There are several reasons for wanting to sell a domain name. Perhaps you bought it simply for the purpose of reselling. Maybe you no longer need it for the use for which you purchased it. Or perhaps you just suspect that it may be worth more than the value you're getting out of it with your own website. For whatever reason you wish to sell your domain name, probably the best way to do it is to list it on a domain aftermarket website.

The advantage of using an aftermarket website is that they will help you to handle the payment, and the transfer of the domain. If you attempt to sell your domain name independently, you will have to deal with these matters yourself, and you might find that buyers are disinclined to make a purchase directly. Using an aftermarket site gives you credibility as a seller and makes the whole process run much more smoothly.

Also, to a certain extent, these sites do a lot of your marketing for you; domain shoppers can search the sites, look for domains at certain prices or with certain terms in the names, and view your domain in lists of domains for sale.

There are many domain aftermarket websites. Some registrars offer a reselling service. You can list your domain on these websites for a fee. There are usually several different kinds of listing to choose between.

Buy it now: If you want to sell your domain name quickly, you can simply list your domain with a price-tag of your choosing. Buyers who choose to purchase Domain Names in this way will just click "Buy It Now" and make a payment. The transaction is pretty much instantaneous.

Best offer: On some sites, you can choose an option whereby people interested in buying your domain name can submit their offers to you, and you can choose whether or not to accept them. Some allow you to submit counter-offers, so you can virtually haggle! This can be a good option if you are not sure of the value of your domain name, and want to get a sense of what people are willing to pay. You are under no obligation to accept any offers.

Auction: Many sites now offer online auctions for domain names. The auction lasts a specified amount of time and your domain is passed to the highest bidder when the auction ends. Again, if you're not sure of the value of your domain, this can be a good option to choose. Often, the competitiveness of the bidding process can drive up the selling price of a domain name.

By Helena Henderson