Buy Domains is an American domain registrar based in Burlington, Massachusetts. An entrepreneur named Mike Mann started BuyDomains in 1999 to provide people with an easy way to buy domain names. The company has been very successful and now has more than 1.5 million registered domains in its portfolio. It specializes in premium, expensive domains.
BuyDomains is a subsidiary of Newfold Digital (formerly Endurance International Group), which it bought in 2014 for $77 million. Newfold is an amalgamation of several domain name registrars and web hosting companies. It is one of the largest companies in its industry.
We’ve tested BuyDomains extensively to give you a detailed, unbiased review. We rated the domain name registrar based on specific factors including price, ease of use, customer support, etc.
Subscriptions and Prices
BuyDomains is not your average domain name registrar and does not charge any fees. It specializes in high-quality premium domains that cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. The specialty limits the number of domain names BuyDomains can sell, but the company has refined that strategy.
The amount that BuyDomains charges depends on the customer’s demand for the domain name. A domain name from BuyDomains costs $500 to $1000 on the low end and $1000 to $10,000 on the high end. Interestingly, BuyDomains sticker prices are not final. There is an option to make your offer and negotiate with the company. If you play your cards right, you can get a domain name significantly lower than the listed price.
BuyDomains does not offer refunds after purchase, which is a disadvantage compared to competitors.
Functions
The primary function of BuyDomains is domain registration. The company specializes in premium domains that you won’t find anywhere else. You can search any available domain name and buy it right away or make a counter offer. The fee to negotiate is a great advantage, given the high prices that BuyDomains often charges. You can negotiate directly with the company representatives before final purchase terms.
BuyDomains only supports 21 domain name extensions; .COM, .NET, .ORG, .INFO, .BIZ, .US, .ME, .CO, .DE, .TV, .LIVE, .CLUB, .ONLINE, .STORE, .DESIGN, .SPACE, .TECH , .TEL, .WORLD, and .WS. It’s limited by design, as BuyDomains focuses on big-ticket domain names. Other domain registrars without that focus support hundreds of extensions.
BuyDomains also allows you to transfer domain names you own elsewhere to its partner registrar, Domain.com. The transfer process is quick and straightforward. Any domain you want to transfer must be at least 60 days from the first registration. BuyDomains charges a one-time fee of at least $10 for domain transfers.
BuyDomains accepts all major credit cards for payments, including Visa, MasterCard, AMEX and Discover. It also accepts bank transfers or PayPal. BuyDomains does not offer additional web hosting services, but you can access them through the partner platform Domain.com.
Interface and in use
BuyDomains has a pretty good and clear user interface. Buying a domain name through the registrar is a simple process. Just search for your desired domain name to check if it is available. You can buy it right away for the listed price or make a counter offer if it’s available. You can buy it right away for the listed price, but a counter offer takes time because you have to negotiate with the company’s representatives.
We recommend that you make a counter offer if the domain name is not urgently needed, because BuyDomains charges quite high prices initially. If the domain name you choose is not available, BuyDomains recommends that you buy similar domains. It’s up to you to choose.
Customer service
BuyDomains offers customer support via email, live chat and telephone. Support is limited to business hours (9am-6pm EST) Monday through Friday. The company’s support staff is reliable and helpful, but slow at times.
BuyDomains also offers articles, webinars, and video tutorials to help familiarize customers with the platform.
The competition
BuyDomains’ main competitors are Google Domains, 101domain and Hover. BuyDomains sets itself apart from the competition by focusing on premium, expensive domains. Because of the relatively high bids, BuyDomains allows customers to post counter-offers and negotiate before closing a final deal. Most domain name registrars don’t allow that.
final verdict
BuyDomains is a practical registry for high quality premium domain names. The platform is user-friendly and secure. Domain name prices are significantly high, but it allows potential customers to negotiate lower rates.
However, many customers accuse BuyDomains of untrustworthy practices such as “front-running” domain names and domain name cracking, although the company often denies such allegations. BuyDomains also offers no refunds after purchase, which is a disadvantage compared to rivals.