subject: Getting The Domain To The Buyer - The 2nd Step To Buying And Selling Websites [print this page] One very important part of the site buying and selling process is of course, getting the goods, in this case the domain and the site contents, to the buyer. As soon as the terms of the sale and the payment method are decided upon, the domain transfer is the next major step in the process. Moreover, the transacting parties should also first settle on the hosting arrangement for the site before this next step is started.
Basically, the original owner can pick out either of two possibilities in getting the domain to the buyer: 1. Domain Push; and 2. Domain Transfer. Let's talk about the two methods.
1. Pushing a Domain
Those who've tried selling a website are likely to be knowledgeable about this option since this is the most widely-used manner of getting the domain to the buyer. When a seller is said to "push" a domain, it simply means he (seller) is moving the possession of the domain from one individual to a different one within the same registrar. In other words, this scenario only take place if both buyer and seller maintain an account with the same registrar such as GoDaddy.com.
There are several benefits to pushing a domain: The process is simple, it costs absolutely nothing, and the domain is automatically "moved" as soon as the push is made. There's no waiting around for 60 days like one does when a domain is transferred from one registrar to another.
2. Transfer a Domain
If the domain is registered at one registrar (GoDaddy.com for instance), and the buyer has his account with another (e.g. NameCheap.com) and wishes the domain he bought to be registered in the same registrar, then the seller would need to do a domain transfer.
This option isn't used as frequently as the first one due to some very justifiable reasons. To begin with, one would have to spend to transfer a domain (although this may only cost about $8 to $10). Further, a transfer involves a longer and more tedious process. Plus, there's the 60-day waiting period rule to deal with should it apply in your situation.
For those unaware of this rule, a domain that's only been registered cannot be transferred to another registrar for the next 60 days. This is obviously a serious inconvenience if the seller has only created and registered the website a few days or weeks before the sale pushes through.
Pushing Vs. Transferring a Domain
In most cases, the seller and buyer would often choose to push the sold domain instead of transferring it for the factors given above. Even if the buyer has many of his websites registered with another registrar as that of the seller's, it's a simple matter of creating a new account for the buyer at the registrar where the seller can just make the push.
However, the buyer could still "insist" on a domain transfer and not just a push if the seller's registrar isn't that reliable and the buyer is not secure having his newly-bought site or domain on that registrar.
Once you have familiarized yourself with how to push or transfer a domain, you only have a few more steps left and you've already completed the process for flipping websites.
