What happens to a website and email when a domain is sold
A domain is the address that tells the internet where to find a website and where to deliver email. When it changes owners, control of that address changes too. If the domain was in use, both sides need a plan, or emails go missing and websites disappear.
Who controls what
The domain's DNS settings decide where its website and email point. Whoever controls the domain controls those settings. After a sale, that's the buyer.
- The website itself is hosted elsewhere, on the seller's hosting. Selling the domain doesn't sell the website, unless that's part of the deal.
- Email is delivered according to the domain's MX records. After the sale, the buyer decides where email for the domain goes.
For sellers: before you sell a domain you use
If the domain you're selling carries your email or website, prepare before you list it:
- Move your email to a new address. Set up mailboxes on another domain and update every account that uses the old address: banks, registrars, payment services, suppliers and customers. Your domain registrar account matters most. If its login email is on the domain you're selling, you could lose access to the account.
- Tell your contacts about the new address well in advance.
- Set up a new home for your website, if you're keeping the business under another name, and redirect visitors while you still control the domain.
- Back up anything you need from the website and mailboxes.
During the transfer
The transfer itself usually doesn't change DNS records immediately. If the domain uses nameservers at the seller's hosting company, the website and email may keep working until the buyer changes them. That can be convenient for a short transition, but it shouldn't be relied on: once the buyer controls the domain, they can change everything at any moment.
For buyers: after you receive a domain
When the domain arrives in your account:
- Check the nameservers and DNS records. They may still point to the previous owner's services. Change them to your own hosting and email.
- Expect stray email. Messages intended for the previous owner may still arrive if you set up mailboxes on the domain, particularly a catch-all mailbox that accepts any address. Don't use or read them; consider not creating a catch-all at first, and reply to senders if appropriate.
- Check search engines. Old pages may still show in search results for a while. Setting up your site and registering it with the search engines' webmaster tools helps them catch up.
- Look out for old accounts. Third-party accounts registered with addresses on the domain may still exist. Responsible buyers don't use those addresses to access accounts that belong to the previous owner.
Agree the details in advance
If anything beyond the bare domain is part of the sale, such as the website's content, a logo, or a transition period with redirects, agree it clearly before payment. On most marketplaces, the sale covers the domain only unless the listing says otherwise.
A transition period can be helpful. For example, the seller might ask the buyer to keep a redirect to the seller's new website for a few weeks. Agree this upfront rather than hoping for goodwill after the sale.
A quick checklist
Sellers:
- Move email, especially your registrar login email.
- Back up your website and mailboxes.
- Tell your contacts.
Buyers:
- Point DNS to your own services.
- Don't use addresses or accounts that belonged to the previous owner.
- Turn on the registrar lock and two-factor authentication.
Planning these steps makes a domain sale painless for both sides. If you're selling a domain that's still in use, our help center explains how transfers work on our marketplace and what buyers can expect.