FAQ

Why are you selling the world? | Who will buy a piece of the world?
Will anyone buy the oceans? | But I can't see the map for the icons!
Argh! My town/city/suburb/country/place in the sea has been sold!
What is the equivalent land area of each block? | What is the equivalent price per land area?
What is a reasonable price for resale? | Why do you charge a sales commission on resale?
How much did it cost to set the world up? | How much is the world worth?
When did the world start? | When will the world end?

Why are you selling the world?
It seemed like fun. I mean, who wouldn't want to own a huge piece of the world for a hundred dollars? I also thought it would be a great place for businesses to promote their services and for investors to speculate on future land prices. Also, a way for me to make some money and provide others with a chance to do so too.

Who will buy a piece of the world?
There will be three types of buyers: those that fancy the idea of “owning” an area of the world, those that view the site as an investment and those that see it as a chance to promote their own website and business through the subsequent traffic.

Will anyone buy the oceans?
Sure! At 70% of the world, the oceans will be a great place for adverts to stand out when the mainland gets busy. A few blocks in the middle of the Pacific or Atlantic will catch the eye of that potential customer.

But I can't see the map for the logos!
There are three buttons above the map. The first one turns the world map on and off, the second one makes the logos transparent (so you can easily see the world and the logos). The third one is a fancy zoom feature showing a satellite map of the world.

Argh! My town/city/suburb/country/place in the sea has been sold!
Too bad. However, you could buy the blocks nearby or buy another place that would stand out (how about deserts, Antarctica or somewhere far from everyone else?). Alternatively, you could ask me to approach the owner of the block(s) to see if they are willing to sell them to you.

What is the equivalent land area of each block?
According to Wikipedia, the total surface area of the world is 510,072,000 square kilometres. Divide this by the 6,800 blocks on the map makes each block approximately 75,011 square kilometres (or 28,962 square miles) which is more than enough room for a small desert or mountain range. (There is room for a couple of Hawaii's in each block with plenty of sea left for surfing.)

What is the equivalent price per land area?
At US$100 per block, each dollar buys the equivalent of 750 square kilometres (roughly 290 square miles or 185,357 acres). In more comprehensible terms, each cent is worth approximately 1,400 American football fields.

What is a reasonable price for resale?
It depends how much you think it is worth. If you are buying, you should pay whatever fee you think the blocks are worth to you or your business. If you are selling, it really depends whether you want to sell or not. Like actual real estate, prices will vary according to demand.

Why do you charge a sales commission on resale?
For upkeep of the website and to pay for the time taken overseeing the process and changing the images and links. It also means that the website has the potential to support my family into the future. Sales commission is 20% of the sales value, paid for by the seller. It is not negotiable.

How much did it cost to set the world up?
The domain name cost US$750. Registration and hosting cost me around $100 per year. It took about two months to develop and complete the website (with a lot of help and study).

How much is the world worth?
There are 6,800 blocks on sale at US$100 each so initially, the world is worth a grand total of US$680,000. If I sell them all, I will buy a big bunch of flowers for my wife, pay the tax man and take the weekend off.

When did the world start?
The world was officially uploaded on 15th February, 2009.

When will the world end?
I'm hoping that armageddon will never come. However, I have put an arbitrary 10-year life span on the site that I will extend if the website is still successful at that time. The potential end of the world is 15th February 2019 although I hope that it continues and evolves indefinitely.