Morning Folks!!
More than domains sales, I have had “Significant” domain sales. Meaningful sales. Sales to build on. Sales I could point at to make my case for future sales. My sales. But my goal was not to sell any for 20 years. In that, I failed. But I needed to build a foundation as part of that 20 year plan to be taken seriously and therefore raise the value of all domains. Not just my domains.
My first sale was eScore.com to Kaplan Education in New York who is a powerhouse in the education field. It was widely reported by the media starting with the NY Times. That was 1999 and 6 figure sales were not common.
My next sale was that of Men.com. This was a very rare 7 figure sale in those days and it came at a time where the bubble had burst and this gave new life to the industry. The sale was reported worldwide in hundreds of major publications and TV. It was a monumental sale of the day.
246.com, my first NNN sale has gone to IAC.
iReport.com was one of my best sales. It took about 6 months to complete. Their opening offer was $10,000. I said no to CNN many times on the way to a $750,000 cash sale. The biggest sticking point, making it public. They did not want to be laughed at for spending so much for a domain name. I assured them that would not be the case.
After a few meetings, they gave in as I would not sell without that single concession. It was worth another $750k to me in publicity and to build future sales on. This domain was the epitome of the Internet. A soapbox like no other. Today, iReport.com is in every country in the world and is one of the most recognized citizen journalist sites ever. The sale that keeps on giving to me and everyone else in the industry.
Candy.com bought in 2005 and sold in 2009 for $3M plus royalties off the GROSS. I believe this to be one of my most valuable domain names. The total value of this deal is unknown, but my projections come in at an additional $2M-$3M. So this deal will eventually be worth $5M-$6M. I also have a clause in the contract that gives me a sizeable bonus should Candy.com be sold in the next years. That would be the biggest part of the contract if that would happen. (More on that in a future post)
PunchBowl.com to MyPunchBowl.com for an undisclosed amount and shares of stock. Another sale with an open ended value.
So of my 15 sales, 5 of them have more significance than just a sale. 2 of them will be spitting out dividends many years after the sale. Some like OnlineCasinos.com I have to keep private. But even if I break my silence, the penalty would be having to buy the domain back. OK!!! LOL.
In the future I will be even more choosey about the deals I make. They will become even more meaningful. It will happen for one major reason. The way I see things unfolding. The way Donald Trump would do it if somebody with an idea for a piece of his land. What deal would he carve out? Now just because this mindset was not “ripe” 15 years ago does not mean it won’t be ripe soon. Very soon. Within 5 years.
Sure, they all laughed their asses off at me for what I do and what I believe. But the laughter subsides as the deals come. Each of those sales above are partially made to silence that laughter and turn it into folks that want to understand more. Whether they understand or not won’t sway me off my path and what I see and what I will do.
My record will speak louder than the loudest naysayer in town. Then a town of naysayers. That was what I believed in 1995 and that is what I believe today. What pisses people off the most is that I have been able to stick to my path and what I see unfolding regardless of the laughs, prods and all the rest. It makes them crazy that I won’t vary off my path. Year after year they laugh and I watch the goal get closer and closer.
As they say, “He who laughs last, laughs best”.
In the days ahead I will post about the seeds of my first NINE FIGURE deal. Even 50% of the choir won’t see it or believe it. But at least they know not to laugh.
Have a GREAT day!
Rick Schwartz
Robin Ong
Well said…to me selling a domain is too much of a hassle. Not to mention the emptiness after selling off a site that one has grown so attach to. Looking forward to more of your stories on ‘Killer Domain’ and ‘Pigeon Shit’.
Greg
I’m not laughing…I’m reading and absorbing…so are many others. I still remember seeing and browsing erealestate in the early 2000’s and saying i like the direction. I think you were buying some names from a company I worked for, or maybe the other way around lol.
chris
Rick – so whats your take on .CO domains? Any potential BIG money to be made or is this just another extension?
David L.G
It’s clear that Rick have a strong beliefs which are not based only thinking but also on emotion. This in my view the only way to read the world and the signs of the future. Watch the nature…
Nine Figures sound great and realistic. There is already some similar IPO on domains names. Mutual funds, Options and Futures on domain names will come soon. Time is our best friend.
TR
“to me selling a domain is too much of a hassle”
That’s because you have shitty domains.
Looks like Rick is in a down mood and decided to reassure himself
jy johnson
Chris its not the extension that matters its what you do with the extension..a new or old extension is only worth what you put into it such as content,SEO,marketing and promotion.once any extension has great content and a shit load of targeted traffic it can easily be worth millions or hundreds of thousands..development people development …
Anunt
Nine figure deal…and you mentioned something about”seeds”…
Rick, are you trying to buy back flowers.mobi from me?
Sorry, but I am going to say,”NO” to your nine figure offer.
I need atleast ten figures!
Have A Great Day!
Altaf
Big Congrats!Rick. Wish you best of luck in dealing with it.
Domain Goddess
Rick,
We all appreciate your hard work. Everyone in our humble community knows about your HUGELY successful career. You are one of the biggest players in the domain industry. But why do you have such a negative and angry message? Like you’re still trying to prove something to someone? Drop the negative banter. No one doubts you and if they do its their loss.
I met you once and you looked at me like I didn’t deserve to live. I was taken back by the expression on your face and walked away. Everyone else in the domain community welcomed me with open arms, but not you. Why is that?
If you’re going to be a leader in this industry then act like a real leader. Show some class, humility and most of all sincerity. Life is short. Love more, live more, give more and share more. After all, there’s more to this life than domain names…