The Chinese Investor Who Bought 7,000 LLLL.com Domains For ~$20M (video)

ChopChop.domains did an interview with Daniel Chen, Chairman at 190.com, that bought nearly 7,000 LLLL.com domains names for almost $20 million dollars.

The video interview was conducted on the 22nd of March 2016.

Mr. Chen stated that in 2015 his organization spent about $20 million acquiring domain names, and in particular acquired about 7,000 non-vowel LLLL.com names. 190.com is based in Shenzhen, China.

190-com

Discussion topics:

  1. How did you get started in the business?
  2. Tell us about your acquisition activity in 2015.
  3. Is the market for your names global or just for Chinese consumers?
  4. Where is your U.S. office going to be located?
  5. What you going to do with all those LLLL.coms?
  6. Where do you see pricing and the market going in the next year or so?
  7. Why the rapid growth in prices last year?
  8. Do you find value in ccTLDs because they are 2 character vs. new gTLDs with longer names?  Does the TLD not matter to Chinese?
  9. MIIT regulations and ICP
  10. How did you arrive at 190.com as the name for your company?

ChopChop.domains interview with Daniel Chen, Chairman at 190.com from Pinkard Brand on Vimeo.

INTERVIEWER:
Mr. Pinkard ‘Pinky’ Brand 柏平凯
V.P. 副总裁, TLD Registry Ltd. 域通联达

INTERPRETER:
Mr. Jin Wang 王瑨
G.M. China 中国区总经理 , TLD Registry Ltd. 域通联达

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About Konstantinos Zournas

I studied Computer Engineering and Computer Science in London, UK and I am now living in Athens, Greece. I went online in 1995, started coding in 1996 and began buying domain names and creating websites in 2000. I started the OnlineDomain.com blog in 2012.

11 comments

  1. Most likely, this single Chinese investor accounted for 90% of the Chipmania in the Fall and Winter of 2015. Once the $20M ran out, prices have steadily fallen since.

  2. Average price of $2857? Maybe worth $10M today 50% loss?

  3. My take on this interview is that he knows his domain market in China better then us here.

    I also think that LLLL.COM (Chinese) will be on the rise in the next 6 months back to where it use to be,which is at least $2,800.
    That’s my 2 cents.

    • I don’t think they will reach the same high in the next couple of years or even never again.

    • I owned hundreds of 4L.com, and sold a large majority in Nov 2015 – Jan 2016, the amount of end user inquiries on them is not mind boggling to say the least, when I saw the chance to sell such names in bulk, I jumped after owning, and waiting for offers many many many years.

      You say the price will go to this price, but you do not explain why? If you look at some of the history of the Chinese 4L.com domains, they previously had DNS, or Sedo nameservers, take a hint

  4. Konstantinos,

    Great post 🙂

    Good to hear their strategy for digital assets and great ambitions.

    .. .IN names are quite under valued hence its no brainer for them to pick up few gems from a growing extension. Diversification wins 🙂 Also a visionary org . Many may be jealous about their success in short period..

  5. “I don’t they reach the same high in the next couple of years or even never again.”

    Never again is a long long time.

  6. Daniel Chen is the fellow that bought at the GD auction a month ago 700 NNNN.CO

    He spent in an average of $650 per .co
    That is around $500,000 USD

  7. i reminded my self 6 months later,today to check on this post and LLLL.com
    The price is $1,200 today not $2,800 I was wrong…
    It was a 2 cent vision.
    Lesson taken.

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