Escrow and safe domain transfer
Buying a domain from a stranger means sending money to someone you cannot verify, for an asset you cannot hold. Escrow exists so neither side has to go first.
Understand how escrow works, what a clean transfer looks like, and the specific moments where deals go wrong.
Why direct payment is the risky option
In a direct deal one party always moves first. If you pay first, nothing forces the seller to transfer. If they transfer first, nothing forces you to pay. Domain transfers are also reversible in ways that bank transfers are not, which creates a window for a dishonest seller to take the name back.
Escrow removes that asymmetry. A neutral third party holds the money, confirms the transfer actually completed, and only then releases funds. Both sides give up the ability to cheat, which is exactly the point.
How an escrow transaction runs
The mechanics are the same at every reputable service. Understanding the order matters, because the risky moments are the transitions between steps.
- Buyer and seller agree terms and open a transaction at the escrow service.
- Buyer pays the escrow service, not the seller. Funds are held, not forwarded.
- Seller unlocks the domain and starts the transfer or pushes it to the buyer's account.
- Buyer confirms they control the domain at their own registrar.
- The escrow service releases the money and the inspection period closes.
Where deals actually break
Almost every failed transfer traces back to a small number of causes, and all of them are visible before you send money. A domain inside its 60 day post-registration or post-transfer lock cannot move at all. A seller who insists on payment outside the escrow service, or who wants to use an escrow site you have never heard of, is the oldest trick in this market.
Confirm control yourself rather than trusting a screenshot. Log into your own registrar account and check that the domain is there, that you can edit its nameservers, and that no transfer lock or pending action remains. Only then approve the release.
- Verify the escrow provider's real address by typing it yourself, never by clicking a link the seller sent.
- Treat a request to move off escrow as the end of the conversation.
- Check the domain is not in redemption or pending delete: a name in that state may not be the seller's to sell for much longer.
- Agree in writing who pays the escrow fee and the transfer cost.
After the transfer
Lock the domain again, turn on registrar-level two factor authentication and set a renewal reminder that does not depend on a single email address. Most domains that are lost after a purchase are lost to an expired card or an unread renewal notice, not to an attacker.
Keep the transaction record. If the name matters to your business, the escrow receipt and the transfer confirmation are the closest thing you have to a title deed.