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.
Once you’ve chosen a good domain name, how do you get it? You have the option of either buying one from a domain registrar or from sellers in a marketplace. While a registrar like GoDaddy or NameCheap will let you purchase new domain names, you may find that someone else has already registered the domain name you want. If this is the case, a domain marketplace is where you might be able to 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 provide a large audience of potential buyers for sellers and most marketplaces also offer escrow and domain transfer services.
5 Best Places to Buy and Sell a Domain
There are numerous domain marketplaces, but some are better than others. Some marketplaces have solid reputations for ease of use, domain availability, swift negotiations, and customer service.
Considering those variables, these are the best domain marketplaces you can use to buy a domain:
1. 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 easily contact them through the platform.
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 and Sedo also includes other domain names that are closely related to your search phrase.
The first two domains in this example have a Make Offer button next to them, while the last has a Buy Now button.
This indicates that the owners of the first two domains put them up for auction, while the third 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, but it’s worth it as Sedo has such a large selection of premium domains available for sale.
Search for domains on Sedo: Sedo Domain Marketplace
2. 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, users commonly posted they had domain names available for sale and wanted to connect with potential buyers.
Observing this, the owner of the forum launched an official domain marketplace section.
On NamePros, any registered user can list 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.
Because it is a forum, NamePros only helps buyers and sellers 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.
When using NamePros to buy a domain you should be more careful about your purchase. Set rigid terms with the seller before proceeding on any deal and use a 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.
Search for domains on NamePros: NamePros Domain Marketplace
3. 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 and has built a reputation as one of the most trusted domain name marketplaces. 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; $29 for a bare listing and $99 for an enhanced 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 then 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 and shows that you can find a good deal on a domain name, depending on what you are looking for.
When you’re ready to make an offer or buy a domain on Flippa, the platform handles the payments and domain transfer for you. It has been around for over a decade and built a reputation as one of the most trusted domain name marketplaces.
Search for domains on Flippa: Flippa Domain Marketplace
4. Namecheap
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 potential buyers.
Only domain names registered on Namecheap can be listed for sale on this marketplace and sellers can list their domain names at a fixed price or put them up for auction. If a seller lists their domain at a fixed price, you can purchase it immediately just like you would 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. If you are selling your domain, Namecheap collects a 10% commission on each sale.
You must have a Namecheap account to buy a domain name from its marketplace and after buying any domain it is automatically transferred to you. The convenient sale process makes Namecheap one of the easiest domain marketplaces to use.
Search for domains on Namecheap: Namecheap Domain Marketplace
5. Using a Domain Broker
The marketplaces listed above 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 is someone who can help you find the owner of a specified domain and negotiate a deal, even if the domain you want is not listed for sale on any marketplace. They can also help you sell a domain and maximize its sales potential. Either way, a good domain broker can make buying a domain much less stressful for you.
Learn more about working with a domain broker.
FAQ’s on Where to Buy and Sell a Domain
Who is the best domain reseller?
We consider Namecheap as the overall best marketplace to buy a domain from because of the convenience they provide.
While the domains listed for sale are limited to those registered through Namecheap, buying a domain name through their marketplace is a seamless process with no other 3rd party tools or platforms required for the transaction.
Where can I sell my domain name fast?
You can quickly sell your domain name on any of these marketplaces. One of the criteria we considered when selecting them was making sure that each has 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. The price the domain is listed for also plays a role in how quickly it will sell. If the price is too high relative to its value, there may be no interest from buyers.
Where do I buy expired domain names for sale?
Many domain registrars host auctions for expiring domain names, including GoDaddy, Namecheap, and Network Solutions.
There are also websites specializing in auctioning expired domains, such as ExpiredDomains and DomCop.
