The Domains reported a dramatic year-on-year drop in domain name sales, according to Namebio statistics. For the three quarters of 2020, reported domain name sales totaled $84.1 million, down from $150.9 million the year before. If the trend persists, it can be assumed that by the end of this year, total domain sales will reach about $108-111 million. This is closer to 2018 levels, but far behind 2019 figures.
Experts acknowledge that this situation is primarily due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, which has dealt a very serious blow to the global economy. However, other factors should also be taken into account. For example, in 2019, a record deal was made with the Voice.com sale for $30 million. This year, no deal has yet reached the $1 million level.
It should also be noted that the situation is not so bad for all domain zones. For example, the .NET domain has already surpassed last year's total sales in just nine months. .ORG is likely to achieve a similar result. ccTLDs also have a good outlook – January-September domain name sales have reached $9.4 million, compared with $10.5 million in 2019. Finally, it should be remembered that these statistics only include publicly announced transactions, while actual sales may be completely different.
