The problem with evaluating the price of a domain name is that the business is so new, there are relatively few comparable sales. In the real estate business there are decades of information consisting of millions of property sales. And even with all of that information, real estate appraisal is not an exact science. Given one property and three appraisers, chances are the three appraisers will come up with three different opinions of value.

Evaluating the value of domain names is a less exact science. What do we know for sure?

1) The internet is less than ten years old, and business use of the internet is only in its infancy.

2) Despite its relative youth, the internet has changed the way most of us have done business, whether it be for informational purposes, actual sales of product, or just communicating with friends, family, business associates, or present or future customers.

3) Despite its relative youth, there are already over 250 million people using the internet. It is estimated that there will be over one billion people online within three years.

4) In short, the internet is the most exciting breakthrough since the industrial revolution. We are lucky to be living in such exciting times.

5) The internet will be changing how many businesses reach new and existing customers. In the 20th century, businesses depended upon memorable business names, great locations, and plenty of advertising to reach its customer base.

6) As a result of the internet, businesses will reach customers much more efficiently, spending less on advertising for each sales dollar.

7) The key is reaching the customer; getting the customer to your website to see/hear your sales pitch. The challenge is two-fold; getting your customer to your site, and then selling him on your product.

8) The proper domain name, or website name, is critical to helping you reach your target audience in the most efficient way possible. Most of the names at www.DomainSaleOnline.com (except for a few vanity, or fun names) are valuable, effective names which follow the following critical criteria for value:

    a) business value - What industry does the name represent? Is it a small, fledgling market or a large, established market with huge potential sales?       

    b) description of business or company - Does the name describe the type of business you are in? The more descriptive, the more "advertising" value the name provides.

    c) memorable - Is the name easy to remember? When a potential customer hears or sees the name, will he/she be able to readily remember the name long enough to get to your website? Remember, that's the key...

    d) length of name - The shorter the name, the more valuable the domain name. Within the last two years, all of the one-name, short domains have been taken or reserved. It is estimated that 85% of the alphabet has already been reserved, even though the internet is still in its infancy. And domains are being registered at the rate of over 200,000 per month.

    e) ".com" names - domains ending in ".com" are the most recognizable and therefore the most valuable. There are other suffixes (.org, .net, etc.) which are generally valued at about one-fifth the value of dot-com names. That's why we use only the most valuable and credible (.com) suffix.

Those are the five criteria one should understand in order to evaluate the market value of any domain name. All other things being equal, a six-letter domain name will be more valuable than a 26-letter name. The ease of typing it, and the ease of remembering the name will naturally draw more potential customers to your website.

To give you a small sampling of domain name values, here is a sampling of prices already paid for domain names*...

Business.com             $7,500,000.00

AsSeenOnTV.com      $5,000,000.00
Loans.com                  $3,000,000.00
Autos.com                  $2,200,000.00

Express.com               $2,000,000.00

Wallstreet.com           $1,030,000.00
ForSaleByOwner.com     $835,000.00
Drugs.com                      $823,456.00

Cinema.com                    $700,000.00
Computer.com                $500,000.00

Blackjack.com                 $460,000.00
Vote.com                         $250,000.00
Architecture.com            $190,000.00

Question.com                  $175,000.00
Speaker.com                   $120,000.00
Internet.com                    $100,000.00 (what a bargain!)
HappyBirthday.com           $55,000.00

Although there have been many sales, most aren't publicized, unlike the real estate market's multiple listing service. As more sales occur, we will update the list so you can justify your offer.

What if you don't need a website right now, but you may foresee needing one in 3 - 5 years? Get the best domain name you can at this time, before your competitor grabs it! Why let your competitor get the edge?