.com – $700,000
13. Dollars.com – $650,000
14. Job.at – €408,000 = $590,949
15. Cardiology.com – $550,000
16. Shemale.com – $520,000
17. Rebate.com – $500,000
18. Rebates.com – $500,000
19. Invention.com – $500,000
20. AZ.com – $500,000
21. Li.com – $500,000
22. Greenhouse.com – $500,000
23. SportingGoods.com – $450,000
24. Bald.com – $400,000
25. Iran.com – $400,000
26. CarSales.com – $400,000
27. Cowboys.com – $370,000
28. Gibraltar.com – $360,000
29. Greeting.com – $350,000
30. Supplies.com – $323,530
31. Recycle.co.uk – £150,000 = $309,901
32. Resume.com – $300,000
33. Text.com – $300,000
34. Realestate.net – $300,000
35. BDSM.com – $295,000
36. Xmas.com – $294,200
37. UI.com – $275,000
38. Table.com – $260,000
39. Locals.com – $250,000
40. Buckhead.com – $250,000
41. Mobile.co.uk – £120,000 = $247,921
42. Yearbook.com – $237,500
43. ET.com – $225,000
44. Spices.com – $220,000
45. Televisions.com – $215,000
46. Crosswordpuzzles.com – $210,000
47. Masculin.com – €150,000 = $201,792
48. Perth.com – $200,000
49. DIY.net – $200,000
50. Settlement.com – $200,000
51. CriminalLawyers.com – $195,000
52. FreeHoroscope.com – $185,259
53. Fly.co.uk – £87,500 = $181,042
54. Chinese.net – $180,000
55. Ringtones.net – $175,000
56. Clock.com – $175,000
57. CampGrounds.com – $175,000
58. Walkers.com – $175,000
59. BoiseIdaho.com – $175,000
60. DreamLife.com – $171,750
61. Promotion.com – $170,000
62. Event.com – $165,000
63. Psychologists.com – $160,000
64. Connected.co.uk – £80,000 = $157,931
65. Via.com – $157,500
66. Poker.mobi – $150,000
67. Guy.com – $150,000
68. MegaYachts.com – $150,000
69. Pottery.com – $150,000
70. OL.com – $150,000
71. InterracialSex.com – $150,000
72. Ringtones.mobi – $145,000
73. Charters.com – $140,000
74. Lips.com – $135,000
75. Zimbabwe.com – $130,000
76. CaribbeanVacations.com – $130,000
77. Sportsbook.mobi – $129,800
78. UB.com – $129,420
79. One.es – €87,000 = $128,947
80. HalfPriceTickets.com – $125,000
81. Supernatural.com – $125,000
82. Exito.com – $121,560
83. HotProperty.com – $120,000
84. PX.com – $120,000
85. Travel.info – $116,000
86. Note.com – $115,000
87. Refresh.com – $115,000
88. Forest.com – €81,000 = $110,721
89. News.mobi – $110,000
90. Cab.com – $110,000
91. Femmes.com – $110,000
92. OTV.com – $110,000
93. UltimateGuitar.com – $101,676
94. Hosting.mobi – $101,000
95. WifeLover.com – $100,930
96. Gents.com – $100,444
97. Brisbane.com – $100,000
98. Passover.com – $100,000
99. Debit.com – $100,000
100. Bulk.com – $100,000
101. TreatmentCenters.com – $100,000
102. MyFinance.com – $100,000
103. AMT.com – $100,000
104. 15.com – $100,000
105. VN.com – $100,000
106. Track.com – $100,000

Euro to Dollar conversion (€ to $) based on rates in effect when sales were reported. If you would like to view more details such as exact dates and where these domains were sold view the original DNJournal 2007 Year-To-Date report or view the 2006 report to compare.

Top 100 Domain Sales of 2007 DotSauce Magazine

UPDATE: The auction has been pushed back to the 10th!

Unfortunately, none of the 8 domains I submitted were accepted to the live auction. The minimum reserve option was $1000, which I do believe is a bit high for these domain names. I thought I might get lucky and dropped a few of my names in the hat.

• DoubleBath.com
• LinkPremium.com
• LinksProfit.com
• NetworkingProfiles.com
• PromotionDiscount.com
• RebatePros.com
• SocialResumes.com
• TelephonePrank.com

Please contact me if you would like to make an offer anyway. :)

The DomainTools Live Auction system is a uniquely built interface that has proven itself at the Domain Roundtable auction and it was recently host to the sale of Edgeio company assets. To participate in the upcoming auction, you will need to register for a free DomainTools account and have a verified credit card and phone number on file.

Domain Tools January 10th Auction DotSauce Magazine

What do your prices say about your domain names for sale?

Read below for some suggestions and tips for pricing your domains for sale.

Selling an $8 domain name!

You’re saying, “I have a domain name that is not valuable and I don’t really want it.” This is an attempt to get your registration fee (domain investment) back. Destined to expire.

Selling a $25 domain name!

You’re saying, “This domain has moderate value to me but I would like to get it off my hands and double my money. Good luck reselling this name for more.” A good price for flipping a hand registration at a surprisingly big profit percentage.

Selling a $50 domain name!

You’re saying, “I may have planned on using this domain name for my own project. This domain has good potential for an end user or earns a little revenue of some kind.” If this domain provides a benefit to the buyer in any way, they will probably be willing to pay.

Selling a $100 domain name!

Be careful with this one. What you should be saying, “My domain has premium letters and a clearly defined purpose.” What you could be saying, “I don’t really want to sell this domain right now so I’m just pricing it high or it could be that I really don’t know how much this domain is worth.” Probably less.

Selling a $1000 domain name!

You’re saying, “Premium domain for sale!” If you have done your research and have a premium domain. Take note, premium domains come in many different forms; LLL’s, sweet LLLL’s (4 letter domains), generic terms, prime keywords, profitable industries and brand names to name a few. Try to market your premium domains to end users or place them in publicized auctions to get the most out of your investment.

Take these recommendations with a grain of salt, they are merely my reflections from my experience in domain sales. I can say that I own premium domain names, but I have not sold one yet. I personally like to sell the majority of my domain names for $35, please view prices at my portfolio of domains for sale. I would love to hear your comments/critiques regarding my pricing tips.

Pricing Your Domains for Sale With Confidence DotSauce Magazine

LLLL vs. CCCC

To clarify in common domaining terms, there is quite a big difference between 4 letter domains and 4 character domains, which are referred to as LLLL.com and CCCC.com respectively. “Characters” can include hyphens or numbers.

The LLLL.com Countdown

DYYO, the unofficial authority on four letter domain names, has a feature which allows you to browse the last few names that are available to register. This is not 100% accurate and can be a little behind in updating but is the only freely available bulk data.

You can also check out this 90+ page long discussion topic on NamePros:

• “LLLL.com COUNTDOWN“

The LLLL Buzz

NamePros member c4smok comments that “I am glad to see it finally over. I have followed this for the last 4 months. It’s a great day for the internet, but I am worried about the economy. Can only hope this will last.“

NoRest remarks “End of an era or end of an error? We’ll find out soon enough…“

Vurg exclaims “99.9% Registered. Cool!“

Oh man! I just refreshed the NamePros topic and it’s been reported that only 400 LLLL.com are remaining. The last letter to go was “U”, why that’s relevant I have no idea!

The Aftermath

It’s official! Every four letter combination dot com domain has been registered at one point in time. Aftermarket sales, expired drop catching or backordering are now your two options for acquiring an LLLL.com domain.

The prices are not expected to sky rocket but they will increase some, especially for those few good quality words and abbreviations. I will do my best to follow the trends on sales, LLLL domain drops and report on the latest news from around the domain industry blogosphere related to this event.

Four Letter .COM Domains ALL Registered! DotSauce Magazine