Great Introductory Auction at Brannans

When I saw the list of domain names up for auction at Brannans.com, a recently launched domain brokerage and auction house founded by brothers Toby and David Clements, I was impressed. Frankly, I doubt the best names are going to sell at their reserve prices in the auction, but I do think it shows considerable trust in the Clements brothers.

Let’s have a look at what I think are the five best domain names in the auction, not considering reserve prices:

  • California.com
  • Connecticut.com
  • Futons.com
  • Digital.com
  • Renovate.com

There are many other great names, but these stand out to me as the best of the bunch. The prices are as high as can be expected, but having them listed for sale gives the company an opportunity to try and reach a deal with a buyer post-auction should a sale not be consummated at auction (assuming a customary exclusivity period exists).

I think it was smart to use Proxibid to handle the auctions. A few companies have tried to develop their own platforms, but there are often problems with managing a platform, especially the first few attempts. The Toby and David are wise for sticking with their knowledge base and letting an online auction expert handle the technology.

I wish David and Toby lots of luck with their new venture.

Elliot Silver
Elliot Silver
About The Author: Elliot Silver is an Internet entrepreneur and publisher of DomainInvesting.com. Elliot is also the founder and President of Top Notch Domains, LLC, a company that has closed eight figures in deals. Please read the DomainInvesting.com Terms of Use page for additional information about the publisher, website comment policy, disclosures, and conflicts of interest. Reach out to Elliot: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

14 COMMENTS

  1. yes… they’re good names but they’re just being pushed out to domainers who will not pay anything near these prices. somebody needs to start a madison avenue domain auction house. i’d do it myself but it might be too far from the liquor store and involve hard work which is antithetical to my way of life.

  2. Agreed.
    I was impressed when I ran across California.com being listed.

    I’ve been beating my head against my desk for a week trying to figure out how to afford it.

    But it’s WAY out of my leage.

    That has to be one of the best domains in existence.

    California runs “Visit California” ads on TV every day around here.

    What a kick-butt name!

    GL with the auction, guys.
    Hope you land a big sale.

    – Aron

  3. @ Rat

    I would bet my weekly income that these guys are doing their best to reach out to potential end user buyers and not simply reaching domain investors.

    My own personal opinion is that the domain owner should help with marketing as well, although the effort would need to be made in concert to avoid annoying a potential buyer with multiple touches.

  4. Agree with Aron’s comments. Very exciting names, especially California.com. The economic timing does not feel right … but then again, takes only one right buyer. The domain is a powerhouse.

  5. I wonder how much traffic California.com or Connecticut.com would lose due to people misspelling the domain name.

    Would also take a huge up front investment to build the site out right. Can’t just put one of those basic geo domain scripts on those and hope to recoup your investment.

  6. Domains of this quality don’t need a broker, much less sharing 10% or 20% or whatever it is with them. Just put up a dedicated For Sale page and forgo the parking…..they’d probably sell faster and for more this way anyhow.

    The brokers should commit to a specific expenditure in writing for promotion of the domain to put their money where their mouth is if they are so sure they can sell it. Just throwing it out there, making a dozen phone calls, and crossing their fingers is not a real auction or real promotion, IMO.

    Real estate agents spend a LOT of money on advertising and they get paid a lot less of a percentage then do domain brokers.

    It’s time for the industry to mature, that is, start charge less of a percentage for domain brokerage, brokers start spending money and time on promotion, stop double-dipping on commissions on both the buyers and sellers, and stop treating domain owners like idiots.

    Regarding the latter, some of them openly insult domain investors in correspondence over prices, terms, etc… and come across as more like bill collectors. These clowns need to go. We need professionals in the industry, not them.

    There are some good brokers, but very few, so watch your back if you have never used one.

    As you can tell I’m fed up with domain brokers and the industry on a whole for putting up with these low-life bottom feeders. It’s time for those types to go sell used cars and get out of the domain industry.

  7. @ Mike

    I disagree with you.

    Had a company inquired to a former owner or had inquired and been rebuffed many years prior, they may never know the domain name was on the market with a standard “for sale” landing page. A broker can help find fresh leads to let them know the domain name is for sale.

    Relying on potential buyers to find a for sale notice isn’t as effective, especially if it’s been a parked page for years.

  8. Very impressive list of names. So congrats to Toby and David for getting the names. But the real congrats will be for selling good names at good prices. The best names will never sell to domain investors, of course. So I’m sure they are doing their best to reach out to potential buyers. California.com is a spectacular name. For the right company, that name is a very good deal at a reserve price of 3 to 4 million dollars.

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