According to Ebay.com, the domain name Cycloastragenol.com just sold for a final price of $20,100. The domain had 41 bids from 4 bidders. The auction page with all of the finals can be seen here.
Cycloastragenol appears to be the primary ingredient in some supplements used to slow the aging process in human skin, thus making a person look younger longer. Cycloastragenol.com is an actual site as well, and holds the #1 spot for the search term Cycloastragenol. The site is run by RevGenetics who was also the seller on Ebay. The following statement is located on the website.
The following news and studies mentions research done in animals and in labs with Cycloastragenol. We use Cycloastragenol from Astragalus in our products, however we do not claim our products will act exactly in the same manner as in the studies, and only produce dietary supplements at this time. We only present the information for your consideration.
According to the sales pitch on the Ebay auction page, RevGenetics promotes Cycloastragenol as “cutting edge”. Whether it is or isn’t, search results would tend to back it up either way as they are minimal. When searching Cycloastragenol on Google, only 13,400 results are returned, next to nothing by Google standards. Google keywords tool has Cycloastragenol exact searches at 880/mth at $0.55 est PPC.
Alright, so this all seems extremely fishy from the product/ingredient itself down to the selling price $20,100 for a domain that might not even make it into Stephen Douglas’ Future Trends Auction. Whenever I see “these statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration”, me and most people I know automatically think ‘scam’. RevGenetics site makes claims that are ‘backed up’ by a single study or two. This is the way that lots of illegitimate ‘herbal supplements’ make their money. Nobody is going to buy something they’re unsure of so all it takes for most is a doctor they’ve never heard of saying that it works.
But, scams are big business. Whether Cycloastragenol is the next big placebo or the next legitimate medical breakthrough, $20k seems like an awfully big gamble at this point in time. I don’t have much experience with Ebay auctions but one thing I do know is they make it pretty darn easy to shill bid. My best guess is the final price of this domain was run up by two of RevGenetic’s bidders, as the only 2 bidders that had anything to do with the serious bidding didn’t have any other bidding history in the past 30 days. The bidding at one point also jumped inexplicably from $120 or so to $10k.
So, shady product plus outrageous domain price…if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, its probably a duck…or in this case someone trying to drive up the price on a crazy domain name with marketing material and the illusion that the domain is much more valuable than it really is. Anyone who did an ounce of research on this domain would realize that the domain certainly isn’t worth the price it went for. I doubt any semi-serious domainer on any respectable auction platform would fall for such moves. I guess that’s why they chose Ebay.
Shill bidding? Maybe. I reported the auction and let’s wait until ebay investigates it.
Can this domain be taken away by ICE?
Hi,
As you said i think this might be a made up sale, inside buyers/bidders boosting up domain and then website.
“Whenever I see “these statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration”, me and most people I know automatically think ‘scam’.”
Shane,
The merits (or lack there of) for Cycloastragenol and RevGenetics aside, that:
“statement or “disclaimer” is required by law (DSHEA) when a manufacturer makes a structure/function claim on a dietary supplement label.”.
Source (lots of info at):
http://www.fda.gov/food/dietarysupplements/consumerinformation/ucm110417.htm
—
DSHEA = Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (1994)
In addition to, “the FDA has not evaluated this claim.”,
“‘The disclaimer must also state that this product is not intended to “diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease”.
“because only a drug can legally make such a claim.”
Hey Chris,
Sorry but I missed that you were the author.
Domain name sold just after 41 bids thats an average amount of bids and the price is good, Congratulation to buyer and seller.
Hi Shane,
I’m finding my name mentioned in your blogs more than once. I’ve arrived.
Seriously, this domain name “Cycloastragenol.com” is NOT something that i would buy or recommend because it’s just too hard to spell and pronounce, so no, it wouldn’t make it into my Future Trend Domain Auction™.
However, domains like “youthvitamin.com” and “longevitydrug.com” would be worth upper five to low six figures, depending on how “real” they were. Just like those hologram bracelets everyone is wearing and swearing by. No facts, no proof, just “faith”.
I have made mid to high four figure sales on chemical terms and nano compound words I bought OOTB. You CAN make some money on domains like this, and someone believed that this weird longevity drug compound would make it.
The point of these types of domains is “maturity” and investment expectations. If you don’t see the potential after analyzing the word/phrase thoroughly, then don’t buy the domain. It doesn’t mean the domain is a scam, or the person who sold it on ebay shill bid or did anything wrong. Someone might have bought it for a reason, that reason being worth spending $20,000+ on the domain.
I can honestly say that over 100 of the domains I “anticipated” (anticipation being really based on a lot of research) to sell for a PROFIT (that’s the key word here), have sold, and I don’t want to give any secrets away for free, but smart picking of FT domains is really based on your research and gut feeling that someone is going to want the domain at some point.
Your later comments about my auction, and choices of domain investing not leaning towards “waiting” for the domain name to be a trend, are about your choices and understanding of ALL INVESTMENTS. Isn’t investing money in something all about “waiting” for them to mature and pay off for you? I don’t think domainers are expecting quick sales from domains they invest in, so investing in “future trend domains” as I have done, isn’t any different from other buying ‘current trend’ domains, other than doing a lot more research on the subject matter before you buy.
Thanks for mentioning me, and I hope you don’t go look up a current photo of me and comment on it like you did about Rick! 😉
Thanks Stephen,
I really appreciate the comment and the good sense of humor about all this. We’ll have to sit down in person and talk about this further.
People who understand about domain names are welcome to comment about what they understand but cycloastragenol is cutting edge science and a serious discovery based on the real science of telomerase activation.. You either have to learn about it or not comment at all if you are speaking from a position of position of sad ignorance and unawareness.
In other words learn or dont comment.
Good luck to buyer and seller.