There are still many thousands of three-letter domains for (third-party) sale on .com/net/org though. Sedo.com lists a handful of .net domains that are under $100. Most are more than that though.

> for (third-party) sale

Many of us find it unethical to give money to scalpers.

> a handful of .net domains that are under $100

And this is why.

Yeah... my .com renewal lapsed due to an expired credit card, and it was snatched before I realized it. They've always wanted $2k for it.

Even if I was OK paying in principle, that's too much for a personal blog that gets one post every 4 years.