The Best Places to Buy and Sell Domain Names

written by

Joe Uddeme

Joe Uddeme

The Best Places to Buy and Sell Domain Names

1. Sedo

Sedo is a dedicated domain marketplace (similar to GoDaddy) with millions of users. It has been around for over two decades, making it a trusted marketplace for buying and selling domains.

Any domain name owner can sign up for free and list their domain for sale on the website, and prospective buyers can easily contact them through the platform to buy domains.

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 on the market.

Sedo Search Sample:

The first three results are bikes.orgbikes.co, and bikes.biz, which are premium domain names and Sedo also includes other domain names that are closely related to your search phrase to sell domains.

The first two domains in this example have a Make Offer buttons next to them, while the last has a Buy It Now button for your popular domain.

This indicates that the domain sellers of the first two domains put them up for auction, while the third domain’s owner set a fixed price for their marketing strategy.

As a buyer, you’re free to search for any specific URL and find related domains listed on Sedo to find the perfect domain.

Purchasing from the domain marketplace requires added 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 acquisition.

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 for buying and selling domain names.

On NamePros, any registered user can list the domain names they have available 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 to find the perfect domain.

How much is it worth?

Namepros can also share pertinent details of recently sold domains that are similar in nature to your domain search.

Because it is a forum, NamePros only helps buyers and owners find each other and it’s up to them to negotiate and decide how they’ll handle payments for the domain. This is unlike Sedo, which facilitates payments and domain transfers for its users among other services.

When using NamePros to buy a domain you should be more careful about your purchase. Set specific 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 your preferred registrar.

You can find a large variety of domain names for sale on NamePros, making it one of the best domain marketplaces in the World.

Search for domains on NamePros: NamePros Domain Marketplace

3. Flippa

Flippa is a marketplace competing with Godaddy 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 to find the perfect domain name. 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, but it requires a payment; $29 for a base listing and $99 for an enhanced listing. Sellers often pick the second option because it makes their domains more visible to potential buyers looking for the perfect domain name.

As a buyer, you can create a free account on Flippa and find domain names matching your taste. You can then search for a specific keyword and find related domain names listed by domain owners to buy domain names based on cost, features and budget.

Easy to use:

To demonstrate, we searched for “cars” and got the results displayed in the image below:

The first three results were OldCarsForSale.comacars.com, and fastsportscars.com, listed for $5,000, $100, and $1 respectively.

OldCarsForSale.com is a premium domain worth its higher price. It’ll be a very good domain for anyone who wants to sell used cars online with a specific destination.

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 very low price and shows that you can find a good deal on a domain name, for personal use.

When you’re ready to make an offer or buy a domain on Flippa, the platform handles the entire process for you. They have been around for over a decade and built a reputation on the Internet as one of the most trusted domain name marketplaces to find the perfect domain name on the net.

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 and giving Godaddy a run for its money! It also has a premium domain marketplace as well as business resource and forums support for its customers.

Internet marketplace where domain name owners can connect and manage potential buyers.

Only domain names registered on Namecheap can be listed for sale on this marketplace and owners can list their domain names at a fixed amount or put them in auctions.

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.

Auctions:

If the seller puts their domain up for auction, you’ll have to participate in a timed bidding process for all auctions. If you are selling your domain, Namecheap collects a 10% commission on each sale.

You must have a Namecheap account to buy domains from its marketplace and after buying any domain it is automatically transferred to your control. The convenient sale process makes Namecheap one of the easiest domain marketplaces to use over other domain marketplaces.

Search for domains on Namecheap: Namecheap Domain Marketplace

5. Atom.com (formerly Brand Bucket)

BrandBucket Domain Marketplace Overview

Curated Selection of Brandable and premium Domains

Quality Assurance: Each premium domain is carefully reviewed by branding experts to ensure it meets high standards of originality, pronunciation, and memorability when selling domain names.

Business Identity

Professional Logo Designs: Top designs for your org and branding strategy.

Visual Identity Package: Every premium domain listing includes a professionally designed logo for your org, providing a cohesive domain brand package for your business resources and companies identity.

User-Friendly Search and Navigation

Advanced Filtering: Search domains by industry, point, style, length, and other attributes to find the perfect match.

Where can I sell my domain name fast?

If interested, you can quickly sell your domain name on any of these marketplaces. A large platform such as SEDO, GoDaddy, Afternic or Namecheap offer great options for buying domains quickly and a fast transfer process.

 

How fast do domain names sell?

Domain names take anywhere from hours to days, months, or years depending on the demand for them. The amount 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, especially for a premium domain. If a domain is listed on the wrong marketplace, it may not sell. Use a large marketplace like Godaddy for your companies success.

 

Where do I buy expired domain names for sale?

Many domain registrars host auctions for expiring domain names, including GoDaddy, Namecheap, and Network Solutions to buy domains.
There are also websites specializing in auctioning expired domains, such as ExpiredDomains and DropCatch market services for other domain name sales on non-active domains.

 

How can I build or develop my domain?

Select a registrar, select and pay a hosting company to host the domain and a web builder interface to develop the site. WordPress or Wix are great platforms for easy sales development tools on the Internet. Godaddy has a turnkey solution for your companies development to make it worry free.

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Your Expert Guide On How To Buy and Sell Domain Names

New to the industry and need to know how to buy and sell domain names? You’re most likely looking for the best places you can buy domains from, where to sell your domains, how to transfer names to your buyer, how much you can sell your names for, and more. If you’re looking for a great domain name for your business, would benefit from professional help in negotiating and buying a website domain, or even just need to know the value of your domain, then let us help. At Name Experts, we help corporations and individuals around the world buy and sell domain name assets. We’ll help you navigate the waters and even help you choose the best domain name for your business. Read on as we give you the entire guide to help you buy and sell domain names. How To Buy and Sell Domain Names The Right Way Buying a domain name isn’t always easy. It can be a real pain to finally decide on the perfect one only to find that it’s already taken. Here we go over the process so that you can buy and sell domain names the right way. Buying Domain Names Buying the right domain name for your brand can be a pretty big undertaking. New GTLD’s like .online or .law are part of more than 1500 alternative top level domains that can sometimes confuse your customers. How can you know what the right choice is to help your business grow? Or maybe you’re buying domains to turn around and sell them. Whatever you need a new domain name for, having a broker on your side to help you with how to buy and sell domain names and get the domain purchase over the finish line. Especially when it comes to the negotiation process, you’ll want to have an experienced broker who knows what your purpose is for the domain name so that they can plan the proper strategy. We also encourage you to use an accredited, third-party escrow provider. We use Escrow.com as the preferred method for domain purchase transactions because it identifies all the parties involved to ensure proper transfer and a smooth transaction experience. The broker you choose should be able to work with the escrow provider and help you complete the entire domain purchase process. Escrow Process to Buy a Domain Name Here are the general steps outlined below: Buyer and Seller agree to terms Buyer selects a payment method Escrow secures buyer’s payment Escrow will prompt the seller to transfer The transfer will occur either by account transfer or authorization code Seller confirms shipment of merchandise Buyer confirms receipt of a domain name in the account Buyer marks the transaction complete Domain Purchase and choosing the right broker Your domain broker should be open to communicating with you throughout this entire process and make sure the timeline is being met as well as handling your expectations. At Name Experts, we will make sure that we will get you the domain you want or find an appropriate alternative if the one you want truly isn’t available. Most reputable brokers will charge a fee for any successful acquisition and should be upfront with you about that fee. They’ll also help you with successfully transferring domains so that everything is out of your hands when all is said and done. Selling Domain Names Regardless of whether you’re a seasoned domain investor with dozens of assets or someone who just has one domain name to sell, it’s always a good idea to hire a professional who knows what they are doing. Domain experts make it their mission to maximize your sales potential and work on your behalf. This means letting you know if you’re sitting on a goldmine when it comes to domains or buying assets that are only worth a few pennies – they’ll help you figure out the value of your domain. The first step of the selling process is to establish the right expectation for your domains. Sellers should identify their needs and realistically price their assets in a way that will make people want to buy them. We’ll help you identify your goals and get to the bottom of why you’re really selling. Typically there are different types of pricing models that we use to sell your domain name, but it all depends on intent. They include retail sellers, market seller, and liquidation seller. At Name Experts, we have experience negotiating and marketing your name assets successfully. We have the knowledge to help you nail down a strategy to make sure the right people are seeing your domain names. If you’re in the market to sell, we will help you with all of our services. Value your Domain Name You domain name, and really anyone’s domain name, is only worth as much as a buyer is willing to pay. There are different factors to consider though. For example, single word .com assets sell for a higher price than longer names. At Name Experts, we will evaluate your assets and take comps of other names that recently sold in the market. We’ll make sure you have a realistic expectation of what your domain is worth. Marketing Especially if you’re new in this industry, you’ll want someone experienced putting your name in front of the right people. We use a combination of email, phone, and press releases to cover a global exposure. This also includes reaching out to our industry-wide relationships to help you find the perfect buyer. Negotiation Don’t leave money on the table. Let Name Experts negotiate on your behalf and help you maximize your profit. Transfer Service This part of the process makes sure that the buyer lives up to his end of the deal. We handle all transfers through Escrow.com, a licensed and audited escrow service ideal for domain names.  We’ll make sure that your domain name ends up at the right registrar. Let Name Experts Help You At the end of the day, you need someone you can trust to help you navigate these waters. A professional broker can make all the difference. They will outline both the buying and selling process for you and make sure both sides understand the goal of the transaction. They’ll also help you take the guesswork out of the process as well as represent your interests. As experienced brokers with an industry-wide reputation, let us help you with all the phases of how to buy and sell domain names. When you work with an experienced professional like us, you’ll see that they will also have all the relevant contracts and paperwork to help you secure the name that you want or sell it for a fair price. We’ll make sure that every step of the way is completely transparent and we always have your best interest in mind. We don’t want to compromise your identity or your confidentiality, and we work hard to earn the trust of our clients with consistent performance and open communication.When you’re ready to get started or just want more information on the buying or selling process, reach out to us today! We’d love to prove to you why we’re the experts and answer all of your questions.

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Domain Due Diligence – What to Do Before You Buy

It’s advisable to perform some due diligence before buying anything. For example, before buying a car, it’s helpful to have a trusted mechanic perform an inspection and to review the vehicle’s service history. A similar thing applies to purchasing domain names. It’s necessary to perform proper due diligence or risk wasting money. This article will give you a due diligence checklist to follow to ensure you make a worthy purchase. Why You Need To Conduct Due Diligence For Any Potential Acquisition Due diligence means investigating the details of a business or person that you want to enter a commercial transaction with. It’s necessary because it helps you understand the nature of what you want to buy, the risks involved, and anything else that could be a hindrance. Not conducting domain name due diligence before buying can cause trouble. For example, you may buy a domain that has been blacklisted for spam activities and wonder why your website isn’t getting traffic. Or why any email sent from your domain goes to the recipient’s spam folder. You could also buy a stolen domain and be subject to lawsuits accusing you of theft. The list of potential risks is endless, so always carry out domain due diligence before any purchase. Domain Due Diligence Checklist WHOIS WHOIS is a public database containing information about domain name owners. You can run a WHOIS lookup to trace the ownership of a domain name, and it’s advisable to do this for any domain you want to buy. Check the WHOIS history for at least a year to see if there were any ownership changes. If you notice any, you can contact the prior owner to ensure that they actually transferred the ownership and the domain wasn’t stolen. Domain thieves try to sell domains in a hurry, and this process helps you avoid buying a stolen domain and exposing yourself to legal troubles. Because of Europe’s GDPR data protection laws, you may not be able to see details about a domain’s owner (it’ll appear as redacted). However, access is granted to certain licensed third parties that, in turn, offer that data to people for a fee. DomainIQ and DomainTools are two examples of such parties. Domain History The WHOIS lookup will help you verify that the domain is owned by a legitimate buyer and not a hacker. After that, the next step of the domain name due diligence is to check how the domain was utilized in the past. What type of website was it used for? Is it something that could have gotten it into a blacklist? A good website to check a domain’s history and utilization is the Wayback Machine. This is a digital archive that lets you see how the website for any domain looked in the past. The idea is to ensure that the domain was used for appropriate activities. If it was used for nefarious things like unregulated gambling, scams, or data theft, it’s a signal to stay clear because the domain may have been blacklisted by search engines and email providers. Potential Trademark Issues Ensure that the domain name you want to use is not similar to an established trademark because this can lead to infringement lawsuits and a possible court order to hand over the domain. There was a popular case of an entrepreneur called Mike Rowe who registered the “MikeRoweSoft.com” domain for his software company. Microsoft, the well-known software company, filed a lawsuit alleging trademark infringement and Mike Rowe had to hand over ownership of the domain in exchange for an Xbox and some certification training. If the domain name you want to buy is similar to an established trademark, then it’s best to avoid it and go for something else. Search Value Another important part of the due diligence checklist is to see how the domain name performs on search engines. If you can’t find valid results when you input the domain name of a search engine, it’s a signal that it may have been blacklisted due to past activity. Check if there are backlinks from nefarious sites pointing to the domain because it represents another red flag. It’s also important to see if a domain has been marked by email blacklists. If so, emails from that domain will likely end up in the recipient’s spam folder instead of the main inbox. Popular email blacklists include Spamhaus, Barracuda, and Proofpoint, and most of them let you run a simple scan to see if a domain is part of the list. During the Acquisition Process Once you have ticked all the boxes in your acquisition due diligence checklist and decided to proceed with the purchase, there are some essential tips to follow. Tracking Each Step You should create a spreadsheet to track each step of the domain name sale. The spreadsheet should contain sections like “current status”, “date transferred”, and “price”. This will help you stay on top of every detail of the imminent domain acquisition. Setting Up Escrow Escrow refers to a neutral third party that holds the money before it is transferred from the domain buyer to the seller. It’s necessary to use an escrow service to prevent yourself from falling victim to fraud. The escrow service will hold the money that you’ve agreed to pay for the domain and only disburse it if the seller fulfills all the terms of the deal. What To Keep In Mind For the Transfer Process When you acquire a domain, the buyer will have to transfer it to your registrar for it to officially become yours. A domain must be at least 60 days old to be transferable according to rules defined by ICANN, the governing body for domain registration. The owner will need an authorization code from their registrar to authorize the transfer to your own registrar. Once this is complete, the domain is officially yours. If you need help with domain name due diligence, you can hire a professional domain broker that has experience in appraising and investigating domain names. The broker can help you decide if it’s a worthwhile purchase and also negotiate a good price with the owner. NameExperts is a good example of such a broker; we have over a decade of experience in negotiating domain sales worth over $100 million.

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How Much Do Domain Names Cost? Everything You Need To Know

When it’s time to start your business online, then securing a domain name is the first step. Regardless of whether or not your business is established, you can’t create a website without a domain name. If you’re like most business owners, you’re probably wondering how much do domain names cost? You might also have questions about how much time you should spend looking for the right domain. Fortunately, we’ve got the inside scoop on what you need to know. Your domain name essentially functions as your website’s address, so you want to make sure you have one that is simple and relevant. You’ll also want to make sure it’s easy to remember so that people can easily find you and your business online. With all of that in mind, it’s easy to see why some people are willing to break the bank to get the domain name they want. If your domain name is just right, it can greatly increase website traffic. Here we go over everything you need to know about domain names and what goes into how much they cost. What You Need To Know About How Much Do Domain Name Cost Read on as we discuss what a domain name is, why you need it, and how much do domain names cost. What Is A Domain Name You don’t want to shell out a ton of money on a domain name without first understanding what you’re paying for. We mentioned it above, but a domain name is the web address you type into a browser to bring up your specific website. It typically will start with https or www and will end with something common like .com. You’ll recognize some of the higher profile (read: high traffic volume) domain names like www.google.com or www.irs.com. Why Do You Need To Purchase One If you want to have a website, then registering your domain is absolutely necessary. There are three main reasons why you might need to buy a domain. First, you’re building a website. You’ll most likely use a domain name that ties in with your business name or utilizes keywords that are related to your company. This is a non-negotiable part of the business world – you need a domain name. Another reason you might register a domain name is when you’re considering starting a business or website. If you have a great idea for a business or a website, then you might want to jump on registering the domain you want. Stake your claim before anyone else comes along and takes it before you’re ready to execute. The third reason that people start to wonder how much domain names cost and start registering domain names is when they are investing. Domain name investing was really popular at the start of the internet age, when popular keywords were still available. Nowadays, a lot of domain names are already taken, but domain investing can still be a great way to earn money. Especially if you’re working with a domain broker, you can find domains that have the potential for significant value and buy them now so that you can sell them for a profit later. How Much Do Domain Names Cost In general, you can purchase a domain name for $2-$20 a year, depending on discounts available and who you’re purchasing it from. Newer domain extensions, the part at the end of your address, like .app or .info might cost more, as they are newer on the market. We can break down how much do domain names cost based on a couple of factors. Like we just said, the domain extension can increase the price, using .com might be more expensive than .shop. Where you purchase your domain name is another factor. A reputable registrar might be less expensive than an aftermarket service or private seller. Additionally, if you choose to register for multiple years and electing to include domain privacy can also increase or decrease the price of your domain name. You’ll find that the most expensive domain names will be the ones you’ll find on auction houses, through private sellers, or aftermarket services. Unfortunately, there are no hard or definitive prices for domain names, regardless of the avenue you choose to purchase from. The domain name industry varies just like real estate. Sometimes it’s a sellers market, sometimes it’s a buyers market. Make sure you consult a domain broker if you’re looking to buy from a private seller, or are looking to purchase a domain that is already owned. Brokers are experienced and can handle all of the ins and outs of the acquisition and negotiation process so that you get the domain you deserve at a fair price. Why You Should Hire A Broker Like we mentioned above, hiring an experienced domain broker might be the best idea to make sure you get the domain you want. In today’s digital market, there isn’t really a reason your domain should cost an arm and a leg – unless you have zero flexibility in your name choice. It is rare that your domain cost will be high. With that being said however, you should look out for hidden fees, discount scams, and even hidden costs in your written agreements. This is where having a domain broker on your side comes in handy. They know the lingo, they’ve negotiated before, and they aren’t emotionally invested, which means they just want to get you the best deal. Let a broker help you navigate this industry, and help you determine what might be too good to be true. Sometimes when a great domain seems really cheap, it might be because there are hidden fees when registering. A domain broker can help you choose a reputable registrar and find the right price. At Name Experts, we encourage you to do your due diligence and research domain registrars and the cost of domain names. You don’t want to end up getting scammed or pay way too much for a domain. Instead, let us show you how Name Experts got its name, and answer all of your questions, including how much do domain names cost. Reach out to us today and let us help you with all of your domain name needs.

Why Work with Name Experts

Name Experts offers personalized domain brokerage services, assisting clients in buying or selling premium domain names with expert appraisal, negotiation, and complete transaction management while ensuring confidentiality.

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