DomainTree Auctions: Terms of Sale

Version: 2026-11-13

These terms apply when you open an account, bid in an auction or buy a domain name on DomainTree Auctions (the "site"). Please read them before you bid. By ticking the box when you sign up, and again whenever we change these terms, you agree to them.

1. Who we are

The site is run by Domaintree Limited trading as DomainTree ("DomainTree", "we", "us"), a company registered in England and Wales no. 09994548, of 51 Wiston Avenue, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 7QX. Email [email protected], phone +44 (0)7917 417310. We are a Nominet-accredited .uk registrar. We are not registered for VAT.

2. Three kinds of sale

2.1 DomainTree as seller. Unless a listing says otherwise, DomainTree is the seller. The listing shows "Sold by: DomainTree" and your contract for the name is with us.

2.2 DomainTree as agent. If a listing says "Sold by: DomainTree, as agent" and "DomainTree sells this name as agent for a DomainTree hosted catching client", the seller is that client (the registrant of the name) and DomainTree sells on the client's behalf. In that case:

• your contract for the name is with the client, made through us as their agent. We have the client's authority to list, sell and arrange the transfer of the name;
• you pay us, and paying us in full settles what you owe for the name;
• we run the auction, take payment, issue the invoice and arrange the transfer exactly as in these terms, and you deal only with us;
• we will tell you the client's name and address on request, and before you bid if you ask;
• the promises in section 9 are given by us on the client's behalf, and we also promise that we have the client's authority to sell.

2.3 Independent sellers. If a listing says "Sold by:" followed by a seller's account name and "Private seller" or "Business seller", the name is listed by an independent seller who owns it, not by DomainTree or a DomainTree client. DomainTree only runs the auction. Section 14 explains how these sales work and which parts of these terms apply to them.

Everything else in these terms applies to sales under 2.1 and 2.2. Sections 1, 3, 4, 5, 10.1, 10.2 and 13 also apply to sales under 2.3.

3. Your account

3.1 You must be 18 or over. Sign up with your real name and an email address you control. We email you a link: open it to confirm your address and choose your password. Your account works only once you have done so.

3.2 We check every new account by hand. We may refuse an account without giving a reason. You can watch auctions while your account is waiting, but you can't bid or backorder until we approve it.

3.3 One account per person or business. Keep your password private: you are responsible for bids made from your account.

3.4 We may suspend or ban an account, for example for not paying, for breaking these terms, or if we suspect fraud. Suspending or banning an account cancels all its bids in auctions that are still running. The next-highest bids then take over automatically.

3.5 You can close your account from your account page, but not while you have bids in a running auction, a purchase still in progress, or an offer waiting for your answer. Bids and purchases are binding.

4. How auctions work

4.1 Start price and reserve. Every auction starts at £50, unless the listing shows a different start price. DomainTree's own auctions, and those we run as agent, have no reserve: the highest valid bid when the auction ends wins. An independent seller's auction (2.3) may have a reserve: a price, set by the seller, below which the name is not sold. The listing always says so, showing "Reserve not met" or "Reserve met"; the amount itself is not shown. If a bidder's maximum bid is at or above the reserve, the current price moves to the reserve and the reserve is met. See section 14.2.

4.2 Prices. All prices are in pounds sterling. No VAT is charged (we are not VAT-registered). There is no buyer's premium. You also pay Nominet's registrant transfer fee (see section 7.4).

4.3 Maximum bids (proxy bidding). You enter the most you're willing to pay. The site bids for you, only as much as needed to keep you in the lead, up to your maximum. Your maximum is never shown to anyone while you lead.

4.4 Bid steps. Each new bid must be at least one step above the current price:

The first bid can be the start price. The highest maximum accepted is £10,000,000.

4.5 Ties. If two bidders have the same maximum, the one who placed it first leads, at that amount.

4.6 Soft close. If any bid is accepted with less than 5 minutes left, the end time moves to 5 minutes after that bid. This can repeat with no limit. The listing always shows the current end time.

4.7 Times. End times are shown in UK time. The site's clock decides whether a bid arrived in time.

4.8 Who may bid. Only approved accounts that have accepted these terms. DomainTree and its staff never bid. In a sale as agent, or a sale by an independent seller, the seller and anyone connected to the seller may not bid. No one may bid to push up the price for the seller (shill bidding), use more than one account, or use automated tools to bid. We will cancel such bids and may ban the accounts involved.

4.9 Public bid history. Bid amounts and times are public, with each bidder shown only as "Bidder A", "Bidder B" and so on for that auction.

4.10 Emails. We try to email you when you're outbid, an hour before the end and when an auction ends, but emails can be late or lost. Check the listing yourself.

5. Bids are binding

5.1 When you bid, you tick to confirm: "I understand my bid is binding: if I win, I must pay the price by the due date DomainTree gives me."

5.2 You can't withdraw a bid. The only exception: if you make an obvious typing mistake (for example £5,000 instead of £500), email us within 1 hour of the bid and more than 12 hours before the auction ends. We decide whether to cancel it; if we do, the bid history shows it as cancelled.

5.3 When the contract is made. If you are the highest bidder when the auction ends, a binding contract to buy the name at the final price is made at that moment. We email you to confirm.

5.4 Buy now. Some names in our list of domains for sale show a Buy now price. When you tick to confirm and press Buy now, a binding contract to buy the name from DomainTree at that price is made at that moment. We email you to confirm. Sections 6 to 13 then apply as if you had won an auction at that price.

6. Paying

6.1 After the auction we email you an invoice (PDF) with the amount, a payment reference (for example DT-S-123) and the due date. Payment is due by 23:59 UK time on the due date. The due date is normally 7 days after the invoice; for large sales we may agree a longer date or an escrow service with you.

6.2 Pay by UK bank transfer, in pounds, using the reference shown, or by card on your sale page for amounts up to £5,000 (paid through our payment provider, Stripe). Above £5,000, bank transfer only. Our bank details are on the invoice and on your sale page when you're signed in. They are never in the text of an email.

6.3 Fraud warning. Our bank details will never change. If you ever receive an email or invoice with different bank details, it's fraud: don't pay it, call us on +44 (0)7917 417310.

6.4 Pay from an account in your own name or your business's name. We may return a payment from someone else and ask you to pay again.

6.5 Pressing "I've paid" only tells us to look; the sale moves on when we confirm we've received the money. A card payment is confirmed automatically once our payment provider confirms it. If you pay too little, we'll ask for the rest before going on.

7. Transfer of the name

7.1 Once we've received your payment, we ask you (on your sale page) for the new registrant's name, organisation (if any), address, postcode, country, and your registrar's Nominet tag. You can correct these until we start the transfer.

7.2 We then start a Nominet registrant transfer into the name you gave us. Nominet emails the new registrant, who must accept within 5 days. We also move the name to the registrar tag you gave us.

7.3 The sale is complete when the new registrant is the person or business you named and the name sits on your chosen tag. We email you when it is done. Ownership and responsibility for the name (including renewals) pass to you at completion.

7.4 Nominet's fee. You pay Nominet's registrant transfer fee (currently £10 + VAT; Nominet sets it). If Nominet charges it to us, we will tell you the amount and you pay it to us before we start the transfer.

7.5 We aim to start the transfer within 3 working days of having both your payment and your transfer details. If the transfer fails because the details you gave were wrong, or the Nominet email wasn't accepted in time, we'll try once more; after that we may charge you any further Nominet fee.

7.6 You must not ask us to transfer the name into the name of someone who hasn't agreed to it.

8. If you don't pay

8.1 If you haven't paid by the due date, we may send reminders. We may then mark the sale as not paid, which cancels it, and we'll email you and issue a credit note.

8.2 We may also suspend or ban your account (section 3.4) and offer the name to another bidder (section 8.3) or sell it again.

8.3 Second-chance offer. If a winner doesn't pay, we may offer the name to the next-highest bidder at that bidder's own maximum bid. The offer is open for the time stated in it (normally 48 hours). It doesn't bind you unless you accept it, ticking to confirm it is binding. Once you accept, a new sale is made on these terms at that price.

8.4 If you don't pay, we may also claim from you our reasonable losses caused by it, such as the shortfall if the name later sells for less, plus reasonable costs of collecting the debt.

9. What we promise about the name

9.1 We promise that, when the auction ends:

• the seller (us, or our client in a sale as agent) is the registrant or is entitled to transfer the name, and we have the right to sell it;
• the name is registered with Nominet, not suspended, and not the subject of a Nominet dispute (DRS) complaint we know of.

9.2 If one of those promises turns out to be untrue before completion, we will cancel the sale and refund everything you paid us in full.

9.3 Stats and descriptions. Figures on a listing (links, scores, history, archive data and similar) are our own checks, or third-party tool data, on the date shown. Link data comes from samples and third-party tools, changes over time, and is not a promise of search rankings, traffic, income or anything else. We don't promise how search engines treat the name, what links or traffic it has or will have, or anything about its past use. Check for yourself before you bid.

9.4 Trade marks. It's your responsibility to make sure your use of the name doesn't infringe anyone's trade mark or other rights. We screen names before listing, but we can't promise there's no conflict. A complaint or claim after completion is your matter, subject to section 9.1.

9.5 Apart from the promises in this section and your rights under the law (section 12 for consumers), names are sold as they are.

10. Withdrawn auctions and errors

10.1 We may withdraw a listing before it ends if the name is suspended or cancelled by Nominet, a DRS complaint or legal claim is received, the listing contains a material error, or for another good reason. We email everyone who bid. A withdrawn auction has no winner and no one owes anything.

10.2 If a technical fault affects an auction (for example the site is down near the end), we may extend, restart or cancel it and will tell bidders.

10.3 If a sale has to be cancelled for a reason that isn't your fault, including after payment and before completion, we refund everything you paid us in full within 14 days, to the account or card you paid from.

11. Our liability

11.1 Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or any other liability the law doesn't allow us to limit.

11.2 If you buy for a business: we are not liable for loss of profit, revenue, business, goodwill or data, or for indirect loss; and our total liability for any sale is limited to the price you paid for the name.

11.3 If you are a consumer: we are responsible for loss you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breaking these terms or failing to use reasonable care and skill. We are not responsible for loss that wasn't foreseeable, or for business losses.

11.4 We are not responsible for delays caused by Nominet, your registrar, or events outside our reasonable control.

12. Your right to cancel (consumers only)

12.1 This section applies only if you buy as a consumer (for purposes outside your trade, business, craft or profession). It doesn't apply to businesses.

12.2 You can cancel your purchase within 14 days of the day the contract was made (when the auction ended, when you accepted a second-chance offer, or when you confirmed a Buy now), without giving a reason.

12.3 Starting early, and losing the right. We can't start the transfer within those 14 days unless you ask us to. You ask us by pressing the button "Transfer [the name] to me now", shown with the line "The sale is final once the name is yours." The button is on your sale page, or on the page we link to by email once we have your transfer details. Pressing it asks us to start straight away, and you agree that you lose your right to cancel once the transfer to you is complete.

Once the transfer is complete, you can no longer cancel. If you cancel after asking us to start but before the transfer is complete, we refund you in full, less any Nominet fee you asked us to pay on your behalf.

12.4 How to cancel. Email [email protected] or write to 51 Wiston Avenue, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 7QX with a clear statement, before the 14 days end. You can use the form below, but you don't have to.

12.5 We refund you within 14 days of your cancellation, to the account you paid from, at no cost to you.

Model cancellation form

To Domaintree Limited, 51 Wiston Avenue, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 7QX, [email protected]: I hereby give notice that I cancel my contract for the purchase of the following domain name: ______ . Sale reference: DT-S-____ . Contract made on: ______ . Name: ______ . Address: ______ . Signature (if on paper): ______ . Date: ______ .

13. Other terms

13.1 Changes. We may change these terms. The version and date are at the top. If they change, you'll be asked to accept the new version before your next bid. A change never affects an auction that has already ended.

13.2 Your data. Our privacy notice explains how we use your personal data.

13.3 Complaints. Email [email protected]. We aim to reply within 5 working days.

13.4 We may transfer our rights under these terms to another business; we will tell you. You may not transfer yours.

13.5 If a court finds part of these terms unenforceable, the rest still applies. If we don't enforce a right straight away, we can still enforce it later.

13.6 These terms are in English. They are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction. If you are a consumer living in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may also bring proceedings in your home courts.

14. Sales by independent sellers

14.1 Who you're buying from. In a sale under 2.3 your contract for the name is with the seller, not with DomainTree. DomainTree is not the seller, isn't the seller's agent and is not a party to the sale. Each listing says whether the seller is a business or a private person. If you are a consumer, the law gives you more protection when you buy from a business than when you buy from a private person.

14.2 When the contract is made. If you are the highest bidder when the auction ends, a binding contract to buy the name from the seller at the final price is made at that moment, as in section 5.3. If the auction has a reserve and the highest bid is below it when the auction ends, there is no sale: no contract is made, you owe nothing and are not obliged to buy, and the seller is not obliged to sell. We email the highest bidder to say so. Your bid is still binding while the auction runs: if the reserve is met before the end, the highest bidder at the end must buy.

14.3 What happens next. We email you and the seller. Your deal page (on your account) then shows you the seller's account name, full name (or business's name), whether they are a business or a private person, their postal address, email address and, if they gave one, phone number. The seller sees your name and email address. You and the seller then agree how you pay and how the name is transferred, and you each mark the steps on the deal page. Aim to complete within 7 days of the auction ending.

14.4 Paying. You pay the seller directly, not DomainTree. DomainTree never asks you to pay for a name sold under 2.3. If anyone asks you to pay DomainTree for one, don't pay, and tell us. For larger amounts we recommend an escrow service; you and the seller agree who pays its fee. You also pay Nominet's registrant transfer fee (see 7.4), unless you and the seller agree otherwise.

14.5 Promises about the name. The seller, not DomainTree, is responsible for the name, its transfer and anything they say about it. We check and approve every listing by hand before it goes live, but we can't promise that the seller owns the name or will transfer it. Stats on the listing are our own or third-party checks, as in 9.3. Sections 6 to 9, 10.3, 11.2 to 11.4 and 12 of these terms (paying us, our transfers, non-payment to us, our promises, our refunds, limits on our liability for the sale, and cancellation) don't apply to a sale under 2.3. Your rights against the seller are those the law gives you and anything you agree with them. If the seller is a business and you are a consumer, any right to cancel is against the seller.

14.6 If you don't pay. If you win and don't pay the seller, the seller can report it on the deal page. We will ask you about it first. If you agree you didn't pay, or don't reply within 7 days, the sale is treated as failed and we may suspend or ban your account (section 3.4), just as if you hadn't paid DomainTree.

14.7 Problems. If something goes wrong, use "Report a problem" on the deal page or email [email protected]. We will look into it and may contact both of you, but we can't force either of you to complete the sale. We may suspend or ban a seller or buyer who doesn't keep to these terms or the seller terms, and remove their listings.

14.8 Our responsibility. We are responsible for running the auction with reasonable care and skill, and section 11.1 still applies. We are not responsible for what the seller or the buyer does or fails to do, or for the name itself.