If you have a buyer that can’t afford to buy a domain name outright, then using the option of a payment plan can facilitate a sale where it may not have been possible before.
A payment plan domain sale is defined as a domain transaction in which the acquisition fee is paid for over a predetermined period of time (this could be months or years). The buyer gets full ownership of the domain name at the end of this period if payments are kept up to date. The buyer also usually gets full use of the domain name from the receipt of the first payment.
Fortunately, there are several services available that will help you to sell your domain names on a payment plan. These services, which have become more readily available in recent years, typically do the potentially arduous admin work involved with payment plans on your behalf.
So, how exactly do you sell a domain name using a payment plan? Here are several options for services that you may consider.
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Escrow.com
The go-to escrow for many domainers is Escrow.com. The company now allows its customers to sell domain names using a payment plan through its secure domain name holding option.
Escrow.com, as you may expect from the service name, holds the domain name during the agreement period, and collects funds from the buyer. For an extra fee, Escrow.com can manage the DNS.
DAN
DAN.com is a domain name marketplace currently popular with domain investors, who now have the chance to sell domains on a lease to own plan. According to a January 2020 blog post from DAN.com, there is a new markup model that eliminates the need for negotiating a lease to own deal.
Epik
Epik, the domain name registrar, and marketplace, introduced the option of a lease to own domain deal to their Epik escrow service several years ago. According to Epik’s website, Epik’s leasing service allows the buyer to initiate a lease to own transaction, with Epik automatically charging payments from the buyer’s saved payment method on a monthly basis.
SquadHelp
SquadHelp, the naming platform that is gaining traction among domain investors, has indicated that they now offer lease to own options on their marketplace. SquadHelp seems to cater to newly founded startups in particular – typically new startups have very little in the way of available funds to secure an expensive domain, so this offering makes sense.
An Attorney
If you require a more custom solution, or you’re looking to sell a high-value premium domain on a payment plan, a domain name attorney maybe your best option. ESQWire and Greenberg & Lieberman are both listed as offering lease or lease to own escrow services.
Note that these are not recommendations – this is just a presentation of solutions available. You should always do your own research before using any of these services. Before creating a lease to own transaction, you may want to consult an attorney to draw up a separate agreement.
