Here's the story behind it
In the world of digital real estate, domain names can still command jaw-dropping prices – especially when they're short, brandable, and tied to major industries. While many high-value domain transactions remain private, several public sales and filings reveal just how valuable a top-tier domain can be.
Back in 2005, domain investor George Kirikos revealed that Vegas.com struck a groundbreaking deal to acquire LasVegas.com for a total of $90 million, one of the largest structured domain purchases in history. The agreement included an upfront payment of $12 million, followed by a 35-year schedule of monthly payments extending through 2040.
The breakdown of payments:
- $83,000/month for 36 months: $2,988,000
- $125,000/month for 60 months: $7,500,000
- $208,000/month for 36 months: $7,488,000
In June 2016, Vegas.com had the option to discontinue using the domain and halt payments – but chose to continue, underscoring the value of owning LasVegas.com as a premium portal for tourism and travel information.
While LasVegas.com was long considered one of the most expensive domain deals, the true record holder based on public filings is Cars.com, which was valued at an astounding $872 million during a 2015 corporate transaction. The sale was part of a spinoff by Gannett Co., and the valuation was revealed in their SEC filing.
Do note that domain sales often involve private negotiations, so there could be other domain sales with big prices that are not publicly disclosed. Other expensive domain sales that were made public include:
- CarInsurance.com and Insurance.com were sold to Internet marketing firm QuinStreet in 2010 for $49.7 million and $35.6 million.
- VacationRentals.com - bought for $35 million to keep it from a competitor in 2007.
- PrivateJet.com sold in 2012 for $30.18 million.
- Voice.com - Sold for $30 million in 2019, purchased by Block.one, a blockchain company.
- Internet.com - Sold for $18 million.
- 360.com - Sold for $17 million in 2015 to Qihoo 360, a Chinese tech company.
- Insure.com - Sold for $16 million in 2009.
- Sex.com - Sold for $13 million in 2010, this domain has a history of legal disputes and was once considered the most valuable domain on the internet.
- Chat.com - Sold for $15.5 million in 2023.
- NFTs.com - Sold for $15 million in 2022, related to Web3 and crypto domains.
- Rocket.com - Acquired for $14 million in 2023.
- Fund.com - Sold for $9.99 million in 2008 a financial services domain name.
- Porn.com - Sold for $9.5 million in 2007, it is an adult content domain name.
- Hotels.com - Sold for $11 million in 2001, now a global hotel booking brand.
- AI.com - Sold for an estimated $11+ million, exact details not disclosed.
- Tesla.com - Purchased for $11 million in 2014, now Tesla Inc.'s official domain.