You can buy a domain that is taken in most cases, as long as the owner is willing to sell and you are willing to pay what the name is worth to them. The usual path: check whether it is listed for sale, reach the owner, make an offer, pay through escrow, then transfer the name. If the owner will not deal, you can backorder it or hire a broker. Legal action only fits when the domain copies a trademark you own.
Check if the taken domain is already for sale
Start by checking if the taken domain is already for sale, because many are. Type the name into a browser. A parked page with a "This domain may be for sale" banner, a "Make offer" button or a price is the owner telling you how to buy it.
Next, search the name at the big marketplaces. Afternic, Sedo, Atom, Dynadot and Spaceship all run aftermarkets, and a listing on one often shows up at several registrars. If GoDaddy or Namecheap shows a taken name as "premium" with a price, that is a resale listing. A "Buy Now" price is the simplest deal you will get: you pay, the marketplace handles the transfer, and nobody negotiates.
If the name is taken but not used (an error, a blank page or the registrar's default page), it is probably not listed. That does not mean it is not for sale. It means you have to ask.
Find the owner of the domain
To find the owner of a domain, look up its registration record. For generic domains like .com, ICANN made the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) the official source of registration data on January 28, 2025, replacing the old WHOIS services, and its free ICANN Lookup tool queries it for you.
Most records today show a privacy service or "redacted for privacy" instead of a name. The record still shows the registrar and the creation and expiry dates. Most registrars offer a contact form or forwarding address that reaches the hidden owner. If the name has a live website, its contact page is the better route. Country code names such as .de use their registry's own lookup and rules.
Make an offer the owner will answer
When you make an offer, the first message decides whether you get a reply. Keep it short, ask whether they would sell, and give a number. Owners who hold many names get endless "how much?" emails with no offer attached, and plenty never answer them. We posted a funny clip about a typical domain inquiry back in 2010, and it still describes the problem from the seller's side.
Write from a plain address, not one that announces a well-funded company. Set a walk-away number first. A counteroffer is a good sign, so meet in steps, not one jump. If you have no idea what the name should cost, read our guide on how much a domain is worth before you send anything.
What a taken domain might cost
What a taken domain costs depends almost entirely on the name and the owner, so be careful with any single "average." For a rough anchor, the Global Domain Report 2026 from InterNetX and Sedo put the median domain sold on Sedo's marketplace in 2025 at about $800, up from $550, with an average near $2,750, as summarized by the .nl registry SIDN. Those cover all extensions, so a short .com in a busy industry can cost many times more. Add a broker's fee if you use one, escrow fees (often split by agreement) and a transfer fee at your registrar.
Backorder the name and wait for it to drop
A backorder is a paid request for a registrar or drop-catching service to try to register a name the moment it becomes available. It makes sense when the expiry date is near and the domain looks abandoned.
Expiry does not mean instant release. Registrars often give the owner a grace period to renew. After deletion, ICANN's Expired Registration Recovery Policy requires generic registries to offer a 30-day Redemption Grace Period in which the owner can still restore the name, usually for a fee. Even big companies slip: the Dallas Cowboys let their domain lapse in 2010, as we covered at the time, but they got it back.
Valuable names often never drop, because many registrars send expired names to their own auctions first. Our guide to buying expired domains covers the risks in detail.
Use a broker when the owner will not talk to you
A buyer's broker contacts the owner for you, keeps your identity private and negotiates the price. GoDaddy's Domain Broker Service charges a $99.99 non-refundable fee per domain plus 20% commission on the sale price, and it says a broker will work the deal for up to 30 days with no guarantee of success. Sedo's buyer-side service lists a $99 one-off fee plus 20% on a successful purchase. Our full guide to domain brokers explains when the fee pays off.
Pay through escrow and transfer the domain
Pay through escrow and never wire money to a stranger. Use the marketplace's checkout or a licensed escrow service: you pay escrow, the seller moves the domain, you confirm control, and only then is the seller paid. The transfer happens one of two ways. If the name is at the same registrar as your account, the seller pushes it to you (GoDaddy calls this a change of account). If not, the seller unlocks the name and gives you an authorization code, and you start a transfer at your registrar. Registrars can lock a name against transfer for a period after a recent registration, transfer or change of owner, so ask the seller about any lock before you pay. Once it arrives, update the contacts and turn on auto-renew.
Legal options when a trademark is involved
Legal action only fits when someone registered a name that copies your trademark. ICANN's Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) lets a trademark owner file a complaint with an approved provider. Under the policy, you must show the domain is identical or confusingly similar to your mark, the owner has no rights or legitimate interest in it, and it was registered and used in bad faith. The only remedies are cancellation or transfer of the domain, with no money damages.
The UDRP is not a way to take a generic word because you want it. If the owner registered it before your business existed, you will likely lose. Fair use cuts both ways too, as the Toyota v. Tabari case showed for domains that name a brand in order to describe it. Talk to a trademark lawyer before you file.
Mistakes buyers make
The mistakes buyers make most often cost them money or the name itself.
- Revealing too much. Telling the owner about your launch date or funding round raises the price.
- Paying outside escrow. This is how buyers lose money and never see the name.
- Skipping the history check. Look the name up in the Wayback Machine and a search engine before you buy. A past spam or adult site can leave baggage.
- Falling in love with one name. A good second choice you would be happy with is your best negotiating tool.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy a domain that is taken but not used?
Often, yes. An unused name is not listed for sale, so you need to contact the owner through the registrar's contact form or a broker.
How do I find out who owns a domain?
Use ICANN Lookup or your registrar's lookup tool. Most records now hide the owner's details behind a privacy service, but they show the registrar, which usually offers a way to contact the owner.
How long does a domain transfer take?
A push between accounts at the same registrar can be almost immediate. A transfer between registrars commonly takes several days, depending on how quickly each side approves it.
What if the owner never replies?
Try again once, then consider a broker, set a backorder if the name is close to expiry, or move to your second choice. Silence is common and does not always mean no.
Should I offer a low price first?
Offer a real number you can justify. A lowball offer can end the talk before it starts, while a reasonable first offer usually gets a counteroffer.
Next steps for buying a taken domain
Check the marketplaces first. If the name is not listed, find the registrar, send a short message with a real offer, and pay only through escrow. Use a broker when the owner will not engage, backorders for abandoned names near expiry, and the UDRP only for clear trademark abuse. For the basics of registering a name from scratch, our old post with a video on how to buy a domain name is still a quick primer.
References
- ICANN, "ICANN Update: Launching RDAP; Sunsetting WHOIS," January 27, 2025. icann.org
- ICANN, "ICANN Lookup" (registration data lookup tool), checked November 7, 2026. lookup.icann.org
- SIDN, "Global Domain Report 2026: stable growth in the domain name market," April 23, 2026 (summarizing the InterNetX and Sedo report). sidn.nl
- ICANN, "5 Things every Domain Name Registrant should know about ICANN's Expired Registration Recovery Policy (ERRP)," December 7, 2018. icann.org
- GoDaddy, "Domain Broker Service" (fees and FAQ), checked November 7, 2026. godaddy.com
- Sedo, "Brokerage Service," checked November 7, 2026. sedo.com
- ICANN, "Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy" (help page), checked November 7, 2026. icann.org
- ICANN, "Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy" (policy text, paragraphs 4(a) and 4(i)), checked November 7, 2026. icann.org