The NewYorkCity.com and NYC.com domain names -- two of the more recognizable and valuable URLs -- have been put up for sale on the eBay auction site and, by mid-morning today, the bidding had exceeded $2 million.

Charles Harris, a spokesman for the privately-held NewYorkCity.com, Inc. said the URLs were put up for sale when plans to build an e-commerce and entertainment portal fell apart.

Harris was tight-lipped on details of the company's financial backers or about the minimum asking price for the two domain names which were put up on eBay on April 30. "The current bid (of $2 million) has not met the reserve. I can't say more than that."

Harris said the two domain names were being offered as a package. The newyorkcity.com name was registered in 1995 for about $70 and the NYC.com URL was acquired two years ago. He would not disclose the financial details of that acquisition.

Asked if he believed the $2 million bid was legitimate, Harris said the company had been in touch with the interested buyer and was convinced the bid was not fake. "It is illegal to manipulate the bidding but, like everything else on the Internet, there is that element of distrust."

He said the company was serious about a portal destination for the New York audience but those plans fell apart once the private equity funding marketplace dried up.

"These are the only two domain names we own and we fully intended to build a business but, it was just not possible in this environment. In a nutshell, we wanted to be New York City on the Internet...To leverage the uniqueness of the @nyc.com and @newyorkcity.com e-mail addresses."

At its peak, the company employed approximately 20 workers at offices in Manhattan. Harris said the site's biggest value was the ability to allow residents, merchants and service providers to carry their regional identity online through the e-mail addresses, homepages and storefronts.

LATEST NEWS

Microsoft's Dynamics ERP to Gain New Services
Barnes & Noble's e-Reader Nook Sold Out Already
Memory Market Due for Big Shift in 2010
Microsoft: No 'Back Door' in Windows 7
Tech's H-1B Hiring Faces 'Employ America Act'

The sites, which remain live, has logged more than 300,000 unique visitors monthly and Harris said over 50,000 users have registered for the free @NewYorkCity.com and @NYC.com e-mail addresses.