Frequently Asked Questions

Browse our live auctions and find a domain you like. You'll see the current price and a countdown to the next price drop. When you're ready, either click Buy Now to purchase at the current price, or place a Stop Bid to set the price you want to pay and let us handle it automatically. You'll need to create a free account and have sufficient balance to complete a purchase.

Not at the moment. We do have a slight concern that fake accounts could attempt to end auctions early maliciously, and we are monitoring this carefully. If it becomes an issue, we will introduce a requirement for new or unknown buyers to lodge a small 1% bidding fee before placing a Stop Bid. This fee would be deducted from the invoice price sent to the seller — so the domain effectively costs the same — but it provides the safeguard we need to prevent fake bidding from disrupting auctions. We'll keep buyers informed if this changes.

You pay exactly the amount you set as your Stop Bid — not the current auction price at the time it triggers. For example, if you place a Stop Bid of £5,000 and the auction price later drops to £5,000, you win and pay £5,000. The platform fee is deducted from this amount and goes to StopBid, with the seller receiving the remainder.

Payment is made directly to the seller. Once you win an auction, StopBid puts you in touch with the seller to arrange payment and domain transfer. Our small platform fee is deducted from the sale price on the seller's side, so as a buyer you pay the seller the full amount you bid. The seller then transfers the domain to you once payment is received.

A Stop Bid is your automatic buying instruction. You set the price you're willing to pay, and StopBid monitors the auction on your behalf. The moment the falling auction price reaches your Stop Bid amount, it automatically purchases the domain for you at that price — even if you're not online at the time. Think of it as a silent, patient buyer working for you around the clock.

No — that's exactly what a Stop Bid is for. Set your price once and walk away. If the auction price drops to your Stop Bid, we'll buy it for you automatically and notify you by email. You don't need to watch the clock or keep refreshing the page.

If two buyers place Stop Bids at exactly the same amount, the tiebreaker is simple: whoever placed their Stop Bid first wins. The earlier timestamp wins, so it pays to act quickly if you have a specific price in mind.

No. Every auction has a reserve price — a minimum amount the seller is willing to accept. If the auction price drops to the reserve without anyone buying, the auction ends unsold rather than going below it. So the price will never reach zero, and domain names are never given away for free.

VAT depends on the individual seller. Some sellers on StopBid are VAT-registered, in which case their listing will clearly show that all prices include VAT. If no VAT notice appears on a listing, the seller is not VAT-registered and VAT is not applicable to that transaction. If you're unsure, check with the seller directly before completing a purchase.

Important: no buyer will ever pay more than the price they bid at. The price you bid is the price you pay — guaranteed.

Yes — StopBid is open to approved sellers of .uk domain names. To list a domain you'll need to apply for seller status first. Our team reviews applications to maintain the quality of the marketplace. Once approved, you can submit domains for auction straight from your dashboard.

Yes. When scheduling your auction, you can set a reserve price — the minimum amount you're willing to accept. If the auction price drops to your reserve without a buyer, the auction ends unsold and your domain is returned to you. Setting a reserve gives you full control over your floor price, so you'll never sell for less than you're comfortable with.

Once you have seller status, head to your dashboard and click Sell Your Name. Submit your domain for review — our team will evaluate it, categorise it (Premier, SEO Names, or Value Names), and may suggest a reserve price. If approved, you'll have 21 days to schedule your auction, set your starting price, and choose a go-live date. From there, everything runs automatically.

The buyer pays you directly. Once your auction sells, StopBid connects you with the winning buyer to arrange payment and domain transfer. Our platform fee is deducted from the sale price — so if your domain sells for £5,000 and our fee is 1%, you receive £4,950. There's no additional invoice from StopBid; the fee is simply subtracted from what the buyer pays you.

StopBid charges a small platform fee on successful sales, expressed as a percentage of the final sale price. This fee is deducted from the buyer's payment before it reaches you — there are no upfront listing fees, and no charge if your domain doesn't sell. You only pay when you make a sale.