How a transfer works
Every sale follows the same sequence. The domain and the money move in opposite directions through a licensed escrow agent, and neither side is exposed at any point.
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Agreement
Buyer and seller sign a short purchase agreement naming the domain, the price, the escrow agent, the inspection period, and a warranty that the name is free of liens, disputes and registrar holds.
Our template is on the Documents page. Your own counsel's paper is equally fine. -
Escrow funded
The buyer sends the purchase price to Escrow.com. Plateau never receives or holds buyer funds at any stage.
Wire, ACH or card, in USD or other major currencies. Escrow.com publishes its fee schedule; unless agreed otherwise the fee is split. -
Domain released
Once the escrow agent confirms cleared funds, we unlock the domain and deliver the authorisation code through the escrow console, or push the name directly into the buyer's account where both parties use the same registrar.
Same-registrar pushes usually complete within the hour. Cross-registrar transfers can take up to five days. -
Inspection
The buyer confirms the domain is in their own account, under their contact details, and on their nameservers. The inspection period is written into the agreement, typically three to five business days.
If anything is wrong, funds stay in escrow until it is put right. -
Release
The buyer approves release in the escrow console. The agent pays Plateau and issues the transaction record and bill of sale to both parties.
Only the buyer can trigger release. Neither Plateau nor the escrow agent can move funds without it.
Settlement and registrars
We keep the set of counterparties small and verifiable, so your finance and IT teams are dealing with names they already know.
Escrow.com
Licensed and audited escrow, and the default on every Plateau sale. Handles corporate purchase orders, multi-approver payment, and international wires. Both parties can verify the transaction independently in their own Escrow.com account.
Afternic transactions
For buyers who prefer to stay inside GoDaddy, we can settle through Afternic's transaction service, which absorbed Dan.com in 2025. Funds are held by GoDaddy and the domain is pushed into the buyer's GoDaddy account on clearance.
Enterprise registrars
We transfer into CSC, MarkMonitor, Cloudflare Registrar, GoDaddy Corporate Domains, Namecheap, Network Solutions and others. Where a registrar has a specific intake process, we follow it.
DNS continuity
For names that are already carrying mail or web traffic, we replicate the zone at the receiving provider before the nameservers change, so the switch is invisible to users. The full sequence is in this note.
Questions we are usually asked
Who pays the escrow fee?
Unless the agreement says otherwise, the fee is split between buyer and seller. Escrow.com publishes its fee schedule, so both sides can see the figure before funding.
Can we use our own escrow provider or our lawyer's client account?
Yes, provided the provider is licensed and both parties can verify it independently. We will not settle through an unregulated intermediary, for your protection as much as ours.
What if the domain is under a 60-day transfer lock?
ICANN policy locks a domain against cross-registrar transfer for 60 days after certain registrant changes. Where that applies, we push the domain within the registrar instead, or hold it in escrow until the lock expires. Either way, funds stay in escrow until you have control.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes. Use ours, on the Documents page, or send yours. We do not discuss a mandate or a price with anyone who is not party to it.
Will the sale be public?
No. We do not publish sale prices, and Escrow.com does not either. The only public change is the registrant record, which you can keep behind privacy protection at your new registrar.
How is the price set?
From recorded sales of comparable names, the length and word structure of the domain, and what it will do for the buyer. We show the comparables. We do not quote a number and refuse to explain it.
Ready to start a transfer?
Send the domain and your registrar. We will send the agreement, the escrow link, and a timeline the same day.