There are several ways to find a buyer for a domain name but the more focused your search is, the better and likely higher sales price you will reach. Here are some tools and tips to helping you find a buyer for your domain name.

Easy Way ~ Domain Name Auctions

Domain Name Auction ~ There are several services that allow you to list your domain name into an auction. This will not always bring you "the perfect buyer" but should allow you to sell if you choose. Here are some domain name auction services that you can use to list your domain name for sale.

Bido.com Low selling fees (about 10% commission)

SnapNames.com 150,000 Qualified Buyers. Commission is in the range of 15%-20%

Godaddy.com Auctions Low listing fees

eBay.com is worth a shot but your domain name can get lost in the mix pretty easy, so be sure to use a reserve if you do not want to risk it.

The following services allow you to list your domain name(s) for sale but you can send your domain to auction on an offer.

Sedo.com About the hottest domain service around right now! A nice mix of End User buyers and Domain Investors. Commission is about 10%

PushToAuction.com is a service not owned by Sedo.com but allows you to list your domain "to get an offer to send it to auction on Sedo".

Afternic.com Does have End User buyers. Commission’s range from 10% and 20% depending on promotion level selected.

Big Auctions~ Big Auctions are services that offer Live domain name auctions at domain shows around the world. These auctions happen at specific times, so it’s best to check out the services.

Latonas.com is the exclusive auction provider for T.R.A.F.F.I.C. domain name shows.

SnapNames.com runs several different auctions. Some domain shows and has also started a new Monthly Showcase Auction.

Aftermarket.com great auction service which holds exclusive domain name show auctions.

GreatDomains.com is a Sedo.com company runs themed auctions on Sedo.com .

Even if you do put your domain name into auction, it’s not time to kick your feet up and wait to see what happens. Promote the auction yourself! Do a press release, advertise in the fitting market of your domain, use social networking or do a direct mailing!

Waiting

There is a famous saying that often is very true in selling domain names also. "Good things come to those who wait!" This is the approach that many domain name investors take (me included) that has produced nice sales.

If you play the waiting game, it is very important that there is an easy way for an interested party to contact you! Not everybody knows about the domain name owner database Whois. If they do and you have privacy protection, it makes it all that much harder for somebody to be able to contact you.

I always think it’s best to have some way of contact that goes directly TO YOU on the domain landing page itself.

Playing the waiting game will help if you list your domain name for sale where buyers often search and that includes Sedo.com and Afternic.com .

Searching For Your Buyer

Since every single domain name is unique in it’s own way, finding the right buyer should be specific to the domain name. This means that not all these tools will help, but some should!

From the years I have been in the domain name industry, it seems the hardest part is educating the right people that they need the specific domain name you are selling and Why. So first you have to find this right person / company (often called an End User) and once you do find them, you may have to convince them why they need it. Here are some tips to find that right buyer.

Search Engines are your friend! They are loaded with info and search engines work based on Keywords. Use keyword related terms that pertain to your specific domain name and do some searches. Do not always stick to just the keywords in your domain name, use keywords that also cover what your domain name is about.

It may be a product or service they offer. It may be a GEO location they are targeting, a niche etc.

I always use Whois.sc and take the domain name of the SE listing and get the contact info, and place my contact either by phone or email. You can use the contact provided on the site, but that often goes to "not the right person".

If you own a product or service type domain name, ThomasNet.com is a vital source of product and service providers. These are often small to medium sized companies listed in ThomasNet. You may even see ThomasNet.com come up in a search on SE’s for products or services related keywords. Use ThomasNet and search by keyword of the product or service your domain name relates to.

Once you do find matching companies, I again use Whois.sc and use the domain name of the company to get the contact info!

Search for domain name in search engines that already hold your exact match domain name in there URL already! Use the following string in Google:

inurl:keywordhere

This will result in search results with that exact match term in the URL’s. The results will not "only" show the matching keyword(s) in the domain name itself, but categories, sub domains etc. If a company has a category or is using a sub domain, they may be interested in the exact match domain as well.

Whois Database

Using the whois database can work as well to find a domain name buyer.

Look for people that own "other" TLD’s of your matching domain name. This will work best if you own the .com domain, but if you own the .net and they own All the other’s, you could find interest.

Be sure to search the Plural or like wise, singular version of your domain name if this fits your domain name. Owning the "pair" (singular and plural) is often vital.

Advertising

Advertising comes in A LOT of different ways. So many way’s it really doesn’t pay for me to list them. Basically, you can advertise just about any place you can think of, so be creative and think outside the box!

Advertise your domain name for sale in a unique form that is eye catching, but be sure to Focus your advertising to the correct market!