Ten of the most expensive domain names ever

How much will people pay for a good domain name? A LOT, so it has been proved.

Sex.com, the most expensive domain name to date, was reportedly sold for
as much as US$14 million in January 2006 and remains in the number 1 slot in the
all-time most expensive domain names list. It has been involved in an ownership
dispute that lasted for almost twelve years, which has embarrassed one of the
largest domain registrars on the Internet. However, the domain name itself now
redirects to another domain and its attendant hosting.

Not far from that tree is the second most expensive domain name in the world, porn.com. Porn.com sold for 9.5 million in May of this year and is not due to expire until the year 2010. Curiously, the domain name redirects to the same content as can be found on the sex.com website. This may be disappointing to
some surfers who may feel that sex is different from porn, and while the latter
does serve a purpose it is only fair that these two different domain names
should have different content.



Tied at third place are the domain names diamond.com, business.com, and beer.com,
which each sold for 7.5 million dollars apiece in 1999. Business.com hosts a B2B
search engine and paid advertisement website. Business.com was formerly the
world record holder for the most expensive domain name, and after the dot com
bubble burst in 2001 it was expected that no other domain name would sell for
more than business.com had. Expectations were obviously incorrect.

The domain name diamond.com is registered in the name of its Canadian owners,
and points to a site featuring a dazzling array of girls' best friends. The
technical details for the domain is as honest as their wares are expensive,
unlike the previously mentioned domains in first and second place, which are all tidily hidden and anonymized.

The website of third tie at third place, beer.com, looks like a souped up
sex.com/porn.com, and while it does not promote a particular brand of the
generic it does feature a lot of activities that go well with the drinking
of women, wrestling, movies, fine dining, and more women.

Casino.com is just that a plethora of resources for online gaming and
gambling has reportedly been sold to an unnamed company for a whooping $5.5
million. The domain name was first created in 1997 and is not due to expire
until 2013.

 

The domain name asseenontv.com sold for US$ 5.1 million in January 2000. It is
the fifth most expensive domain name ever sold and it is not due to expire
until 2016. The website features a wide selection of items that are available
for sale on various television channels. While some of the products may raise an
eyebrow or two when seen on tv, the website's About Us page is thorough and
politely honest, telling the user exactly what information about the user is
gathered when the user purchases items on the website.

Korea.com in edged out shop.com for sixth place when it sold for US$ 5 million in January of this year. The Korea Chamber of Commerce owns this domain name,
which is not to expire until 2009.

Shop.com is in seventh place, having sold for 3.5 million in 2005. Owned by a
Monterey California based company, this domain name is not set to expire until
2012 and is not likely to change hands at any time. The website on shop.com
looks like a watered-down amazon.com.

Wine.com sold for US$ 2.9 million in September 1999 and the domain name will not
expire until 2015. The first thing the website asks you when you load it up on
your browser is to where you will be shipping your orders. You will see only US
states on the drop-down list, a pity since other parts of the world may be
partial to a sip or two of stateside grape.
 

As if to remind us that we do need to pay for everything that the aforementioned
domain names websites products, number nine on the list is creditcards.com,
which sold for US$ 2.75 million in July of 2004. The website serves as a portal
for every conceivable credit card available in the United States, as well as
other types of plastic currency.

Curiously though, number 10 on the list is the most recent sale, still hot from
the auction tables at Moniker. Seniors.com went for US$ 1.8 million and is now
registered to Jay Sweeny of Palo Alto California and is not due to expire until
the year 2014. As the URL www.seniors.com still takes you to the Moniker "for
sale" page, we may still be surprised--pleasantly it is hoped--as to what the
eventual website will contain.