FAQ

Got a question? You may be able to find the answer here. If you don't find what you need, please use the form below to email us and we'll try to help.

Additional information can be found on these pages:

About Our Names: 

How do you determine the prices of your domain names?

The pricing of domain names is part art, part science. Some of the factors that we consider include:

  • Selling prices of similar domain names that have been sold in the past by other people and companies
  • Selling prices of similar domain names that we have sold in the past
  • For-sale prices of similar domain names listed elsewhere on the web (e.g., Sedo.com, GoDaddy.com, Afternic.com)
  • Forward looking price trends for a given category or type of name

If you believe one of our names is priced incorrectly, please email us an offer and we'll consider it.

Do you check your domain names for existing trademarks?

While we try to do some basic trademark checking on the names we offer for sale, you should not rely upon our efforts in any way whatsoever. You are responsible for doing your own trademark analysis.

Proper trademark scanning and analysis is a very time consuming and expensive process that can only be correctly done with knowledge of the specific circumstances you are in, including what business you will be operating in, what countries you will serve, and other factors. It is well beyond the scope of our capabilities and expertise to provide such analysis, even if we knew something about your business situation (which we don't). Any domain name reseller that tells you otherwise doesn't understand trademark law very well.

So, please understand that it is 100% your responsibility as the Buyer to verify that the domain name you may be considering is available to be used for the purpose you envision for it. To be the most thorough, we recommend you consult a trademark lawyer or intellectual property expert to obtain a detailed analysis of the suitability of a given name for your purposes.

We also recommend that you do some reading about the basics of trademark law in your country. If you will be doing business in the United States, a good starter source for US trademark law can be found on the USPTO site (US Patent and Trademark Office), including this trademark tutorial.

You can also check for existing trademarks that might be relevant to your prospective purchase through various trademark databases in your applicable countries. For the US, there is the TESS database maintained by the USPTO and the Trademarkia database. You may also want to try the WIPO international trademarks database.

NameKraft assumes no responsibility or liability for the trademark status of any name, for the Buyer's ability to obtain a trademark for a given name, or for Buyer's usage of a purchased name in a way which may cause a trademark conflict.

Purchasing a Name: 

What will I need to purchase a domain name from NameKraft?

To buy a domain from NameKraft, you will need:

  1. An account with Escrow.com or Paypal.com or a bank account to make payment
  2. An account with a domain name registrar, such as GoDaddy or Name.com where we can transfer your new name. Any recognized domain name registrar will be acceptable.

How does the purchase process work?

Purchasing a domain name basically works like this:

  1. To purchase the domain name through Escrow.com, click the 'Buy Now' button to start the transaction. This takes you to a customized Escrow.com webpage for your particular domain name. If you don't have an account with Escrow.com, you will need to create one.
  2. Follow the instructions on Escrow.com for confirming the transaction and making payment.
  3. Once we receive payment confirmation, we will coordinate with you to transfer the domain name to your registrar account. Read here for details on the domain name transfer process.
  4. Once the domain has been transferred to your account, Escrow.com will ask you to confirm that the name is in your possession. Once you have the name, Escrow.com will release the funds to us and close the transaction.
  5. As a final step, we ask that you please update the Whois records for your new domain name to ensure that your own information is showing. If the information is incorrect, please update it.

If you are making payment via Paypal or wire transfer, the process will be similar to that described above for Escrow.com.

What if a domain name doesn't have a price?

We try to put prices on all of our names, but we aren't 100% successful. One reason why a name may not have a price is that we simply haven't gotten around to doing the necessary analysis to set one. Another reason is that the prices for some categories of domain names are changing rapidly and we don't want to write down a price that might become dated very quickly.

In either case, please contact us and tell us what domain name you are interested in. If you are able to include a specific offer, that's even better. We'll get back to you and let you know what's going on.

How long will the transaction take?

It depends on a couple of factors:

  • How long it takes you to make payment.
  • The type of domain name transfer we need to use. If transferring a name between accounts at the same registrar, this can be completed quickly (less than 1 hour). If transferring between accounts at different registrars, then a more involved transfer process is required which can take up to 5-7 days. That said, an increasing number of registrars are offering an accelerated transfer procedure that can be completed more quickly - sometimes in an hour or less.

The fastest transactions can be completed within a few hours. Longer transactions can take 7-10 days. If speed is important to you, please let us know and we can advise how to get things done quickly.

What does Escrow.com do?

Escrow.com is a well respected, independent company that acts as an escrow agent to coordinate the domain purchase and transfer. Having Escrow.com involved helps to make certain that your purchase is completely safely and securely.

Escrow.com's job has two main parts.

  • First, they handle all the funds, including holding the funds in escrow until you control the domain name.
  • Second, they monitor the domain name transfer process and confirm that the domain name has been transferred to you.

To be clear, Escrow.com doesn't actually execute the domain transfer process on our behalf - we (you and NameKraft) must work together to complete that - but they do monitor the process and ensure that the transfer has occurred before releasing your funds.

Please read the Escrow.com Terms & Conditions that apply to all Escrow.com transactions.

What are the terms of sale for domain names?

All domain names are sold on a final as-is basis with no returns, refunds, and warranties of any kind. Your purchase is of a domain name only with no websites, content, trademarks, or any other material included. Please see our Terms of Use for additional information, particularly the sections titled Orders & Purchases and Copyrights & Trademarks

Will I own the domain name after I buy it?

Yes, you will become the official owner of record for the domain name once the transaction is completed. We will have no involvement whatsoever in the use or management of the domain.

As long as you continue to pay the mandatory annual registration fee for the name (payable to your registrar) and otherwise maintain the name in good order, the domain name will be yours to use as you see fit.

Payment: 

How do I pay for a domain?

We work with two different third party payment processors and you may opt to use whichever one you may prefer. You may also make payment directly to use via wire transfer or check.

For those seeking an extra level of purchase security and/or for higher value transactions, we recommend using Escrow.com, a 3rd party escrow agent, to handle payments for your domain name purchase. In addition to handling payments, Escrow.com acts as an escrow agent to provide a higher level of transaction security for both you and us. Escrow.com accepts a variety of payment methods. See their website for Escrow.com for payment options and associated fees. You can make payment to them using the 'Buy Now' button on the domain name sales page or we can initiate the transaction manually and you'll receive an email notification.

For most purchases, we recommend using Paypal.com because it is cheaper and typically faster. Paypal accepts a wide variety of payment methods. If you would prefer to pay by Paypal, please contact us and we will prepare and send an invoice to you by email.

You can also make payment directly to us via wire transfer or check. Please contact us to make arrangements. We do not directly accept payments via credit cards or process payments through our website.

If you would prefer to make payment in some other manner, please let us know and we will try to make it work.

More about payments

What forms of payment do you accept?

We accept payments through Escrow.com and through Paypal.com, so you may use any form of payment those firms accept. As well, you can make payment directly to us via wire transfer or check.

Is my payment secure?

Our payment partners, Escrow.com and Paypal, are both large, highly reliable financial institutions with advanced security procedures. Payments made through them are very safe and secure.

For security and privacy reasons, we do not process credit cards or take any other forms of payment through this website. As a small organization, we cannot match the security capabilities available to companies like Escrow.com and Paypal, so we leave payment processing to them.

Why does the Buyer pay the transaction fees?

Because the transaction fees can vary quite a bit based on factors and choices determined by the Buyer, our policy is to have the Buyer pay all transaction fees.

When using Escrow.com or Paypal, fees will range from about 3% - 5% of purchase price depending on the payment options you choose. Depending on your banking situation, you may be able to avoid transaction fees by paying us by wire transfer or check.

Do you offer a payment plan?

We are happy to create a payment plan that will work for you for higher value domain name purchases. Escrow.com's Secure Domain Name Holding service is one option for manage payment plans or we can do a self-managed payment plan through Paypal or via regular wire transfers.

If we agree to a payment plan, you may begin using the domain name right away, but we will not transfer the name into your possession until all payments have been made if full. If you want to use the domain name right away, please advise us of the DNS settings you need and we'll make the appropriate changes within our registrar account.

Please note that if you fail to make agreed upon payments on a timely basis, the transaction will be cancelled and we will keep any payments made to date.

Transferring A Domain Name: 

What does it mean to 'transfer' a domain name?

To change the owner of a domain name from one person (or company) to another, the name must be transferred using well defined procedures developed by ICANN and by individual domain name registrars. We must follow these established procedures.

The transfer process is designed to ensure that all domain names are tracked at all times within the larger domain name system. It is also designed to reduce domain name fraud and theft.

How does the domain name transfer process work?

There are two main ways that domain names can be transferred:

  1. Transfer between accounts at the same registrar ('push' transfer). This is the simplest and fastest method of transfer. It has a special name called a 'push'. To execute a push transfer, you must provide us with the account number and account email. We will then enter that information from within our account to designate you are the new owner of the name. Domain pushes can be done very quickly once we have your information in hand.
  2. Transfer between accounts at two different registrars (regular transfer). Transferring names between registrars involves each of us (you as Buyer and we as Seller) taking certain steps to initiate and confirm the name transfer.

The regular process can be a little confusing and the exact procedure may vary a little from company to company. We recommend that you check with your registrar for detailed directions on their process.

The basic process of a regular transfer goes something like this:

  • Buyer initiates the transfer with their domain registrar. There may be a cost involved that you are responsible for.
  • Your registrar will email two special transfer codes to us which are called the 'Transaction ID' and 'Security Code' (or similar). The codes are sent to us because we are the current owners and the act of us passing them along to you serves as a security measure to prevent fraudulent transfers.
  • We will obtain a 3rd transfer code directly from our registrar called an 'Authorization Code' (or 'Auth Code').
  • We will send all 3 transfer codes over to you via email. Please watch for these.
  • Once you have the codes, you will enter all 3 codes into the Domain Transfer settings within your Registrar account. Contact your registrar if you are unsure where to put them.
  • Once the codes are entered and confirmed, then we wait 5-7 days while the two Registrars do their thing and get the name moved over.

We appreciate that the transfer process can be confusing, so please let us know if you have any questions.

For more information on transfers, please visit how to transfer a domain name.

How long will it take to transfer the domain name?

The length of time varies significantly depending on the type of transfer involved.

  • A 'push' transfer (between accounts with the same registrar) can be completed within a few hours (or even within a few minutes if we both move quickly)
  • A regular transfer (between accounts at different registrars) can take up to 5-7 business days. However, increasingly many registrars are offering an accelerated transfer process than can expedite the normal procedures significantly. In some cases, accelerated transfers can be completed within an hour or so.

What registrar should we use?

You can use any recognized registrar you want. If you already have an account somewhere and are happy with that registrar, then feel free to use them.

If you are keen to take possession of your domain name as quickly as possible, then you may want to consider opening an account with the registrar that holds the name you are buying. This will allow us to do a push transfer which can be completed within a hour or so.

What registrar does NameKraft use?

The majority of our domain names are held at GoDaddy.com, but we use a variety of other registrars, too.

What is a 'registry lock' and what can be done about it?

Per ICANN rules, registrars are not permitted to transfer a domain name to another registrar for 60-days after either of the following occur:

  • The name has just been registered
  • The name has just been transferred from one registrar to another

This 60-day hold period is referred to as a 'registry lock' or a 'change of registrant lock'.

Registry locks serve as security measure to prevent fraudulent domain name transfers. Basically, ICANN doesn't want people to be able to shuffle stolen domain names around so quickly that authorities can't track them down and recover them.

If it turns out that the name you want to buy is still be under registry lock and can't be transferred to another registrar, we have two options:

  1. We wait until the 60-day period expires to begin transferring the name. We can tell you exactly how long remains on the lock, so we'll know what day we can begin the transfer.
  2. You get an account at the registrar the name is held at. The registry lock prevents transferring names between registrars, but doesn't prevent transferring between accounts at the same registrar.

Can I choose a different registrar after the transaction is completed?

Yes, once the domain name is in your account at your registrar, you are free to move it onward to another registrar. However, depending on the circumstances, there may be a waiting period of up to 60 days, called a 'Registry Lock', before the name can be moved.

How can I confirm that the domain name is in my possession?

The most reliable way to determine if you have the name you bought is to log into your registrar account and see if the domain name is in there.

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