I’ve been wait to write this post for almost 3 years – I just bought ProBlogger.com.
The day I first came up with the idea of starting a blog called ProBlogger I started it as an extension on another blog domain. A few months later when I decided it was a topic that needed it’s own purpose built blog I found that Problogger.com was already taken (it was a holding page for a blogging community from memory) and so I was forced to buy up ProBlogger.net.
Since that time I’ve attempted to purchase ProBlogger.com. on a number of occasions – but in each instance the owner either was asking for an amount which was too much for my budget or had plans of their own to develop it.
I had numerous watch systems up on the domain in case it ever expired and every year in February I held my breath hoping that it would. However each year on the day it expired it was renewed – until this year….
That was the day that I started getting emails from ProBlogger.net readers telling me that the .com version was expired. I must have had at least 15-30 emails a day from readers telling me this (an indication of how much type in traffic my brand had been driving to the domain). In fact the domain has already got an Alexa ranking simply from this (around the 150,000 mark – higher than many developed blogs get after concerted effort).
Auction 1 – As part of the expiration process at GoDaddy (where the domain had been hosted) they then put domains up for auction – two weeks before the current owners can actually renew it for the last time (why they do it before their last chance for renew is a mystery to me).
So the GoDaddy auction took a week and ended a couple of weeks back. The price got too high for my liking (it was over $7000 USD) and someone else got the right to buy it if the renewal didn’t happen.
Luckily for me the previous owners did renew it (this was a real roller coaster for me) and then decided to sell the domain on ebay. My heart sank and leaped all at once – another auction to endure, but also another opportunity to buy the domain I’d been looking to secure for years.
Auction 2 – The ebay auction was nowhere near as active as the previous one and remained at the starting bid for a week. It was only in the last day or two that bids were placed. It was a reserve price auction and while the auction took place I talked to the representative of the owner.
The last few minutes of the auction were hot but at its end it hadn’t reached the reserve price. I had the highest bid ($4050 – the ebay page is here) and immediately contacted the owner’s rep to see if we could come to a mutually agreeable figure.
Negotiations – Of course this all happened just a few hours before our flight left Melbourne for the USA so it wasn’t an easy negotiation in terms of time zones – but I’m happy to announce that in the last day the final price was negotiated and payments and transfers have been made.
I’m not going to disclose the price – but it was higher than $4050 and lower than the original auction of $7000 USD. It was a little more than my budget and hope for a purchase price but in terms of having the control of the brand and some of my future hopes for ProBlogger I’m satisfied with what we negotiated.
At this point ProBlogger.com will simply forward to ProBlogger.net (and it’ll help increase traffic from type-ins slightly) – however I do have hopes to use the .com site for an additional ProBlogger branded online experience/feature.
I guess the whole experience has been a learning one for me. Get the domain you want early – think ahead – if you’re confident of your brand go for it earlier than later etc.
PS: thanks to the many many readers who emailed me to let me know the domain was up for grabs over the last month. I appreciate your support in the process!
Great !
the .com is in your hand, i am one of other supporters. I always open your blog almost everyday because you gave good advice. Before I wounder why you used .net. now it is clear for me. I really want to be good blogger like you.
haha.. i also though you are going to sale this problogger.net
i just though to buy it… NOT!! :))
congrats darren!
what a good day in your life darren…!!!!
fun story, good luck with the purchase.
My hearty congratulations to you.
Now problogger.net will boost to unscalable heights.
Once again I am congratulating you.
Congratulations, thats a lot of Money though. Bet the people you bought it off are happy aswell.
Congratulations, I am in a similar situation with one of my main sites domain. Year after year expecting that undeveloped .com domain to expire and hopefully be able to buy… who knows.
I was also looking at the title wondering “whaaat?”. Then I realized that you bought .com.
Great to hear you finally got it under your wings. Congratulations!
Really, really excited for you, Darren. Congratulations!
Wow! What a story! Congratulations, Darren!!! You deserve the King of ProBlogger title all to yourself. :)
Congrats!
I’m too happy for you… Let me join you in your celebrations :-)
Congratulations. Now i’ll never go to the wrong site again when in type it in.
Way to go, Darren! I was wondering when you would grab this one.
Congratulations Darren!
Think it this way: at least you could grasp problogger.net.
Imagine any TLD would concerning problogger would have been unavailable for you. ;)
Regards,
René Kriest
Congrats Darren!
I know how great that feeling is, when there is a domain you have been waiting for and finally you get it!
I hope it serves you well :)
Regards
Congrats Darren.
Congrats darren. That is great!!! It will be well worth the money i’m sure.
Congratulations, Darren!
I’m sure you have great plans for the .com, and ProBlogger brand had been identified with you and your wonderful blog for the past few years anyway.
Well done!
Gleb
Congrats. :)
Hey Darren,
Congrats, now the next time I mistype .com, you won’t come to visit?
Does this mean I’ll have to go through a years worth of links to .net and change them to .com? ;-)
Really, I’m glad to hear you finally got the .com you wanted.
All the Best with it.
Joe
Atleast you have a story to tell.. What a ride! Well done..
Congratulations!! I know how it feels to wait each year for those expirations. Glad to hear you finally got it.
Congratulations! That must have been a painful wait. I’m sure lots of people will be interested to see what you do with ProBlogger.com.
I emailed you about this!
I saw it on auction at Godaddy.com.
Glad to see you picked it up!
John
Congratulations! I certainly feel your pain about trying to get the perfect domain name. I once had the perfect name for a business I was trying to start (but eventually failed) and I waited too long to buy the domain. Finally, when I was ready to buy, the name was taken! Worse of all, it’s not even being used for anything – just a “place holder” with a bunch of ads on it.
Since then I’ve learned that when I come across a really good domain name, I snatch it up. Keeping the domain is only a small annual fee and I can always unload it if I decide not to use it. But if I do find a need for the domain, then I have it ready to go!
I’m happy you got the .com version of problogger. I definitly feel your pain!
Congratulations Darren!
Whatever the price was, I think in your case it was worth it for you. I have typed the .com in once or twice when I first found you.
Congrats on getting .com back
Congrats Darren! Finally you got your own dot com and i think it was really meant and rightfully yours. :)
It’s a breath taking story! Congratulations!
Congratulations!! I’m sure whatever other use you come up with for ProBlogger.com will a great one as well, so looking forward to it :)
FYI on domain name renewals at godaddy.
If you don’t update your credit card info and your domain name expires, you’ll have to pay about $80 to renew it. Otherwise you’ll have to get into their auction, or wait 2 or 3 months and hope no one takes it.
Putting the domain names in the auction before expiration probably increases the chance that the same person won’t be able to renew at the low price.
Lucky you. My original domain was hijacked after the first year I had it and I’ve never had a chance to get it back. They have nothing on it, just offering it for sale. I don’t think anyone but me would want it. Peeves me off each time I think about it. But, I bought the .ca domain and am happy with that.
Congratulations!
I was wondering why you hadn’t secured ProBlogger.com a long time ago… so many people automatically think “.com” when they try to remember the URL to a domain.
Congratulations! While you already owned the Pro Blogger sphere, now you own the ProBlogger dot com. I doubt you’ll ever regret going over your desired budget on this purchase.
Congrats Darren!
Continue feeding all the hungry bloggers out here!
Congrats!
Now I know why you have been using .net instead of the .com.
Congratulations Darren! As someone who helps clients manage their domain names, I too know the frusration that comes with someone having a domain name, not doing anything with it, and asking for an exhorbitant price to purchase it from them. Best of luck to you with the new domain.
Congrats darren. That is great!!!
Regards
VATU
http://technobuzz.net/
Congratulations Darren!
Must be a signifanct achievement for you. Wish ya all the luck with the new .com domain.
Oh! And I’ve been guilty of typing in .com instead of .net a few times. That was untill I bookmarked it.
Cheers!
Scared me too! I was afraid my most useful blogging site was going into other hands, almost certainly less generous and less competent hands. But, relief, relief, it’s not happening, and I fervently hope it never happens!
I appreciate the FYI from Paul about being sure one’s credit card info is current on GoDaddy (and elsewhere too). I love GoDaddy because it is so easy to buy and manage my domains there, and because I can set them all to automatically renew.
Long ago, in a galaxy far away, when I was new online, I bought my domains from Network Solutions, where unpleasant experiences came my way. The most unpleasant being that one of my main .com domains was sold to a squatter, and I didn’t realize it for some time. The squatter wanted money, and I didn’t want to pay gouge money, so bought the .net version, and waited, and waited.
I left Network Solutions for GoDaddy and set them all to automatically renew. I eventually got my .com version back when the squatter didn’t renew. I’ll now be creating a prominent reminder to ALWAYS update my credit card info when one expires and another arrives.
Hey Darren, my Congratulations!
I am happy that you have problogger.com The dot-com-domain is worth a lot if you need it. And you need it!
We are happy with you,
Andreas
Congrats Darren! It is worth it, it’s a great domain name.
Congratulations! That must have definitely been an interesting experience waiting for years for something. Can’t wait to see what you do with the place.
But, problogger.com for +4000 $ is normal price and it’s ur main domain. Congrats Darren
Hehe, finally!!
Congrats!
Very nice!! Congrats, Darren. I’m glad you won’t be doing like Topix.net and moving the .net site to .com. I for one and am looking forward to seeing what you do with the .com
Congratulations Darren! I must admit that I have typed problogger.com into the address bar more than once trying to get here…
Congratulations!
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