closed Hard-Drive.com

[amplify]

He did put in writing, however the type of house was not specified (smart) :lol:

Doll house!?

Maybe he meant a .house

 

[Shane]

Even the "cloud" involves physical data storage somewhere. The technology competing with hard drives would be flash memory (solid-state drives). Cloud storage just involves putting your "belongings" (i.e. data) in a remote storage unit / hosting center rather than keeping them at home.

Your laptop and tablet and smart phone will still need to store data themselves, no matter how pervasive remote cloud hosting becomes.

And not all of us are thrilled with our data being kept elsewhere. "The Cloud" makes government censorship and Google-type spying a whole lot easier, for example. Local storage devices are more secure in that sense.

Maybe the general public will be lured into the cloud. But there will still be some of us who store data in an object we can see and touch -- something Big Brother can't just erase without our knowledge or permission.

You make a very good point. However, we don't dictate technological advances. We are merely users and it's very likely that these companies will push the cloud on us whether we like it or not. Then again, this natural evolution may be years away.

WhoDatDog, dude you need to slow up on the haterade my brother are you all coked up or something?? I think your negative rant may have been a bit overboard don't you?? Yes, definitely. Appraise the name but don't appraise the appraisers or its time to get appraised yourself

You might also end up owing this dude a house! :lol:

A man is only as good as his word and somehow I doubt this man will live up to his..

He did put in writing, however the type of house was not specified (smart) :lol:

Doll house!?

Very true. I'd like to specify in a contract that he'll buy me a house in Connecticut. Doubt my hopes will come to fruition.

I think that we're closer than you may realize (I've been in IT for about 25 years, work wise.) to physical storage being outdated. There will always be a need, but as mentioned by Chris above, the current trend is towards high end (i.e. solid-state) storage and even moreso towards cloud storage on networked storage providers like Dropbox, Onedrive, iCloud, Google Drive, etc.

So, this is worth oodles more than , say, compact-disc.com (or even bluray-disc) but it's just a matter of time.

I say $xxxx (even with a dash which detracts, in English) but the value with decrease in time over the next few years, IMPO.

Rob

I definitely see your point. It might be wise to sell now rather than waiting for the technology to fade.

Maybe he meant a .house

That's plausible. lol

 

[amplify]

I don't know, even the term Solid-State ends in Drive. It's still hard enough to knock someone out with. Even if they go to SSD, cloud computing, or something else... it can always be brandable in the future and hold a historic sense to it for anyone 15 and older (I'll just take a stab at an age range) at this time being that everything we grew up with was a "drive" (5.25" Floppy Drive, 3.5" Drive, CD-ROM Drive, DVD-ROM Drive, Thumb Drive, Hard Drive) to be a "hard" copy of your current "drive" or data needed to be stored.

As a brandable, it retains value. I would go to say that this one doesn't lose value, as the pendulum swings from it being a product (albeit hyphenated, I think the Double D's make it work) to a brandable-if it ever comes to that.

I for one like cloud, but like it on my network... not someone else's. I have a personal cloud that I can physically touch if I want and nobody else can access. With privacy being a huge concern, hard drives, or a way to store data for safekeeping isn't going away anytime soon.

 

[Shane]

I don't know, even the term Solid-State ends in Drive. It's still hard enough to knock someone out with. Even if they go to SSD, cloud computing, or something else... it can always be brandable in the future and hold a historic sense to it for anyone 15 and older (I'll just take a stab at an age range) at this time being that everything we grew up with was a "drive" (5.25" Floppy Drive, 3.5" Drive, CD-ROM Drive, DVD-ROM Drive, Thumb Drive, Hard Drive) to be a "hard" copy of your current "drive" or data needed to be stored.

As a brandable, it retains value. I would go to say that this one doesn't lose value, as the pendulum swings from it being a product (albeit hyphenated, I think the Double D's make it work) to a brandable-if it ever comes to that.

I for one like cloud, but like it on my network... not someone else's. I have a personal cloud that I can physically touch if I want and nobody else can access. With privacy being a huge concern, hard drives, or a way to store data for safekeeping isn't going away anytime soon.

You make some valid points. I've never thought about the brandable aspect.

I also don't think hyphens kill all domain names, maybe in the reseller community, but not among the general public. I've never avoided a website that uses a single hyphen.

So what do you think it's worth to an enduser?

 

[amplify]

I'd stick with Focus' valuation of it being mid 4 to 5 figure end user since he's been around the city a couple times and back as well as my personal experience *EDIT*

 

[Shane]

I'd stick with Focus' valuation of it being mid 4 to 5 figure end user since he's been around the city a couple times and back as well as my personal experience *EDIT*

I appreciate the input. It seems the general consensus is somewhere between 5-10k, which would be a great return on my investment.

Luckily, there are plenty of endusers for this one. Shouldn't be too hard to get the offers rolling in.

 

[WhoDatDog]

Put it in a thread here today and figure out what it is worth. The value will be a lot closer to my appraisal of minus 50 dollars, than it will be to the wild, unrealistic, fantasyland appraisals in this thread. There ought to be a rule that if you appraise a name at 5K here, even if it is mentioned with the words "if developed", "end user", or other noise, that you should be required to buy the name for just 10 percent of that if the OP wants to "stick" the name on you.

This is why once anyone mentions the word Estibot when selling a name, I immediately stop looking and will never take them seriously after that. It is the same thing with appraisals here. It has gone on for years. If words have any meaning at all, then an appraisal by a knowledgeable domainer ought to be backed up by a willingness to immediately pay 10 percent of that number on the spot. And that just puts it into perspective how ridiculous 99 percent of appraisals are. You should actually be forced to buy a name for 30 percent of your appraisal, even if you aren't looking to buy the name. I mean, if appraisals are to have any meaning whatsoever. If not, then this section of the forum might as well just be a place for comedy.

And other comments here are just as ridiculous. I might be the only one on the forum who 100 percent of the time has been a man of his word. Maybe there is someone else, but I pass the test with flying colors, and even my track record of exposing scammers is 100 percent documented fact here and elsewhere. And people do not even understand basic contract law. I said run it through here in a sales thread and if you get a few hundred dollars for it I would buy you a house. Well, first of all, no reasonable person would believe that I would buy you some 500K house in Connecticut if you sold the name for $200 here, which would basically prove that I was right about the name. But it wouldn't matter anyways, because there is no contract without "consideration". In other words, if we are playing in a Dn Forum softball league, and you are at the plate, and I yell to you that if you hit a homerun I will buy you a car, then even if you hit a homerun on the next pitch, there is no car owed. There is no contract, since you did not give up anything.

But even if there was a contract, which in this case there was not, I could buy you any type of house, including a Lego house. But I wouldn't try to get out of any type of deal with tactics like this. But it all points back to the lack of basic understanding of reality here. No understanding of reality, no understanding or law, no understanding of the value of this name.

You can find out what it is worth by putting it in a thread now. You have the most knowledgeable people in the world in regards to this name. At least 100 of them will look at this name in a thread. You will not like the results of the final sales price (if there is one). But maybe reality doesn't work for you, so your best shot would be to go out into some alternate reality and try to find some dumbass businessperson who is willing to flush some money down the toilet for a name that cannot possibly give him a competitive advantage in business.

Make sure you factor in all of the hours you spent thinking about this name, and the hours spent putting this thread up and double checking it. Deduct that amount from the final sales price, and you are almost certainly to be a big loser when the final tally comes in. In other worlds, there is very little chance that your life can possibly be better off for getting involved in this name. And that is why you likely picked it up for close to nothing.

Here is another example of delusional domainers. In this case below, they actually ruin a good name with their hyperbole. The chances that I would ever do business with someone who put out a PR like this, with all of it's lies and white noise, is ZERO. It is a very strong name, but the moment this liar compares it to Toys.com is the moment he is a loser forever and that can never change. He also uses scammer tactics like saying the words category killer and premium. Basically a real scumbag who cannot just list a name and be done with it. He feels compelled to tell lies (Toys.com comparison a scumbag move).


Santa.com Up For Sale

http://www.dnexpert.com/2013/02/28/santa-com-up-for-sale/

The category killer, premium domain name Santa.com has been put up for sale by its owners. The sale of the domain name would include key assets and trademarks, including a web platform for families to share wish lists, for kids to send letters to Santa and for parents to manage Santa’s letters back to kids, including physical letters from the North Pole.

Says Will Weisman, co-owner of the domain name, about making the domain name available for purchase:

“Not since Toys.com was sold for $5m has there been a comparable domain available for purchase. This is a rare opportunity to acquire the single best domain name connected to one of the most iconic and beloved characters in the world.”


I noticed this name on the Sedo sales page this past week. Obviously, it didn't sell. I can only imagine what types of shill bidding this clown tried to pull off. Maybe it was one of those deals like at the big auctions where the bids mysteriously come up just short of the reserve. I laugh at these losers who commit felony fraud in these auctions. With domain names, felony fraud has no limits. It is accepted by most all.

 

[Bill F.]

I'd say mid-xxxx. For the hyphen haters, end users are still buying them. Domainers are generally not. You'll be lucky to go over $500 if you auction it. Maybe $1000. For end-users, a mid four figure price is perfectly possible. You may want to move it, though, as RTM's point about technology changes is something to consider. I've turned down good offers only to see a technology-based domain become obsolete. It happens fast and it isn't pretty.

 

[Shane]

And people do not even understand basic contract law. I said run it through here in a sales thread and if you get a few hundred dollars for it I would buy you a house. Well, first of all, no reasonable person would believe that I would buy you some 500K house in Connecticut if you sold the name for $200 here, which would basically prove that I was right about the name. But it wouldn't matter anyways, because there is no contract without "consideration". In other words, if we are playing in a Dn Forum softball league, and you are at the plate, and I yell to you that if you hit a homerun I will buy you a car, then even if you hit a homerun on the next pitch, there is no car owed. There is no contract, since you did not give up anything.

But even if there was a contract, which in this case there was not, I could buy you any type of house, including a Lego house. But I wouldn't try to get out of any type of deal with tactics like this. But it all points back to the lack of basic understanding of reality here. No understanding of reality, no understanding or law, no understanding of the value of this name.

Words have meaning. If yours don't - shut the **** up.

 

[Shane]

I'd say mid-xxxx. For the hyphen haters, end users are still buying them. Domainers are generally not. You'll be lucky to go over $500 if you auction it. Maybe $1000. For end-users, a mid four figure price is perfectly possible. You may want to move it, though, as RTM's point about technology changes is something to consider. I've turned down good offers only to see a technology-based domain become obsolete. It happens fast and it isn't pretty.

Thanks Bill! I appreciate your appraisal.

 

[katherine]

One word concerning the appraisals: they are always going to be a best case scenario and extrapolative effort, because domain names are not liquid assets, with a few exceptions like generic keywords/NNN/LLL etc.
The stars have to align somewhat. If they didn't, then we wouldn't have a lot of sales, especially the 5- or 6-figure sales. I would like to ask WD what he thinks of all the domains he posted for sale, that didn't sell on the spot (to a limited audience of resellers and not qualified end users). Logically, he should dump every single one of them.
Realistically, this domain could fetch mid-$$$$ and more (I don't know), but the question is when.
It's a question of circumstances, having the right end user at the right time is when you maximize the domain value.
Often timing is more important than the asking price.
Harddrive.com reportedly sold for 200K and while I don't like to make abusive comparisons, somebody could see value in this name as well.

 

[dcristo]

One word concerning the appraisals: they are always going to be a best case scenario and extrapolative effort, because domain names are not liquid assets, with a few exceptions like generic keywords/NNN/LLL etc.

It has nothing to do with domainers being overly optimistic about the value of domain names?

 

[Shane]

One word concerning the appraisals: they are always going to be a best case scenario and extrapolative effort, because domain names are not liquid assets, with a few exceptions like generic keywords/NNN/LLL etc.
The stars have to align somewhat. If they didn't, then we wouldn't have a lot of sales, especially the 5- or 6-figure sales. I would like to ask WD what he thinks of all the domains he posted for sale, that didn't sell on the spot (to a limited audience of resellers and not qualified end users). Logically, he should dump every single one of them.
Realistically, this domain could fetch mid-$$$$ and more (I don't know), but the question is when.
It's a question of circumstances, having the right end user at the right time is when you maximize the domain value.
Often timing is more important than the asking price.
Harddrive.com reportedly sold for 200K and while I don't like to make abusive comparisons, somebody could see value in this name as well.

Thanks for the insight, Katherine.

I didn't know that HardDrive.com sold for $200,000. That's very helpful.

Interestingly enough, Hard-Drive.com was registered before HardDrive.com. I guess that just demonstrates the evolution and near extinction of hyphenated names.

 

[amplify]

And other comments here are just as ridiculous. I might be the only one on the forum who 100 percent of the time has been a man of his word. Maybe there is someone else, but I pass the test with flying colors, and even my track record of exposing scammers is 100 percent documented fact here and elsewhere. And people do not even understand basic contract law. I said run it through here in a sales thread and if you get a few hundred dollars for it I would buy you a house. Well, first of all, no reasonable person would believe that I would buy you some 500K house in Connecticut if you sold the name for $200 here, which would basically prove that I was right about the name. But it wouldn't matter anyways, because there is no contract without "consideration". In other words, if we are playing in a Dn Forum softball league, and you are at the plate, and I yell to you that if you hit a homerun I will buy you a car, then even if you hit a homerun on the next pitch, there is no car owed. There is no contract, since you did not give up anything.

I think you may want to consult a lawyer before you owe him a house... this is off the web, but almost verbatim by my law books

For a verbal agreement to be legally
binding, it must have the following
elements: offer and acceptance,
consideration, permissible subject matter,
legal age and mental ability to enter into a
contract and finally one must have an
intention to form a contract. A verbal
agreement can be binding if it forms an oral
contract in law.

Offer: car
Acceptance: stepping up to the plate
Consideration: hitting & deciding award, car
...

We've done business before and it was great (for both parties I hope). However, your comments are off the wall. If I pay for an appraisal, is that company obligated to make me a minimal offer as well? No, it's a piece of paper that states an opinion of what the name is worth. If you don't like the valuation on FMP for your property, you can always call another "appraiser" out, which may estimate it higher (more taxes) or lower (could be in your favor). An appraisal is an opinion, not an offer. Pretty off the wall remarks.

If you'd like, I'll ask a 20+ year vet LL.M on your contract, then you can fire yours and look for a new one...

 

[katherine]

It has nothing to do with domainers being overly optimistic about the value of domain names?

Yes, they are
But this domain is commercially viable.
It's obvious that WD has a huge bias against hyphens. I don't like them either, and I will avoid them at all costs, with few exceptions. But some end users don't mind them, and they can work when the combo is very strong. Some end users put more emphasis on SEO than branding. For branding I agree the hyphen is not ideal at all.
WD is even suggesting that the domain would be as good with a double hyphen. This is ridiculous, and a typical, narrow-sighted insular American mindset. I hope he's aware that .com is not the only valuable TLD but there are ccTLDs too.

The naming trends are not uniform worldwide, due to cultural considerations and local idiosyncrasies. One example is the digits used in Arab or Asian domains.
Half of .de domains have one or more hyphen. Ponder this people.
But it's a fact that the hyphen is not popular in domains for the American market. We are not going to argue that it hurts here - even though the double letters justify the hyphen.
Jean-Michel Jarre reportedly dropped the hyphen off his name to put on the CD jackets for the US market...

 

[dcristo]

Yup, hyphens make even more sense when the word separator is separating the same letter. It's possible that some endusers may actually prefer it, due to the confusion of using the same letter consecutively. I've actually seen hyphen domains being advertised on TV.

 

[Shane]

It's also worth noting that there has been 361 visitors to the Sedo listing in the last month.

 

[domainicanicanica]

It's also worth noting that there has been 361 visitors to the Sedo listing in the last month.

Don't you think that may have something to do with this thread?

 

[Shane]

Don't you think that may have something to do with this thread?

I doubt that that many people from this thread checked the listing.

It is just good to see that there is interest. Hopefully that translates to actual offers.

 

[Focus]

You can always tell a good domain name when it stirs up emotion and discussions, the vast majority of the domains put up for appraisal get nothing more than a few random comments and that's the end of it. Apparently people are paying attention to this domain name for whatever reasons and it is interesting that HardDrive.com sold for 200k, as I said early in the thread that is a six figure name easily and there is no doubt this name is worth mid $x,xxx to low $xx,xxx to an end user that is just simply what they sell for if you know what you are doing. It does not mean one of us is gonna drop 10k on it but to a large tech company that is peanuts. I guess your valuation and perspective on domains all depends on your personal experiences in the end user market and my experience dictates that when you have a company interested in ANY domain name and they are not a tiny mom and pop shop the price of admission to even get to the deal table is a bare minimum 5k for a strong product dot com domain name. It does not matter if it has 20 hyphens in it, if you have an interested party then 5-10k should be easily attainable. I've sold much lesser names for much more to end users. For all we know you could sell it for much more than this amount and I would not be surprised whatsoever, let's face it that's what we are here for not to argue about who is buying who a frickin doll house but making money and selling domain names. A little positivity goes a long way in a negotiation and if you do not see value in your own domains then you likely will not sell them for their full potential, many times in business & brand or product advertising (which is a large part of what a domain does) - perception is reality. If you believe it's a few hundred dollar domain then you likely are only going to sell it for that price and vice versa. None of us can completely predict the future but we can make good educated guesses.