FAQ about the Domain Store

What is the Domain Store?
What documents do I have to submit to put a domain name up for sale in the store?
What domains can be put up for sale?
How do I put a domain name up for sale?
How do I sell a domain that is sponsored by another registrar?
How to configure sale parameters?
Who can sell domains in the store?
How can I find a specific domain page in the store?
How can buyers find my domain?
Payment calculation
What reporting documents can be obtained from the store?
How can I receive the funds for the sold domain?
Why has my domain been added the store, but not put up for sale?
How do I sell a large number of domains?
How can I sell a domain to a specific buyer?
How do I allow buyers to bid on my domain?
How can I place a parking page on a domain?
How can I buy a domain in the store?
How long does it take to transfer a domain?
How can a buyer offer its own price?
Who offers the price if the buyer’s agreement is managed by a NIC-REG's partner?
How much will it cost to renew the purchased domain?
How can I follow the sale/purchase?
RU-CENTER’s obligations


What is the Domain Store?

The store allows the registrant to put their domain name up for a public sale or sell it to a particular buyer. Learn more about the Domain Store service terms.

What documents do I have to submit to put a domain name up for sale in the store?

No documents are required to put domains up for sale. You only need to specify the price of your domain.

Documents will be required to complete the transaction, so that we can ensure the secure transfer of the domain to the buyer and the money to the seller. If the seller has not submitted an application for an online domain ownership transfer, the seller has to file an application within 21 days to receive the funds paid by the buyer for the domain. You need to execute an original application once and deliver it to RU-CENTER office or one of our regional representatives. You can also send the document via post.

After the seller executes the application, domains will be sold instantly, as soon as the buyer pays for the purchase. All domain sale transactions are conducted during a secure session after the seller specifies a code sent via SMS to the phone number indicated in the application for the online transfer of rights. 

What domains can be put up for sale?

Domains sponsored by RU-CENTER can be put up for sale in the domain store. Only Club Program members can put up domain names sponsored by other registrars for sale after domain ownership rights are confirmed. To complete the domain sale, it should be transferred to RU-CENTER. List of TLDs featured in the store.

How do I put a domain name up for sale?

1. Go to the "My Domain Store" section.

2. Click on "Put domains up for sale".

3. If you have already submitted an online ownership transfer application for quick transactions, enter the code to log in to a secure session — we will send it to you by SMS to the phone number indicated in such application. 

4. Specify the domains you want to sell: type manually, select from a list, or use bulk upload. Specify the parameters of the sale.

5. Click the "Put up for sale" button. Information on the result of putting domains up for sale will be displayed depending on the processing status.

How do I sell a domain that is sponsored by another registrar?

1. Go to the "My Domain Store" section.

2. Click on "Put domains up for sale".

3. If you have already submitted an online ownership transfer application for quick transactions, enter the code to log in to a secure session — we will send it to you by SMS to the phone number indicated in such application. 

4. Specify the domains you want to put up for sale: type manually, select from a list, or use bulk upload. Specify the sale settings.

5. Click the "Put up for sale" button.

6. Confirm your domain ownership rights by one of the following methods:

  • a record in the DNS zone. Place a TXT record in the DNS zone of each domain sponsored by another registrar. As a record value, specify the key confirming domain rights in your DNS servers' control panel or contact your DNS provider;
  • a file on the website. Place an HTML file with a specified unique name and contents in the root directory of the website on the domain;
  • you can get the key or file in the "My Domain Store — Settings — Confirmation of domain ownership” section.

7. After the entry in the zone is checked or the file is placed, the domain will be put up for sale.

8. To complete the domain sale transaction, transfer it to RU-CENTER.

Only Club Program members can sell in the store domain names sponsored by other registrars.

How to configure sale parameters?

Domain sale parameters are available in the “My Domain Store” section.

The Seller specifies the following parameters:

  • the selling price for buyers;
  • price bidding option (willingness to consider prices lower than the published price);
  • sale privacy — if you need to sell a domain to a specific buyer without showing the offer in the general catalog;
  • domain category — this will make it easier for buyers to search through the domain catalog;
  • domain parking — the domain will display a page stating that the domain is for sale (reference).

You can change sale parameters at any time, but if the sale price, the price bidding option or the privacy settings change, all orders already received and offers from potential buyers are canceled.

Who can sell domains in the store?

Domains can be sold in the store only by registrants of domains, residents of the Russian Federation, working under a NIC-D agreement (including those managed by a NIC-REG partner).

How can buyers find my domain?

Domains put up for an open sale are available:

  • in the Domain Store catalog;
  • in the results of checking and selecting domains on nic.ru, including in the case of searching for a domain similar to the one being sold;
  • at a direct link to the domain card in the store;
  • when a parking page is set for a domain in the store, the sale information is displayed on the domain itself.

How can I find a specific domain page in the store?

For an open sale, the domain card is available at nic.ru/shop/domain_name.

For a private sale, the domain card is available at nic.ru/shop/unique_code.This unique link is available to the seller in the "My Domain Store" section.

Payment calculation

The following amounts are deducted from the price paid by the buyer for the domain:

1. RU-CENTER’s fee

  • for sellers with the “Business Pro” club status — 3% of the sale amount (but not less than RUB 300);
  • for sellers with the “Business Plus” club status — 6% of the sale amount (but not less than RUB 300);
  • for sellers offering a domain for sale for a buyer found through the Domain Broker service — 20% of the sale amount (but not less than RUB 300);
  • for all other sellers — 10% of the sale amount (but not less than RUB 300);

2. Tax withheld by RU-CENTER and paid for individuals carrying out the sale.

An example of calculating the amounts that the parties will receive in a transaction with a domain that costs RUB 10,000:

Seller is an individual, RUB

Seller is a legal entity, RUB

Domain sale amount (the buyer’s payment for the domain)

10 000

10 000

RU-CENTER’s fee (10% of the sale amount, but not less than RUB 300)

1 000

1 000

Tax*

1 300

Amount paid to the seller

7 700

9 000

An example of calculating the amounts that the Business Pro sellers will receive in a transaction with a domain that costs RUB 10,000:

Seller is an individual, holder of Business Pro status, RUB

Seller is a legal entity, holder of Business Pro status, RUB

Domain sale amount (the buyer’s payment for the domain)

10 000

10 000

RU-CENTER's fee (3% of the sale amount)

300

300

Tax*

1 300

Amount paid to the seller

8 400

9 700

* According to Federal Law No. 372-FZ dated 23.11.2020, from January 1, 2021, an individual's income exceeding RUB 5m is subject to personal income tax at a tax rate of 15%. Therefore, the amount paid to the seller may be adjusted based on the seller's income in the domain store during each calendar year at the time of the transaction.

What reporting documents can be obtained from the store?

Once the transaction is complete, the parties will receive the following documents:

For the Seller:

  • a VAT invoice for RU-CENTER’s fee.

For the Buyer:

  • a VAT invoice for the Deal Guarantor service;
  • Service Acceptance Statement for the Deal Guarantor service;
  • The organizer’s report on the domain name purchase.

How can I receive the funds for the sold domain?

The money for the sold domain can be transferred:

  • to the seller's personal account (NIC-D);
  • to the seller’s bank account (account, bank card).

The money is credited to the seller's account within 10 business days after the transaction.

Why has my domain been added the store, but not put up for sale?

The domain placed in the store cannot be put up for sale in the following cases:

1. The domain expires in less than 5 days. Renew your domain and it will automatically be put up for sale in the store.

2. Registrant change is not available for the domain.

3. Registrant change is restricted for the domain. Remove this restriction and the domain will be put up for sale automatically.

4. Domain is transferred to another registrar. To put the domain up for sale in the store, you need to cancel the request for registrar change.

How do I sell a large number of domains?

To put up domains for sale in bulk:

1. Download in the section "My Domain Store" and fill in the appropriate MS Excel template:

  • an empty template;
  • a file with the seller's domains already listed for sale in the store (with the specified sale parameters);
  • a file with all domains under the seller's agreement (in the domain zones for which the sale in the store is available).

2. Save the completed template in the TSV format (a tab-separated value file not exceeding 1,000 rows).

3. When uploading the file, select "Replace sale parameters for existing domains" if you want to change the sale parameters to those specified in the file.

How can I sell a domain to a specific buyer?

To sell to a specific buyer, when placing a domain in the store, check the privacy parameter for the sale. The domain will not be put up for an open sale, its card will be available only at the link like nic.ru/shop/unique_code. It will be available in the personal account section "My Domain Store" — it can be copied and sent to a specific buyer to place an order for the purchase.

How do I allow buyers to bid on my domain?

Enable price bidding in the sale parameters. Buyers will be able to bid on your domain. Bids will be sent by e-mail or SMS. You have no more than 2 weeks before the offer is canceled to:

  • accept the offer — the buyer who made the offer will be able to buy it at the price that you agreed to;
  • reject the buyer's price — the buyer can make another offer;
  • offer your own price in return — this buyer will be able to buy the domain at the price you proposed.

How can I place a parking page on a domain?

In the sale parameters, enable the option "Set the ‘Domain for sale’ page” for the domain.

1. If the domain registrar is RU-CENTER, then the A-records required to display the parking page will be indicated automatically. After that, the domain will be delegated to the DNS servers of RU-CENTER services. Note: if resource records (MX, CNAME, etc.) have been configured for the domain, they will stop working once the parking page is placed.

2. If the domain registrar is not RU-CENTER, then you need to specify A-records for the domain yourself as follows:
my-domain.ru A 31.177.76.70
my-domain.ru A 31.177.80.70

When domains, the registrar of which is RU-CENTER, are removed from parking, the parking resource A-record will be deleted.

How can I buy a domain in the store?

Select a domain name from the catalog, place an order and pay for it.

When buying domains in the store, the buyer is charged a fee for the service of securing the transaction — the "Deal Guarantor".

The service fee depends on the amount of the transaction:

  • if the transaction amount is from RUB 0 to RUB 999 — 0%;
  • if the transaction amount is from RUB 1,000 to RUB 9,999 — 7%;
  • if the transaction amount is from RUB 10,000 to RUB 99,999 — 5%;
  • If the transaction amount is RUB 100,000 or more — 3%.

How long does it take to transfer a domain?

Domain transfer can take from a few minutes to several days:

  • few minutes for domains the registrar of which is RU-CENTER;
  • up to 14 days for domains with another registrar purchased in the Domain Store.
  • up to 21 days if the seller needs to provide documents to complete the transaction. You can speed up the domain purchase — when ordering a domain, add the "Premium Purchase" service to your order. We will contact the domain seller and carry out the transaction within 7 days;
  • up to 26 days for domains of RU-CENTER's foreign partners.

How can a buyer offer its own price?

The buyer can offer its price only if the bidding option is available on the domain page. If the bidding option is unavailable, and the domain price seems too high to you, order the Domain Broker service so that we can contact the domain seller and negotiate a lower price for the domain.

Set your price and send an offer. The seller has 2 weeks to review the buyer’s offer.

If no response is received from the seller within this period, as in the case of domain sale parameters changes by the seller, your offer will be canceled.

Once the seller reviews your offer, you will receive a notification by e-mail or SMS.

Who offers the price if the buyer’s agreement is managed by a NIC-REG's partner?

The buyer whose agreement is controlled by a NIC-REG’s partner cannot independently offer its price to the seller and does not receive notification of the results of its consideration. The partner creates an offer and acts as a participant of the bidding. Moreover, if the seller has approved the price proposed by the NIC-REG's partner, the accepted price is valid for any client of the partner.

How much will it cost to renew the purchased domain?

Once the domain is purchased, it’s renewal will be at a standard price.

How can I follow the sale/purchase?

Information on the domain sale progress is available in the My Domain Store section and is emailed to the addresses of the seller and the buyer. You can sign up for additional notifications:

RU-CENTER’s obligations

RU-CENTER guarantees that the seller receives money for the sold domain name and that the buyer receives the ownership rights to the purchased domain.

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