Sedo latest sales: Creditos.com.mx 19k USD, Garnki.pl 12,650 EUR, Essentials.co.uk 10,000 GBP etc.

Here are some of the most notable sales at Sedo during the past week. These are sales that were published after the latest Sedo report was released last Tuesday. Please find below the list of domain names that were sold for $5,000 or more:

creditos.com.mx 19,000 USD
garnki.pl 12,650 EUR
essentials.co.uk 10,000 GBP
mpact.com 11,400 USD
phonecloud.com 10,000 USD
ticket.me 9,600 USD

My registrar complaints part 2: enom.com, domainmonster.com, hexonet.net

Some people say that I complain a lot. Maybe they are right but most of the times I have a reason to complain. I am a very active domainer and developer meaning that I buy domains, sell domains, push domains, transfer domains, unlock domains, request auth codes, update whois, update nameservers, bid on auctions and a lot more every single day. When I try to do simple tasks like these and every single time I encounter an error I get frustrated. I don’t have to contact support and wait for days to update whois on a single domain. Following “My registrar complaints part 1: register.com, dynadot.com, moniker.com” from yesterday I am doing a part 2 today.

Here are a few more of my complaints from the same 24 hour span:

enom.com:

Enom will not unlock and send an auth code for an expired domain. Most of the other registrars do this. Again I don’t like it so I don’t use them except for my auctions domains that I transfer out before renewals. Also their reseller accounts don’t allow users to make refills of less than $100 and you can’t make individual purchases. That can easily be fixed. Bari Meyerson send me an email asking me how I am doing and if I need anything from Enom but my reply emails from 2 different email addresses both bounced by the Enom spam/virus server. Bari if you read this please white list my email address… :(

domainmonster.com:

At domain monster I couldn’t update whois to .us domains. Support was understanding and promised to fix the problem. They did fix it but it took them about 4 days.

hexonet.net:

It took me several hours so I could enter an auction for 7 domains I had backordered. Instead of entering automatically into the auction I had to click on a link in an email and then agree that I wanted to enter the auction. Of course the email message didn’t show up in outlook.com so after several support tickets I learned that I had to open the source code and copy/paste the link. When that didn’t work. I had take out several characters added by outlook and then the link finally worked. Support was not really helpful and didn’t resend the emails to a different email address as I requested. They didn’t care if I made a bid or not. If hadn’t studied programming and knew php I couldn’t have done it. And all that to simply enter an action. MERCY!!!
The next day and after all the auctions were over I was contacted by phone by Christian Heller who was very helpful and offered to help me if anything else goes wrong. He send me his personal email address and we also discussed hexonet domain name pricing and the control panel that they want to upgrade as most of their business is currently fueled by their API.

My registrar complaints part 1: register.com, dynadot.com, moniker.com

Some people say that I complain a lot. Maybe they are right but most of the times I have a reason to complain. I am a very active domainer and developer meaning that I buy domains, sell domains, push domains, transfer domains, unlock domains, request auth codes, update whois, update nameservers, bid on auctions and a lot more every single day. When I try to do simple tasks like these and every single time I encounter an error I get frustrated. I don’t have to contact support and wait for days to update whois on a single domain.

Here are a few of my complaints from a 24 hour span last week:

register.com:

I tried to transfer away a domain name I won 11 months ago. I wanted to unlock the domain and get the auth code. After agreeing to terms and clicking continue 3-4 times I got this message:

Your request for an Auth Code has been received and your information will be validated for security reasons. If your request is approved, you will receive your Auth Code by email in 4-5 days. To cancel this request, please call one of our Customer Service Representatives at 1.877.318.7563. Thank you.

What do you mean by IF my request is approved and why the hell do I have to wait 4-5 days for???? I had to contact support, contact register.com twice using twitter (the only helpful response) and then send an email to finally get that auth code after 5 days. Thank god I haven’t won a lot of domains in auctions that are registered in register.com. And it is no wonder nobody uses register.com any more. I am sorry but that is the truth and if these people don’t fix these problems soon then they are closing down, sooooon. Thumbs down.

dynadot.com:

Dynadot is a very good and stable registrar that I use lately. One day their very useful invoice function was gone. I was given instructions on how to get an invoice but all I ended up getting was an order receipt that is not the same as an invoice. I complained that my tax office will not accept an order receipt and that I needed a proper invoice with an invoice number. Fortunately the invoice function was back online within 24 hours. Dynadot actually worked on my issue and finally fixed it within an acceptable time frame. That shows that they listen to their customers and proactively respond to customer’s requests. Thumbs up.

moniker.com:

I renewed a domain name by accident. I asked for a refund and they said they can’t do it. It’s their right but I don’t have to like it and I don’t. It’s my fault but they didn’t try to do anything. Instead their website is down all the time not to mention all the other problems I have constantly that have reduced my domains there at 5% of what I used to have. Moniker is a separate article coming soon. It’s the first time in 10+ years that I have asked this. You be the judge of this…

Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow!

ICANN sends notice of breach to registrar: USA Webhost, Inc.

As of 10 May 2013, 1 more ICANN accredited registrar is in breach of their Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Registrar:
USA Webhost, Inc. (IANA #439)
5 Bragdon Lane
Kennebunk, Maine 04043
usacsp.com

ICANN requests that the registrar cure the breaches by 3 June 2013, 15 working days from the date of the letter ICANN send to the affected registrar.

These breaches result from:

  • USA Webhost, Inc.:
  1. Failure to provide documents and information requested pursuant to an ICANN audit, as required by Section 3.14 of the RAA
  2. Failure to maintain registration records, as required by Section 3.4.2 of the RAA
  3. Failure to make registration records available upon request by ICANN, as required by Section 3.4.3 of the RAA; and
  4. Failure to provide all required Whois data elements, as required by Section 3.3.1 of the RAA

USA Webhost, Inc. must provide proof that USA Webhost is maintaining required accounting records concerning its Registered Name Holders. Concerning payments received, a query or log listing the domain name, date, time, amount, and IP/customer ID for the most recent payment received for the domains (as previously referenced in the audit report) is sufficient to demonstrate compliance. ICANN requests that USA Webhost provide data for the list of domain names in ICANN’s audit email notice to USA Webhost dated 26 April 2013 or you can contact ICANN at complianceaudit@icann.org to obtain the list; and

Provide proof that USA Webhost is providing all required Whois data elements, including USA Webhost’s identity, for all active registered names sponsored by USA Webhost. For a list of the domain names for which ICANN found that USA Webhost was not providing Whois data regarding its identity, please refer to ICANN’s audit email notice to USA Webhost dated 26 April 2013 or you can contact ICANN at complianceaudit@icann.org to obtain the list.

After failure to timely cure the breaches and provide the information requested, ICANN may
commence the registrar termination process.

Sedo sells 677 domains worth $1.15 million: iPark.com 23k USD, NAV.co 6k USD – Week 6/5-12/5

This week, 677 transactions (703 last week) took place on Sedo’s marketplace and via SedoMLS, totaling $1.15 million ($1.46 last week). Only 199 domains (254 last week) were reported by Sedo this week. The other domains were either private sales or domains that sold for less than 700 USD/EUR/GBP. Over 40% (45% last week) of total sales were the result of Buy Now listings. 40% is kind of average number for Sedo. Sedo will not reveal what is the Buy Now percentage of the public sales vs the percentage of the private sales. And will not reveal what percentage of the total sales value do the Buy Now listings represent.

The average domain name sales price was $1,699 ($2,077 last week).

Highlights of public sales:
Top domain overall: 
ipark.com at 23,000 USD
Top .com domain: ipark.com at 23,000 USD
Top .net domain: sanity.net at 2,750 USD
Top .org domain: 
mebel.org at 3,000 USD
Top .info domain: 
trader.info 3,400 EUR
Top .biz domain: syw.biz at 2,500 USD
Top .us domain: 
unbound.us at 2,500 USD
Top .xxx domain: none reported
Top ccTLD domain: nav.co at 6,000 USD
Top 1-2 character domain: l.vu at 1,000 USD
Top 3 character domain: 
ysw.com at 15,000 USD
Top 4 character domain: 4wtc.com at 10,000 USD
Top hyphenated domain: ladys-secret.com at 3,000 USD
Top domain with at least one number: 4wtc.com at 10,000 USD
Top numbers only domain: 4706.com at 888 EUR
Top Greek domain: adelfos.com at 800 USD

Here are the 199 public and reported Sedo sales for the week 6/5 – 12/5 in 2013:

 

Domain name  Price Currency
.COMs
ipark.com          23.000 USD
piksel.com          18.000 USD
ysw.com          15.000 USD
pcloud.com          12.000 EUR
advantecgroup.com          11.500 USD
4wtc.com          10.000 USD
monument.com          10.000 GBP
2xp.com           9.999 USD
chiens.com           9.800 USD
imatech.com           8.000 EUR
purpleclover.com           8.000 USD
ifeelbetter.com           7.888 EUR
24video.com           7.500 USD
simplyautos.com           7.200 USD
admira.com           7.200 USD
inpoker.com           7.000 GBP
kpcu.com           6.500 USD
aglass.com           5.800 USD
nanoprice.com           5.500 USD
mindjuice.com           5.100 USD
infovisas.com           5.000 EUR
lusu.com           5.000 USD
watsi.com           4.500 USD
tihany.com           4.000 USD
herozero.com           3.998 USD
awardwinning.com           3.977 USD
resistron.com           3.900 EUR
timberbuyer.com           3.750 USD
coinwallet.com           3.500 EUR
sanida.com           3.250 USD
cloud123.com           3.200 USD
bartow.com           3.200 USD
filters1.com           3.000 USD
ladys-secret.com           3.000 USD
gettime.com           3.000 USD
chairkit.com           2.750 USD
mrprinting.com           2.750 USD
hackshack.com           2.500 USD
outdoorinnovations.com           2.500 USD
petjogger.com           2.500 USD
baddour.com           2.500 USD
grainstore.com           2.500 USD
wildlifephotography.com           2.500 USD
wallet24.com           2.500 EUR
gethgh.com           2.495 USD
indiaflix.com           2.495 USD
travelous.com           2.300 EUR
fashionpromdresses.com           2.299 USD
onlineinterviews.com           2.299 USD
madeinfinland.com           2.250 USD
psdtowordpress.com           2.200 EUR
cookingblog.com           2.000 USD
nochesdecolombia.com           2.000 USD
thegifter.com           2.000 USD
wowtel.com           2.000 USD
wizardess.com           2.000 USD
mobilityconsulting.com           2.000 USD
ledwarehouse.com           1.999 GBP
atlascompany.com           1.995 USD
mrloo.com           1.990 EUR
motocar.com           1.988 USD
tricustom.com           1.795 USD
preissturz.com           1.750 EUR
caloris.com           1.700 EUR
purebank.com           1.600 USD
comicnerd.com           1.600 USD
exceedfinancial.com           1.500 USD
iplock.com           1.500 EUR
luxuryfragrance.com           1.500 USD
builtforbattle.com           1.500 USD
annacasino.com           1.495 USD
basicgreens.com           1.477 USD
axvo.com           1.400 USD
idealfilm.com           1.395 USD
inflatablehottub.com           1.350 USD
guruinvest.com           1.295 USD
sportwetten365.com           1.295 USD
agency99.com           1.295 USD
hodgescreek.com           1.277 USD
singaporeracing.com           1.277 USD
myowninsurance.com           1.250 USD
infortwayne.com           1.200 USD
freedomview.com           1.200 USD
erzberg.com           1.200 EUR
wealthedge.com           1.100 USD
apbet.com           1.100 USD
livemic.com           1.050 USD
jumparound.com           1.000 USD
mycallshop.com           1.000 USD
madpro.com           1.000 USD
tinyjobs.com           1.000 USD
nanogit.com           1.000 GBP
g-nius.com           1.000 USD
mctrek.com           1.000 EUR
l-2.com           1.000 EUR
phonephilippines.com           1.000 USD
gridarchitects.com           1.000 USD
trabajoenmadrid.com              999 EUR
banconsult.com              999 USD
rusjet.com              998 GBP
domainstraders.com              995 USD
nyon.com              990 EUR
prime-data.com              950 EUR
pillendosen.com              900 EUR
farmleases.com              899 USD
4706.com              888 EUR
abonnemang.com              875 USD
morj.com              850 USD
texaswraps.com              850 USD
nationwideflowerdelivery.com              850 USD
genosmith.com              825 USD
adelfos.com              800 USD
flyplaces.com              800 USD
yu5.com              800 USD
metabliss.com              800 USD
erfurt-immobilien.com              800 EUR
consultantseo.com              800 EUR
geoinformation.com              799 USD
solutionmix.com              796 USD
litmag.com              795 USD
bmvbespoketailors.com              750 USD
bizuno.com              750 USD
questr.com              750 USD
opengovernance.com              750 USD
lingerie247.com              750 USD
theftattorneys.com              750 USD
carefull.com              700 USD
hotelarles.com              700 EUR
Domain name  Price Currency
ccTLD
nav.co           6.000 USD
winecellars.co           3.299 USD
pfefferminzia.de           3.200 EUR
ino.me           3.200 USD
paloma.tv           3.000 USD
kiwi.com.br           3.000 USD
unbound.us           2.500 USD
mapp.in           2.400 EUR
liefdesverdriet.nl           2.275 EUR
brueck.de           2.000 EUR
markust.de           2.000 EUR
storeplus.de           2.000 EUR
rebus.de           1.900 EUR
hypotheken.eu           1.900 EUR
gesund-punkt.de           1.620 EUR
praxisshop.de           1.600 EUR
nextdirect.co.in           1.500 EUR
www.af           1.500 EUR
yankee.fr           1.500 EUR
immomarkt24.de           1.500 EUR
fci.de           1.500 EUR
hotwire.mx           1.450 USD
gehaufsganze.de           1.428 EUR
escort.pt           1.400 EUR
kinkycams.nl           1.400 EUR
peptide.co.uk           1.300 GBP
espresso.me           1.300 USD
enterprise-plus.de           1.275 EUR
wildkatze.de           1.050 EUR
mealdeals.de           1.000 EUR
trachtenland.de           1.000 EUR
allay.co           1.000 USD
adcash.ru           1.000 EUR
l.vu           1.000 USD
lecoindesfilles.fr           1.000 EUR
beautifulmind.co.uk           1.000 GBP
nbt.de              999 EUR
islam.cc              999 USD
humanum.eu              999 EUR
event.cc              950 GBP
assura.co.uk              895 GBP
thomsonreuters.de              810 EUR
tuderecho.es              800 EUR
myfuture.com.au              800 USD
3k.co.za              800 USD
huurdersgezocht.nl              800 EUR
maennerfreundschaft.de              799 EUR
syw.co              799 USD
creativearts.co.uk              795 GBP
meel.me              750 EUR
zaunkonfigurator.de              750 EUR
onecard.de              750 EUR
boulevardtheater.de              700 EUR
tauchroboter.ch              700 EUR
cfq.de              700 EUR
Domain name  Price Currency
OTHER
newyork.travel           5.000 USD
handy.pro           3.500 EUR
trader.info           3.400 EUR
mebel.org           3.000 USD
sanity.net           2.750 USD
syw.biz           2.500 USD
kgh.net           1.999 USD
lesen.org           1.950 USD
hindi.info           1.696 USD
phoenixhealth.org           1.650 USD
chatroulette.pro           1.250 USD
hempoil.net              950 USD
bestwork.net              850 EUR
insureit.org              850 USD
ivan.pro              800 EUR
smarttap.org              750 USD

6 new gTLDs applications withdrawn for .ONLINE (Namecheap), .MAIL (Afilias), .MOVIE, .TLD, .INC (total at 63)

This past week 6 more new gTLDs applications were withdrawn and their status was updated at the ICANN New gTLD website. These 6 withdrawn applications bring the total of withdrawn gTLD applications to 63.

Following the .ONLINE new gTLD alliance by Directi, Tucows and Namecheap, Tucows TLDs Inc. from CANADA withdrew it’s application for the .ONLINE new gTLD string 2 weeks ago. This week Namecheap Inc. also withdrew it’s application for the .ONLINE string leaving the Directi application to continue on behalf of all three companies. The string received a Prioritization Number of 648 on the prioritization draw last December. The company has no more new gTLD applications. There are now 4 applicants for the .ONLINE new gTLD string.

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America withdrew its application for the .GUARDIANLIFE  new gTLD string. The string received Prioritization Numbers of 1421 on the prioritization draw last December. The company has 1 more new gTLD application for GUARDIAN. There are no more applicants for the .GUARDIANLIFE new gTLD string.

C.V. TLDcare from the Nederlands withdrew its applications for the .LTD and .INC new gTLD strings. The strings received Prioritization Numbers of 1381 and 1503 on the prioritization draw last December. The company has no more new gTLD applications.

Webdeus Inc. withdrew its application for the .MOVIE new gTLD string. The string received Prioritization Number of 592 on the prioritization draw last December. The company has no more new gTLD applications. There are 7 more applicants for the .MOVIE new gTLD string.

Afilias Domains No. 2 Limited withdrew its application for the .MAIL new gTLD string. The string received Prioritization Number of 1724 on the prioritization draw last December. The company has 20 more new gTLD applications.

The applicants that withdraw an application are eligible for a 70% refund of the application fees to ICANN. Each withdrawn application, is entitled to a refund of 70% of the $185,000 application fee that is or $130,000, since these fall “[a]fter posting of applications until posting of Initial Evaluation results,” as described in section 1.5.1 of the Applicant Guidebook.

The new gTLD application withdrawal and refund request process may take between 2-4 weeks to complete.

The other 57 applications that have withdrawn are:

  • GLEAN (Lifestyle Domain Holdings, Inc.)
  • GMBH (GMBH Registry, LLC)
  • EST (Charleston Road Registry Inc.)
  • KSB (KSB Aktiengesellschaft)
  • HILTON (HLT Stakis IP Limited)
  • CIALIS (Eli Lilly and Company)
  • SWISS (Swiss International Air Lines Ltd.)
  • ANSONS (CBM Creative Brands Marken GmbH)
  • AND (Charleston Road Registry Inc.)
  • CHATR (Rogers Communications Partnership)
  • CAREMORE (WellPoint, Inc.)
  • SKOLKOVO (Fund for Development of the Center for Elaboration and Commercialization of New Technologies)
  • ARE (Charleston Road Registry Inc.)
  • THEHARTFORD (Hartford Fire Insurance Company)
  • GMC (General Motors LLC)
  • CADILLAC (General Motors LLC)
  • CHEVROLET (General Motors LLC)
  • TRANSFORMERS (Hasbro International, Inc.)
  • CHARTIS (American International Group, Inc.)
  • HEINZ (ProMark Brands Inc.)
  • KETCHUP (ProMark Brands Inc.)
  • OLYMPUS (Olympus Corporation)
  • HOME (Go Daddy East, LLC)
  • CASA (Go Daddy East, LLC)
  • GLOBALX (GlobalX Information Pty Limited)
  • MED (DocCheck AG)
  • INSURANCE (Progressive Casualty Insurance Company)
  • OVERHEIDNL (Ministery of the Interior and Kingdom Relations)
  • APP (Dot App LLC)
  • GUARDIANMEDIA (Guardian News and Media Limited)
  • GDN (Guardian News and Media Limited)
  • 盛貿飯店 (Shangri‐La International Hotel Management Limited)
  • SVR (SVR GROUP)
  • HEART (The American Heart Association, Inc.)
  • STROKE (The American Heart Association, Inc.)
  • 欧莱雅 (L’Oréal)
  • BUY (PVT Registry, LLC)
  • GUARDIAN (Guardian News and Media Limited)
  • 普利司通 (Bridgestone Corporation)
  • MII (MiTek USA, Inc.)
  • MITEK (MiTek USA, Inc.)
  • SAPPHIRE (MiTek USA, Inc.)
  • CONNECTORS (MiTek USA, Inc.)
  • MAIL (1&1 Mail & Media GmbH)
  • BLOOMINGDALES (Macys, Inc.)
  • LLP
  • LTD
  • INC
  • LLC
  • CORP
  • ONLINE (Tucows TLDs Inc.)
  • BOOK (Global Domain Registry Pty)
  • LOVE (Richemont DNS Inc.)
  • free (Top Level Domain Holdings (Minds+Machines))
  • sale (Top Level Domain Holdings (Minds+Machines))
  • spa (Top Level Domain Holdings (Minds+Machines))
  • zulu (Top Level Domain Holdings (Minds+Machines))

NameJet auctions 97 Yummy Names (Tucows) domains: Pope.org, Ballerinas.com, Drummers.com, etc.

NameJet announced a partnership with Yummy Names (owned by Tucows) to auction an exclusive list of 97 premium domain names. These domains are available exclusively at NameJet, all priced to sell at no or low reserves. Naturalists.com, Pounds.com, Pope.org, USSR.com and many more are all listed at No Reserve and will sell to the highest bidder.

NameJet is offering 97 individual auctions, each running for three days. The first auctions start May 17 and the final auctions end June 12. The domains cover a wide range of categories from premium .ORG domains (pope.org and rock.org) to GEO domains (usparks.com, Dominicans.com and thecaribbean.com) to premium 3 letter .COM domains (mui.com and bui.com).

Get your backorders in before May 16th so you can participate in these featured auctions. See here the full list of the 97 domains:
ballerinas.com
caving.com
indiachat.com
learnenglish.net
naturalists.com
meyerscapital.com
minis.com
railroad.org
usparks.com
thecaribbean.com
sleepwalker.com
mandarintranslation.com
basketballplayers.com
bridge.net
dominicans.com
drummers.com
greencomputing.com
gravel.net
duong.com
chee.com
parent.org
pounds.com
roomplanner.com
soccerplayers.com
tennisplayers.com
widower.com
recyclingcontainers.com
piano.org
lithograph.com
actresses.com
afghanistan.net
evolution.net
hashish.com
dice.org
budgies.com
blogrolling.com
chin.net
chinesehistory.com
pcfax.com
vintagechina.com
vampires.net
teatimes.com
mui.com
macaws.com
mennonite.com
polarbears.com
cancerdoctor.com
cyclers.com
huie.com
scrambled.com
looper.com
learnmandarin.net
learncantonese.net
thehospital.com
xiong.com
woo.org
studfarm.com
jumper.com
phonecall.net
genova.com
goldendragon.com
economist.net
animaltrainers.com
alligators.com
listener.com
luong.com
moonlighting.com
puppysitters.com
snowboarders.com
tamayo.com
vong.com
swig.com
ussr.com
thetower.com
tsao.com
securitiesdealer.com
shim.com
choy.com
flyfishermen.com
guitarist.net
chun.com
autoracers.com
skihill.com
rock.org
san.net
mathteachers.com
thenightclub.com
thecircus.com
internationalbanking.com
sheikh.com
rattler.com
pope.org
bui.com
chiu.com
hatter.com
horseracers.com
finches.com

Sedo’s Q1 2013 report: parked domains up 8%, parking revenue down 14.1%, domains at sedo up 11.4%

Sedo Holding AG published its first quarter 2013 report today that reveals that overall revenue is up by 7.3% but parking revenue is down 14.1%.

The number of domains tradable on the platform rose to 16.6 million as of March 31, 2013 compared with 14.9 million as of December 31, 2012. That is a 11.4% increase.

From this pool, around 4.1 million domains (December 31, 2012: 3.8 million) are parked at Sedo. That is an 8% increase.

Here is what the report says:

The Sedo Holding Group grew its sales revenue by 7.3% during the first three months of the 2013 financial year to reach €36.9 million (previous year: €34.4 million). This growth was particularly driven by the Affiliate Marketing segment, which can look back on a successful first quarter due to its internationalization and major customer strategy. The Domain Marketing segment remained confronted by the challenges of a falling market and growing competition, by contrast, as well as new and price-aggressive providers, which is why the revenue decline continued, as expected.
In the Domain Marketing segment, €7.3 million was generated in the period under review, a fall of 14.1% compared with the previous year’s €8.5 million of revenue. The number of domains tradable on the platform rose to 16.6 million as of March 31, 2013 compared with 14.9 million as of December 31, 2012. From this pool, around 4.1 million domains (December 31, 2012: 3.8 million) were available as of the reporting date for marketing in the area of performance-based domain parking. Both revenue and the related earnings decline within Domain Marketing reflect the overall fall in the domain parking market. The domain trading area remained at the previous year’s level, by contrast.
In the Affiliate Marketing segment, on the other hand, revenue reported marked growth of 14.7% during the first three months of 2013, rising from €25.9 million to €29.7 million. The number of partner programs increased by 3.1% to 2,961, and the number of connected websites was up by 0.9% to 566,000. This growth is attributable to the strategy change (expansion of the major customer business and our internationalization drive), which had already been introduced in 2012, as well as specific improvements in the operating business. Further progress was achieved especially in the quality leadership that is important for major customers in this context: significant added value was generated for our customers with our quality review of the Affiliate Marketing technical platform. In parallel with this, we started to develop a new external profile that is set to be launched in the second quarter of 2013. We also achieved major progress with the integration of our Dutch subsidiary Cleafs B.V. that we acquired last year. The migration of Cleafs customers to the modern and efficient affilinet platform will be concluded by the third quarter of this year.
Despite the positive revenue and earnings trends in Affiliate Marketing the effects of the fall in Domain Marketing couldn’t be offset at Group level as expected, which means that overall earnings figures in the period under review were below the previous year’s level. Specifically, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and write-downs on domains (EBITDA) fell from €2.4 million in the previous year to €1.7 million. Equally, earnings before taxes (EBT) were down from €2.2 million in the previous year to €1.5 million. Earnings per share amounted to €0.03, following €0.04 in the previous year.

We are within the scope of our budgets with the revenue and earnings growth trends that we achieved in the first quarter of 2013, and we continue to expect revenue growth of around 10% of the full 2013 year compared with the 2012 financial year (2012 revenue: €132.7 million), and earnings before taxes of between €4.0 million and €5.0 million – driven especially by the Affiliate Marketing business.

Sedo latest sales: PCloud.com 12,000 EUR, ysw.com 15,000 USD, 4wtc.com 10,000 USD etc.

Here are some of the most notable sales at Sedo during the past week. These are sales that were published after the latest Sedo report was released last Tuesday. Please find below the list of domain names that were sold for $5,000 or more:

pcloud.com 12,000 EUR
ysw.com 15,000 USD
4wtc.com 10,000 USD
24video.com 7,500 USD
nanoprice.com 5,500 USD

Name.com hacking incident: only full disclosure keeps customers

The popular registrar Name.com was hacked last week and send an email to all customers so they could reset their passwords. Hackers aimed at one of name.com’s large commercial clients caused the registrar to send emails with a link to change the login password. I wrote about this in the post: the Name.com password reset email is REAL: time to change your name.com password.

What is rare about the incident is that that name.com gave full disclosure to all their customers and gave updates through their support, name.com blog and social media like  twitter and facebook.

Name.com posted an article on their blog called “We got hacked“. Very few companies have the guts to admit something like that and that at least shows the integrity of Name.com. I am sure that most registrars (and I have a big one in mind) would have denied and hacking incidents. Here is how Name.com handled it:

Many of you received our email or saw online that name.com was hacked. The truth is that it’s one of the more painful admissions that can be made on the Internet. We want you to know that when we say that we “give a shit” we truly mean it. In an effort to maintain the open, honest, and transparent reputation we’ve built for ourselves, we’re going to give you the lowdown on what happened and what we did in response.

Our security team alerted us that unauthorized individuals had accessed our database. After doing some digging we found that the attack seemed to be geared toward a few specific accounts. The hackers had a target and name.com was a means to that end.

The information that was accessed includes usernames, passwords, physical addresses, email, hashed passwords and encrypted credit card data. EPP codes (required for domain name transfers) are not stored in the same place so those were not compromised. For the techies who are wondering, the encryption on the credit card information is 4096 bit RSA. Since the password hashes were compromised we took proactive steps and initiated a site-wide password reset (hence the email, apologies for the inconvenience).

We are genuinely sorry for the annoyance and the scare. We’re taking this incredibly seriously and are doing everything possible to continue to improve the security of our systems. We greatly appreciate the support across the web and over the phones.

Visit the blog post for the comments and the immediate response from Name.com. There is a person claiming that his account was hacked and his domain were stolen but we should wait and see how this turns out.

I have only used Name.com for drop catching and started using it in late 2012. I am now thinking that I should give Name.com a shot as one of my main registrars. I haven’t even checked their renewal prices but their support so far seems excellent. Only full disclosure will keep customers from leaving and maybe get a few new ones! Well done Name.com.