Prediction: Crazy Domain Market to Collapse in 2014

FancyThatLogoI am not usually one given to making public predictions, but yesterday when I saw this outrageous request for a .com domain name I was moved to take a stand. How DomainMarket.com thinks they can justify these prices, for a name that is not even trademark clear across the board, defies my imagination in today’s world already. If there is any idiot out there prepared to pay even a 10th of this price once the .shop or .web or .fashion or .food domains are available later this year I will be surprised.

Of course, all these supposed domain brokers are sitting on hundreds of domains that they rent for cheap each year, hoping just a few will sell and make them rich. But look at this list of some others being offered. Are they going to try tie up hundreds of versions of these all with different top level domain endings, or are they naively believing that .com will continue to such an extent that someone wanting YouthAthletics, for example, wouldn’t switch to YouthAthletics.sport? Or FancyFare isn’t just as valuable in the form FancyFare.food or FancyFare.web or .shop?

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Some of these new domain endings are going to be more than $20 or so, just like .xxx  or .tattoo (which are already live) are over $100. But that is a far cry from tens of thousands for a domain name. And, of course, as usual, legal rights are based on trademarks and not on .com purchases.

So 2014 is shaping up to be an exciting year in the domain space – as long as you don’t get stuck holding a portfolio of worthless names.

(C) Copyright 2014 Brighter Naming ®

Posted in Branding, Domain Names, Naming News, Naming Resources, Trademarks