Live gTLD .reise sold at auction
The first auction of a live new gTLD resulted in a sale, I can reveal.
Dotreise’s .reise, which is German for “.travel”, changed hands in an auction managed by Applicant Auction last Friday.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to identify the winning bidder or the winning bid, but the winner’s identity will inevitably be revealed sooner or later.
Applicant Auction had said there was to be a $400,000 starting bid on the gTLD.
.reise has been general availability since August but has only about 1,300 names in its zone file. It retails for up to $180 a year.
If the TLD’s new owner is not Donuts, the company will find itself competing with Donuts’ much cheaper and more popular .reisen.
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This German site confirms that it was indeed Donuts http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Konsolidierung-im-TLD-Markt-reise-geht-an-US-Gigant-Donuts-2562638.html
Thanks Christopher. Look for an update shortly.