Domain Name Auctions are a common method for buying and selling domain names.
These auctions happen in several ways:
Expiry Auctions: When a domain name’s registration is not renewed, it eventually expires and goes through a process that can lead to an auction. Various companies, like GoDaddy and NameJet, hold these auctions where interested buyers can bid on expired domains.
Live Auctions: These are real-time auctions held at domain industry events. They often feature premium domains and can result in high-value sales.
Online Auctions: Many platforms offer online auction services where sellers list their domains for sale and potential buyers place bids over a specific period of time. Sedo, Flippa, and Afternic are examples of such platforms.
Private Auctions: Sometimes, when multiple parties show interest in registering a newly released or dropped domain, the domain registrar may hold a private auction amongst these parties to determine who gets to register the domain.