How to buy a domain name that’s owned by someone else

It’s a frustrating experience when you come up with a great name for your new venture only to discover the matching .com domain name is not available to register. Don’t abandon hope yet. Just because someone else apparently owns a domain you really want doesn’t mean you can’t eventually get the domain. Here’s an overview of some of the options you have to make your domain name dream come true.

1. Investigate how the domain is being used

This will seem obvious to some readers, but you’d be surprised how often people forget to try this…

The first thing I recommend you do is investigate if and how the domain is currently being used. Type the domain name into your web browser and check out their website. Do you get a server error or some sort of technical glitch? Or does the domain resolve to a full-blown website? Is the domain “parked,” meaning displaying a bunch of pay-per-click ads? Or does the domain show a “for sale” page? In general, if the domain doesn’t appear to be in active use, or is expired, your chances of being able to acquire it are better.

2. See if the domain is listed for re-sale in the domain marketplaces

It’s quite possible that the domain is listed for sale in one (or several) of the many domain name marketplaces, however most first-time buyers don’t even realize these marketplaces exist. And if the domain’s not listed for sale, you still have the option of approaching the current owner and trying to convince them to part with their domain name, a topic I will touch upon later in this article.

You will be pleasantly surprised by the quality, quantity, and even pricing of domain names that are available for immediate purchase in some of the large domain name marketplaces. Most of these marketplaces will allow you to conduct advanced searches of their inventory, e.g., .com domains that are 10 characters or less and end with the word “robot.” The domains that you find in these marketplaces can typically be purchased almost immediately for the listed price. This removes the vagueness of the domain’s availability for sale and its purchase price. If there is no buy-it-now price, the domain may be listed as “make offer” in the marketplace, but at least you know it’s for sale and can begin negotiating.

Here are the domain name marketplaces I recommend you check first to see if your dream domain name is already listed for sale there:

• Afternic 
• Squadhelp
• Flippa 
• GoDaddy Auctions 
• Sedo 

There are lots of other smaller marketplaces where domains are listed for re-sale, even including eBay, however a search on the popular marketplaces above will encompass the majority of the inventory that is available for purchase.

3. Contact the domain owner and try to forge a deal

If you’re able to identify who owns the domain name, either by researching the usage of the domain (see point #1) or by doing a WHOIS query, then you have the option of contacting the domain owner and attempting to buy the domain from them. This option is not for everyone, however, because it will require negotiation skills and some technical expertise. If you’re the kind of person that is comfortable negotiating deals with a complete stranger, then this may be a viable option for you, however some people prefer to delegate this task to others who are more skilled at it than them. If you are able to reach an agreement to buy the domain, make sure you use a licensed domain escrow service such as Escrow.com or Payoneer Escrow to ensure the safety of the transaction.

4. Seek help from a Domain Buyer Broker

Believe it or not, there are brokers that specialize in helping entrepreneurs acquire domain names that are owned by third parties. A professional domain buyer broker should have better success in tracking down the owner of the domain name, can usually get you a better deal than you could on your own, and will offer you valuable advice along the way. Some of the large marketplaces offer domain buyer brokering services, usually for a fee, and there are also independent brokers and brokerages (such as my firm, Name Ninja) that act as domain buyer brokers for clients. If you can’t figure out who owns the domain, or you’re not comfortable handling the negotiation yourself, or you wish to hide your identity as the buyer, working with a domain buyer broker could be a good option for you.

5. Do a pivot on your name and domain

If you’ve tried all of the above and still can’t get your first choice domain name, you can try ‘pivoting’ on your name and domain in several ways:

• Try adding a short prefix or suffix to your name. This is a good solution if you really want to stick with a .com domain. Verbs are quite effective as prefixes, so you could try things like getNAME.com, goNAME.com, and tryNAME.com. For suffixes you can experiment with descriptors and try things like NAMEsite.com, NAMEapp.com, and NAMEinc.com. Exploring which two and three-character words are a suitable prefix or suffix to your name may be the simplest solution to your domain dilemma, especially if you are on a tight budget.

• You can try to obtain your ideal name in a different legacy gTLD (generic top level domain). For instance, if you can’t get the .com domain, you could try switching to the .net or .org version. If you’re launching a startup in the tech space, you could consider going with the .co version, which has gained significant traction in the startup community. And if your new venture will be focused on a specific geographical audience, you could opt for the relevant country code TLD (ccTLD) such as .ca for Canada or .au for Australia.

• If you’re feeling adventurous, you could obtain your name in one of the hundreds of new TLDs that have emerged since 2014. For instance, if your new business is community-oriented, perhaps a .club domain would do the trick? If it’s a technology play, consider .tech. Creating a store? Check out .store. You get the idea. With hundreds of new TLDs available, you may be able to find one that is an excellent match for the focus of your new business. One major caveat with these new TLDs is that the general public hasn’t fully embraced – or even become aware of – them, so you will have to accelerate your marketing efforts to make your audience understand that you’re using something other than a ‘classic’ .com domain.

There are two other options you could try, in theory, but I don’t recommend them because they will give you trouble in the long run. You can incorporate a dash in multi-word names, e.g., Smart-Car.com. And you can also get inventive with spelling and/or ditch vowels from words, but be prepared to be forever having to spell your confusing domain name out loud to people. Think of these two options as a last resort.

6. If all else fails, make a U-turn

There is, of course, one other option, although it’s rather drastic. You could give up on your dream name and switch names altogether. I’ve certainly seen lots of people choose this option out of sheer frustration, and it’s totally understandable. By starting over with a clean slate, however, you may open the door to more creative and affordable domain name options.

If you have acquired a registered .com before, tell us about your process in the comments below.