The Domain That Got Away: Meet Our Contest Winners

In 1998, Kevin McKim removed DBA.com from his shopping cart to save about $100. Around 2007, Ira Zoot passed on IZ.com for $15,000.

Two decisions. Two very expensive regrets.

After reading through the submissions to our The Domain That Got Away contest, we’ve finally picked our winners.

Choosing wasn’t easy. We heard stories about missed opportunities, bad timing, and decisions that probably still keep a few domain investors up at night.

The hardest part was comparing the regrets. Some people lost domains through bad luck. Others made perfectly reasonable decisions that turned out to be costly. And then there were those who simply didn’t realize what they had.

Here are the two stories that stood out.

First Place: Ira Zoot and IZ.com

The domain that got away: IZ.com

Around 2007, Ira Zoot had the opportunity to purchase IZ.com for $15,000.

For a two-letter .com, that’s a dream deal today, but there was a catch.

At the time, Ira had heard reports of domain theft involving someone operating out of Turkey. He couldn’t establish a reliable chain of ownership for IZ.com, and the possibility of buying a stolen domain was enough to make him walk away.

In his words:

“In hindsight, the domain turned out to be legitimate and the transaction likely would have been fine. Oh well :)”

“Looking back, it’s almost certainly the best domain acquisition I never made.”

As a domain broker, this one hits home.

Ira did something I would generally advise any buyer to do. He questioned the ownership history and refused to send money when he couldn’t get comfortable with the transaction.

I’ve been involved in enough domain negotiations to know that a good price means nothing if the person selling the domain can’t prove they have the right to sell it.

Today, I’d approach a transaction like that with ownership verification, additional due diligence, and independent escrow. If the ownership couldn’t be established, I’d advise walking away.

Unfortunately, Ira’s caution may have cost him an extraordinary opportunity.

And here’s where the story gets funny.

IZ.com currently points to a domain-for-sale page through Spaceship. That’s the same Spaceship that sponsored our contest and provided $500 in account credits for the first-place winner.

So Ira finally gets something back from IZ.com, courtesy of the company where the domain is listed. 

You really can’t make this stuff up.

What Ira won

For taking first place, Ira receives $500 cash, $500 in Spaceship account credits, a one-year Countersign Team subscription valued at $1,188, and a one-year DomDB Tycoon subscription valued at $960.

He also receives an official URLs.com domain appraisal, a brokerage consultation with a discounted acquisition commission, and a 30-minute legal consultation with domain attorney Jeff Neuman of JJN Solutions.

Second Place: Kevin McKim and DBA.com

The domain that got away: DBA.com

Kevin’s story might be even more painful because he actually had the domain in his shopping cart.

Back in 1998, Kevin and his wife operated a side venture called ICAN Concepts. Their slogan was “Dream Believe Achieve,” which they frequently shortened to DBA.

During one of his early domain registration sessions, Kevin added about a dozen domains to his cart, including DBA.com.

Registration fees were around $100 per domain at the time, and the total was starting to add up.

Since he already owned DreamBelieveAchieve.com, Kevin decided they didn’t really need DBA.com.

So he removed it.

I’ll let Kevin explain how he feels about that decision today:

“So, I took that one out of my cart!! Grrrrrrrrrrr…!!!”

Most people in 98 had no idea just how valuable short .com domains would become. Three-letter combinations were still obtainable for registration fees, and the idea that businesses might someday pay substantial sums for them wasn’t obvious.

It’s the kind of decision that makes perfect sense at the time and absolutely no sense when you’re looking back nearly three decades later.

As someone who’s spent more than 25 years in premium domains, I’ve seen this happen plenty of times. People focus on what a domain costs today without giving enough thought to how difficult it might be to acquire tomorrow.

Kevin’s prize includes a $100 Dynadot credit, which feels a little poetic. Nearly 30 years later he gets another $100 to try his luck.

What Kevin won

Kevin receives a $100 Dynadot account credit and an official domain appraisal from URLs.com.

There’s a little irony in that prize, too.

Nearly 28 years after deciding he couldn’t justify spending another $100 on DBA.com, Kevin now has another $100 to spend on domains. Maybe this time he’ll find the next DBA.com.

Although I suspect he’s going to have a slightly harder time finding a three-letter .com for a hundred bucks.