Almost everything written about domain transfers is written for domain investors, who already know how this works. This is written for the operator buying one serious name, once, and wanting to know exactly what happens between agreeing a price and controlling the address.
Fees and timings are Escrow.com's published terms at time of writing; confirm current rates directly before you transact.
The core problemTwo strangers, one irreversible handover
A domain sale has the structure of every classic trust problem. If the buyer pays first, nothing compels the seller to transfer. If the seller transfers first, nothing compels the buyer to pay. Neither party usually knows the other, the amounts are meaningful, and the asset moves in a way that is difficult to reverse.
Escrow solves it by inserting a third party who holds the money and releases it only on confirmed delivery. This is the entire reason we handle transfers through Escrow.com rather than accepting payment ourselves — not as a courtesy, but because a buyer should never have to take our word for anything.
The processSix steps, start to finish
- Price and terms are agreedBuyer and seller settle the number and what is included. On this site, what is included is the domain name and nothing else — no logo, no identity, no traffic history.
- The buyer pays the escrow agent, not the sellerFunds go to Escrow.com. At no point does the seller hold the buyer's money.
- Escrow verifies and holds the fundsThe seller is notified that payment is secured. This is what makes it safe for them to release the asset first.
- The seller initiates the transferBy registrar push or authorisation code — see below. This is the step where the domain moves.
- The buyer confirms controlNot just that a transfer happened, but that the name is in their account and working. Take the time here; this is the buyer's leverage and it disappears at step six.
- Escrow releases paymentOnly after confirmation, and only after the agent has verified registrar control against the signed instructions.
Step five is the only moment in the transaction where a buyer holds all the leverage. Do not rush it.
The mechanicsTwo ways a domain moves
| Registrar push | Auth code (EPP) transfer |
|---|---|
| Both parties hold accounts at the same registrar | Buyer and seller are at different registrars |
| The name moves between accounts internally, often in minutes | The seller unlocks the domain and provides an authorisation code |
| No auth code, no transfer window, no registry delay | The buyer initiates at their registrar; the registry processes it |
| Not blocked by the 60-day lock | Can take several days, and is blocked by the 60-day lock |
If speed matters, the practical move is for the buyer to open a free account at the seller's registrar and take delivery by push. It costs nothing and removes most of what can go wrong.
The trapICANN's 60-day lock
This is the rule that catches nearly every first-time buyer. After a domain is newly registered, or after it has recently been transferred between registrars, ICANN policy permits a 60-day lock that prevents another registrar-to-registrar transfer. A buyer who agrees a deal and then discovers the name cannot move for two months tends to assume something has gone wrong, or that they are being defrauded.
Nothing has gone wrong. And there is a clean way through it: a same-registrar push is not a registrar-to-registrar transfer, so it is not blocked. The buyer opens an account at the seller's registrar, the name is pushed across, and the buyer can move it wherever they like once the window expires.
Ask before you agree terms whether the name has been registered or transferred in the last 60 days. Any honest seller will tell you.
CostsWhat the fee actually is, and who pays
Escrow.com's fee runs around 3.25% on transactions up to $5,000, tapering as values rise, with a minimum fee of $50 introduced in May 2024. Payment method matters more than people expect: on a $2,000 transaction the fee is roughly $65 by wire but can exceed $120 by credit card, because card processing costs are passed through.
The fee can be paid by buyer, seller, or split, and the split is agreed and visible before either party signs. There is no default — it is a term of the deal like any other, and it is negotiable.
Before you offerHow to check a price is sane
Two public references exist, and both are free. DNJournal has published verified sales charts since 2003 and is the industry's standard record for the top of the market. NameBio holds over six million recorded transactions and is where you look for comparables that actually resemble the name you are buying — same length, same structure, same extension.
The single most common pricing error is anchoring on a headline. AI.com at $70 million tells you nothing about what a three-word phrase domain is worth. Find five names that look structurally like yours and see what they closed at.
Our positionWhat we do and don't do
We sell the domain name only. No logo, no brand identity, no design assets, no traffic history, no customer list. Transfers go through Escrow.com. We do not take payment directly and we do not ask anyone to.
We do not perform trademark clearance and we are not lawyers. A domain is an address; a trademark is a right to use a name for particular goods and services in a particular territory, and they are separate things that can conflict. Anyone building a brand on a name should have counsel run clearance before spending on signage, packaging or advertising.
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Fees, timings and policies described here were current at publication and are set by third parties, not by us — confirm them directly with Escrow.com, your registrar and ICANN before you transact. This article is general information, not legal advice. BuyURLs.com sells domain names; it does not perform trademark clearance, and buyers are responsible for their own.