Not much happens on the internet without having a domain name to start with.
And in the online world – particularly in these days of smartphones and tablets ruling the roost – a short domain name can be absolute gold.
A special category of these are 3 letter domains – (3L).
If you have a three word business name, then a 3 letter acronym domain is the way to go. More and more businesses are either making the change straight away – or redirecting the short domain to their existing site. (Check out some examples below).
Why?
- They are unique and so easy to remember.
- Offer brand recognition and legitimacy.
- Help you stand out from your competition.
- Fantastic for email for your business and all your staff.
- Like a good commercial property on the best street, they are always resalable.
To see what I mean, scroll down to the bottom to see who has been buying what!
Do they cost a lot?
Expense is a relative term. You get what you pay for.
I’ve always loved the “Gucci promise”:
Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.
For quality Australian 3L domain names, be prepared to invest anywhere from $3000 to $25,000 – some have sold for less; some have sold for more. Now if you were trying to acquire a 3L dot com domain, be prepared to add a “zero” to the Aussie prices!
But one thing is for certain in my opinion – Aussie 3L domains are never going to be cheaper than they are now. Simple supply and demand principles. Businesses that invest today will never look back.
Is there an aftermarket for these domains?
Absolutely. Three recent examples come to mind. Pay.com.au sold for $168,500 in the last 6 months, and CPA.com.au went for $50,000 last year. In the last two weeks, RFM.com.au sold for $17,050 at the online auction platform Netfleet.
I’ve sold literally hundreds of these 3L domains over the years. Below I’ve listed six of my most recent sales. You can understand why these were acquired in addition to existing domains – a very smart business move by the decision makers.
- Digital Door Locks acquired DDL.com.au – screenshot below.
- Victorian Crane Hire acquired VCH.com.au
- Insight Electrical Technology acquired IET.com.au – screenshot below.
- Walker Corporation acquired PSQ.com.au for their Parramatta Square development. Check their website below – awesome!
- White Dog International acquired WDI.com.au
- The IST Group from Sweden acquired IST.com.au – screenshot below.
- Queensland Fishing Brokerage acquired QFB.com.au
Call to Action
If you have the opportunity to acquire a 3L domain that relates to your business, then my advice is don’t hesitate to try and strike a deal. If you don’t buy it, then there is a good chance someone else will – and then it will probably be gone forever.
Short domains are dynamite. Make u look established and legitimate. A no brainer and quite liquid if u don’t need it any more in future
“If you don’t buy it, then there is a good chance someone else will – and then it will probably be gone forever.” this is so true
I often get underbidders come back months later and often years later asking me is the domain still for sale. Sometimes they miss out by 1 day. Once I agree to something I stick to my word so can’t accept a higher offer once sold unfortunately :/
Yes, some people and businesses do think that they are the only ones that could possibly be in the market for a particular 3L domain. Then they get an absolute shock when they find out much later that the reality can be quite different.
Pwn.com.au is another interesting one which sold for $1620 (10/9/2019, Netfleet). Wasn’t to sure if was to do with the adult industry, but it’s actually for the Private Wealth Network. They previously had pwnetwork.com.au, but as Neddy said if you’re smart and forward thinking go for a 3 letter acronym domain. Nice price, especially in their line of work.
They got it cheap!
Very cheap
Here’s a question in regard to 3 letter acronym domain names. What constitutes a 3 letter acronym that is accepted by the AUDA? Now just say if someone registered ILC.com.au (which already registered, this is just for the example) which could stand for ‘I Love Cats’ does this constitute and meet the guidelines for a 3 letter acronym for a domain even though it’s not a registered business, another business has the name ILC and ILC is trademarked by someone else. But you registered ILC.com.au before them and have a ‘close and substantial connection’ to the domain (a site about cats) are a sole trader and your registered business name has nothing to do with ILC or Cats like ‘John Doe Design’. If the other business/trademark owners make a complaint to the AUDA can they take the domain name from you?
Were the sales that you’ve listed a result of contacting potential buyers, landing pages, listings on websites or any other way Ned?
All were inbound enquiries via Parking Crew landing pages. I rarely do outbound.
The fact is I probably have many more domains than most (in Australia), so I would hope to have a reasonable amount of sales!