You may have noticed that Sales.mx has been publishing less content and updates to our blog in the past few months.  We are currently working on upgrading the website and will be offering some exciting new features in the coming months – “Interactive” features!  The new version of Sales.mx is anticipated to be launched by September 1st.

You can expect some big things coming down the pipeline soon.  For now we are hard at work.  If you would like to be notified when the new version of Sales.mx is launched, please subscribe to our email list by entering your email address in the subscription form in the sidebar to your right.  ——–>>

Thank you to all who have reached out to us in the past year with interest and support of this website.  I sincerely appreciate it!!

Michael Curving, Founder – Sales.mx

Should we expand our sales leaderboard to include more sales, or continue reporting only the top 25?  Please take a moment to fill out the poll below.

Last week we reached a small milestone in our reporting of .MX domain sales here at Sales.mx.  All sales which make up the Top 25 publicly reported .MX domain sales leaderbaord are now in the 4-figure range (over $1000 or higher).

This leaves us with a decision to make, and we need your help in deciding how to continue charting the top domain sales as we move forward.

We already have advanced knowledge of another $3,000 .MX domain sale coming down the pipeline, which will be reported on next week, so your feedback at this time is important to us.  Here is the question before you:

Despite yesterday’s announcement that two domains formerly listed on the sales leaderboard were being removed, nevertheless, the .MX domain sales have taken three steps forward for those two steps back, as the following three domain sales were recently cataloged:

1. Leading the pack is Taxi.mx, a domain that was reported sold by DNJournal this week for $3,000.

2. Second in line, we discovered through a search of Sedo’s sales archive, and independently verified with the records at DNSalePrice.com, that the domain RedTube.mx sold back in February for 1,500 EUR. We’ve converted this sale to the US$ price equivalent given by DNSalePrice.com which we conclude was the appropriate conversion rate at the time of the transaction. That price is $2,027.

3. Following up our list was the sale of Disponible.mx for $1,000, in a private sale made by Mexicano.com to Brazilian Developer INFONET BUSINESS LTDA, which changed hands on March 27th, 2011, as reported to us directly by the seller. This sale has also been confirmed with DNJournal.

That’s our wrap up for recent additions to our .MX Domain Sales Leaderboard. It does feel like the market is making some movement, as we’ve had seven new chart toppers take place so far within the first four months of 2011. As always stay tuned for more updates.

In order to have an accurate window into a domain market we need to have accurate data.  If data is unreliable or false, it may paint a picture that is not clear, which can then prevent us from making sound decisions.

To those that have been following the Top 25 Sales Leaderboard, it has regretfully come to our attention that two of the sales so far reported may in fact never have been completed.  Because we cannot ensure with 100% accuracy that the sales in question were ever completed, as of today the following two domain sales will no longer be listed on our leaderboard.  Reasons are given below.

.

We discovered today from a search of the Whois history through DomainTools that the two domains in question had never changed ownership, meaning that although the domains did each receive $1,000 bids at auction, the most likely scenario is that the buyer/bidder failed to pay the winning bid and the sales were never completed.  Since we cannot be certain, we will no longer list these sales .

The sales in question were part of a DomainFest auction, the results of which were initially posted on Domain Name News, a site which we deem to be a very credible and reliable source.  However they do in fact note directly on their website that,

As always we do not guarantee the accuracy of these results.

Please note that we too carry a disclaimer on our sales leaderboard page, to the affect that although we try our utmost to maintain the accuracy of our reporting, as human beings we are not immune to error and you should not rely solely on the information contained in this website when making decisions that are of a financial nature, or otherwise.

We do sincerely apologize to our readers for this inaccuracy, and hope that this post is evidence of our intentions to maintain the utmost integrity.  As an added measure to ensure credibility, going forward we will only accept domain sales listings that can be independently verified by a party to the transaction and/or reported in established publications such as DNJournal.com which obtains its reports directly from aftermarket vendors.  Further, we will also require a proof of purchase price when reporting private sales.  (such as a screenshot of the PayPal or Escrow transaction receipt)

Thank you for your understanding.

After no sales to report last month, February kicks off with not one, but two 4-figure deals

Two new .MX domains were reported sold this week on the domain aftermarket.  The domains were Sky.mx which sold for $2,000, and Nuevo.mx which sold for $1,000.   Both domains were sold through domain broker MediaOptions.

This marks the first major  aftermarket activity we’ve seen for 2011 in the .MX tld.  With the new year off to a slow start, perhaps the bear is waking from hibernation and sales will begin to warm up along with the weather.

A lack of end-user turnout led to a weak finish for the recent showcase auction, but another strong sale at Sedo offers hope for the .MX aftermarket

The .MX domain showcase auction  at SnapNames.com ended November 9th.  $2,785 in sales were closed from the auction, and two new entries were added to the top 25 .MX domain sales leaderboard.

Quotes.mx – $890

Vet.mx – $520

Full auction results can be seen here.  Although overall sales for the auction were somewhat disappointing with only a handful of domains sold at bargain pricing to other investors, there was another bright spot to the .MX domain aftermarket which occurred earlier this month …

… which is that the domain name Cable.mx sold for $4,500 via Sedo.  The sale was confirmed through the recent sales feed at Sedo.com, and the most recent whois record shows the billing contact for the domain to be none other than Cablevision

Billing Contact:
Name:         Compras Cablevision S.A. de C.V.
City:         Mexico
State:        Distrito Federal
Country:      Mexico

While over 175 .MX keyword domains escaped the attention of end-users at the recent showcase auction, there was at least one company – Cablevision (currently operating under the domain Cablevision.net.mx) -  that understands the value of owning the category-defining generic keyword domain for their product/service.  It appears the company has also acquired Cable.com.mx as well.

About Cablevision:

Today, CABLEVISION (BMV: CABLE) is the largest Digital MSO in Mexico. This cable company, 51% of which is owned by Grupo Televisa, the largest Spanish-spoken communication enterprise, has a subscriber base of more than 650 thousand for Digital Cable TV, over 250 thousand for High Speed Internet, and 150 thouldsand for Digital Voice in Mexico City and its Metropolitan Area

Not only was the domain acquisition a smart move for Mexico’s industry leading cable company, it also means they are able to keep these top domains out of the hands of potential competitors for good, limiting future competition.  As more companies emerge into Mexico’s internet playing field the domain aftermarket should continue to mature, and may eventually leave some wondering where they were on November 9th, a day that dozens of premium generic .MX domains were quietly closing at auction with no bids.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Premium .MX Domain Name Auction Sponsored By Sales.mx Represents Opportunity for Businesses to Expand Reach Into Mexico and Latin American Markets

The first major public auction for .MX domain names, the new ‘top-level’ Internet country-code for Mexico, offers unique chance for companies to secure top keyword domains that improve targeted marketing to Mexican and Spanish-speaking consumers.

Sales.mx, in partnership with SnapNames® and Moniker®, both Oversee.net® companies and leaders in domain name auction services, will feature nearly 200 hand-picked, premium .MX keyword domains in an upcoming showcase auction.  The auction, taking place between November 2nd – 9th, will spotlight many top Spanish keywords including Afiliado.mx, Compania.mx, Islas.mx, Pregunta.mx, Once.mx, and Carlos.mx, as well as popular English keywords including Debt.mx, Green.mx, Discount.mx, Flying.mx, Wireless.mx, and destination names like NewYork.mx.

Mexico has been rapidly adopting the .MX top-level domain as a primary choice for online branding, according to a recent case study conducted by Sales.mx.  The study cites a wide array of Mexican companies ranging from local and international businesses, professional schools, travel agencies, media publications, political figures, and internet start-ups, all now using .MX domains for their online identity.

In an interview published in July by Sales.mx, CEO of NIC Mexico Oscar Robles  indicated that “.MX has grown almost 45% against .COM.MX growth of only 9% since Nov 1, 2009.”

Mr. Robles went on to say, in reference to an interactive marketing campaign launched earlier this year at SeamosMas.mx, “With this campaign we want all those who have a passion, business, idea or project to take advantage of the Internet; and use it as a tool to introduce it to the whole world and label it with .MX. This way we’ll be more .MX to Place the Name of Mexico on the Internet.”

Auction Begins: Tuesday, Nov 2 at 10 a.m. ET (7 a.m. PT)
Auction Ends: Tuesday, Nov 9 at 3:15 p.m. ET (12:15 p.m. PT)
Auction details can be found here

Sales.mx is an independent publisher of domain aftermarket data for the .MX country-code top-level domain. For more information on the Mexico domain aftermarket and a list of recent .MX domain sales, visit http://www.Sales.mx

Our Special Promotion has now ended.  But …

Its not too late. If  you are looking to build a strong online presence in the Mexico market it all starts with a domain name.  You can still take advantage of  one of many powerful, brand-building .mx domains we have in stock.

Owning a generic, exact-match domain can …

• significantly improve your site’s performance in the search engines
• help position your business as the strongest brand in your market space, and de-position your competitors
• improve lead generation and increase returns on your online and offline advertising dollars

To benefit from owning a premium .mx top-level domain, visit our domain showcase and buy a .mx domain today!

Vans.mx sells for $1,200 and Sales..mx is now available en Espanol!

The domain name Vans.mx recently changed hands to claim the #7 spot on the Top 25 .mx Domain Sales Leaderboard.

The domain was sold by MXDomainsForSale.com for $1,200 in a private transaction.  Sales.mx was notified of the sale  last week via email and transfer of the domain to the buyer was confirmed by whois earlier this week.

If you have sold a .mx domain and would like credit for the sale and have it listed on the Top 25 Leaderboard please contact us at any time.

In other news, you may notice that there is now a translation link at the top of each page and post of the website.  To read the contents of this site en Espanol simply click on the [Translate] link at top.  The translations are automated (by Google Translate) so they are not perfect, but will do for now.

Since the majority of visitors to this site are Spanish and English speakers, we’ve only allowed Spanish language translation for now, but if you would like to request that we add any other language please contact us and we’ll be happy to do so.

Oscar Robles, CEO of  Mexico’s domain name registry NIC Mexico, stops to share some thoughts on the future of .mx

July 31st 2010 will soon mark the official one-year anniversary of the closing of the .mx sunrise registration period.  Since that time we’ve had almost a full year to see the .mx domain market begin to mature, including  many new .mx developed websites coming online as well as some notable aftermarket domain sales.

Sales.mx is now pleased to present to you an exclusive interview on the current and future state of the .mx domain market with CEO of NIC Mexico, Oscar Robles.

Sales.mx: Mr. Robles, first of all thank you very much for giving us this opportunity. How has Mexico as a whole responded to the new .mx top-level domain?

OR: I think the numbers are ok, we are at the early stages of adoption, and that one is the most complicated part. We are confident to maintain a bigger growth in .MX compared with .com.mx in the next months.

Sales.mx: As of early March 2010, there were over 80,000 newly registered .mx domains. Are we nearing the 100,000 mark, or has that number already been surpassed?

OR: Yes, we are very close to the 100,000 mark (by 15th of July we’ll be reaching it).

Sales.mx: Some people have said they expect .com.mx to remain the preferred extension for the near future. According to my own research, I’ve noticed quite a number of websites already forwarding the .com.mx domain over to .mx. What are your thoughts on this?

OR: And that’s going to be more usual in the coming months. The .com.mx still benefits from 20 years of brand positioning. We just started a branding effort for .MX last month (June) and we expect to continue this effort through the rest of the year, which will provide a good positioning about the .MX, and together with the cases you mentioned (and the ones we are starting to see in Mexican media : Honda.MX, Terra.mx, Chevrolet.MX, EXP.MX, telediario.MX, CNN.MX, etc) will foster the .MX growth.

Sales.mx: Most would agree that the success of a domain extension is largely based on it’s level of adoption by end-users – those who build a website or business around it. From your own experience, what can you tell us about the level of adoption of .mx among businesses in Mexico so far?

OR: I share your idea. Having registered 1/3 of domains .MX for every .com.mx in only ten months make us believe it has had a good level of adoption, even more when we talk about prices among .MX versus the second level domain’s prices you realize the latter.

Sales.mx: Are you noticing any increase in the number of television, print or radio advertisements using .mx domains over the past year?

OR: Yes, although we don’t have a full monitoring system in place, we’ve seen that in Mexican media (as I was telling you in my previous answers). Of course, it is not easy for the big companies to make this switch when they have worked for several months on the marketing campaigns with the former URLs, so we don’t expect to have a full switch to .MX in this year but it will happen sooner or later. At the same time we are not pushing for the banishment of .com.mx, but rather a good coexistence of both choices.

Sales.mx: Your company recently launched a new website at SeamosMas.mx. Can you tell us a bit more about that?

OR: “Let’s Be More .MX” is a communication effort that promotes .MX domain name registrations inspiring users to Be More and Grow their projects, ideas, services, business, and so on, by having Internet presence.

With this campaign we want all those who have a passion, business, idea or project to take advantage of the Internet; and use it as a tool to introduce it to the whole world and label it with .MX. This way we’ll be more .MX to Place the Name of Mexico on the Internet

Through www.seamosmas.mx it is expected that .MX users share their experiences, so they can be part of this growing trend to Be More .MX. The philosophy of this campaign is to grow and think bigger about any idea or project, and take it further no matter how small it seems.

We want to create a movement to add more projects on the Internet and Being More .MX.

Sales.mx: There have already been a number of publicly reported aftermarket sales of .mx domains, including the highest of which occurred just last month (see 888.mx). Can you comment as to whether you believe we are likely to see an increasing aftermarket demand for .mx domains in the near future?

OR: No doubt, definitely, we are going to see more Aftermarket transactions about .MX. Many good and generic names are still free, others are already taken, but registrants are waiting for the best moment to put them on sale. We’ll see an increase in those transactions in the future.

Sales.mx: In your opinion, are there many businesses with a local presence in Mexico willing to spend the money to acquire high-quality generic .mx domains at a price that is above normal registration and renewal fees?

OR: Yes. Some of our customers may recall the Landrush process we used last year. It was quite unique (reverse auctions, or dutch auction) and provided us with good level of understanding precisely in what you are asking. Certainly, our intentions were to keep running the systems during the “goldrush” period maintaining a low level of transactions (a few thousands) using the price as a control mechanism, but at the same time we learned that business do take care of their Intellectual Property regardless of the price (but of course there are limits for every body).

Secondly, many companies were asking for those premium names before we could make that reopening. Current growth of .MX confirm what I’m saying: .MX (only direct .MX registrations) has grown almost 45% against .COM.MX growth of almost 9% since Nov 1st 2009. .MX grows 67% faster in absolute number than .COM.MX registrations in the same period (even though .COM.MX is three times bigger).

Sales.mx: Do you see the exchange rate between the Mexican Pesos and US Dollars playing any influence either way?

OR: I think it plays both ways and considering the exchange market fluctuations in the last two years I think this is a wise way to provide certainty to the organization, thus to the services we provide to our clients. By the way, NIC.CL started to do the same this month http://www.nic.cl/fees-usd.html

Sales.mx: Does NIC Mexico have any plans to enter the domain aftermarket space, as for example with expired domain auctions?

OR: First, we want to understand perfectly the aftermarket and its implications. Unfortunately, aftermarket has not been comprehended correctly in our region (not only Mexico but Latin-America as a whole), that situation does not help any plan we may have in the future. But to give you two examples of thing we are currently carrying out in this regard, 1) we started to discuss the aftermarket in our Advisory Council early this year, so this is a two way information, the pros the cons, what we could do, what we don’t want to do, what we must do, etc; 2) we’ve been attending aftermarket meetings and trying to have good level of understanding about this interesting activity.

Sales.mx: Mr Robles, on behalf of my readers we sincerely appreciate your taking the time to share with us and discuss the future of the .mx domain market. Thank you.