Pizza.com Domain Name Sold for $2.6m

After owning the domain name for 14 years Chris Clarke has sold the domain name pizza.com for $2.6m.

The domain name in question, pizza.com, which has cost Mr. Clark a mere $20 USD per year to maintain since its registration, was recently purchased by an anonymous bidder in an online auction.

Mr Clark registered the domain name in 1994, when the world wide web was just starting.

He had hoped that pizza.com would help to get a contract with a pizza firm for his consulting company.

He sold his business in 2000, but kept paying the $20 annual fees for maintaining the domain, which he also used to sell advertisements.

However, although he subsequently sold his consulting interests in 2000, Mr. Clark continued to pay the annual $20 USD fee and decided to try his luck at auction following the $3 million USD sale of vodka.com in 2006.

The online auction was launched on 27 March. The first bid was $100, jumping to $2.6m a week later.

Having accepted the latter offer, Mr Clark hopes to get his windfall in a few days' time when the transaction is completed.

He said he now regretted not buying more domain names in the 1990s.