Who does what in a domain deal

The registry

The registry operates one or more extensions and keeps the authoritative database of who sponsors each name. Verisign runs .com and .net, SIDN runs .nl, DENIC runs .de, DNS Belgium runs .be, EURid runs .eu and Nominet runs .uk.

A registry sets the transfer procedure, the credential type and the waiting periods. It executes transfers, applies registry level locks and holds cancelled names in quarantine.

A registry does not sell domains to the public, does not take sides in a commercial dispute between a buyer and a seller, and will not reverse a transfer because a payment went wrong. A handful of registries will issue an authorisation code directly to a registrant when the registrar has become unreachable, but that is an exception route, not a service desk.

The registrar

The registrar is accredited by the registry and holds the name on behalf of the registrant. This is where the control panel lives, where locks are switched on and off, where codes are generated and where accounts are secured.

A registrar can unlock a name, issue or reset a credential, execute a push between two of its own accounts, approve or refuse an outbound transfer, and update contact data. It can also lock an account after a suspected compromise, which is why a lock appearing mid deal is worth a ticket number rather than an argument.

A registrar does not verify that a seller has the right to sell, does not hold money for a deal, and does not police what two parties agreed.

The reseller

A reseller sells registrations through an accredited registrar without holding the accreditation. Many hosting companies and web agencies work this way.

The practical consequence in a sale is speed. Requests that take a minute at a registrar can take days through a reseller support queue, and some resellers do not expose codes or locks in their control panel at all. A seller working through a reseller should obtain the credential before the deal is signed rather than after.

Where a reseller has gone quiet or out of business, the route runs through the underlying registrar or, for some country code extensions, through the registry.

The marketplace

A marketplace publishes names for sale, gives interested parties a route to make an offer, and usually provides the payment and handover process behind it. It is a place to be found rather than a negotiator.

Listing typically requires proof of control: on Tappaya, for example, the seller points the domain nameservers at ns1.tappaya.com and ns2.tappaya.com, after which a sales page is generated for that name automatically. Proof of control is not proof of title, which is why the payment sequence still matters.

A marketplace does not chase buyers on behalf of a seller, does not set the price, and cannot shorten a registry waiting period.

The escrow provider

An escrow provider holds the buyer funds, confirms when the domain has been handed over, releases the money to the seller and returns it to the buyer when the handover fails. It also verifies both identities before funds move, which is a check neither side would otherwise run.

An escrow provider does not judge whether the price was fair, whether the name infringes a trademark, or whether the seller had authority to sell. Its scope is the sequence: fund, transfer, release. The mechanics are set out in how escrow works.

The broker

A broker finds holders, makes approaches, negotiates and runs the closing mechanics. The value is in reaching people who are not selling and in structuring deals that would otherwise fall apart.

A broker should not also hold the money, because that puts both sides of the deal in one pair of hands. Where a marketplace offers a mediation service for higher value names, it works on a success fee basis and sits alongside escrow rather than replacing it. When a broker is worth the fee is covered in broker or direct deal.

Who owns which problem

• Lock will not come off, code will not generate: the registrar, or the reseller above it.
• Transfer refused by policy: the registry rules, which no one can waive.
• Funds not confirmed: the bank first, then the escrow provider.
• Seller silent after payment: the agreement, then the escrow dispute process.
• Name arrived but the previous holder still has access: the buyer, immediately.