How accurate are the appraisals?
We do not quote a single accuracy percentage, because a domain does not have one true price. The same name sells for very different amounts depending on who buys it: a domain investor pays wholesale, the business that needs the name pays retail. Our appraisal is a retail range, what a motivated end user would reasonably pay in a well-run sale, and the honest measure of accuracy is where real sales land relative to that range.
The evidence, on the record
We publish two tests, with the misses left in:
- Proven accuracy: publicly reported sales shown next to the full report we produced before each sale, graded in range, near, or miss.
- A ten-year data study: 1,217 of the largest reported sales, each appraised five times. Adjusted for inflation and market growth, 74.8% closed within a band from 20% of our range low to twice our range high, 12.5% inside the range itself, 42.7% below it in the wholesale zone, and 34.5% above it.
Read that as the market distributing around the range rather than landing on it, with the centre of mass below retail because most reported sales are wholesale and most end-user sales are never reported.
What makes a valuation reliable
- Consensus. A single valuation varies between runs; on more than 1,200 domains appraised five times each, the typical spread between a name's highest and lowest run was 29%. A consensus appraisal runs five, drops the highest and lowest, and converges the middle three. Every $19.99 guest report is a consensus.
- Calibration. We calibrate each extension's valuation curve against publicly reported comparable sales, and the report shows the comparable sales we consider relevant so you can judge them yourself.
- Reasoning you can check. Strengths, weaknesses, who the likely buyer is, and the trademark exposure are stated, not hidden behind a number.
Domain values are subjective and markets move, so treat an appraisal as professional guidance and a negotiating compass, not a guaranteed price. More on the method: how we value domains and are online domain appraisals accurate?