Most .com domains will either retain their value or increase with the launch of new TLDs.

 

What will happen to values of .com domain names when new top level domains arrive next year?

 

They’ll go up or stay the same.

 

That’s according to the majority of over 1,000 people that answered the question on the 7th annual Domain Name Wire survey.

 

39% think .com values will increase while 45% say new TLDs will have no effect on .com prices. Only 16% think it will cause .com values to fall.

 

I’m mostly in the “increase” camp myself. That’s especially true for .com domains that are equivalent to a new TLD, such as what we’ve seen with xxx and .xxx. You also see lots of people start with a .org or .net and then “upgrade” to a .com. You can expect to see a lot of that as well.

 

Where you might see some softness is in the very long tail of .com.

 

Speaking of non .com, a greater percentage think new TLDs will reduce the value of domains such as .info and .biz. 31% think you’ll see these values drop, although about the same (30%) think they will go up in value.

 

The rationale for a drop is an increase in choice. Right now “AustinLawyers” is taken in every major gTLD. If I want the domain (and not the .com) I might have to pay $1,000 for the .info or .biz. But if I can register AustinLawyers.web or AustinLawyers.law for much less, I’ll probably do that.

 

My personal opinion is that most of these .com alternatives will take a hit, at least in the short run. Over time if new TLDs gain more acceptance then some of the less favored new TLDs (and commercialized ccTLDs) may see some value increase. .Ws comes to mind. (Although I’d gladly sell you my lowly .ws domains now, as I think this is a long shot.)