A domain name is the most critical component of every website. It’s how people will find you online, so it’s essential to have a good one.
What constitutes a good domain name? Many factors make up a good domain, but the most important to remember is that they’re often short, catchy, and memorable.
Say, you’ve chosen a good domain, how do you get it? You can buy one from a domain registrar or marketplace. Many registrars let you purchase new domain names, e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, and Domain.com.
But, someone else may have already registered the domain name you want. If so, a domain marketplace is where you’ll likely find it for sale.
What is a domain marketplace
Domain marketplaces are online platforms where domain name owners can list their domain names for sale and connect with potential buyers.
Domain marketplaces have many buyers and sellers that transact. Most marketplaces also offer escrow and transfer services as well.
Best domain marketplaces
There are numerous domain marketplaces, but some are better than others. Some marketplaces have solid reputations for ease of use, domain availability, swift negotiations, customer service, etc.
The best ones you can find include;
- Sedo
- NamePros
- Flippa
- Namecheap
Sedo
Sedo is a dedicated domain marketplace with millions of users. It has been around for over two decades, making it a trusted marketplace.
Any domain name owner can sign up and list their domain for sale on the website, and prospective buyers can contact them.
On Sedo, sellers can set a fixed price for their domain, put it up for auction, or indicate that they’re entertaining offers with an unspecified price range.
When buyers come to the site, they can search for any keyword and check if anyone has listed a related domain name.
To demonstrate, we searched for “bikes” and got the results displayed in the image below;
The first three results are bikes.org, bikes.co, and bikes.biz, which are premium domain names.
The first two have a make offer button next to them, while the last has a buy now button.
It indicates that the owners of the first two domains put them up for auction, while the last domain’s owner set a fixed price.
As a buyer, you’re free to search for any specific keyword and find related domains listed on Sedo just like we did.
Purchasing one requires registration and jumping through a few other hoops.
It’s one of the best domain marketplaces because it often has a large selection of premium domains available for sale.
NamePros
NamePros is an online community for domain name owners to interact and discuss events related to their industry.
In the forum’s early days, a common occurrence was users indicating they had domain names available for sale and connecting with potential buyers.
Observing this, the owner of the forum launched an official domain marketplace section.
On NamePros, any registered user can indicate the domain names they have for sale in a forum post.
To make the domains easy for prospective buyers to find, NamePros has formal categories that users can attach to their posts.
The difference with NamePros is that it only helps buyers find each other, and it’s up to them to negotiate and decide how they’ll handle payments.
This is unlike Sedo, which facilitates payments and domain transfer for its users.
Because NamePros is this way, you should be more careful about your purchase. Set rigid terms with the seller before proceeding on any deal.
You can use any trusted online escrow service (e.g., Escrow.com) to ensure that the payment goes through only after the seller has transferred the domain name to you.
You can find a large variety of domain names for sale on NamePros, making it one of the best domain marketplaces.
Flippa
Flippa is a marketplace for buying and selling online properties, including websites and domain names.
The platform has facilitated millions of dollars in domain name sales since its inception in 2009.
The most expensive domain name deal arranged on Flippa was StockPhoto.com, which sold for $250,000.
Any domain name owner can sign up on Flippa and list their domains for sale. But, it requires a payment; $9 for a bare listing and $59 for a featured listing.
Sellers often pick the second option because it makes their domains more visible to potential buyers.
As a buyer, you can create an account at no cost on Flippa and find domain names matching your taste.
You can search for a specific keyword and find related domain names that people have listed.
To demonstrate, we searched for “cars” and got the results displayed in the image below:
The first three results were OldCarsForSale.com, acars.com, and fastsportscars.com, listed for $5,000, $100, and $1 respectively.
OldCarsForSale.com is a premium domain worth its high price. It’ll be a very good domain for anyone who wants to sell used cars online.
Fastsportscars.com seems like a good generic domain name, but it can easily be mistaken for fastsportcars.com, giving it a disadvantage. It’s likely why it’s listed for an absurdly low price.
Just like we did, you can sign up on Flippa and look for good domain names.
The platform handles the payments and domain transfer conveniently for you.
It has been around for over a decade and built a reputation as one of the most trusted domain name marketplaces.
Namecheap Marketplace
Namecheap is one of the most widely-used domain registrars, serving over 2 million customers.
It also has a marketplace where domain name sellers can connect with intending buyers. Only domain names registered on Namecheap can be listed for sale on this marketplace.
On the Namecheap marketplace, sellers can list their domain names at a fixed price or put them up for auction. Namecheap collects a 10% commission on each sale.
Buyers can always browse through the marketplace to search and view domain listings.
If a seller lists their domain at a fixed price, you can purchase it immediately just like you’ll purchase a new domain on Namecheap.
If the seller puts their domain up for auction, you’ll have to participate in a timed bidding process.
You must have a Namecheap account to buy a domain name from its marketplace.
After buying any domain, the company automatically transfers it to you. The convenient sale process makes Namecheap one of the best domain marketplaces.
Using a Domain Broker
These marketplaces are among the best for finding domain names that have already been registered.
Another way to find one is to employ the services of a domain broker. A domain broker (e.g., NameExperts) can help you find the owner of a specified domain and negotiate a deal. A good domain broker can make buying a domain much less stressful for you.
FAQ
Who is the best domain reseller?
We qualify Namecheap as the overall best out of the domain marketplaces we listed because of the convenience it provides.
Buying a domain name on the Namecheap marketplace is a seamless process.
Where can I sell my domain name fast?
You can sell your domain name fast on any of these marketplaces. One of the criteria we considered to select them was having a large user base that makes it easy to find buyers.
How fast do domain names sell?
Domain names take anywhere from hours to days, months, or years depending on the demand for them.
Where do I buy expired domain names for sale?
Many domain registrars host auctions for expiring domain names, including GoDaddy, Namecheap, Network Solutions, etc.
There are also websites specializing in auctioning expired domains, such as ExpiredDomains and DomCop.
