Two different businesses hide in this question
Selling a domain you own and selling registrations to clients look similar and behave nothing alike. One is a single negotiated sale. The other is a margin business with renewals every year.
| Model | What you sell | Where the money comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Aftermarket sale | A name you already hold | One buyer, one price, one transfer |
| Reseller | New registrations, transfers and renewals for clients | A margin on every name, every year |
Most people start with one name and end up doing both, so this page covers the sale first and the reseller path second. Neither requires a stock of 500 domains.
Value the name before you price it
An appraisal tool gives you a number, not a market. Comparable sales give you a range you can defend to a buyer.
- Comparables. Search recent public sales of the same keyword and the same extension. A .com sale is not evidence for a .in price.
- Length and spelling. One word, no hyphen, easy to say on a phone call. Every extra character costs value.
- Commercial intent. A name a business can put on a van beats a clever name that means nothing to a buyer.
- Extension fit. A .com is the default. A .in carries weight when the buyer trades only in India.
- Trademark check. Search the name against existing marks in the buyer's industry before you market it.
Fixed price, floor, or auction
Pick one tactic per name and be consistent. Changing the price every month teaches buyers to wait.
| Tactic | Works when | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Buy-now price | The name has an obvious buyer type and a fair range you can defend | You leave money on the table if two buyers appear |
| Make-offer with a floor | You have time and want to test appetite | Lowball offers and long email threads |
| Seven-day auction | You need the money and the name has competition | One bidder sets the price |
A useful rule: price at the top of the comparable range and accept within 20 percent. If nobody enquires in six months, the price is not the problem, the name is.
A for-sale page that answers the buyer
Parking pages full of adverts signal a speculator. One clean page converts better, and it costs nothing but an hour.
- Write four lines: the name, one sentence on who it suits, the price or "offers invited", and an email address.
- Add a short contact form so a buyer on a phone can reach you without copying an address.
- Point the domain at your web host with an A record, or at the marketplace's nameservers if it provides a landing page.
- Keep the page free of adverts and unrelated links. Adverts make a buyer assume the name is not for sale at any sensible price.
Where to list a domain
Listing is distribution, and distribution is the whole game. Most sales happen because a buyer found the name inside a marketplace they were already browsing.
- A marketplace with a reseller network puts the name in front of buyers searching at registrars. Commission typically runs 10–25 percent, and the escrow is included.
- Your own for-sale page keeps the full price and catches type-in traffic, but only for names people already type.
- Direct outreach to ten plausible businesses works for a strong keyword name, and only then. Cold email at scale gets you filtered.
- A broker takes a share and earns it when you have no time to answer enquiries or negotiate.
Transfer with escrow, in the right order
Never transfer a name before the money is held, and never release money before the name has moved. Escrow exists so neither side has to trust the other.
- Confirm the name is unlocked and that the registrant email in WHOIS is one you can read today.
- Check the 60-day lock: a name registered or transferred less than 60 days ago usually cannot move to another registrar. A push inside the same registrar can, which is why buyers ask.
- The buyer funds escrow. Wait for the confirmation email from the escrow service, not from the buyer.
- Send the authorisation code (EPP code) through the escrow interface, and approve the transfer request in your registrar inbox.
- After the name appears in the buyer's account, escrow releases the funds. Keep the invoice and the escrow receipt.
Selling registrations as a reseller
The reseller path is steadier than the aftermarket. You buy registrations through a reseller panel, price them for your clients, and renew them every year. WebJi® reseller hosting starts at ₹599 a month before 18% GST, with the panel in your brand and your clients billed by you.
Published WebJi® registration prices are ₹900–1,200 a year for .com and ₹500–800 for .in, before 18% GST, so there is room to set your own retail price above the panel rate. The margin is thin on a single name and real on a hundred renewals, which is why resellers bundle hosting and email with the domain.
Invoices, GST and cross-border buyers
Bill an Indian buyer in INR with a GST invoice if you are registered, and show the domain and the period on the same line as the price. For an overseas buyer, keep the invoice, the payment record and the transfer confirmation together, and ask your accountant how to treat the receipt as an export rather than guessing.
A domain sale is a service, not goods, and the renewal date is part of what the buyer is paying for. State both on the invoice so a later renewal dispute has a document behind it.
Trademarks that end a sale
A name that copies a known brand is not an asset, it is a liability. Registering a name in bad faith to sell it to the brand owner can end in a domain dispute, and the transfer you were counting on becomes a ruling against you.
Search the mark before you buy a name for resale, avoid typo versions of established brands, and drop the name if a business in that industry already holds the mark. The domain registration page lists what each extension costs, and the reseller hosting page covers the panel you sell from.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I sell a domain name quickly?
Set a realistic buy-now price from comparable sales, list it on a marketplace that buyers already browse, and point the domain at a for-sale page. A name registered or transferred in the last 60 days usually cannot move registrars, so a same-registrar push is faster.
How much is my domain worth?
Comparable sales decide it: the same keyword, the same extension and a similar length. Short .com names with commercial intent sit far above a two-word .in. Appraisal tools give a baseline, not a buyer.
How does an escrow domain transfer work?
The buyer pays the escrow service, you unlock the domain and send the authorisation code through escrow, the name moves to the buyer's registrar, and escrow releases the money once the transfer is confirmed.
Do I need 60 days before I can transfer a domain?
Usually yes. Registrars apply a 60-day lock after a new registration and after a transfer in. A push to another account at the same registrar is normally allowed, which is how quick sales are settled.
Can I sell domains without owning a large portfolio?
Yes. A reseller panel lets you register, transfer and renew names for clients under your own brand, with margins set by you. WebJi® reseller hosting starts at ₹599 a month before 18% GST.