3196.com is going to sell for more than double 3709.com, do you know why?

Chinese Numbers

In the past I’ve talked about numeric domain names and the high prices they command especially when they’re in the 2N – 5N range. That being said, numeric domains is also a topic I don’t have a ton of experience with, I’m not a big numeric domain investor and I sometimes have trouble decoding exactly why one would be more valuable than another.

At the same time, I can’t help myself from stopping to marvel and some numeric domains that don’t get renewed for the $10/year and then sell for $20,000 or more – and the latest is 3196.com which is up for auction at Go Daddy Auctions right now.

Along with 3196.com, 3709.com is also expiring and it’s north of $11,000 with 12 hours to go as of me writing this post. Given how much time is left in the auction for 3196.com it’s not hard to imagine this name selling for $30,000 or more. So why is it selling for so much more than 3709.com?

First, like I said above, I’m no numeric domain expert so I’ll take my best guess at it and then a real expert can correct me. One thing we can rule out, both names start with a 3 so that’s not the deciding factor here. Next we look at the second number, a one vs. a seven. According to a post about numeric domains on MediaOptions.com:

Domain names with the number 1 are often lower value because “one” sounds like the word “want,” which therefore must be lacking.(Source – Media Options)

On the other hand, a seven is lucky. So with 3196.com, the second number hurts the value, whereas with 3709.com, the second number helps the value. Hmmm, okay – well lets move onto the third number, nine vs. zero. From what I’ve read, both zero and nine are considered lucky, but it’s not good if a domain start with zero, but since the zero is in the middle that shouldn’t impact anything.

Nine does have special meaning:

Symbolizes the emperor or harmony. The Mandarin word for nine is an exact homonym with the word jiǔ (久), which means forever. Very positive, very valuable.(Source – Media Options)

So maybe the nine here does edge 3196.com up a bit but it doesn’t seem to make it the clear winner. Onto the last number, six vs. nine. Once again, both are lucky and I can’t find anything that says it’s better to have one or the other at the end. Which leads me to a good point that Giuseppe from GGRG makes:

Not just in your life, but also in domain names. Keep in mind that every number, pronounced in a certain way, might mean something more than a simple combination of numbers in Chinese. For example 5 in Mandarin is pronounced “wu”, which sounds similar to “wo”, that means “I”. 1 in Mandarin is pronounced “yi”, but also “yao”.(Source – GGRG.com)

Since I can’t seem to piece together why 3196.com would be more valuable than 3709.com using the rules of which numbers are lucky or which appear in the beginning or the end I think the answer is, 3196 must mean something. If you know what it means I’d be interested to know but that’s my best guess.

Either way, this is going to be an interesting auction to watch and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see it peak above $30,000 this weekend.

Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton