Buying & selling domains: frequently asked questions.
Short, complete answers to the questions that buyers and sellers ask me most often. Is your question missing? Ask me directly.
Buying a domain
What does a premium domain cost?
There is no fixed price range. The deciding factors include the extension, the length, the term, the suitability as a brand, the commercial potential, possible buyer groups and documented comparable sales. If you have a specific purchase in mind, a further factor is the economic or strategic value that this particular domain has for your planned project. The rankings on domainpreisdatenbank.de (in German) give a first idea of the range in which the highest publicly known sales of an industry fall. Keep in mind, though, that the highest sales in particular are often not published at all.
Where can I find real sale prices for .de domains?
Automated appraisal tools deliver estimates, not sale prices. Prices that were actually paid are documented in the Domainpreisdatenbank, a database of domain sale prices: domainpreisdatenbank.de (in German) lists the highest publicly documented sales of .de domains by industry, each with its source and data date. The lists are suitable for orientation and for citing. For an individual domain, however, the record price of an industry is rarely the right benchmark. The range of truly comparable sales is more reliable, and I determine it from the full database as part of a mandate. An English edition with international sales is available at domainsalesdatabase.com.
The domain I want is “not for sale.” What now?
Domains that are not publicly offered for sale are often negotiable as well. I research the owner and suitable ways to reach them, and I first clarify whether there is a general willingness to sell. In the process, your identity, your project and your budget are not revealed earlier than necessary. The page “Acquire a domain” explains more.
Why shouldn’t I contact the owner myself?
A direct inquiry can already give the domain owner clues about your company, your project and the possible economic value of the domain, and so change the starting position of the negotiation. A domain broker can keep this information in the background at first. The other side is just as important: excessive asking prices can be put into perspective and negotiated with market knowledge, comparable sales and well-founded arguments.
What does it cost to acquire the domain I want?
Acquiring a domain that is already taken involves work even before a possible purchase: research, contacting the owner, assessing the market value and preparing the negotiation. That is why domain acquisition is not handled purely on a success basis. When I take on a mandate, an engagement fee agreed in advance becomes due. If the acquisition succeeds, a success fee, also agreed beforehand, is added. A first inquiry is without obligation. Costs arise only after you have expressly engaged me.
How are the purchase price and the domain transfer handled?
The transaction is usually handled through an escrow process in which the payment of the purchase price and the transfer of the domain are coordinated with each other. Escrow can be provided by QBK Schutzrechte Treuhand GmbH. Depending on the transaction, the wishes of the parties and the international setup, external services such as Escrow.com, Sedo, Fruits or Afternic can also be used. In addition, a written purchase agreement can record the agreed terms.
How long does the brokerage process take?
That cannot be predicted in general. Some domain owners respond quickly, others only after several contact attempts or a longer period of time. After that, the duration depends on the owner’s interest in selling, the price expectations and the course of the negotiation. You are kept informed of significant developments.
How do I find out who owns a domain?
For .de domains, that depends on who the owner is. For legal entities, owner data can now be publicly available through the domain lookup of DENIC, the .de registry. The personal owner data of natural persons, by contrast, remains protected. For international domains, too, WHOIS data is often restricted. In addition, more than 20 years in the domain industry have given me an international network, grown over time, of domain investors, brokers, registrars and other market participants. Especially when domain owners are hard to reach, industry knowledge and personal contacts can help to find suitable contact persons or ways to reach them.
Can I also lease a domain or buy it in installments?
Depending on the domain and the owner’s willingness, a domain lease with a right of first refusal or a lease-to-own arrangement can be agreed as an alternative to a direct purchase. The specific structure and handling can be arranged individually through QBK Schutzrechte Treuhand GmbH.
Selling a domain
What is my domain worth?
The value of a domain depends on factors including the extension, the length, the term, the suitability as a brand, the commercial potential, possible buyer groups and documented comparable sales. My assessments are based on my own database of prices actually achieved in the market. A public excerpt from it, the highest documented .de sale prices by industry, is available on domainpreisdatenbank.de (in German). When a domain is marketed, the next question is what economic or strategic value the domain can have for the specific buyers identified. The price and negotiation strategy is built on that. For formal valuation purposes (court, tax office, mergers and acquisitions) I prepare separate expert domain appraisal reports through domainpreisgutachten.de (in German).
Why do I have to state an asking price?
Without an asking price I cannot seriously assess whether marketing the domain makes sense for both sides. That is why I do not reply to submissions without an asking price.
Do you accept every domain?
No. I only take on domains for which I currently see a convincing marketing approach and a realistic chance of a sale. The quality of the domain, the asking price, the buyer groups that can be reached, the current market situation and my existing contacts all play a role. A rejection therefore does not automatically mean that a domain is bad or worthless.
What does selling cost me?
Submitting your domain and having it reviewed are free of charge and without obligation. If your domain is accepted for active marketing, we agree on the fee in advance and transparently in the marketing agreement. No costs arise without prior agreement. What matters is not only the amount of a commission but also the sales work that is done for it: market and price assessment, an individual value case, a dedicated sales page, buyer research and outreach, qualification of prospective buyers, professionally supported negotiation and a coordinated closing.
Do I have to work with you exclusively?
For active marketing mandates, usually yes. Only with an exclusive mandate can I responsibly invest in buyer research and outreach. We clarify the details before the mandate is granted.
How long does it take to get a response?
For a qualified submission, you usually receive a reply within five working days.
I have already received a purchase inquiry for my domain. What now?
An existing purchase inquiry is a real sales opportunity. Before a final price position is set, the value of the domain, the buyer, the communication so far and the negotiating situation should first be assessed. For suitable domains, it can also be checked whether there are other potential buyers worth approaching. Even if you have already replied or named a price, professional support can still make sense. The page “Received a purchase inquiry?” explains more.
What happens to my data?
Your details are processed solely to handle your inquiry and within the scope of the applicable privacy policy. You can find more information on storage periods and deletion in the privacy policy.