What is domain name CustomerService.com worth?

[WhiteFang]

I own a portfolio of 14 "customer service" domains...all .com...including generic domain CustomerService.com. An appraisal from SEDO says that CustomerService.com is worth only $40,000 in today's market. If Earth.com just sold for $800,000 and website.com went for $750,000, how can CustomerService.com only be worth $40,000? Please help and give your opinions as to this site's worth and the reasons why. Thanks very much.

[DNGeeks]

I think the issue with that name is that it's too generic for most companies to use. I think it would best be used by a company that offers outsourcing of support or complaints.

I'd think 40k might be a bit low, but I wouldn't say more than 60-70k for the name alone.

[alldig]

Sedo isn't totally out of line with this appraisal, but I think it's worth a bit more. Somewhere in the range of 70-90k based on some quick calculations.

[WhoDatDog]

The domain name market isn't like the housing market. Each domain name is unique and cannot be duplicated. A name that is worth $40,000 is also worth $15,000, but it is also worth $150,000. That is why appraisals are a scam and knowledge garnered from hours of studying every sales price you can is the best way to get a value. Also, remember that not every big sale is posted at DNJournal....some people like to keep that stuff private.

I believe that most any appraisal is useless if the person doing the appraising would not offer you 50 percent of that number right then and there (assuming they had the funds). Otherwise, you are stuck with a Jewelry-Type appraisal that everyone knows is meaningless.

If you go over every single sale over 10K in 2005 at DnJournal then you will have more knowledge than most.

Customer Service is the type of name that won't lend itself to a narrow range of appraisals, but I will tell you that it is a good enough name to hold out for a Home-Run....it definitely won't lose any value going forward.

I would only sell it to an end-user, even if I had to wait.

[namewaiter]

Originally Posted by WhoDatDog

The domain name market isn't like the housing market. Each domain name is unique and cannot be duplicated.

sorry, but no 2 pieces or real estate/housing are the same, which is exactly why the RE industry so much like the domain industry.

i do agree that this customerservice.com will instill a wide range of appraisals but and the domain will continue to increase in value ... i'd say it's a six figure domain, good luck with it

[NavySeals91]

I believe it can be worth up to 150,000 but if you were to sell it, you'd probably get the lowerend so possibly 80-90k

[EGS]

I don't think that its worth anywhere near $150,000 because when you look at it, it's not a money-making domain. It may be able to make someone $10,000, but not in the $xxx,xxx figures.

I'd have to appraise the domain in the range between $15,000-$85,000. It's a nice name, don't get me wrong. That's still a nice price...a lot more than anyone paid to register it. ;-)

[financialtraffic]

Customer service is an ultra-low margin business for a company to get into.

Companies aren't going to pay a huge amount to outsource their customer services.

The domain as is just isn't that commercial in nature, even though the keywords are very impressive and commonplace.

$25,000 resale
$50,000 end-user

[hugegrowth]

I could see it selling to an end user for 50k to 100k.
Potential uses would be for call center type businesses,
which could handle accounts for multi-national companies, or
a consulting firm that teaches customer service techniques to
employees of any service company.
I just read in business 2.0 that some fast food restaurants have
'professional order takers' located in a different state, taking the
drive through orders.
How would that look if you said "Let us handle your customer
service for you, we're CustomerService.com" Instant credibility.
Good luck, I'd hold out for an end user like an earlier post suggested.

[namewaiter]

Originally Posted by hugegrowth

I could see it selling to an end user for 50k to 100k.
Potential uses would be for call center type businesses,
which could handle accounts for multi-national companies, or
a consulting firm that teaches customer service techniques to
employees of any service company.
I just read in business 2.0 that some fast food restaurants have
'professional order takers' located in a different state, taking the
drive through orders.
How would that look if you said "Let us handle your customer
service for you, we're CustomerService.com" Instant credibility.
Good luck, I'd hold out for an end user like an earlier post suggested.

i agree and the outsourcing of customer service is huge right now.

[Focus]

its a great generic domain, but maybe too generic if there is such a thing...I say around 20k is a realistic sale price..maybe more if they really need it but I dont see why anyone would other than for vanity purposes

[sasquatch]

Originally Posted by namewaiter

sorry, but no 2 pieces or real estate/housing are the same

http://phong.com/imagery/photos/cont...2.suburbia.jpg

[namewaiter]

Originally Posted by sasquatch

http://phong.com/imagery/photos/cont...2.suburbia.jpg

i'd prefer the third from the top left.


well being an agent i've learned that many look alike, but each one is still, nonetheless, unique.... at the very least the latitude and longitude of any spot on the planet cannot be repeated and each floor in a highrise is it's own.

[biggedon]

could not give true appraisal, unless it now produces revenue from type-ins.

it looks like...wow!

it also makes a very nice email domain!

contact@customerservice.com

after posting that, I think you should keep the domain and try to "sub-domain" it out to companies.

$32K

[WhiteFang]

Thanks for all your evaluations and suggestions.
BTW, Overture says "customer service" get 100,000+ type-in requests PER MONTH! And right now, I've got it parked at SEDO and we get about a 20% click-through rate.
I'll find out a lot more when I go to the Domain Name Roundtable in Seattle in April and the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference in Las Vegas in May.

[rawkinrich]

Definitely worth mid to high XX,XXX.

Customer Service is obviously huge. Companies around the World are always 'striving' to offer the best Customer Service, in their ads etc.

A huge corporation could offer customer service with a web site direct from this domain. In their ads its easy to promote and easy to remember domain.

[Rarethings]

This is a clear end-user domain. Yes, it is very generic, yes it is very valuable, and yes it probably gets nice traffic, but if you are looking for $xxx,xxx pricing (which I think it's worth) than this domain is clearly geared toward an end-user. I wouldn't be suprised if a company such as UPS, fedex, DHL, etc. (Any CRM business really) picked up this name for their ad campaigns.

[WhiteFang]

Originally Posted by Rarethings

This is a clear end-user domain. Yes, it is very generic, yes it is very valuable, and yes it probably gets nice traffic, but if you are looking for $xxx,xxx pricing (which I think it's worth) than this domain is clearly geared toward an end-user. I wouldn't be suprised if a company such as UPS, fedex, DHL, etc. (Any CRM business really) picked up this name for their ad campaigns.

Rarethings, that's what I'm hoping for...a big company that wants to differentiate itself from the competition by offering unparalleled customer service.
Whatever happens, it should be an interesting process to see what domain conference attendees think. White Fang

[droplister]

45,000

[WhiteFang]

So, Y'all, how do I find out more about "leasing" and/or "sub-domaining" CustomerService.com?
"Enquiring minds want to know..."
Thanks, White Fang