A few weeks ago, Investing.com was sold for a whopping $2.45 million.
But that's not even close to the highest price someone's paid for a domain name.
We collaborated with DN Journal and put together a list of the 25 most expensive domains in the world.
Not surprisingly, sex and gambling-related domains were the biggest money makers.
NOTE: Web businesses have other assets and are not domain only sales, so they were not eligible for this list. For example, Insure.com was bought for $16 million as a fully-operating, profitable company.
DN Journal only reports domain names sold after 2003 because prior sales are not verified by credible sources. Also, most buyers and sellers remain anonymous for legal reasons, so names/companies are not included in this article.
21. (tie) Cameras.com - $1,500,000
Year sold: 2006
"Cameras.com attracted the highest bid in the live domain auction conducted by Moniker.com at the recently concluded T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East Conference in Hollywood, Florida," The DN Journal wrote in 2006.
"The winning bidder, Sig Solares (the CEO of Parked.com), wasted no time ponying up the $1,500,000 due, making that domain the first from the live auction that we have seen change hands."
21. (tie) Russia.com - $1,500,000
Year sold: 2009
Sedo.com brokered the deal back in 2009. Paley Media, based in Seattle, sold the pricey domain off.
21. (tie) Tandberg.com - $1,500,000
Year sold: 2007
"Tandberg Data, a leading global supplier and manufacturer of backup and archiving solutions, decided to take the cash offer for Tandberg.com from Tandberg, a leading global provider of visual communication products and services with dual headquarters in New York and Norway," The DN Journal wrote at the time of the sale.
The deal was actually completed in December 2006 but wasn't made public until early 2007.
20. Ticket.com - $1,525,000
Year sold: 2009
Ticket.com raked in a lot of cash for Afternic.com when it was sold off in October, 2009. BuyDomains brokered the transaction.
19. DataRecovery.com - $1,659,000
Year sold: 2008
Minnesota's Associated Computers, Inc sold the domain to ESS Data Recovery on February 1, 2008. ESS had been trying to buy the domain for a long time.
18. Auction.com - $1,700,000
Year sold: 2009
Auction.com was rumored to be selling for even more money -- $2.5 million. But it came in at $1.7 million, and was purchased by Real Estate Disposition Corp.
17. Dating.com - $1,750,000
Year sold: 2010
Dating.com was acquired at the at DOMAINFest auction in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in May 2012. The next highest domain name to go at that auction was Boardgames.com, for $450,000.
16. Fly.com - $1,760,000
Year sold: 2009
Travelzoo spent big bucks on Fly.com in January 2009.
15. Seniors.com - $1,800,000
Year sold: 2007
It was a big 2007 for a man named Page Howe. He sold two domains that year for 7-figures each. He sold Guy.com for $1 million, and Seniors.com for $1.8 million.
14. Computer.com - $2,100,000
Year sold: 2007
In October 2007, Computer.com cleaned up at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. / Moniker domain name auction. WallStreet.com was almost sold for $3 million there, but it didn't "meet the set reserve prices," according to DomainRich.
13. Investing.com sold for $2,450,000
Year sold: 2012
Forexpros.com bought Investing.com earlier this month for $2.45 million. It was the largest domain sale of the year.
12. Social.com sold for $2,600,000
Year Sold: 2011
Moniker brokered a deal to sell social.com for $2.6 million in July, 2011.
11. CreditCards.com - $2,750,000
Year sold: 2004
ClickSuccess L.P, a firm that sells financial tools and products online, purchased CreditCards.com in 2004. It was the biggest domain-only sale in years. Casino.com was part of a massive $5.5 million deal in 2003, but its sale included a number of other assets.
10. Shopping.de - $2,858,945*
Year sold: 2008
Unister GmbH purchased the domain to go along with its portfolio of other destination sites, including Auto.de, News.de and Kredit.de.
*Shopping.de sold for €1,960,000 in 2008. The dollar equivalent at that time was $2,858,945.
8. (tied) Candy.com - $3,000,000
Year sold: 2009
G&J Holdings purchased Candy.com for a sweet $3 million in 2009. Toys.com outdid that earlier in the year though, when it was bought by ToysRUs for $5.1 million.
8. (tied) Vodka.com - $3,000,000
Year sold: 2006
A billionaire in Russia who founded the country's largest vodka maker purchased Vodka.com for $3 million in December 2006.
7. Clothes.com - $4,900,000
Year sold: 2008
Zappos coughed up almost $5 million for the domain, Clothes.com. Now both are owned by Amazon.
6. Toys.com - $5,100,000
Year sold: 2009
ToysRUs paid just over $5 million to have the powerful domain name, just months before Candy.com was acquired for $3 million.
5. Slots.com - $5,500,000
Year sold: 2010
As TechCrunch pointed out at the time of the sale, that's more than $1 million per character.
4. Diamond.com - $7,500,000
Year sold: 2006
Odimo.com handed over the domain to an online jewelry retailer, Ice.com in a private sale for one of the priciest domain name swaps of all time.
3. Porn.com - $9,500,000
Year sold: 2007
At the time of its sale, Porn.com was the biggest, all-cash transaction for a domain name ever and the second largest domain sale behind Sex.com's $12 million exit. Moniker helped sell the domain to MXN Limited.
2. Fund.com - $9,999,950
Year sold: 2008
Clek Media brokered a deal that few people believed were real: Fund.com was purchased in an all-cash deal in 2008.
1. Sex.com - $13 million
Year sold: 2010
Sex.com entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest domain-only sale in history. Escom LLC sold it to Clover Holdings Ltd.
BONUS: Business.com - $7.5 million
Year sold: 1999
*Note: Sales prior to 2003 are not verified by DN Journal. Source: Entrepreneur
BONUS: Hotels.com was sold for about $11,000,000
Year sold: 2001
*Note: Sales prior to 2003 are not verified by DN Journal.
Other expensive domain names not listed by DNJournal (either because they were sold prior to 2003 or other assets were sold with the domains):
- Fb.com sold for $8.5 million in September 2010
- Beer.com sold for $7 million in 2004
- Korea.com sold for $5 million in January 2000
- Freeport.com sold for $4 million in February 2008
- yp.com sold for $3.85 million in November 2008
- Shop.com sold for $3.5 million in November 2003
- Software.com sold for $3.2 million in December 2005
- Wine.com sold for $3 million in 1999
- Loans.com sold for $3 million in January 2000
- Pizza.com sold for $2.605 million in April 2008
- Tom.com sold for $2.5 million in December 1999
- Coupons.com sold for $2.2 million in January 2000
- England.com sold for $2 million in December 1999
- Express.com sold for $2 million in March 2000
- Telephone.com sold for $2 million in January 2000
- Savings.com sold for $1.9 million in February 2003
- Mortgage.com sold for $1.8 million in March 2000
- Branson.com sold for $1.6 million in June 2006
- Marketingtoday.com sold for $1.5 million in September 2005
Source: Domaining
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