Due diligence templates occupy a strange place in domain name transactions. They are often dismissed as rigid, bureaucratic, or overly generic, yet in practice they are one of the most effective tools for reducing risk, maintaining consistency, and preventing oversight when stakes are high or volume increases. The problem is not that templates exist, but…

Pricing is where domain name due diligence becomes self-reflective rather than investigative. For sellers, pricing due diligence is not about researching external risk, but about interrogating one’s own assumptions, constraints, and objectives before they harden into numbers that the market will judge mercilessly. The distinction between an asking price and a true floor price is…

When a domain transaction includes brand assets, trademark assignment due diligence becomes the difference between acquiring a coherent business identity and inheriting a fractured, legally unstable shell. Domains and trademarks are often spoken about interchangeably in casual conversation, but they are fundamentally different legal instruments that only sometimes travel together. A domain can be transferred…

Website asset due diligence is where domain name transactions intersect most sharply with intellectual property reality. A domain may be the headline asset in a deal, but when a website is included, even implicitly, the transaction expands from a simple transfer of control to a complex bundle of rights, permissions, and obligations. Many buyers underestimate…

Registrar security is one of the least visible yet most consequential elements of domain name–related due diligence. Domains are not stolen, lost, or misused because of flaws in the DNS system itself, but because the accounts that control them are compromised, misconfigured, or impossible to recover. For domain investors, buyers, and businesses alike, registrar security…

Non-disclosure agreements occupy a peculiar and often misunderstood role in domain name–related due diligence. In theory, NDAs exist to protect sensitive information and enable serious discussions without fear of misuse. In practice, they can either facilitate clarity and trust or actively obstruct good decision-making, depending on how and when they are used. For domain investors,…

Tax due diligence is one of the least glamorous aspects of domain investing, yet it is one of the few areas where mistakes can retroactively erase years of otherwise successful activity. Unlike legal disputes or failed sales, tax issues often surface quietly and late, triggered by audits, cross-border reporting, or mismatches between what platforms report…

Installment plans have become a common mechanism for bridging valuation gaps in domain name transactions, allowing buyers to acquire assets they could not or would not pay for upfront while giving sellers access to higher headline prices. Despite their apparent simplicity, installment deals fundamentally change the risk profile of a transaction. They convert what would…

KYC due diligence has become an unavoidable part of serious domain name transactions, even though many participants still think of domain deals as informal asset trades rather than regulated financial events. As domain values rise, payment channels tighten, and enforcement around money laundering, sanctions, and fraud increases, identity verification has shifted from an occasional inconvenience…

Renewal risk is one of the quiet forces that separates profitable domain investments from long-term liabilities, yet it is routinely underestimated because it unfolds slowly and invisibly. Unlike acquisition price, which is paid once and remembered clearly, renewal costs recur, compound, and interact with time in ways that fundamentally alter the economics of a domain.…