How it works
ShortDomains is a peer-to-peer marketplace. No hidden fees, no brokers. Sellers list their own domains; buyers contact them directly.
Tell us the domain name you want to sell. We accept all TLDs including .co.uk, .com, .io, and more.
Name your asking price in GBP and write a short description. You can edit both at any time from your dashboard.
We generate a unique TXT record value. Add it to your domain's DNS, then hit Check now. We query the authoritative nameservers in real time with no propagation delays.
Once the TXT record is found, your domain is published in the marketplace instantly. You can remove the record at any time without delisting.
Filter by TLD, character length, and price. Every domain has been verified as owned by the seller. No squatters.
Send an inquiry directly. Your email and the seller's email are both masked. Replies go through our proxy so neither party exposes their inbox.
Negotiate freely. ShortDomains doesn't take a cut of peer-to-peer agreements. We earn a flat facilitation fee only if you use our escrow service.
For .co.uk domains, transfer is instant via Nominet IPS Tag change. For global domains, we provide a WHOIS witness certificate confirming the hand-off.
DNS ownership verification
When you create a listing, we generate a cryptographically random 32-character hex token and ask you to publish it as a TXT record at the root of your domain (@). The value looks like:
When you click Check now, our server queries the authoritative nameservers for your domain using Node's dns/promises module and not a cached resolver. If the record matches, your listing is verified immediately. The token is single-use per listing and stored server-side; it is never reused.
DNS propagation from major registrars is typically instant (Cloudflare) to 30 minutes (Namecheap, GoDaddy). If your check fails, wait a few minutes and try again.
Safe transfer, free for everyone
We act as a neutral third party on every transfer. Before the sale, we take a timestamped WHOIS snapshot of the domain. After the transfer completes, we take a second snapshot and generate a signed PDF certificate confirming the hand-off. Both parties receive the certificate by email. There is no fee.
- Free for all users
- PDF certificate emailed to both parties
- Signed with timestamp authority
Redirect your domain's traffic
If your domain already gets direct-type traffic, you can point it at your ShortDomains listing so visitors land on your sale page instead of a blank screen. There are two ways to do this:
In your registrar's DNS settings, add an A record pointing to our redirect servers. Any visitor hitting the domain will be 301-redirected to your listing at shortdomains.co.uk/buy/yourdomain.com. This is the best option for SEO and direct-type traffic.
Some registrars offer built-in URL forwarding. Set the forward destination to your ShortDomains listing URL. This works without changing nameservers but may show a "forwarded" label in some browsers.
Traffic routing is optional and does not affect your verification status.