The usual advice on how to sell a domain name starts with pricing and ends with “transfer it to the buyer”. The gap in the middle is where sales stall: a name registered last month that cannot leave its registrar yet, an old contact email that never receives the transfer code, or a buyer who wants the money held somewhere neutral before anything moves.
This guide runs the steps in the order a seller meets them. It covers names you hold, not websites with traffic; selling a working site is a different business, covered in how to sell a website.
Step 1: check the name can actually move
Can I sell my domain name? Legally, almost always. ICANN’s Transfer Policy says “Registered Name Holders must be able to transfer their domain name registrations between Registrars”, and that the holder “is the only party that has the authority to approve or deny a transfer request”. The policy covers ICANN-accredited registrars and generic extensions such as .com, .net and .org; country-code names like .uk or .de follow their own registry rules.
Timing is the catch. The policy lets, and sometimes forces, a registrar to refuse a transfer in specific situations. Check yours against this table before you list.
| Situation | Can the name move to another registrar now? |
|---|---|
| Registered in the last 60 days | The registrar may refuse |
| Transferred between registrars in the last 60 days | The registrar may refuse |
| Change of Registrant done, no opt-out used | The registrar must refuse for 60 days |
| Pending UDRP or URS, court order, or transfer dispute | The registrar must refuse |
| Previous registration period unpaid | The registrar may refuse (name placed on Registrar Hold) |
| Only an unpaid future renewal, or the owner did not respond | The registrar may not refuse |
Two housekeeping checks belong here too. Make sure the name is not close to expiry, and that the email on the registration is one you read, because the transfer code and the confirmation both go there. ICANN’s transfer rules are also under review (the page refers to “the GNSO Council’s Transfer Policy review”), so confirm your registrar’s current terms on the day.
Step 2: set a price you can defend
Pricing is where sellers lose most sales, usually by anchoring on a hope rather than on what the name is. Run it through the Domain Worth Calculator, which scores a name factor by factor (extension, length, words, characters, age and links) and maps it to a value band rather than one exact number. A band is the honest output: no tool knows what a particular buyer will pay. Our guide to domain appraisal covers how to read that band and when a formal appraisal is worth paying for.
Then look at the name the way a buyer will. Serious buyers check history, so run the Domain Spam History Checker first. It scans the domain’s archived pages for casino, pharma, adult and hacked-site spam and links the evidence. If a past owner left that behind, you want to know before a buyer finds it mid-negotiation and reprices the deal.
Step 3: list it where buyers look
How to sell a domain name privately versus on a marketplace is mostly a question of who finds the buyer and who handles the money. Selling privately to someone who emailed you costs no commission, but you carry the negotiation and the payment risk. If you go that way, agree the price, the escrow service and who pays its fee in writing before either side does anything. A marketplace charges for reach, review and handling. Each venue publishes different terms, and those terms change; we compare them in where to sell domain names.
The SERPHeroes Domain Marketplace is one option at this step. Its sell page, as of 16 October 2026, sets out four stages:
- “Submit — Enter the domain, a price or minimum offer, and a short description.”
- “Verify ownership — Add a DNS record or upload a file we give you.”
- “We review it — We check the registry, and our team reviews the listing before it goes live.”
- “It goes live — Buyers find it on the marketplace and contact us. We email you about every serious offer.”
It accepts “Registered domains you own, can verify and can transfer”, names “that are not someone else’s trademark”, and “Prices from $10, in whole US dollars”. A free account is needed to submit. Buyers negotiate through the team rather than with you directly. Whichever venue you pick, read its own current fee page before you list. The exact listing steps and ownership checks for each venue are in how to list a domain for sale; if you need the money quickly, selling a domain fast compares the quicker routes and what they cost you in price.
Step 4: take payment before the name moves
Never transfer a name on a promise of payment, and never let a buyer pay you on a promise of a transfer. The standard answer is escrow: a neutral party holds the money, the seller moves the name, and the funds are released once the buyer confirms receipt. On the SERPHeroes marketplace, “Escrow.com holds your payment, the seller transfers the domain, and the seller is paid only once you confirm you have it.” Sedo, Afternic and others run their own versions. For how the process works and what each side pays, see domain escrow.
Step 5: move the name to the buyer
There are two delivery routes, and choosing the wrong one can strand the buyer behind a 60-day lock. If the buyer uses the same registrar, a “push” changes the registrant on the account (a Change of Registrant). If not, you release the AuthInfo code and the buyer’s registrar requests an inter-registrar transfer.
| Same-registrar push (Change of Registrant) | Inter-registrar transfer | |
|---|---|---|
| Who confirms | Both the old and the new registrant | The owner (AuthInfo code, then confirmation) |
| Speed under the policy | Processed within 1 day of both confirmations | Completed by default after up to 5 calendar days |
| Afterwards | 60-day transfer lock unless the owner opted out beforehand | 60 days in which a further transfer may be refused |
| Code needed | No | Yes |
For a transfer, your registrar must give you the code and remove “ClientTransferProhibited” “within five (5) calendar days” of your request if it has no self-service option. Once the buyer’s registrar submits it, your registrar must send the confirmation within 24 hours, and if it has not refused within five calendar days, the transfer goes through by default. The registration also gains a year, capped at ten in total. Many registrars move faster than those maximums.
One tip comes straight from ICANN: if the buyer’s end goal is a different registrar, request the inter-registrar transfer “before the Change of Registrant to avoid triggering the 60-day lock”.
A limit worth stating: none of this predicts whether the name sells, or for how much. The policy governs the mechanics, and a value band is an estimate. Demand is the part no checklist can supply.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell my domain name if I registered it recently?
You can agree a sale, but your registrar may refuse a transfer to another registrar within 60 days of registration. A same-registrar push may still be possible.
How long does a domain transfer take?
Under ICANN’s policy the registry completes a transfer after up to five calendar days unless the losing registrar refuses. Many registrars are faster.
Do I need a marketplace to sell a domain name online?
No. You can sell privately, but you then handle the negotiation and should use an escrow service so neither side pays or transfers on trust.
What does the buyer pay on the SERPHeroes marketplace?
“The agreed price plus Escrow.com’s transaction fee. SERPHeroes charges buyers no fee.” Every amount is shown at checkout before payment. The seller pays a flat 10% commission when the name sells; listing is free.
The takeaway Check the name can move, price it from a value band, list it, take payment through escrow, then pick the delivery route that avoids an unnecessary 60-day lock.
