A domain sale is complete only when the agreed registration control has reached the buyer and the agreed payment process has finished. Between a handshake and that result are several separate tasks: verifying the seller, documenting the sale, choosing a handoff method, protecting funds, and keeping any active services working.
This checklist is designed for an individually negotiated domain purchase, including one arranged through a marketplace. Adapt it to the provider's actual workflow. Assign a person to each step, record what counts as completion, and agree how questions will be resolved before anyone starts moving the domain.
Verify control and authority to sell
Confirm the exact domain character by character, including its extension. Compare the listing, agreement, payment reference, and registrar screen. Similar spelling is not enough. For internationalized names, make sure both parties understand the exact registered form being purchased.
Ask the seller to demonstrate control through a method accepted by the transaction provider. A temporary verification record or registrar assisted check may be part of that process, but treat it as evidence of operational control rather than complete proof of authority to sell. Ask who the contracting seller is and how that person is connected to the registration.
If an organization holds the domain, identify the authorized representative. Record unresolved ownership questions before paying. Also confirm expiration status, the registrar of record, and whether a broker is acting for the seller. The beginner's domain buying guide provides context for the checks that should precede an offer.
Write down the purchase and handoff terms
Create a written record of the exact domain, price, currency, buyer, seller, payment method, fees, and intended completion dates. State what is included. A domain transaction should not leave the parties guessing about whether a website, logo, mailing list, hosting account, or social profile is also being delivered.
Describe the handoff method and the evidence required for acceptance. Specify who starts the move, who receives the domain, who handles registrar requests, and what happens if the chosen method is unavailable. Include an inspection period that fits the settlement provider's process and a clear way to report problems within it.
Document who pays renewal and transfer costs if completion is delayed. If the domain already supports a business, agree how long existing services must continue and who is responsible for that continuity. Resolve material ambiguities before the payment instructions arrive; a rushed email exchange during delivery is a poor place to negotiate missing terms.
Agree how payment custody will work
Identify the actual organization receiving the money and read the instructions for this transaction. Establish whether it acts as an escrow holder, a payment processor, or a marketplace settlement agent. Ask what it verifies, when it considers funds received, what triggers release, and what procedure applies if the parties disagree.
Do not infer a particular protection from the word marketplace or from a logo on an email. Access the provider through a known address and confirm the transaction within your account. Independently verify unexpected changes to payment instructions using an established contact channel.
Both parties should know the sequence: funding, provider confirmation, domain delivery, inspection, acceptance, and disbursement, as applicable to the chosen service. The seller should act on the provider's confirmed status rather than a payment screenshot. The buyer should understand acceptance deadlines before sending funds. A clear custody process reduces uncertainty; it does not turn every possible dispute into a guaranteed refund.
Choose a registrar transfer or an account push
An inter-registrar transfer changes the registrar managing the domain registration. An account push moves a domain between customer accounts at the same registrar, where that registrar supports the operation. A change of registrant concerns the registered holder. These concepts can overlap in a sale, but they are separate questions to discuss with the provider.
Ask whether the buyer must open an account at the seller's registrar, which contact information will change, and what permissions the buyer receives. For a registrar transfer, confirm the gaining registrar supports the extension and the specific domain's pricing arrangement. Use the approved channel for any authorization code.
Do not accept a shared login as the planned handoff. The buyer needs an account under their own control and an agreed registration record. Our domain buying resources can help organize this decision before a provider starts sending action requests.
Confirm applicable locks before choosing dates
For domains subject to ICANN's transfer rules, distinguish the restrictions described in ICANN's Transfer Policy. A registrar may deny an inter-registrar transfer within 60 days of initial registration or a previous registrar transfer, subject to the policy's exceptions. A qualifying Change of Registrant carries a separate 60-day inter-registrar lock unless the registrar offers, and the holder exercises, an opt-out before the change request.
Ask the current registrar which restriction applies to this exact domain and obtain its earliest eligible transfer date. A routine unlock control does not establish that every other restriction has ended. Confirm the sequence before changing registrant details, because the order can affect when a registrar move is possible.
An account push is not automatically proof that a later registrar transfer will be available. Ask about both operations. For extensions governed by different transfer arrangements, obtain the relevant registry and registrar requirements. Build the completion schedule around confirmed eligibility, rather than a universal promise of instant delivery.
Prepare website, DNS, and email continuity
Inventory any services connected to the domain before the handoff. Record nameservers and the DNS records needed for the website, email, verification services, and subdomains. Identify who controls the DNS hosting account and whether the buyer will receive that account, replace it, or maintain a separate service.
Ask both providers what will happen to nameservers and bundled DNS service during the selected move. A registrar change and a hosting migration need not be scheduled as one event. Agree the smallest necessary set of changes and keep a copy of the working configuration.
If DNS service must change, prepare the replacement configuration before switching and plan for caching. Include mail routing and authentication records in the review. Where DNSSEC is enabled, coordinate the signing and delegation details with the responsible providers. Set a monitoring window and a named technical contact; neither party should be guessing who will fix a broken mailbox during inspection.
Execute the handoff and inspect the result
Begin delivery only after the agreed funding condition has been confirmed. Follow the provider's actual instructions, and verify each request against the recorded domain and buyer account. Send authorization codes only through the intended secure process. Keep a dated record of approvals and completion notices without spreading account credentials among participants.
The buyer should sign in independently and confirm the domain appears in the correct account with the expected control. Check registrant information, expiration details, renewal settings, and the registrar's completion status. A message saying the move has started is not the same as a completed handoff.
Test the website and email where continuity was included in the agreement. Compare the result with the acceptance criteria before approving release. Report any mismatch through the settlement provider's process within the applicable inspection period, keeping the report specific and supported by records.
Close payment and secure the registration
Once the agreed checks pass, complete acceptance through the designated process and retain the provider's confirmation. The seller should separately confirm disbursement status. Remove obsolete marketplace listings and agree which party updates any remaining sales pages so another buyer is not invited into a stale transaction.
The buyer should enable appropriate account security, review recovery contacts, remove unnecessary delegated access, and confirm renewal billing. Reapply available transfer protection after the intended move is complete. Record where future notices will arrive and who is responsible for acting on them.
Sellers can use the same sequence from the other side: prepare accurate records, follow confirmed funding instructions, document delivery, and verify payout. The domain selling guide covers preparation that makes these closing steps easier to manage.
Keep a completion record
Save the agreement, invoice, transaction reference, registrar confirmations, inspection results, and final payment status together. Record any remaining obligation, such as temporary DNS support, with its owner and end date. A successful handoff leaves both parties able to explain what moved, when it moved, and how completion was verified.
