Yet another big day coming up on the drops

[Shane]

There are a couple of one-worders dropping tomorrow, but I reckon this is the best yet:

tides.com.au

This is probably the best domain I have seen on the drops, and has the potential to be a proper "category killer" matched only by realestate.com.au etc.

Compared to something like wines.com.au or carparts.com.au that currently top the Drop list, you might visit them like a few times a year at best. But checking the tides is something that many people do every week, or perhaps every day for some of the die-hard boaties.

So brandable, so perfect, I wish I had the $20k plus to bid on this tomorrow!

 

[FirstPageResults]

good name, hard to go up agaisnt coastal watch, swellnet (yahoo) and BOM though

 

[soj]

I have never checked a tide in my life! Might be something I need to do when I finally go and buy a boat. Though wouldn't they just goto the BoM? Also how would someone make money from it? I don't think this will go further than $5000, is that you who has put up a bid for $1000 already?

 

[FirstPageResults]

+ down the coast it's common to have a tides clock.

Although, swell and surf cams are definately big online, I've purchased traffic from swellnet in the past and also partnered with yahoo who have a portal and several sites in this area.

 

[Shane]

Hmmm, I thought it was a great domain! The BOM site isn't great when it comes to tides, obviously the info is all there, but the interface is pretty ordinary. I have plenty of mates who check the tides each week before going fishing or jetskiiing etc, why buy a tides book when it's online for free?

I still think it will be a big one.

I haven't bid on it Soj, like most people here I leave my bids to the last few seconds.

No idea why I'm talking up this domain so much, I just really like it...

 

[Chris.C]

This is probably the best domain I have seen on the drops, and has the potential to be a proper "category killer" matched only by realestate.com.au etc.

I agree that this has a lot of potential to be a category killer, but the name doesn't guarantee that, and quite a bit of investment would be required and unlike realestate.com.au it's not as obvious where the ROI would come from that would justify that investment.

Compared to something like wines.com.au or carparts.com.au that currently top the Drop list, you might visit them like a few times a year at best.

I think you underestimate the volume of people that drink regularly in Australia.

There are already a number of wholesale wine websites out there, and I know of a number of people/households that would comfortably go through 5 to 10 bottles of wine a week. So there is massive potential for recurring sales with a site like wines.com.au.

But checking the tides is something that many people do every week, or perhaps every day for some of the die-hard boaties.

I'm a surfer and I never check the tides though will glance at it if I'm checking the surf forecast.

So brandable, so perfect, I wish I had the $20k plus to bid on this tomorrow!

I'll be surprised if it gets anywhere near $20,000. There is just not enough commercial value in it for me.

Also how would someone make money from it?

This is what it always comes down to at the end of the day. The biggest problem with a name like tides.com.au is that the only thing you are really able to sell is the audience and the problem is that the audience coming to this site would rarely be in a buying mode, rather would just be jumping on the site for a few seconds to gather some information.

So I'd question whether there is even a lot of commercial value in the likely audience of the site.

I don't think this will go further than $5000, is that you who has put up a bid for $1000 already?

I tend to agree though I think it has the potential to get to somewhere in between $5000 to $10,000.

I've purchased traffic from swellnet in the past

Was the ROI on the traffic any good?

 

[FirstPageResults]

Was the ROI on the traffic any good?

Yes, but we have perfect demographic match

 

[DavidL]

Yes, but we have perfect demographic match

What's the ad FPR? I'm on that site all the time...

 

[FirstPageResults]

What's the ad FPR? I'm on that site all the time...

It only ran for 2 months mid year as a trial for an upcoming site re-launch. I don't want to disclose it publically, but we are launching next week so it will probably be back soon and I can talk about it more then

 

[Data Glasses]

I have never checked a tide in my life! Might be something I need to do when I finally go and buy a boat. Though wouldn't they just goto the BoM? Also how would someone make money from it? I don't think this will go further than $5000, is that you who has put up a bid for $1000 already?

Hey Soj ......lives in brighton !

......they have other people do it for them

 

[Shane]

I think you underestimate the volume of people that drink regularly in Australia.

It's a bit different though. My girlfriend and I go through a fair bit of wine, and even though I spend 12+ hours at my computer everyday (working very hard I might add!) I have NEVER visited a wine related website to either purchase or find out about wines.

Like many people I suspect, we just go to the bottle shop each week and pick a few bottles that we like, or that were recommended by friends etc.

With tides on the other hand, if you want to know the tide times you simply HAVE to check somewhere. That may not necessarily be via a website, but for an increasing number of people it will be.

I grew up around boating and fishing and have been involved with it all my life, maybe that's why I see so much potential with this one...?

I think it has the potential for a heap of traffic and therefore a heap of advertising revenue. Not the sort of revenue that sees you driving to your beachside mansion in your Ferrari, but the sort that could give someone a comfortable lifestyle with a relatively low-maintenance business.

 

[Timmy]

It could generate some decent ad revenue, especially with a nice mobile web app. (Easy to convert a webpage to work on iphone/android etc without needing a standalone app)

Why visit any of the other sites when you can just hit the icon on your phone

 

[James]

I don't think its as big as wines.

But yes it is a good domain if you are a surfer or a body boarder, I know my mates live on that coastal watch website as they all surf.

 

[Shane]

I was way off the mark, it ended up going for $1,001.

 

[Chris.C]

I was way off the mark, it ended up going for $1,001.

You should have bought it then!

 

[Shane]

I thought about it, but decided to show some restraint and stick to my self-imposed "no more domains in 2010" ruling!