Comparable sales are one of the strongest pieces of domain-market evidence and one of the easiest to misuse.
Start with completed transactions
An asking price is a seller’s opinion. A completed sale is evidence that a buyer and seller actually agreed. Do not blend the two.
Similarity is multidimensional
The same keyword is not enough. Extension, word count, length, construction, domain class, commercial intent and naming quality all matter. A two-word service .com is not a clean comp for a one-word brandable simply because one token overlaps.
Recency matters
Extension-specific markets and trendy categories can move quickly. Older sales still provide context, but recent relevant transactions deserve more weight when market conditions have changed.
Use a set, not a trophy comp
One unusually high sale can make almost any appraisal look good. Use a cluster of relevant transactions and focus on the middle of the distribution before considering strategic upside.