TV.com Sold for $15,000 in 1996

In 1996, TV.com sold to CNET for $15,000, which was seen as a high purchase price. The original article, also marveled at the $150,000 sale of Business.com and noted that for some of these names one could buy a nice 1 bedroom condo instead. Morever, the authors wisely noted that buying an expensive generic domain name did not mean that a profitable site would result.

An IDN parallel undoubtedly exists. I am covering $15,000 IDN sales on IDNBlog not because that amount is so remarkable in and of itself, but because I have seen this show before. I know what happens in 5-10 years when the Frank Schillings of the IDN space step into the limelight, when developers show the brandable value of a domain name that its built out properly, and once a number of end users demonstrate that they “get it”.

Today it is true that spending 5 figures on an IDN does not mean that your site will be profitable. And in many parts of the country your friends will be urging you to put that money towards a home instead. But as a good friend is fond of saying, “fortune favors the bold.”