A price checker is different from a value estimator. An estimator starts with a name and returns a range. A price checker starts with a number and tests it. This page shows how to run that test, whether you are buying or selling.
Check a price in three moves
- Search the name. Enter the domain on the domain appraisal page. You see comparable sales, each with its price, venue and date, plus a low, likely and high range.
- Place the quoted price on the range. A price near the likely value is ordinary. A price above the high end needs a reason. A price below the low end is either a bargain or a sign the name is weaker than it looks.
- Read the comps behind the range. Look at the venue and the date of each comparable. A recent sale at a business marketplace supports a retail price. An old sale at an expired auction does not.
If you are buying
A seller's asking price is a starting point for talks, not a measurement. Compare it with the comps, then open at a figure you can defend with two or three cited sales. If the seller is a broker or a registrar service, ask which sales support the number. The GoDaddy domain appraisal accuracy article shows how far an automated figure can sit from what similar names recorded.
Remember that a broker's fee can add to what a buyer pays. Work out the all in cost before you agree to a budget, as covered in the GoDaddy domain broker service cost article.
If you are selling
Before you publish an asking price, test it. Too high and you wait. Too low and you give away value. If you list on a marketplace that takes a commission, check what you will actually receive. The how to sell a domain name page covers the full sequence from price to transfer.
Why two price checkers give different answers
The figure a tool returns depends on its method.
- Trait models score length, extension and keywords and output a number without showing sales.
- Registrar tools are free and quick, and are built by companies that also sell names.
- Written appraisals are an expert opinion, usually priced per name. The Sedo domain appraisal alternative page explains when one is worth ordering.
- Comparable sales tools show the sales they used, so you can judge the number yourself.
Only the last kind lets you check the work. If a checker cannot tell you which sales support its figure, treat the figure as a rough signal.
Wholesale and retail prices are different
A price that looks high may simply be a retail price quoted to a business. A price that looks low may be a wholesale price paid by investors. Every comp on SoldComparables is labelled by venue type, and the estimate shows wholesale and retail figures separately, so you can tell which kind of price you are looking at. The domain value checker page lists five tests that catch most bad figures.
Limits of any price check
Public sales reports list only sales at or above 1,000 USD, so names that usually trade below that have few comps. The result is a data backed estimate, not a certified appraisal and not a guarantee of what a buyer or seller will agree. When fewer than three good comps exist, the result widens the range, lowers confidence and says so.
Price lists, not just single names
If you need to check prices for a whole portfolio or a list of quotes, use the bulk domain appraisal tool. Each name gets its own estimate and comps.