SELLER SUCCESS – How 0123.com Sold for $252,500

When I was initially approached by the owners of 0123.com to represent their domain with a price tag of $250,000 USD, my immediate reaction was, “Wow! Red Jalapenos! This opportunity is fire hot!”

Although their asking price was way above the top 4N .com sale ever recorded on Namebio.com, I still believed in the possibility of this domain landing in the treasure chest of another investor.

Top 4N .com sales (source: Namebio.com)

After witnessing a tsunami of unprecedented CHIP (Chinese premium domain) sales in 2015, the industry saw a steep drop-off towards Q2-2016 that left a lot of people holding the proverbial bag. Nonetheless, I was confident that this particular domain would be an attractive commodity to those particular investors who were continuing to make waves.  The validation of chip sales previously recorded in the most recent quarters, compounded with the inherent traits of 0123.com, cemented my conviction of a high caliber sale taking place.

Brandability/Easy-to-Remember: It’s a short 4 Number .com that consists of a sequential pattern, one that every child in preschool can remember…0-1-2-3.

Rarity (Combinations/Permutations): There are 10,000 possible combinations for a 4 Number .com, in which 14 may be sequential – with only 2 possible permutations for the numbers 0,1,2,3 with ascending/descending orders [0,1,2,3 / 3,2,1,0]

While marketing the domain through subsequent Flippa listings expanded its reach, no buyers stepped forward. But I remained patient, knowing that the right buyer was out there.

The turning point arrived in early August, when I received one of those cryptic Skype invites. As was the case so often, this could suggest a few different scenarios: it could be someone wanting to offer pennies on the dollar; it could be someone asking for help in developing their website, a request I receive frequently; it could be a spam-bot asking for a date.

I was reluctant to add their request, but for some reason my gut told me to take a swing. It paid off. On the other side of the world sat premium broker Sharjil Saleem, Director of Business Development for AEServer.com. He was the acting broker for a serious domain investor stationed in China.

The first pitch of a grueling 45-day battle of counter offers was delivered and I was now “in for the close.”

After a month and a half of emails, Skype messages and phone calls, we were both able to agree to terms to chart the highest 4N .com sale ever recorded, as well as the highest domain sale in Flippa Domains history.  

I’m certain that this 4N .com sale won’t remain at the top of the charts for very long. Yes, there are a limited amount of 4Ns available on the block, however, with a ton of buyers looming, a new trend of sales will propagate and prices will steadily increase.

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The 0123.com deal would have not been secured without patience, persistence and the effective communication of the Buyer’s Broker, Sharjil Saleem. As a result, both parties are extremely happy with the transaction.

Sharjil and I continue to receive a steady influx of buy requests for NL / LN / NN / NNN / NNNN .com domains — even more since the publication of this sale. My forecast remains positive for these types of domain sales and we look to rapidly fulfill these requests by year’s end. As long as pricing expectations remain realistic, we believe that premium investors will snap these domains up as if they came out of a shattered piñata.

I’ve provided a list of recently published Buy Requests in the comments below. Please don’t be shy — if you have a NL / LN / NN / 3N / 4N .com you’re seeking to sell, please share with me immediately. 

With the right exposure on Flippa, it’s definitely worth a shot! Who know’s — maybe your domain can be the next 0123.com!