All things being equal, the shorter the domain name the better when it comes to trading online.

In the UK, it is currently not possible to register a domain name with just one character - such as a.co.uk or 1.co.uk. And since Nominet took over the registry of UK domain names in 1996, two letter combinations (such as aa.co.uk or az.co.uk) have also been disallowed as far as the .co.uk and .org.uk extensons are concerned.

31 two letter combinations were registered in the days before Nominet however, and they can be renewed and transferred to a new owner. Given their rarity, it’s not surprising that quite a few have changed hands for sums into the hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Despite the current ban on two letter letters, it is possible to register two number combinations (such as 21.co.uk) and two character combos (a1.co.uk). Or at least it would be if someone else hadn’t got their first because not surprisingly they have all gone. And when they do come up for sale they too can exchange hands for princely sums.

One such domain name - 3c.co.uk - is currently up for grabs via auction at sedo.co.uk.

It’s got a nice ring to it and it’ll be interesting to see what it changes hands for.