Domain Marketplace: Buy Domain Names From a Curated Domain Name Marketplace
Search 469 .ai, .com and .io names that are already registered and ready to move. Every listing shows its price before you talk to anyone, and below you will find how the fees work across the wider market.
Search the marketplace
Search by keyword, then filter by extension and price.
Short answer
A domain marketplace is where domain names that are already registered get resold. A registrar sells you a name nobody has taken yet at a standard fee. A marketplace sells you a name someone already owns, at whatever the owner will accept, with escrow holding the money until the name is in your account. Commission is charged to the seller, normally between 7.5 and 20 percent, so as a buyer you pay the listed price. This marketplace lists 469 names with a published price, a median of $2,288, and 56 percent of them under $2,500.
Last updated August 2026
Domain Marketplace vs Registrar
These are two different transactions that happen to end with the same thing, a domain in your account. Knowing which one you are in explains the price.
Registrar
A registrar sells names that have never been claimed. You pay the registry's standard fee, roughly $12 to $22 a year for .com, and the only reason you cannot have a name is that someone got there first.
- • Unregistered names only
- • Fixed annual price, no negotiation
- • Instant, no escrow needed
- • Almost every short, obvious name is gone
Marketplace
A marketplace resells names that are already registered. The price reflects what the name is worth to a buyer rather than what it costs to renew, which is why the same asset can be $500 or $50,000.
- • Registered names, including the good ones
- • Price set by the owner, often negotiable
- • Escrow protects the payment
- • Renews at the ordinary rate afterwards
One point worth being clear about, because it decides whether a purchase is a good idea: a name bought on the aftermarket renews at the standard rate for its extension. That is different from a registry premium, which a registrar can sell you at a raised price that then repeats at every renewal for as long as you hold it. We explain the difference in detail on the premium domains page, and every listing that already carries a number sits on the domains for sale page.
Domain Marketplace Fees Compared
Commission is charged to the seller, not added to your checkout. It still matters to you, because it sets the floor under every asking price you see.
| Marketplace | Seller commission | Inventory | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternic | Around 20 percent, escrow included | Very large, distributed to registrar search | Finding one specific name fast |
| Sedo | Commonly 10 to 20 percent by sale type | Very large, global, auctions included | Negotiated and brokered deals |
| GoDaddy Auctions | Tiered, varies by membership | Millions, heavy on expiring names | Expired and closeout hunting |
| Namecheap Market | Around 10 percent | Large, integrated with the registrar | Staying inside one registrar account |
| Atom, BrandBucket | Higher, curation and branding included | Curated brandable names | Founders who want a named shortlist |
| BoldDomains | None, we own what we list | 469 curated .ai, .com and .io names | Startup and AI names with the price shown |
Commission structures are as commonly published by each platform and change without notice. Check the current rate on the platform itself before you list or bid. Escrow.com, used by several of these venues, prices in tiers, so use their calculator rather than assuming a flat rate.
Why the commission ends up in your price
A seller who wants to clear $8,000 on a platform that takes 20 percent has to ask $10,000. The same seller on a 10 percent platform can ask $8,900 for the same net. This is the practical reason identical names carry different prices in different places, and it is worth checking whether a name you want is listed in more than one venue before you commit.
How Domain Marketplaces Work
Four steps from a listing you like to a name sitting in your own registrar account.
The owner lists it
Either at a buy now price you can act on immediately, or behind a make offer button that opens a negotiation. A published price is faster and tells you where you stand.
You buy or negotiate
Come with a specific number rather than asking for a discount. Sellers who have held a name for years respond to a real offer and ignore vague interest.
Escrow holds the money
Your payment sits with a neutral third party. The seller cannot touch it until the domain is verifiably yours, which is what makes buying from a stranger workable at all.
The name transfers
Either an account push at the same registrar, which is same day, or a transfer with an authorization code, which usually takes five to seven days. Then escrow releases the funds.
The step people underestimate is the last one. A push inside one registrar is quick, while an inter registrar transfer runs on ICANN's clock. If you are timing a launch around a name, read how domain escrow works before you set the date.
Domain Names for Sale in This Marketplace
A sample of what is listed right now. Every name carries a price, and every one is owned outright rather than brokered on someone else's behalf.
Most of the portfolio sits in two shapes that founders can actually afford: two word domains, where a pair of real words gets you a meaningful name without one word prices, and 6 letter domains, short enough to say once and be remembered.
What to Check Before You Buy on Any Marketplace
A listing tells you the price. It does not tell you what the name has been used for, and that is where money gets lost.
The name's history
A domain that previously hosted spam or thin content can carry that reputation forward. Check the archive and the backlink profile before you pay a premium for something with a past.
Trademark conflicts
Owning the domain does not give you the right to trade under the name. Search the USPTO register for your class before you buy, particularly for anything that reads like an existing brand.
The renewal rate
Ask what the name renews at, not just what it sells for. Aftermarket names renew at the standard rate, but .ai carries an $80 wholesale price and a two year minimum, which changes the annual math.
Who actually holds it
RDAP replaced WHOIS in January 2025 as the definitive lookup. Most contact details are redacted, so confirm the seller controls the name through the platform rather than taking their word for it.
Transfer locks
A recent change of registrant has historically triggered a 60 day inter registrar transfer lock. ICANN has voted to retire it, so confirm the current policy with the registrar rather than assuming either way.
Payment route
If a seller wants to move off the platform to a wire or a payment app, stop. That request is the single most reliable signal of a domain scam, and there is no recovery once the money is sent.
Domain Marketplace Questions Buyers Actually Ask
Taken from what people search before they spend money on a name.
What is a domain marketplace?
A domain marketplace is a platform where already registered domain names are listed for sale by their owners and bought by someone else. It differs from a registrar, which sells names nobody has claimed yet at a standard registration fee. The marketplace handles the listing, the payment or offer, and usually an escrow step that holds the money until the name transfers.
How do domain marketplaces work?
An owner lists a name with either a published buy now price or a make offer button. A buyer pays or negotiates, the funds sit in escrow, and the name is pushed to the buyer's account or transferred with an authorization code. Once the buyer confirms they hold the domain, escrow releases the money to the seller.
Do buyers pay domain marketplace fees?
In almost every case the commission is charged to the seller and comes out of the sale price, so the buyer pays the listed number. The commission still affects you indirectly, because a seller who knows a platform will take 20 percent tends to set a higher asking price to protect their net.
Is it safe to buy a domain from a marketplace?
It is safe when the money passes through escrow rather than going directly to a stranger. Escrow holds the payment until the domain is verifiably in your account, which removes the risk of paying first and receiving nothing. Avoid any deal that asks for a wire transfer or a payment app outside the platform.
What is the best domain marketplace?
There is no single best one, because they hold different inventory. Large aftermarkets such as Afternic, Sedo and GoDaddy Auctions are best when you already know the exact name you want. Curated marketplaces are better when you want a shortlist of brandable names with prices already on them and do not want to sift millions of listings.
How much do domain names cost on a marketplace?
Most sell for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Across the 469 priced listings here the median is $2,288 and 56 percent are under $2,500. Single dictionary words and category keywords reach five and six figures, and a small number go well beyond that.
Can I negotiate on a domain marketplace?
Usually yes, unless the listing is a fixed buy now price. Open with a specific figure and a short reason rather than asking whether there is flexibility. Expect the least movement on short one word names, where the seller knows another buyer will come along.
How long does a marketplace purchase take?
A buy now purchase with an account push at the same registrar can complete the same day. A transfer to a different registrar generally takes five to seven days once the authorization code is released. Negotiated deals add however long the back and forth takes, which is often the longest part.
What happens if the seller does not transfer the domain?
With escrow in place, nothing is lost. The funds are returned to you, minus the escrow fee, and the sale is cancelled. This is the entire reason to refuse any payment method that puts money directly in a seller's hands before the name moves.
Do I own the domain outright after buying it?
You hold the registration and can renew it indefinitely, transfer it or resell it. Nobody owns a domain permanently in the way you own property, because registration is a renewable right, so the practical answer is that it is yours for as long as you keep paying the annual fee.
Find your name in the marketplace
469 names with a price on them across .ai, .com and .io. Search a word, see the number, decide.
Keep reading before you buy
Premium domains
What premium names actually cost, and the renewal difference that catches first time buyers.
.AI domains
The largest slice of this portfolio, with what 2026 registry pricing means for renewals.
Domain escrow
How the money and the name change hands without either side going first.
Sedo vs Afternic vs GoDaddy
The three large aftermarkets compared on inventory, fees and how sales actually close.
Buying a name that is already taken
What to do when the name you want is registered and not listed on any marketplace.
Avoiding domain scams
The patterns behind fake listings and off platform payment requests, and how to spot them early.