GoDaddy Auctions® offers multiple listing types for buying and selling domains. You can't list domains expiring within the next 90 days, inactive domains, or internationalized (or foreign language) domains. All prices on GoDaddy Auctions® listings are shown in USD, regardless of the currency you'll be paying in.
Select an option to see more details on our different listing types:
Offer-style auctions: Negotiate the domain price or buy it now
- Buy Now only
- Offer/Counter-Offer
- Offer/Counter-Offer with Buy Now
Bid-style auctions: Compete with other buyers to place the highest bid
- 7-day Public Auction
- Push to Auction
- Value Priced Auctions
- Expired Auctions
- Closeout Domains
Buy Now only
Don’t want to wait for an auction to run its course, or navigate the negotiations of an Offer/Counter-offer? Our Buy Now option lets buyers and sellers close the deal instantly. Sellers can list their domain with an option to bypass the bidding or offering process. Buyers can choose domains listed as Buy Now to purchase a domain immediately, and quickly secure it without risk of losing to a higher bid or offer.
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Offer/Counter-Offer
Like the domain, but hoping to negotiate on the price? Or not sure what you should list as the asking price? An Offer/Counter-offer listing might be the ideal option for you. Sellers can list a domain with a minimum offer and take action after receiving an offer at or above that minimum. And buyers can submit any amount for an offer on a domain—as long as it exceeds the minimum offer amount.
When an offer is submitted, there are a few options available for a response.
- Accept: Accept the current offer or counter-offer for the domain. Once an offer is accepted, the sale is closed, the offer is considered binding and must be completed.
- Counter: Respond to a current offer or counter-offer with another counter to negotiate the price of the domain. The buyer at this point can accept the counter, submit a response to the counter-offer or take no action.
- Take no action: The offer or counter-offer will expire after 7 days of being submitted if no action is taken.
- Push to a 7-day auction: The seller can push the buyer's offer to auction. The submitted offer becomes the opening bid in the 7-Day Public Auction, and other GoDaddy Auctions® members can bid on the listing.
There is no obligation for a seller to accept an offer, but if an offer is accepted, the sale is closed, and the offer is considered binding. The highest offer doesn't necessarily mean that buyer has won the domain—the seller must first accept the offer to conclude the sale.
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Offer/Counter-Offer with Buy Now
The same as an Offer/Counter-offer auction, but with the additional option to secure the domain through Buy Now. In an Offer/Counter-offer with Buy Now listing, a sale concludes when the seller accepts an offer, the buyer accepts a counter-offer or the buyer accepts the Buy Now price.
There is no obligation to accept an offer by either the buyer or seller. Offers and counter-offers are binding for seven days, and will expire after that seven day period, unless accepted. Any offers or counter-offers accepted within seven days concludes the sale and must be completed. The highest offer doesn't necessarily mean that buyer has won the domain—the seller must first accept the offer to conclude the sale.
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7-Day Public Auction
This is your typical online auction. The seller sets a starting bid price, bidders battle it out and, when time runs out, the highest bidder wins. There may not be a winner if the seller's reserve price hasn't been met. Buyers can't see what the reserve price is, but they can see if there is one and if it's been met by any other buyers. Sellers set the starting bid price which becomes the minimum bid buyers can enter for the domain name.
A 7-Day Public Auction typically ends at the end of the 7-day time frame. GoDaddy Auctions® may extend the length of an auction to allow potential buyers the opportunity to bid. If several bids are submitted in the final moments of an auction, you may lose out to one of these bidders. A clock icon displays next to domains with extended auction time. A 7-day auction can have a starting bid price up to US$50,000. If a seller wants to ask for higher initial offers, they must use an Offer/Counter-offer listing type.
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Push to Auction
Push to Auction is a feature at GoDaddy Auctions® that lets you convert a Offer/Counter-offer listing to a 7-Day Public Auction.
When you receive an offer for a domain, you can respond to the offer by accepting it, declining it, providing a counter-offer, or pushing the listing to auction. If you decide to push your Offer/Counter-offer listing to auction, the buyer's offer becomes the opening bid in the 7-Day Public Auction, and other GoDaddy Auctions® members can bid on the listing. You can't cancel the listing or add a reserve price after you Push to Auction because we convert the buyer's offer to the opening bid.
If there are multiple offers for a listing when you Push to Auction, the highest bid becomes the opening bid, and we cancel all pending offers. We add the domain to the Watching List for each member who made an offer, notify them of the change and provide a link to the auction. The original opening bid is still binding for the buyer who placed it, even if there are no additional offers placed.
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Value Priced Auctions
GoDaddy will occasionally list domains for auction when the previous domain owner no longer owns the domain. These domains are listed in a traditional bid-style auction, where potential buyers try to out-bid each other. The initial listing price is determined by GoDaddy's valuation process, and are listed for a 15-day time frame. The buyer with the highest bid at the end of the auction is the winner.
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Expired Auctions
Domains that simply expire are automatically entered into auction 25 days after expiration. You can bid on any expiring domain listed through GoDaddy Auctions®. Expired auctions last for 10 days, after which domains without bids are moved to Expired Domains Closeout. The current registrant can re-claim the domain up to 30 days after expiration. Once a bid is placed, the registrant can no longer renew the domain in their account.
It's possible to place a bid on your own expired domain after it's listed in Expired Auctions. We recommend renewing your expired domain, if it's available in your account, to avoid delays in receiving the domain.
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Expired Domains Closeout
These are domains with Buy Now prices as low as US$5.00. The GoDaddy Auctions® Expired Domains Closeout is a Buy Now option for expired auctions that have ended. A closeout begins after the 10-day Expired Auction has ended and lasts 5 days. It's the last chance to capture expired domains for just the closeout fee plus registration or transfer fee, before we return the expired domain to the registry. A closeout functions as a reverse auction where the price decreases daily. Any auction of an expired domain that doesn't receive a bid enters the closeout process.
Related steps
- List a domain for auction or place a bid on an existing listing.
- Make sure you set up your payee account details so we can process your purchase or sale.
More info
- Check out our Domain Broker Service for a different option to acquire a domain that's already registered.
- GoDaddy doesn't send any tax documents pertaining to the purchase or sale of domains through GoDaddy Auctions® or List for Sale, such as 1099 forms. All earnings must be self-reported by the seller. GoDaddy is not able to offer legal or tax advice, and we recommend reviewing your specific situation with a tax professional.
