Two ways to get a domain. One search box.
A domain is either unregistered — in which case you pay a registration fee and it is yours in minutes — or somebody owns it, in which case you buy it from them through escrow. Domaind checks both in the same query and tells you honestly which situation you are in.
Track one — register a new name
Nobody has taken it. There is no seller, no negotiation and no counterparty risk.
- You search, we check the registry live and show the first-year price
- You pay, and the registration is submitted to the registry immediately
- DNS and WHOIS privacy are switched on by default, at no extra cost
- You can transfer it away after 60 days, as ICANN rules require
Track two — buy a name someone owns
It is taken, and the owner has put it up for sale. This is where escrow matters.
- We surface the owner's asking price, or their minimum offer threshold
- You buy now, start a payment plan, or make an offer
- Your money sits in escrow while the domain is moved to your account
- Only after you confirm control does the seller get paid
The part that protects you
Escrow, in plain language
Buying a domain from a stranger is the one part of this business where people lose money. Escrow removes the trust problem entirely: nobody has to go first.
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You pay a neutral third party, not the seller
The money leaves your account but does not reach the seller. It is held by a licensed escrow provider that has no interest in the outcome.
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The seller is told the money is confirmed
This is the trigger. A seller will happily release a valuable name once they can see that the funds genuinely exist and are locked.
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The domain is moved into your account
Where the listing is instant-transfer eligible this is automatic. Otherwise the seller supplies an authorisation code and we push the transfer through for you.
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You inspect and confirm
You log in, verify the domain is really there and really under your control, and approve. If something is wrong, you say so and nothing is released.
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The seller is paid, or you are refunded
Those are the only two outcomes. There is no third outcome where the money is gone and you do not have the domain.
Lease-to-own
A $34,000 name becomes $1,417 a month. You get to use the domain from day one while you pay it off, and it transfers into your name once the final payment clears.
- 12, 24, 36 or 60 months depending on the seller's terms
- The domain points at your site while you pay — you launch immediately
- Pay it off early at any point, with no penalty
- Miss payments and control reverts to the seller — read the terms
Broker service
For the name that is taken, in use, and not for sale. A broker approaches the owner on your behalf, without revealing who you are or how much you want it.
- Anonymity matters — a funded startup asking directly pays a premium
- A realistic read on whether the owner will ever sell, before you spend
- Negotiation, contract and escrow handled end to end
- Fee agreed in writing up front, contingent on a completed purchase
Full disclosure
Who actually holds your domain
This is the question nobody in the industry answers clearly, so here it is in one screen.
Domaind is a reseller, not a registrar
Domain registrations bought through Domaind are provisioned by Wild West Domains, LLC, an ICANN-accredited registrar, which is the registrar of record for those registrations. Domaind is an independent reseller and is not itself an ICANN-accredited registrar.
In practice: we run the interface, the pricing, the support and the account. The accredited registrar holds the registration relationship with the registry. Your registration is subject to that registrar's registration agreement and to the applicable ICANN policies, including the Transfer Policy and the Expired Registration Recovery Policy.
Resale listings belong to their owners
Names shown as for sale are owned by third parties and listed through aftermarket partner networks. Domaind does not own them, does not set their asking prices and cannot guarantee that a listed name is still available, since the owner may sell or withdraw it at any moment.
What we do guarantee is the mechanics of your side: the price you are shown is the price you pay, the purchase runs through escrow, and if the domain does not reach your account you get your money back.
What you own, and how to leave
You are the registrant. The domain is listed in your name, not ours. After the 60-day lock that ICANN imposes on new registrations and transfers, you may transfer the name to any other registrar — we do not charge a transfer-out fee and we do not require you to call anyone to get your authorisation code.
Buyer questions
Before you spend anything
Why is one name $11 and a similar one $34,000?
Because the $11 one is unregistered and the $34,000 one is somebody's asset. The registration fee is set by the registry. The resale price is set by whoever owns it, based on what they believe someone will pay.
There is no rule that says the expensive one is better for you. Plenty of strong businesses run on a name that cost eleven dollars.
Is the resale price negotiable?
Sometimes. A buy-it-now price is usually firm — that is the point of it. Where a seller has set a minimum offer instead of a fixed price, there is real room. Opening at 40% of a published buy-now price generally wastes both parties' time.
How long until I can actually use the domain?
A new registration: minutes. An instant-transfer resale listing: usually under an hour. A resale that needs the seller to supply an authorisation code: one to five days, depending on how quickly they respond.
What if the seller takes my money and disappears?
They cannot. Your payment goes to an escrow provider, not to the seller. If the domain never lands in your account, escrow refunds you. This is the single most important thing to check on any domain marketplace, so check it everywhere.
Can I buy a name that is taken but not listed for sale?
Often, yes. Most domains are not publicly for sale but most owners will name a price. Our broker service approaches the owner anonymously — see Broker service above.
Do you check for trademark problems?
We screen out obvious infringements and typo-squats of well-known brands, and we flag names where we see a risk. That is a filter, not legal advice. If you are building a company on a name, have a lawyer clear it in the classes you will actually trade in.
Try it on a name you already gave up on
The one you decided was taken two years ago. There is a decent chance it has a price on it, and a better chance a version of it is sitting there unregistered.