The top 20 most expensive domain names

Joe
Joe
Jul 24, 2017 · 4 min read

Have you ever heard about those people who just magically find rare steals at antique roadshows? Like the Joseph Kleitsch oil painting that was purchased for around $100 and later appraised at $500,000. If you’re like me, and in this case, I think we all are, you’ve probably thought to yourself, “Why can’t that happen to me?” While I don’t typically dabble in oil paintings, I do spend time in the domain market. And let me tell you, after reviewing the most expensive domain names out there, there are definitely people who have sold them for enough money to pay a king’s ransom.

When most people think about the price of a domain, somewhere in the range of $15 usually pops up. But often, domain names sell for much more than that.

The average price of a domain name sold in the secondary market — buying a domain from someone who already owns it — is in the thousands of dollars.

It is not unusual to see public domain sales reported weekly in the tens or hundreds of thousands, and often enough there will be domain sales reported in the millions (you can check out dnjournal.com for weekly domain sales reporting, as well as annual historical sales reports).

Nailing down the most expensive domain names isn’t easy — most of the parties involved often try to keep that information private. There are various reasons for this practice, ranging from wanting to keep their competition in the dark to not wanting others to know how much they’re willing to spend on a domain in the future.

It’s a pretty common assertion that the vast majority of high-value domain sales are done with some sort of non-disclosure agreement in place. Luckily for us, enough sales are public, so we can still have a good idea of the domain market and its health over the years.

The №1 spot

Most Expensive Domain Names Number One
Most Expensive Domain Names Number One

The most expensive domain name ever sold has come to light — at $872 million. Yes, you read that right. Cars.com was valued at $872 million (we get that number from reading the SEC filing, courtesy of the parent company, Gannet Co., Inc.). Imagine the look on someone’s face when they were told their domain was worth that much!

While many people don’t report the sale of their domains publicly, top lists vary. But as a whole, most people are in agreement with most of the highest sales reported for domain names.

Most expensive domain names publicly reported

Domain Price Sale date Insurance.com $35.6 million 2010 VacationRentals.com $35 million 2007 PrivateJet.com $30.18 million 2012 Internet.com $18 million 2009 360.com $17 million 2015 Insure.com $16 million 2009 Fund.com £9.99 million 2008 Sex.com $13 million 2010 Nov. 17 Hotels.com $11 million 2001 Porn.com $9.5 million 2007 Porno.com $8,888,888 2015 February Fb.com $8.5 million 2010 November Business.com $7.5 million 1999 December Diamond.com $7.5 million 2006 Beer.com $7 million 2004 iCloud.com $6 million 2011 March Israel.com $5.88 million 2008 May Casino.com $5.5 million 2003 Slots.com $5.5 million 2010 Toys.com $5.1 million 2009

**Data courtesy of Wikipedia.

Most expensive domain names publicly reported

  • Insurance.com — $35.6 million
  • VacationRentals.com — $35 million
  • PrivateJet.com — $30.18 million
  • Internet.com — $18 million
  • 360.com — $17 million
  • Insure.com — $16 million
  • Fund.com — £9.99 million
  • Sex.com — $13 million
  • Hotels.com — $11 million
  • Porn.com — $9.5 million
  • Porno.com — $8,888,888
  • Fb.com — $8.5 million
  • Business.com — $7.5 million
  • Diamond.com — $7.5 million
  • Beer.com — $7 million
  • iCloud.com — $6 million
  • Israel.com — $5.88 million
  • Casino.com — $5.5 million
  • Slots.com — $5.5 million
  • Toys.com — $5.1 million

Now that you know what domain names can potentially sell for, I bet you’re wondering what your domain name is worth. Check out NameBio.com — you can search by a specific domain or word and use various filters to find sold domains closely related to the one you’re thinking of selling.

If you are thinking about buying a domain name and selling it for more money, GoDaddy Auctions is a great place to find domains that might have good resale value. As with any other purchase, it’s always best to start slow and do your homework before spending your hard earned money and time looking for the next big domain sale.

Start your search today.


Image by 401(K) 2013 via VisualHunt.com / CC BY-SA

Originally published at Garage.

Joe

Written by

Joe

Find me @jjstyler on twitter. GoDaddy Aftermarket product manager, Dad, Husband, Entreprenuer owner of theatertickets.com. Opinions are my own.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade