Thoughts

Andrew Miller

April 14, 2024

Should Domain Transaction Details be Disclosed?

One of the most asked questions I have fielded over 26 years of domain investing/advising is related to my stance on whether I agree with the standard protocol of the largest dollar transactions being tightly protected by NDA and confidentiality agreements. I have heard so many times people make the claim that if these were reported, it would do great things for premium domain name asset values. I have always disagreed and continue to adamantly. What I do believe is that reported sales, often small deals, reported by companies that believe this is a boost to their opportunities, does not help anyone. They are false representations of the reality of domain values. I have been involved in many M&A deals, and while some must be reported if they involve a large enough dollar amount and publicly traded companies, more than 80 percent of the most newsworthy M&A deals contain the words “undisclosed price”. Buyers and sellers expect discreteness. I have been personally involved in $625m of exact match, category defining domain transactions, and some of my closest peers hundreds of millions of dollars too, and I would argue that 99.9% are undisclosed, and that is what I recommend to my clients on the buy and sell side. I do not need disclosed prices to execute deals at fair win-win values. In fact, the value of a domain asset is more in the utility and strategic value it brings to the buyer, often measured in 9-10 figures, so the price is more powerful when left to the imagination and to be fairly negotiated.

Chat.com Is Now One Of The Largest Public Transactions Of All Time

Ok so F*** what I said above 🤣. Because, as I posted this week, our Chat*com transaction that I oversaw with larry fischer became public last week when its buyer actually disclosed it on a podcast, somewhat by mistake. This week, Ron Jackson, via his DN Journal, the most valuable domain asset publication, will be able to add this to the 2023 and all time domain sales lists. I will wait for Ron to do so but, enjoy it because it is more likely than not the last time a nugget like this comes from us.

More Domains Are Changing Hands

Another big deal this week as we can confirm we oversaw the sale of FDX*com in a win-win for the buyer and our awesome seller. This week, 2 more major deals will close and you will hear of a massive announcement that I am so excited for and will post about after it happens.

All articles