Selling
Selling an onchain TLD is a negotiation between a small number of informed parties, not a public auction. These articles are written for holders. They cover how a TLD is valued when few comparable sales exist, how to prepare a file, what a sell-side mandate contains, how the sale of a trademark TLD differs from the sale of a market TLD, which terms matter at closing, and when keeping the TLD is the better choice.
Royalty program terms when a TLD changes hands
Two TLDs that look identical on the public record can carry different royalty terms. Here is how to find out which ones apply before closing, and who should ask.
Licensing a TLD instead of selling it
A holder who will not sell can still let someone else build on a TLD. The license is a contract, the token stays put, and every name is issued by the holder on instruction.
Writing a teaser for a TLD without naming it
The first document a possible buyer reads describes the TLD and leaves out its name. Here is how to write that page so it is useful and still gives nothing away.
Staged payments and earn-outs in a TLD sale
A TLD changes hands in a single transfer, and it does not come back. Here is how to stage a price or tie part of it to registrations without leaving one side exposed.
Two interested buyers: running a fair process
Two parties want the same TLD and only one can have it. How a holder treats both the same way, chooses once, and leaves the other with nothing to resent.
Paying advisers and referrers at closing
A sale rarely has only two people to pay. Here is how to settle everyone from one payment, in the open, with nobody left chasing an invoice.
What a seller still owes after closing
The token moves in one transaction. The seller's obligations do not end with it. A plain account of what you still owe the buyer once the sale has closed, and where those duties stop.
Selling a trademark TLD vs a market TLD: different jobs
One has a single logical buyer and a legal department. The other has a shortlist and a business case. The method follows.
Who actually buys an onchain TLD
A buyer is not a company. It is a person with a reason, a budget line and someone to convince.
Preparing an onchain TLD for sale
Buyers pay for a clean string, a clean history and a clean handover. Most of that is in the holder's hands.
Planning the exit of an onchain TLD portfolio
The order of sales changes the outcome. A plan for holders who registered early and at scale.
Seven pricing mistakes onchain TLD holders make
Most pricing errors are made before the first conversation. Seven of them, and what to do instead.
How much do names under a TLD add to its value
Revenue from names is real arithmetic on uncertain inputs. A worked example, and the discount a buyer applies.
What is a TLD worth? Valuing onchain TLDs
Comparables are thin. Here is what actually drives the value of a TLD, and how a private valuation works.
Selling a finance word TLD: who buys it and how it runs
What is particular about selling a TLD that names a financial activity or product, from the first list of buyers to the terms.
Selling a short or acronym TLD: who buys it and how it runs
What is particular about selling a very short TLD or an acronym, from the first list of buyers to the terms.
Selling a non-English TLD: who buys it and how the sale runs
What is particular about selling a TLD in a language other than English, or in a non-Latin script, from the first list of buyers to the terms.
An offer arrives for your TLD: what to do before you answer
The first offer is rarely the best one and rarely the last. What it tells you, and how to reply.