This may come as a shock to some, but I have decided to accept an offer to buy me out of the three registrars I recently acquired from Dark Blue Sea.
These are Drop.com.au; Fabulous.com.au and Yexa.com.au.
The deal is subject to auDA approving the “Change in Effective Control”, but given the stature of the purchaser, this should not be an issue! Approval is expected in the very near future.
Why Have I Sold?
It was an agonizing decision for me. Those few people whose counsel and advice I sought will attest to that!
Ultimately there were two factors that made my decision. Personal reasons (health and well-being); and the quality of the purchaser.
Drop has been my registrar of choice for around 8 years, and I like and respect the people that work there (Cam and Katherine). I made the purchase from DBS because I believed there was an incredible opportunity to restore Drop to its former glory. And in doing so, I would be able to offer past, present and future clients a great platform for domain investing (registrar services; drop-catching and aftermarket).
The new purchaser has the same intent – and given their extensive resources, they will probably be able to achieve this far sooner than me!
Who Is The Purchaser?
The Trellian group is the buyer. They are a privately-owned company based in Melbourne, Australia with offices in India, France and Los Angeles, California. One of their brands is Above.com – this is an ICANN accredited registrar.
Most importantly, all their various products were primarily designed for domain investors / domainers. Their purchase of Drop.com.au is just a great entrée for them into the Australian domain space.
The head of Trellian is David Warmuz – and he is one of the nicest (and smartest) guys you could ever hope to meet in the domain industry. I’ve known David for about 5 years – he bought some domains from me!
Here are two recent stories about Trellian and Above.com in DN Journal and Domain Gang.
Finally
A condition precedent of my sale to Trellian was that they agree to keep Cam and Katherine on in their very important roles at Drop. This was a “no brainer” decision from David Warmuz – he has used Drop for many years; and knows Cam well.
So all I can say is that the future for Drop looks fantastic – it is going to a home even better than I could offer it!
And in the meantime, Drop is getting so much love and attention from past, present and future owners. 🙂
Ned O’Meara – 23rd February 2017
Thank you Ned,
Being a client of Drop.com.au since they 1st started, it is still my favorite .au registrar! In its day it was the best drop catching platform around, something we have a big desire to restore.
When I called Ned to congratulate him on his recent purchase, little did I expect this outcome, but I am very happy for it, as this decision was a very easy one to make. The market has a huge need for a different solution that works and the opportunity to work on one of my favourite .au registrars was not one to miss.
As Ned mentioned, we have the resources to restore the service for the benefit of all Australian domain owners and this industry is our passion and drives us.
So all I can say is I can’t wait for the auDA signoff, so that we can get to work.
Cheers
David
Me too David!
Wow Ned. Quick flip! I hope you did well out of it. 🙂
So back to domaining again…?
Thanks Shane.
Everyone can relax – I’ve well and truly lost my addiction for being a domainer. 😉
Congrats Ned! 😀
As a Drop.com.au customer, it’s great to hear that Cam and Katherine are staying on board.
Cam and Kat are just the best!
Congratulations Ned. Sorry to see you go.
Trellian are good operators, so Drop should benefit.
Jeff
Wow, that was a quick exit Ned, congrats!
David & Trellian are a great group, so drop has a found a good home, congrats to them!
Now what Ned? 🙂
Thanks Troy. Got some personal issues to deal with first – then who knows!!
Welcome back Ned,
Hopefully we will see you back to domaining and expressing your opinions a little more freely again on supply, demand, domains and of course your expertise on auDA, registry etc issues. Still lots of good names to invest in and also sell.
It is a a fantastic opportunity for Trellian and I trust they make a real go of it asap especially the aftermarket that is where most of the diamonds are. Happy also some jobs where saved, that’s always a good thing.
Stay healthy Ned.. hope to see your back on the forums a little more again.. but stay off the drops.. give others a chance to buy.. just jokes go for it who knows what’s coming up which may be the opportunity of the month or year 🙂
Smart decision. Trellian are good operators. Best of luck for the future Ned.
Wow! In this industry, blink and you’ll miss a lot.
I guess the only thing you haven’t done is be the auDA Chairperson.
I reckon I’d be good at that! 😀
Ned I reckon you would too! Please do it!
You’re the king, Neddy. Congrats again mate 😉
And the legend lives on…
Well done Ned, enjoy retirement.
DBS / Enero must be kicking themselves! Well done.
Why would they be kicking themselves? They did a deal with me because they knew that the interests of Drop customers would be well represented moving forward. Money was a secondary consideration to them imo.
I in turn have done a deal with someone who feels the same way about Drop as I do.
Trellian have infinitely more resources than me to achieve the best outcome for Drop customers (quickly). That’s the only reason I accepted the deal. Believe me when I tell you that I have had overtures (from other companies) which did not appeal to me in the slighest.
Wow that was quick!
Any chance of an exclusive Domainer.com.au interview of The Trellian Group and their plans for their new acquisition in the coming days?
That’s a great idea Chris. Let me see what I can organise.
First flip of a registrar, or dropcatcher, I’ve ever seen or heard about. 🙂
Congrats on the sale Ned.