We're Fusible

In early January we wrote about the domain name JerseyShore.com and how the owner failed to cash in on the success of MTV’s Jersey Shore reality TV series, as a blank page served as the home page instead of a destination web site for the Jersey Shore. 

In January 2010, traffic to JerseyShore.com jumped to over 25,000 unique visitors according to Compete.com and now the domain has changed hands on March 28, 2010 to the owner of WildWood.com.

Ironically, the owner of WildWood.com left a comment back in January on our old Commenting system:

I am a big fan of Wildwood and the Jersey Shore. The southern Jersey Shore is a much different atmosphere then portrayed by the MTV show…

Details on the price are unknown, but you can guarantee this is a geo domain name worth owning with MTV pushing out free marketing for the web site. 

MTV has just started production on Season 2 of the popular reality show which will air this summer.

One of the most recognized terms on the internet “Page Not Found” also known as HTTP 404 error has expired.  Registered since 1999, the domain name PageNotFound.com expired on February 24, 2010.  Though the keywords “Page Not Found” get a fairly low search volume (less than 1,500 searches locally) traffic to the URL averages nearly 1,000 unique visitors per month.

It might be difficult monetizing a domain name like this, but nonetheless, it’s attracting bids at NameJet. 24 bids already at the time of this story. The domain goes to auction April 1, 2010. 

Another domain name with the keyword “page” in its URL sold in 2009 for $50,000 on Afternic.  Ironically though, it averages about the same amount of traffic as the traffic to PageNotFound.com despite the $50,000 price tag.

One of the largest Pharmacy and gift shops in Northern Michigan, who also got their hands on a good domain name back in the nineties, appears to be the latest “Going out of Business” victim, with a domain name that was allowed to expire, instead of being renewed. 

The domain name Punches.com expired March 16, 2010.  Going back to 1998, Punches Pharmacy Plus a local Michigan Pharmacy had a website online.  Earlier we wrote about AuctionDrop, a company that raised millions in the mid-2000s to build and market their business, only to shut their doors and let their domain name AuctionDrop.com expire.

Even though many companies go out of business for financial reasons, it’s surprising to see the company pull the plug on the domain name and not even renew it.  Or for that matter, anyone who previously worked at the company snatch up the name.

The domain name Punches.com already has 44 bids over at NameJet and it doesn’t even go to auction until April 20, 2010. While it’s not a category killer domain name, it’s got potential, especially for someone looking to cash in on Mixed Martial Arts. 

The domain, according to Valuate.com, appraises at $38,000.

AuctionDrop one of the rising stars in the eBay Drop-off business in the early 2000s that had raised millions of dollars has ended up on the domain name aftermarket. The domain name AuctionDrop.com expired on March 1, 2010 and is pending renewal or deletion. It’s up for bidding right now at NameJet with a backorder due date of April 5, 2010.

The company struggled to survive early on, and after getting millions in venture capital, the business switched from standalone stores to partnering with UPS in an effort to sustain its business.

The demise of the website remains a mystery to us. And the fact the domain name wasn’t renewed by anyone involved in its operations in the past, is even more of a more mystery.