The Business of Domain Names

Mike Mann, who once registered 14,962 domains in a single day, has made tens of millions since receiving a $50,000 offer for “Menus.com” in 1998. Mann also thrived on buying up misspellings of popular websites or sites that used the Cameroon domain name (think “nytimes.cm”). Yun Ye, who mastered the art of snapping up domain names as soon as their registration expired and reselling them to their negligent former owners at exorbitant rates, once sold a portfolio of domain names for $164 million.

Priceonomics has a look at the “get-rich-quick” scheme that actually works: Domain name squatting.

I’m the registered owner of TheBillfold.com and every now and then someone will email me and ask if I want to buy something. Here are a some of them:

• EasyCashLoan.net offered for $247
• BusinessCorner.com offered for $347
• IllinoisFinancing.com offered for $488
• MoneyLenders.com offered for $64,000

BRB, going to buy BusinessCorner.com to host videos for my new reality show in which I visit and interview the proprietors of the businesses located on every corner.

Photo: Barry Pousman

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