The New “For Sale” DNS Record: How to Mark a Domain For Sale (RFC 10023)
Published 2026-10-22
You find the perfect name and it's taken. Is it really gone, or would the owner sell it? Usually you have to guess. You can look for a parking page, search the big marketplaces, or send a cold email and hope.
A new internet standard gives owners a simple way to answer that question themselves, right in DNS. Someone on Reddit asked us about it, so here's what it is and how to use it.
What is RFC 10023?
In July 2026 the IETF published RFC 10023, written by Marco Davids of SIDN Labs, the research arm of the .nl registry. It's an Informational RFC, not a mandatory rule, and it defines one small DNS record that says "this domain is for sale":
_for-sale.example.com. IN TXT "v=FORSALE1;fval=USD750"That's the whole thing. You don't need a marketplace account or a landing page. The record lives under the _for-sale label of your domain. It must start with v=FORSALE1; and can add one of four things:
| Tag | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
fval= | Asking price (currency code + amount) | fval=USD750 |
furi= | Where to make an offer (web page, email, or phone) | furi=mailto:sales@example.com |
ftxt= | A short note | ftxt=Offers over 1k considered |
fcod= | A code your registrar uses for its own sales page | fcod=XX-1234 |
You can publish more than one record, for example one with the price and one with a contact link. A record with just v=FORSALE1; and nothing else still means "for sale."
Is anyone actually using it?
Yes. The .nl registry ran a pilot in which registrars added the record to more than 250,000 .nl names, and the .nl Whois now shows a "for sale" button when it finds one. Registrars such as INWX let customers set it from their control panel. SIDN Labs keeps a list of supporting tools at rfc10023.nl.
How to mark your own domain for sale
If you own a domain you'd sell, add one TXT record at your DNS host:
- Name / host:
_for-sale - Type: TXT
- Value:
v=FORSALE1;furi=mailto:you@example.com. Or usev=FORSALE1;fval=USD1500to list a price, or add both as two records. - TTL: an hour (3600) or less, so changes show up quickly.
To check that it worked, from any computer:
nslookup -type=TXT _for-sale.example.comTwo tips straight from the standard:
- Email addresses in public DNS get scraped. A contact form or a dedicated address works better than your personal inbox.
- If your DNS host offers DNSSEC, turn it on. It makes the record much harder to fake.
What it can't tell you
- No record doesn't mean "not for sale." The standard has no way to say "not for sale," so all a missing record tells you is that the owner hasn't added one.
- The price is a hint, not a quote. The owner sets it in DNS and may never update it, so confirm it with the seller.
- Be careful with links. Anyone can publish the record on their own domain. Check where a contact link really goes before you click it or send money.
Where DNSLister fits in
DNSLister already flags taken names that look like they're for sale, based on where their nameservers point. A _for-sale record is a stronger signal, because it's the owner saying it outright. We're adding support for it, so a taken name with a valid record gets a "For sale by owner" badge with the asking price and contact link. That isn't live yet. We'll post again when it is.
Sources
- RFC 10023 at the RFC Editor, the standard itself
- RFC 10023 on the IETF Datatracker, with its history and status
- rfc10023.nl, SIDN Labs' page about the record, with the .nl pilot and the list of supporting tools
- SIDN Labs, the research team at the .nl registry
Try it
Run a Quick Lookup on a name you want. If it's taken, check _for-sale.<that name> with the nslookup command above. The owner may already be telling you it's for sale.