How to buy a domain from a private seller without getting scammed
Buying a domain directly from its owner can get you a great name, but it's also where most domain scams happen. The good news is that they tend to follow familiar patterns, and a few simple rules protect you from nearly all of them.
The most common scams
The seller doesn't own the domain. Someone offers a domain they don't control, takes payment and disappears. Because owner details are often hidden in public records, it's easy to pretend.
The fake escrow service. The seller agrees to escrow but insists on a particular service, one you've never heard of, with a professional-looking website. The "escrow" is run by the scammer, and your payment goes straight to them.
Payment that can't be reversed. You're pushed to pay by wire transfer, gift cards, cryptocurrency or a "friends and family" payment, methods that offer you no protection if something goes wrong.
The pressure play. "Another buyer is about to pay, so you need to send the money today." Urgency stops people from checking things they otherwise would.
The unsolicited offer. Someone contacts you out of the blue, offering a domain related to your business, often at a suspiciously good price, or claiming that someone else is about to register "your" name unless you act now.
The rules that keep you safe
1. Never pay a stranger directly
Use escrow every time: a neutral party holds the money until the domain is in your account. This single rule defeats most domain scams, because a scammer who can't deliver the domain never gets paid.
2. Choose the escrow yourself
Only use an escrow service or marketplace that you've found and checked independently, never one suggested by the other party in an email. Type the address into your browser yourself rather than clicking a link they sent.
3. Confirm the seller controls the domain
A legitimate seller can prove control. For example, they can add a specific record to the domain's DNS settings or put a message on the website at your request. Marketplaces that verify ownership before listing do this for you.
4. Check the domain's status
A public WHOIS or RDAP lookup shows the registration and expiry dates and whether the domain is locked or in a dispute. A domain that expires next week, or one that's subject to a legal hold, needs extra questions before you pay.
5. Only confirm once it's in your account
When the transfer happens, don't confirm the purchase until the domain shows in your own registrar account, under your control. A screenshot from the seller isn't enough.
6. Slow down when you're rushed
Genuine sellers understand that buyers need a day or two to check things. If someone won't allow that, walk away.
Warning signs to watch for
- The seller's email address doesn't match the domain or the marketplace you're using.
- The price is far below what similar names sell for.
- The seller wants payment in an unusual way or to an account in a different name.
- The story keeps changing: a different price, a new deadline, a new payment method.
- Links in messages lead to sites that look slightly off, such as a misspelled marketplace name.
If something feels wrong
Stop and don't send any money. If you've already paid through a method with buyer protection, contact the payment provider immediately. If you used escrow, tell the escrow provider before confirming anything. Report the scam to the marketplace or platform where you met the seller.
Buying with protection built in
The safest route is a marketplace that handles the risky parts for you: listings are ownership-verified, you pay at checkout rather than to the seller, and the payment is held until you confirm the domain has arrived. That's how every sale on our marketplace works. If you're looking for a name, you can browse verified listings without worrying about who's on the other side.