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Buyer from China via WHOIS – Questions About Liability After Sale
abhinavydv
Barred
Hi everyone,
I’ve recently received an email offer for one of my old domains from a buyer based in China. He reached out to me using the email listed in the domain’s WHOIS record. He’s offering $1,500 USD, and says he will also cover transfer fees and escrow fees, planning to complete the transfer this week.
My main concern is about liability after the sale. Once the domain is transferred:
1. Am I liable in any way for what the buyer does with the domain afterward?
2. Is there anything I should include in writing (e.g. in escrow comments or a simple contract) to make sure I’m legally protected?
3. Are there red flags I should watch out for with buyers from overseas (specifically China)?
4. Should I be concerned if the domain is later used for illegal or harmful content, even though I sold it clean?
I’ve never sold a domain before, so I’d really appreciate any advice on best practices, or precautions to take before completing the sale.
Thanks in advance!
Comments
just use a reputable escrow service and youll be good.
What @skopje said.
You insist on the fact that the buyer is from China - this is common, and irrelevant.
Once the transfer is completed, the domain will no longer belong to you, and you may lose all association with it.
You specifically mentioned "China" as unfriendly, but such judgments shouldn’t be based on region. If you hold a discriminatory attitude, then I don’t believe we should proceed with this deal. Scammers exist in every country (so caution is necessary regardless).
Thank you for your message. I want to clarify that I never intended to single out or discriminate against anyone based on nationality. I only mentioned the buyer’s country to give context, not to make assumptions.
I understand very well that buyers can come from any country, and scammers can too. I truly have no hate or bias toward any region, including China — I apologize if it came across differently.
My real concern is that this domain was originally linked to my real identity, including name, address, and email (since I didn’t use WHOIS protection in the past). Because the domain was intended for file upload/download and may grow into a service in the future, I just want to make sure that after the transfer, there’s no liability or connection back to me — especially if someone uses the domain in the future in a harmful or illegal way.
Someone can lookup whois history but this really doesn't matter. I wouldn't worry about it at all.
Once the domain is transferred out of my account, it's yours. Not my responsibility.
So, in your case, after the transaction finished. You're free to go with the cash. The rest don't care.
I'd say so: liability no but connection possibly yes (whois history used out of context etc.).
Just make sure the Escrow service provider is reputable and trustable. No need to worry about liability once the sale is completed.
Terminate the transaction to avoid 100% of the trouble.
Why should you worry about any after selling the domain name? All you need to do is make sure the other party is not a scammer.