With the end of 2011 in sight, just two domain names have sold for a seven-figure sum this year.
According to Business Insider, only Social.com – which sold for $2.6 million in July – and DomainName.com – which generated $1 million in May – have passed the million dollar mark.
The next most expensive domain name purchase was for the German domain name Aktien.de, which changed hands for a fee of $725,000.
In 2009 and 2010, there were a series of multi-million dollar domain name transactions.
Last year, Sex.com sold for a reported sum of $13 million, while Insure.com and its related assets were purchased for $16 million in 2009.
Some companies may have been dissuaded from paying large fees of internet real estate by the incoming generic top level domain name regime.
From January, businesses will have the opportunity to register their own top level domain, allowing greater customization of web addresses.
With a range of new domain names set to come online in the new year, some businesses may be playing a waiting game before committing to major transactions.