discuss Could DNS TXT Records Soon Show Your Domain's Price? (IETF Draft)

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For those who keep an eye on IETF drafts, you might be familiar with "draft-ietf-regext-for-sale-10", which has reached its tenth version.

You can check it out here:

The "_for-sale" Underscored and Globally Scoped DNS Node Name

https://forsalereg.sidnlabs.nl/rfc/

Older draft iterations can be found here.

(This document is an Internet-Draft (I-D). Anyone may submit an I-D to the IETF. This I-D is not endorsed by the IETF and has no formal standing in the IETF standards process.)


This draft offers an interesting proposal: a standardized way to signal a domain's "for sale" status and asking price. The core idea is to publish this information directly within the domain's DNS as a TXT record. It's envisioned as a building block for the secondary market, rather than a radical overhaul.

From the Draft Intro:



Well-established services [RFC3912][RFC9083] exist to determine whether a domain name is registered. However, the fact that a domain name exists does not necessarily mean it is unavailable; it may still be for sale.

Some registrars and other entities offer mediation services between domain name holders and interested parties (often referred to as brokers). For domain names that are not for sale, such services may be of limited value, whereas they may be beneficial for domain names that are clearly being offered for sale.

This specification defines a lightweight method to ascertain whether a domain name, although registered, is available for purchase. It enables a domain name holder to add a reserved underscored leaf node name [RFC8552] in the zone, indicating that the domain name is for sale.

The TXT RR type [RFC1035] created for this purpose MUST follow the formal definition of Section 3. Its content MAY contain a pointer, such as a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) [RFC3986], or another string, allowing interested parties to obtain information or contact the domain name holder for further negotiations.

With due caution, such information can also be incorporated into automated availability services. When checking a domain name for availability, the service may indicate whether it is for sale and provide a pointer to the seller's information.

Note: In this document, the term "for sale" is used in a broad sense and MAY also refer to cases where the domain name is available for lease, or where the contractual right to use the domain name is offered to another party.




As a draft, the idea is still evolving, meaning its current form isn't final and can change. Its eventual adoption and implementation across the industry isn't yet certain. For those not actively involved in the standards setting, this is a chance to understand where things might be headed, and how basic domain sale data could be shared more openly in the future.

What are your thoughts on this draft? Could a standardized data point like this benefit the domain investment landscape? And crucially, do you foresee any significant negatives or unintended consequences if this were to become a widely adopted reality?
 
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GoDaddyGoDaddy
Chatgpt to the rescue:
Sure — here’s a “for dummies” short explanation of his post:

🧠 TL;DR: What is “draft-ietf-regext-for-sale-10”?

It’s a proposal to make it easier to see if a domain is for sale — right from its DNS records.
  • Instead of checking marketplaces or guessing, you’d be able to check a special TXT record (like a tag) added by the domain owner.
  • That record could say: “This domain is for sale” and even include a link or contact info.
  • It’s like a digital “for sale” sign — directly attached to the domain itself.
👉 It’s still just a draft, not official or widely used yet — but it’s aiming to create a simple, universal way to help buyers and sellers connect.

Does the proposal include an option to opt in or out?
 
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Not sure if DNS is the right way, it may be more suited for an extra field at rdap.
I presented this idea to the .pl registry some 15+ years ago and they weren't interested. Obviously I still like it. ;)
It could replace networks like afternic dls and sedo mls, so of course it will be blocked by godaddy and its allies. However, it would still need a platform to finalise the sale, so for it to make sense (and work à la mls) it would probably need to involve the registry or a single third-party acting as a middle-main, which is another reason it is likely to fail.

So to sum up, I think it will fail because:
1. the biggest registrar is not interested in sharing their monopoly with others
2. the other registrars are not interested in handing the monopoly to a single entity

(yes, I know the linked proposal works a bit differently, injecting a for-sale link as a dns record, but IMO it's even worse, because then nobody will support it, and why would they? it's not a normal business practice to redirect your customer to a competitor)
 
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