On Sale
With 2022 about to conclude, there’s a lot of great stats and news in the domain name industry, especially on the most expensive domain names, so it’s perfect timing to update our last year’s Most Expensive Domain Names Sold In 2021.
If you’ve been curious about buying a domain, and how much a domain can sell for, you’ve stumbled on the right article. Also, you’ll read about some of the most expensive domains in 2022.
What is a top-level domain?
A top-level domain, which is known for short as TLD, is the highest level of domain extensions on the Internet. Some TLDs include extensions like .com, .net, .org, and more than 1500 other registered top-level domains.
What is the most expensive TLD?
Most of the really expensive TLDs usually are .com domain names because of the level of trust that the extension has.
It’s been around for decades, and people have come to use them more than other TLDs. In fact, there are well over 157 million registered .com domain names.
How much can domain names sell for?
Domain names can sell for a few hundred dollars, a thousands of bucks, or in the millions. It depends on the actual name and what the buyer may want to use it for.
For example, if the buyer has deep pockets and is looking for a domain for their business, that may make them more money, they’ll shell out big bucks for a domain.
How can you buy a domain?
There are several ways to buy a domain:
- Search and buy a new domain from a web host that sells domain registration services
- Backorder or get on a waitlist for a domain that’s already taken
- Buy an existing domain at a domain auction site
- Use a domain broker
- Buy the domain directly from a website owner
1. Search and buy a new domain from a web host that sells domain registration services.
Most web hosts, including Verpex, offer the ability for anyone to search and buy a new domain. This is due to the fact that web hosting and domains go hand-in-hand.
The search will tell you if the domain is available, and even offer other TLD options that you can choose from.
2. Backorder or get on a waitlist for a domain that’s already taken.
If you’ve been searching for a particular domain, and it’s already been snagged up by someone else, some domain registrars give you an option to backorder or get on a waitlist. In backordering, you’re waiting for the domain name to free up so you can buy it. This means that whoever has ownership over the domain name, would have to stop renewing.
Unfortunately, this method is more of a waiting game, because you’re gambling on whether or not the owner of the domain name will renew.
3. Buy an existing domain name at a domain auction site.
Some people like to use domain auction sites to try to sell their domain names. A domain auction site is a more centralized database that you can search to find and bid on domains. This type of way of selling a domain name is competitive, depending on how popular the domain name is.
4. Use a domain broker.
A domain broker is someone or an agency that will act on your behalf in order to help you buy the domain name(s) you desire. They communicate with the seller and negotiate the price. Often the broker will get a cut of the sale.
5. Buy the domain directly from a website owner.
Sometimes if you reach out to a website owner and ask if they are selling a site, you may be able to negotiate without paying fees to a broker. The only issue is that you may need to get a lawyer if you are dealing with buying a domain from someone you don’t know, and would like to draw up some type of contract with the sales terms.
Top 5 Domain Sales in 2022
Now that you know a little bit about domain names and how to buy them, here are some of the most expensive domain names sold in 2022.
- NFTs.com - $15 million
- Connect.com - $10 million
- Gems.com - $1.5 million
- Unlock.com - $1.23 million
- Stable.com - $1.01 million
Connect.com
Connect.com was acquired in 2022 for $10 million dollars by HubSpot. HubSpot, which is known for providing tools for website owners and marketers, and currently has the domain forwarded to a section of their site that they use for social networking.
Gems.com
Gems.com sold for $1.5 million in 2022 to the Gem Shopping Network. This certainly helps that gem business with a short domain name, which will be much easier for their customers to remember.
Unlock.com
Unlock.com was sold in 2022 for $1.23 million by the same owner of BestWeb.com. The buyer was Unlock Technologies, Inc.
Stable.com
Stable.com was sold for $1.08 million in 2022 by an undisclosed buyer, and the domain, as of December 2022 currently had a parked domain page on Network Solutions.
As a note, Twitter did not make this list because the domain didn’t pass hands to a different company, even though Elon Musk bought the company for $44 billion dollars in October of 2022. It’s still owned by Twitter, Inc.
25 Most expensive Domain Names Ever
(+ 1 hidden gem)
- LasVegas.com - sold in 2005 for $90 million, but to be paid off in 2040
- Voice.com - sold for $30 million in 2019
- 360.com - sold for $17 million in 2015
- Sex.com - sold for $13 million in 2010
- Fund.com - sold for $12 million in 2008
- Hotels.com - sold for $11 million in 2001
- Tesla.com - sold for $11 million in 2014
- Porno.com - sold for $8.8 million in 2015
- Fb.com - sold for $8.5 million in 2010
- HealthInsurance.com - sold for $8.13 million in 2019
- We.com - sold for $8 million in 2015
- Diamond.com - sold for $7.5 million in 2006
- Beer.com - sold for $7 million in 2004
- Z.com - sold for 6.8 million in 2014
- iCloud.com - sold for $6 million in 2011
- Casino.com - sold for $5.5 million in 2003
- Slots.com - sold for $5.5 million in 2010
- AsSeenOnTv.com - sold for $5.1 million in 2000
- Toys.com - sold for $5.1 million in 2009
- Korea.com - sold for $5 million in 2000
- Clothes.com - sold for $4.9 million in 2008
- Medicare.com - sold for $4.8 million in 2014
- IG.com - sold for $4.6 million in 2013
- Christmas.com - sold for $3.15 million in 2021
- Angel.com - solid for $2 million in 2021
Most Unique domain name sale from late 2021
Paradigm.eth was sold in 2021 for 430 ETH or $2 million. This domain is the most unique sale in this list because it ends in the .eth top-level domain extension. The .eth TLD is short for the Ethereum blockchain.
Is buying a domain a good investment?
Buying a domain can be a good investment if you actually want to do something with it, even if you want to create more content and later on flip the site to another buyer in the future. However, it’s important to research before buying.
How to find out what your domain is worth?
If you have a domain or several that you would like to sell off for whatever reason, you can use a site like Free Valuator to check home much it is worth. This site will give you a ballpark range on what it is. It is determined by how popular the keywords are in your domain, as well as your site’s ranking, age of the domain from when it was originally registered, and a comparison to other site names that are similar.
If you’ve already added content to your site, that’s okay, because some people desire a site that may already have some useful content, and will be happy to pay a price.
In Summary
Fascinating about all of the most expensive domain names in 2022, right? If you’re interested in selling domain names, you now have a bit of an inkling of what they can go for out in the domain selling markets and auctions. You can even start now by researching what seems like a lucrative investment, and then once you’ve decided, you can start searching for what domains are available on Verpex.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a domain name?
A domain name is the name of your website. A domain name is a word or a phrase that people enter in their browsers in order to be taken to a certain website on the Internet.
What is domain flipping?
Domain flipping is the practice of getting a domain name as cheap as you can and then selling the domain name to an interested party for more than what you paid.
Is domain flipping dead?
Domain flipping is certainly not dead, and if you get things right, you can still make some good money in the business.
What makes a certain domain valuable?
Valuable domains are usually memorable, easy to spell, pronounce, and short.
Nile Flores is a long time professional blogger, as well as WordPress website designer and developer from the St. Louis Metro East. Nile blogs at NileFlores.com, where she’s passionate about helping website owners, whether they’re small business owners or bloggers. She teaches about Blogging, Social Media, Search Engine Optimization, Website Design, and WordPress. Additionally, Nile loves to speak at WordCamps (WordPress conferences) across the United States. When Nile isn’t knee-deep in coding, she’s a proud mom of a college student, and enjoys oil painting, cigar smoking, nail art design, and practicing traditional Okinawan kempo karate.
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