When a company or brand wishes to claim a memorable piece of “real estate” on the internet, they frequently buy a short, memorable domain that visitors can quickly put into their web browser. While there are currently millions of domain names accessible with annual renewal rates of less than $20, there is a long history of “luxury” domains purchased for millions.
Looking at it now, some of the domain purchases might seem surprising, but they played a big role in the Internet’s growth and history. You might have visited some of these domains while searching for insurance, phone services, or other products lately. This article will delve into the most expensive domain names ever sold and the impact they had on the Internet we use today.
Top 9 Most Valuable Domain Names Ever Sold
Here is the list of the top 10 most costly Domain Names Ever Sold in the world, mentioned below
| Domain Name | Price (USD) | Sales Date |
| Cars.com | $872 million | 2017 |
| Business.com | $345 million | 2007 |
| CarInsurance.com | $49.7 million | 2019 |
| Insurance.com | $35.6 million | 2010 |
| VacationRentals.com | $35 million | 2007 |
| PrivateJet.com | $30.18 million | 2012 |
| Voice.com | $30 million | 2019 |
| Internet.com | $18 million | 2009 |
| 360.com | $17 million | 2015 |
Cars.com
Cars.com is a website where you can find and buy cars in the United States. It started in June 1998 and is now the second-biggest site for buying and selling cars. The main office is in Chicago, Illinois. The website provides search filters, comparison tools, and reviews for informed vehicle purchasing decisions. It also offers automotive news, expert reviews, and buying guides. It formed key partnerships, including one with Kelley Blue Book in 2004. Cars.com became a publicly traded company in 2017 after a spin-off from Gannett. In 2018, it further expanded by acquiring Dealer Inspire, a digital marketing agency for auto dealerships. Let’s read more about the most expensive cars in the world, their prices will shock you.
| Feature | Information |
|---|---|
| Type of site | Online motoring |
| Language | English |
| Owner | Cars.com Inc. |
| Type | Commercial |
| Launch Date | June 1998 |
| Years Since Launch | 25 years |
Business.com
It is a business search engine created by the Walt Disney Internet Group chairperson identified as Jake Winebaum in 1999. RH Donelly, the publisher of Yellow Pages, paid $345 million for the domain name business.com in 2007. Previously, this domain was purchased for $7.5 million in 1999. Its value rose in eight years because Dow Jones and The New York Times attempted to purchase it many times after 1999. Business.com is ranked first in the highest domain name sales list. The domain name “Business.com” is a premium and well-known domain name that represents the platform’s emphasis on business-related content and services. People love luxury. Let’s read more about the top 10 richest kids in the world that
| Feature | Information |
|---|---|
| Type of site | B2B web destination |
| Language | English |
| Owner | Business.com Media, Inc. |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Launch Date | 1999 |
CarINsurance.com
A website called CarInsurance.com was auctioned off for $49.7 million in 2019. Quinnstreet, a digital marketing company purchased the website which allows users to compare vehicle insurance prices. It deals with cheap and expensive car insurance. In the late 2000s, a California company called QuinStreet became famous for buying some really expensive domain names. CarInsurance.com is now the most expensive domain name ever purchased. Although the cost might seem high, it is normal for insurance websites to be sold for big amounts. CarInsurance.com was already a super successful website for people looking into and buying auto insurance. This purchase made QuinStreet a top player in online insurance, especially when more people were starting to shop on the Internet.
| Feature | Information |
|---|---|
| Type of Website | Insurance |
| Domain Owner | QuinStreet Inc. |
| Category | Car insurance research and purchase |
| Launch Date | 2003 |
| Available Languages | English |
Insurance.com
The website is a one-stop resource for various insurance types like auto, health, life, home, and more. Some people think that when QuinStreet Inc. bought Insurance.com, they weren’t just paying for the domain name. A reporter said, “The value wasn’t just in the domain name.” This makes sense because Insurance.com used to be a real insurance agency, not just a website to compare plans. As a result, when QuinStreet Inc. made the purchase, the domain had an established online presence, therefore the corporation was essentially purchasing a full business rather than a mere name. Even though they paid over $35 million for it, the Insurance.com domain became the second most expensive domain name on the entire internet.
| Feature | Information |
|---|---|
| Company Status | Privately Held |
| Industry | Insurance |
| Domain Owner | QuinStreet Inc. |
| Type of Website | Insurance shopping and research |
| Available Languages | English |
VacationRentals.com
Vrbo runs an online platform for vacation rentals. Initially named Vacation Rentals by Owner (VRBO), it is based in Austin, Texas, and is under the ownership of Expedia Group. It deals with the most expensive vacation destinations ,where do people love to go. The VRBO website was started in 1995 by David Clouse, a retired teacher from Aurora, Colorado. By 2006, VRBO had over 65,000 rental listings, adding 100 new ones every day. Initially, VRBO worked on a subscription model, where homeowners paid an annual fee to list their properties. In 2006, HomeAway acquired VRBO. Later, in 2015, Expedia Group bought HomeAway, and along with it, VRBO. In March 2019, VRBO got a makeover, becoming Vrbo with a new logo, capitalization, and pronunciation. Then, in May 2019, both the HomeAway and Vrbo websites were rebranded as Vrbo.
| Feature | Information |
|---|---|
| Type of site | Vacation rental |
| Available in | English |
| Owner | Expedia Group |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Launched | 1995 |
PrivateJet.com
Private jet sells and rents premium quality charter jets to business flights worldwide. This website, PrivateJet.com, is mainly for super-wealthy people who want to rent luxury jets for global business trips. In 2012, it was sold for $30.1 million, making it the most expensive domain name ever sold. Nations Luxury Transportation, a company in Atlanta, bought it from Don’t Look Media.com, hoping to use the site to attract rich clients The company promised more than 250,000 visitors to its website every month by the end of 2012. But now, when you visit PrivateJet.com, it redirects you to oceanfrontdomains.com, a site about “digital real estate investments and acquisitions.” It is unclear why this change occurred but we do know that the PrivateJet.com domain was very costly in 2012.
| Feature | Information |
|---|---|
| Domain Owner | Nations Luxury Transportation, LLC |
| Type | Privately Held |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Type of site | Airlines and Aviation service |
| Available in | English |
Voice.com
Voice.com is a website that offers pricing for plenty of voice services such as commercials and voicemail messages. It is based in London, Ontario. The company is big with over 500,000 registered users, making it the largest in its field. In 2017, Voices.com had more than 100 employees, serving clients and voice actors in 160 countries. Voices provides educational articles about the voice acting industry, connects employers in different regions with freelancers, and supports over 100 languages. It launched apps for iPad, iPhone, and Android in 2012 and 2013, and an Apple Watch app in 2015. Voices.com has collaborated with notable clients such as ESPN, PBS, NBC, Sony, and DreamWorks Animation.
| Feature | Information |
|---|---|
| Founded | 15 December 2003 |
| Founder | David Ciccarelli & Stephanie Ciccarelli |
| Domain Owner | Block.one |
| Type of Website | NFT creation and sales |
| Industry | Media / Entertainment |
Internet.com
This domain name is now for sale as of December 2021. Quinstreet Inc., a news and information provider, purchased it for $18 million in 2009 from WebMedia Brands along with other valuable domains like InternetNews.com, ServerWatch.com, Webopedia.com, Developer.com, and more. The seller, WebMedia Brands, aimed to enhance its net balance and concentrate on its core business ideas by selling these domains. Internet.com was a kind of blog that had various companies discussing IT, news, technology, and startup businesses.
| Feature | Information |
|---|---|
| Domain Owner | QuinStreet Inc. |
| Available in | English |
| Founded date | 2009 |
| Type of Website | Travelling |
360.com
In 2015, the CEO of Qihoo, Zhou Hongyi, spent $17 million to buy a special domain for a new brand that would cover all their products and services. The unique thing about this domain is that it is the only one with numbers in this list of domain names and it turned out to be a rare and valuable one. Vodafone, a big telecommunications company, sold this domain. Even though number-based domains are not as popular in the West, it was a smart move for Qihoo because short names and numbers are highly valued in China due to their cultural significance. So, even though the domain was expensive, it made sense for a company focused on the Chinese market.
| Feature | Information |
|---|---|
| Language | Chinese and English |
| Type of Website | Computer software |
| Founded | 2005; 18 years ago |
| Founder | Zhou Hongyi (Chairman, CEO, co-founder) |
| Area served | Worldwide |
Conclusion
In this article, our team compiled a full list of the top 9 most costly Domain names in the world. These Domains give you a peek into the changing world of digital assets. Web domains have become valuable and important as the Internet has grown. They’re like super useful tools for marketing and making a brand stand out, especially in today’s world of tons of information. These short lines of text can turn local companies into big, well-known ones worldwide. For the last 20 years, domain names, especially those ending in .com, have been the foundation of the Internet. However, times are changing, and the domain name industry is ripe for a revolution.
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