The world’s “most valuable” Internet domain name, sex.com, went up for grabs on Thursday having fetched 12 million dollars in 2006.

“It happens very rarely that an Internet address of this calibre goes on sale,” Cologne-based Sedo said. “The sale of sex.com offers the new owner a unique opportunity to became market leader.”

Sedo, one of the world’s biggest trading platform for domain names, is selling sex.com on behalf of US firm Escom after creditors filed for insolvency protection.

Other domain names have also changed hands for huge sums in the past, with vodka.com selling for three million dollars, kredit.de for 892,500 euros (1.1 million dollars) and poker.org for one million dollars, Sedo said.

“Owners of domains like this have a clear competitive advantage. Visitors land automatically on the websites of the owners just by entering what they are looking for. The listing in search machines is also improved,” it added.

See our Top 10 most expensive domain names ever sold