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GlossaryBuying and selling

Inbound inquiry

An inbound inquiry is an unsolicited message or offer about your domain name from a potential buyer, or a broker acting for one, usually arriving through a for-sale lander, a marketplace listing or the registration contact details.

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Also called inbound lead · inbound offer

Inbound inquiry, explained

Inquiries are a main route to end-user sales, so how you respond matters. Reply quickly, ask what the buyer plans to use the name for, and research who they are before naming a price: a funded company and a student testing an idea are different conversations. Buyers often open low or hide behind a broker or a new email address; that is normal negotiation, not an insult.

Watch for scams dressed as inquiries. A classic pattern is an eager buyer who offers a high price but insists you first pay for a certified appraisal from a specific site; once you pay, the buyer disappears. Other messages fish for account logins or push a fake escrow service. Real buyers pay through established escrow or a marketplace. RFC 10023, published in July 2026, defines a _for-sale DNS record that signals a name is available and can carry a contact link, which may become one more source of inquiries.

Example. An email through your lander from a company that just raised funding, asking whether the .com can be bought, is an inbound inquiry.

Go deeper How to Sell a Domain Name: A Seller's Guide

Sources

  1. RFC Editor — RFC 10023, the _for-sale DNS node (July 2026)

Education, not financial, legal or tax advice. Domain investing is speculative and most domain names never sell. Read the disclaimer.

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