What’s the most expensive domain name ever?

Facebook’s $8.5m purchase of FB.com certainly is a lot of money to pay for a domain name; but is it the most ever paid

Surprisingly, no.

In 2009, Insure.com was sold to internet marketing firm QuinStreet for a whopping $16m – this is the single-highest recorded price paid for a domain name, ever.

Last year, however, the highest transaction for a domain name was famously for Sex.com, which online domain specialist Sedo brokered the sale for.

What were the other domain names to earn big bucks last year” We’ve got the ranking.

Here are the most expensive domain names of 2010:

1. Sex.com — $13m
2. Slots.com — $5.5m
3. Dating.com — $1.75m
4. Photo.com — $1.25m
5. Flying.com — $1.1m
6. Zip.com — $1.1m
7. Poker.org — $1m
8. Credit.fr — $851,875
9. Guns.com — $800,000
10. Files.com — $725,000

That’s just the 2010 ranking. Other big transactions in recent years include Fund.com (sold for $9.99m in 2008), Porn.com (sold for $9.5m in 2007), and Business.com (sold for $7.5m in 1999).