How to Negotiate the Price of a Domain Name (Real Scripts You Can Send Today)

The short version: Start around 40% of your valuation midpoint and expect to close around 10–25% below ask on negotiable listings.

That framework only works if you establish your number first.

But if you go in convinced you need the domain before knowing what it’s worth, you’re setting yourself up to get the short end of the deal. 

So how do you actually negotiate a great domain deal?

A good domain deal usually comes down to a few things: knowing what you’re willing to pay, making the first serious offer, not revealing more than you need to, and being willing to walk away. 

Before You Negotiate, Know What the Domain Is Actually Worth

One of the easiest ways to lose leverage is to let the seller name the first serious number.

Their price becomes the mental reference point whether you like it or not. That alone is a good reason to do your homework first.

Three things to do before you make contact:

• Run a free valuation. Bishopi's Domain Value Analysis gives you a quick valuation range based on factors like TLD, length, keyword strength, and comparable sales. The midpoint gives you a useful reference point before the seller’s asking price starts shaping your thinking. 

• Pull comparable sales. Ground your valuation in real transaction data - what have similar names in the same TLD and keyword class actually sold for recently? 

Bishopi's Sales History pulls real transaction records. The market is less sentimental than you are after three weeks imagining a domain on your homepage.

• Read the seller signal. A WHOIS Lookup tells you who owns it and for how long. A long-parked domain with the same owner since registration is your best-case scenario. They've paid renewal fees for 15+ years without monetising — they want out, they just don't know what "out" looks like in dollars.

  

Domain Negotiation: How to Make Your First Offer

Once you know what the domain is worth to you, the negotiation gets much simpler.

A practical starting point is to open at roughly 40% of your valuation midpoint, rounded down to a clean number. The goal is to create room to negotiate without letting the seller’s asking price become your reference point.

Seller asking prices can move, especially on Make Offer listings. But movement does not equal value. A seller coming down 10–25% from ask can still leave you overpaying if the number sits above your own valuation.

Here’s how that framework looks in practice:

If your valuation says a domain is worth $8,000, it does not matter if the seller “comes down” from $25,000 to $19,000. That is still a bad deal.

If the listing is fixed Buy Now with no offer option, this framework does not apply. Your choices are simple: pay the price, wait, or walk away.

One rule stays the same: never pay the first number without at least attempting a counter.

3 Email Scripts You Can Use for Domain Negotiations

The quotes matter, but so does the overall context. Sellers are reading signals the whole time, whether that is urgency, flexibility, or how serious the buyer seems.

A few small choices in how you communicate can materially change the outcome.

Script #1 — The Cold Outreach Email

When to use: There is no public listing and you found the owner through WHOIS.

The biggest mistake in cold outreach is emailing from a business address. The moment a seller can tie you to a company, they stop thinking about generic market value and start thinking about what the domain may be worth to your specific business. 

The repricing can be significant - the mechanism is simple: a funded buyer signals urgency, and urgency gets priced in.

Keep the first message neutral. Personal email, first name only, no clues about why you want it.

Domain Negotiation - Email Script for Cold Outreach

Subject: Inquiry about [domain.com]

Hi, I noticed [domain.com] isn't currently being used. I'd be interested in purchasing it for a personal project.

I can offer $X via Escrow.com and can cover the escrow fee to keep things simple. Let me know within the next 7 days if that works. 

— [First name]

Mentioning escrow in the first message matters. It separates you from the noise, signals a real buyer, and removes the risk premium some sellers quietly build into cold-inquiry asks. 

Script #2 — The Marketplace Counter-Offer (Working With a Domain Broker)

When to use: You are negotiating through a marketplace, a domain broker is involved, or the seller is represented by a domain name broker.

Marketplace negotiations work differently from cold outreach. The seller may already have other offers, a broker filtering conversations, and a price expectation. 

Extreme lowballs usually do not create leverage here, they end the conversation.

So the goal shifts. You are not trying to reset the negotiation. You are trying to look like a serious buyer with clear limits.

First counter: use after receiving a seller counter-offer. If the seller has already engaged, a serious counter, often around 60% of ask depending on your valuation, keeps the conversation moving.

Domain Negotiation - Email Script for First Counter Offer

Re: Domain Offer

Hi [Name / Broker],

Thanks for getting back to me. I've looked at comparable sales in this category, and I'm not quite at that level.

I can come up to $X, and I'd be ready to move quickly if we can make that work. Happy to complete everything through the platform escrow.

Let me know.

— [First name]

Best and final: use when the negotiation is close but has stalled.

Domain Negotiation - Email Script for Final Counter Offer

Hi [Name],

I've stretched as far as I realistically can on this, and my best and final is $X.

If that works, I can fund escrow today. If not, I completely understand.

— [First name]

If you are doing this on a straightforward deal, you probably do not need a broker at all.

A domain broker earns their fee when the acquisition moves above $10,000, anonymity matters, or the name is strategically important enough that you want distance in the negotiation. Below that threshold, broker fees of 10–15% are often money you can keep by handling the conversation yourself.

Script #3 — The Walk-Away Reset

When to use: The negotiation has stalled, and the number has stopped making sense.

By this point, the risky part is emotional, not financial. The domain already feels half-owned, which is exactly when buyers start stretching past the limit they set earlier.

Walking away changes the pressure. Instead of you trying to make the deal happen, the seller has to decide whether losing the buyer is acceptable.

Keep the message short.

Domain Negotiation - Email Script for Walking Away

Hi [Name],

I appreciate the time you've put into this.

I can't make the numbers work at the current price, so I'm going to step back and explore other options. If things change on your end, feel free to reach out.

— [First name]

A stalled negotiation is not always a dead one. Sellers change their minds, especially when the domain keeps sitting unsold. The Voice.com domain sold to Block.one for $30 million in 2019, but that was a rare, ultra-high-end outlier, not a typical domain negotiation. 

Even so, high-value acquisitions often have a walk-away moment somewhere in them.

For most deals, the walk-away is not the end of the conversation. It is often the point where the seller starts actually thinking about it. 

5 Domain Negotiation Tactics That Give You More Leverage 

The biggest gains in domain negotiations often come from small tactical choices, not just the offer. Reduce friction early and avoid signals that weaken your leverage.

• Use escrow from the first message, not the third: Sellers who field cold domain inquiries deal with a lot of noise. 

Naming a legitimate transaction method, and even offering to cover the escrow fee on smaller deals, signals a serious buyer and removes the risk premium some sellers quietly build into unsolicited asks. Don't wait for them to ask about payment. 

• Work the seller's net, not the headline number: Marketplaces charge sellers 15–25% commission. A domain listed at $5,000 may net the seller roughly $3,750–$4,250 after fees, depending on platform. 

If you offer $4,200 direct through escrow, their take-home may actually be better than the higher marketplace number. Walk them through that math. It reframes the deal without changing your offer. 

• Ask about the portfolio: Domain investors rarely own a single name. Before you make contact, search the seller's registered-domain record for adjacent assets. 

A bundle conversation shifts the economics for both sides - they clear inventory, you solve related namespace problems at a better blended cost.

• Time it seasonally if the acquisition isn't urgent: Some domain investors reassess inventory toward year-end, which can create more pricing flexibility than you might see earlier in the year. It is not a rule, but if timing is on your side, seasonal seller behaviour can occasionally work in your favour. 

• Keep your business out of the conversation: As noted in the cold outreach section, a visible company trail changes pricing fast. Once the seller infers a funded business needs the domain, the pricing logic shifts. Use a neutral personal address and keep the use case private until the deal is done. 

When Should You Walk Away From a Domain Deal? 

The goal is not to get this domain at any cost. It is to get the right asset at the right price. A valuation gives you a ceiling so emotion does not drive the decision. 

If the seller stays materially above that number, look elsewhere:

• Variant TLDs like .co, .io, or .ai

• Hyphenated versions with acceptable usability

• A stronger brandable alternative

• Recently expired or dropped domains in your niche

Once the numbers make sense, focus on closing the deal safely.

How to Close a Domain Acquisition Deal Safely

Once you agree on price, the negotiation is done. Now the focus shifts to getting the money and the domain transferred cleanly.

Checklist:

• Use escrow or the marketplace’s built-in payment flow

• Never wire money to someone you only know from an email thread

• Confirm the EPP / auth code before funds move. For most gTLD transfers (.com, .net, .org), this follows ICANN’s transfer process. 

• Check the domain appears in your registrar account

• Run one final WHOIS check to confirm ownership updated

If this part feels uneventful, that usually means it’s being handled properly.

Before You Reach Out

Everything gets easier once you know what the domain is actually worth.

That number shapes the opening offer, tells you when to counter, tells you when to walk away, and keeps the seller’s price from quietly becoming your reference point.

The framework is simple: start around 40% of your valuation midpoint, expect movement on negotiable listings, use the right script for the situation, and stay grounded in alternatives.

Before you send your first email, run a free Domain Value Analysis on your target. It is the number the rest of the negotiation depends on.

FAQ

1. How much can you negotiate off a domain name price? 

On Make Offer listings, opening anchors typically run 40–60% below ask. Most deals close around 10–25% below the seller's asking price. Fixed Buy Now listings leave little room — patience and alternatives are the main levers there.

2. Is it rude to make a low offer on a domain? 

No. Sellers price their listings with counters in mind. What irritates sellers is an offer with no logic behind it. An offer grounded in a real valuation, even well below ask, is a normal opening move.

3. How do I find the owner of a domain name? 

A WHOIS Lookup gives you registration history and contact details. How long they've owned it and whether the name has changed hands tells you what kind of seller you're dealing with.

4. How do I know what a domain is actually worth? 

Run a free Domain Value Analysis for a data-backed range, then check comparable recent sales to ground that range in real transactions. You're looking for a defensible ceiling, not a precise appraisal.

5. Should I use a domain broker? 

For acquisitions above $10,000, when anonymity matters, or when the name is strategically critical — yes, a broker earns the fee. For smaller deals, handle it yourself. Broker fees typically run 10–15%; below $10K, that stays in your pocket.

6. Should I tell the seller what I’ll use the domain for?

Usually, no, at least early on. If the seller knows the domain is strategically important to your business, your negotiating leverage drops and the price can rise fast.