How to buy a domain that's already taken.
The name you want is owned by someone — that's normal, and it's usually solvable. Here's the playbook: find the owner, judge the price, make the offer, and transfer it without risk.
Define the name — then its substitutes
Decide what the exact name is worth to your brand before you fall in love with it. List three acceptable alternatives (another TLD, a prefix, a different word). Your negotiation strength is exactly as strong as your best alternative.
Find where it's for sale
Visit the domain: most investor-held names show a for-sale page. Search the marketplaces. Browse curated inventory like Speeder's marketplace or the .ai collection. No listing anywhere? A short, polite email to the WHOIS contact opens more doors than buyers expect.
Judge the price before you talk
Anchor yourself before the seller anchors you. Run the name through the free appraisal tool for a calibrated range, and sanity-check what comparable names have sold for. A seller's ask is an opening position, not a verdict.
Buy now, or open an offer
Inside appraised range with real demand? Taking the buy-now price beats losing the name over a 10% haggle. Above range, open at 50–70% of a fair ask with a short, credible note. Cash-in-hand buyers who can close this week get taken seriously.
Pay and transfer safely
Keep payment inside a structured checkout or reputable transaction service — never a bare wire on a promise. Then the mechanics: seller unlocks the domain and provides the authorization (EPP) code, you start the transfer at your registrar, and the name arrives in your account, usually inside a week. Renew it immediately for multiple years.
Why serious brands buy instead of settling.
A $12 hand-registration is never the real cost — the real cost is every ad dollar spent teaching customers a name they misspell, every email lost to the .com you didn't buy, and the rebrand you'll eventually pay for anyway. Premium domains hold value precisely because the right name compounds: easier recall, higher ad quality scores, instant credibility in a cold inbox. Buy the name your company will grow into, not the one it can squeeze into.
Buying, answered.
How much does it cost to buy a domain that's already taken?
Anywhere from a few hundred dollars to seven figures — the market is that wide. As rough anchors: strong brandables in modern TLDs like .ai or .io often trade between $500 and $10,000; memorable one-word .coms run five to six figures. Run the name through a free appraisal to get a calibrated range before you open a negotiation.
How do I find out who owns a domain?
Start with a WHOIS lookup — though most owners are behind privacy protection today. Check the domain itself: parked pages and for-sale landers usually link to a purchase or offer form. If the name is listed on a marketplace, the listing page is the fastest route: you make an offer and the platform relays it to the verified owner.
Should I make an offer or pay the buy-now price?
A fair buy-now price is often worth taking: negotiations add weeks, other buyers exist, and sellers rarely discount steeply on names with real demand. Make an offer when there's no listed price, when the ask is clearly above appraised range, or when you can genuinely walk away. Opening at 50–70% of a reasonable ask is normal and won't offend anyone.
Is it safe to buy a domain from a stranger?
Yes, if the money and the domain move through a structured process. Buy through a marketplace checkout or a reputable transaction service rather than wiring money on a promise. The transfer itself is mechanical: the seller unlocks the domain and hands over its authorization code, you start the transfer at your registrar, and the name lands in your account — typically within five to seven days.
What is a fair price for a .ai domain?
The .ai extension carries a real premium now — it's the default for AI-native brands. Short, meaningful .ai names regularly trade from $1,000 to $50,000, with category-defining ones far higher. Because .ai renewals cost more than .com, sellers price with intent: fewer bargains, but less squatting noise too.
Can I negotiate directly with the domain owner?
Often, yes — and on Speeder that's the whole design. Every listing has a make-an-offer flow that goes straight to the verified owner, with no broker fee inflating the price. Because Speeder charges sellers 0% commission, a seller on Speeder can accept a lower number than the same seller would need on a 15–30% commission venue.
Start with names that are actually for sale.
Every domain on Speeder has a verified owner, a listed price or offer flow, and no broker in the middle — sellers pay 0% commission, which keeps asking prices honest.