IDNBlog Q&A with the Anonymous Buyer of РФ.com

Q: Is it correct that you recently bought РФ.com (“RF” or “Russian Federation” in Russian) for $60,000?

A: Yes

Q: How do you value this name? Is the forthcoming launch of the .РФ ccTLD a main reason for your purchase?

A: Absolutely, the launch of .РФ is mostly the reason for the purchase. I think that in light of the new IDN ccTLD, my domain has great potential aside from the obvious type-in traffic it’s going to get. I don’t relate so much to the price I paid or the upcoming increase in value, as my development plans will increase the value of the domain to completely different levels.

Q: When did you begin investing in IDNs? What other IDNs and domains in general do you own?

A: I am not a big IDN investor, my portfolio is rather modest so far. I prefer to keep my other assets confidential, for the moment. However I would say that my big purchases are always meant for development. I find it hard to understand those who buy premium domains for hundreds of thousands and just park them for years.

Q: What are your thoughts on the IDN market in general and on the Russian IDN market in particular?

A: I think that with the launch of the IDN ccTLDs the game is going to change. It may take a couple of years but ultimately people will be using domain names in their own language, just like they search in their own language.

Q: Do you plan to develop РФ.com, and if so, how? Do you plan to sell subdomains on the РФ.com name?

A: Absolutely – the site is going to be ready very soon and it is going to be a comprehensive directory for all the sites on the .РФ zone and a general information and community site about the russian IDN Internet. Later on it can develop in different directions. Selling subdomains at the moment is not so rellevant, however once I will have РФ.КОМ the sky is the limit, and selling subdomains is definitely an option. Especially as it seems that many desirable .РФ domains will be awarded to interested parties and government organizations, eliminating most of premium names from public access, so РФ.КОМ can become a great alternative, potentially even chewing into .РФ as the standard TLD for public use.

Q: Thank you for your time, and congratulations on a great purchase.

A: Thank you for a great blog, keep up the good work!