Why Numbered Domains are Valuable

The numbered domains, also known as numeric domain names (NDN), are composed of only digits like 123.com.

This type of domain names can contain two, three, four, etc. digits before the extension. More than four however makes them complicated to remember and understand, and therefore less valuable.

The NDNs are perfect to translate an idea or a meaning in a short and straight manner. Take for example 360.com – an NDN sold back in 2015 for USD 17m. by Vodafone. The buyer was the Chinese IT company Quihoo 360 which already owned 360.cn and this was one of the most successful deals in top level numeric domain names’ history.

Numeric domains can also help gaining new markets where otherwise a language barrier would make it difficult to communicate the idea. Check Cloudname’s Marketplace for a good catch of numeric domains.

How Valuable Are the NDNs

Due to their nature – being entirely composed of digits, the numbered domain names are limited especially those highly priced. Only part of the NDNs is truly valuable and the chance to find such TLDs on a Marketplace is minimal. If you are looking for such domain names, you’ll have to contact the owners via an outbound sale.

Most valuable numbered domain names:

360.com – USD 17m. sold in 2015

55.com – USD 2.3m. sold in 2011

114.com – USD 2.1m. sold in 2013

88888.com – USD 245,000 sold in 2014

1001.com – USD 100,000 sold in 2013

More than just numbers

Initially limited, the digits used for representing a certain idea make the top-level numbered domain names lacking on the marketplace.

However, in East Asia, different NDNs keep being created and looked for, and the reason for this is partly due to this geographic region’s specific linguistic characteristics.

Since the domains’ main purpose is to name a business or an idea and spread it through the World Wide Web, these names tend to be universally recognizable and easy to associate a meaning to. And this is what makes the numeric domains so easy to use.

In East Asia two different factors make the NDNs more desirable than anywhere else in the World – the love for numerology, numbers, and their symbolic, and the fact that the East Asian and the European languages are phonetically and linguistically so different and yet they need to meet and cooperate in order to understand the meaning of a domain name and a business.

The Sense Behind the Digits

Despite all said above, in East Asia NDNs keep being created and looked for, and the reason for this is partly due to the geographic region’s specific language characteristics.

In China, where 80% of the DNDs are traded, for the senior generation it’s much easier to remember digits than the Latin alphabet’s symbols. One of the reasons for this is because in Chinese the phonetic sound for each digit means something else too and therefore various meanings can be associated with a group of digits.

For example, 589 which pronounced in traditional Chinese would sound like saying “I am forever rich”.

Number 9

9 means forever in Mandarin. Its pronunciation however sounds also like saying Harmony or Emperor.

Number 8

If you look at the East Asian TLD traders, you won’t find NDNs for sale containing this number and the reason is that 8 means Prosperity making it the luckiest number in the region.

Not only with TLDs but almost everywhere where digits matter, 8 takes special attention.

In Hong Kong a license plate with a single 8 on it was sold for USD 6m. while in the City of Chengdu, Sichuan a phone number containing all 8s was sold for USD 270,723.

Number 7

7 means lucky relationship. You can play with the numbers by making a pair of 7s as in a good relationship where usually two people is needed.

Number 6

6 is associated with prosperity, infinity, something desirable as in traditional Chinese, this number is pronounced as Wealth.

Number 5

5 has negative connotations as it sounds like “Not” in Chinese. However, when used as a pair, it gains positive connotation. In fact, while a single 5 is associated with unhappiness, 55.com has been sold in 2011 for more that USD 2m.

Number 4

From Japan, to Korea, and to China “4” sounds like and is associated with death.

Just like 13 in the Western culture, 4 has always been avoided.

The hotels do not mark the floors between 40^th and 49^th, the airplanes skip seat number 4, and the numeric domains use this digit very precociously because under some circumstances two pairs of 4s will mean “all the best”.

Number 3

3 means birth. One should be careful because if used as a pair, it will start associating with twins. And twins do not really link to luck in China.

Number 2

2 in pair means added value. Two is better than one. Two will add to what is already existing.

Number 1

1 in traditional Chinese sounds like Want and if someone wants something, they must miss it. However, as seen above, used in pairs changes the association in this case to Luck. This is why, some of the top-level NDNs are 11.com and 1001.com. Two is better than one. Two will add to what is already existing.

Conclusion

The valuable numbered domain names are limited. Your best option is to buy one on the outbound market.

Due to the possibility to create various associations and meanings, and their importance in the East Asian market, no matter how few they are, the numeric domains are always a great catch and a valuable asset in your portfolio.