A new Domain Name System convention highlighted on August 8, 2026, lets owners advertise that a registered, functioning domain is available for purchase. The `_for-sale` record is defined by informational RFC 10023 and registered with the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, according to an explainer from Website Spec.
An owner publishes a TXT record at a reserved leaf such as `_for-sale.example.com`. The record applies to the parent domain and contains a mandatory version tag plus no more than one `tag=value` pair. Brokers and automated availability services can query that location to learn that the name is negotiable.
The mechanism is deliberately separate from domain parking. A parked domain replaces its ordinary site with a sales page, sacrificing the website and possibly its email or visitor traffic. The DNS signal sits alongside an active site. Browsers continue loading the homepage, mail can keep flowing and the owner can add or remove the record without changing visible content.
It also answers a different question from WHOIS or the Registration Data Access Protocol. Registration services say whether a domain has an owner. They do not show whether that owner would consider selling it. Privacy redaction has also removed many public contact details, making cold inquiries harder and leaving legitimate approaches difficult to distinguish from spam.
Putting the signal in DNS targets the intermediaries most likely to use it. A broker or availability service already resolving a name can perform one additional lookup. That makes an owner’s willingness to sell externally checkable without requiring visitors to see a banner or modifying the service hosted at the domain.
The explainer recommends publishing one record only while the offer is genuine. It also advises signing the zone with DNSSEC where possible. An unsigned statement that includes a price or contact address could be forged, creating false claims that someone else’s domain is available. DNSSEC lets resolvers validate that the response came through the domain’s signed zone.
The supplied excerpt does not establish broad adoption by registrars, brokers or domain owners. As an informational standard, the convention supplies a common vocabulary and query location; its usefulness will depend on tools choosing to check it and sellers maintaining accurate records. It does not itself transfer a domain, verify a buyer, set an escrow process or replace contractual due diligence.
The proposal’s immediate contribution is narrower: it closes an information gap between “registered” and “not for sale.” A live domain can now expose a structured sales signal to machines while continuing normal operation. If adopted, that could reduce unwanted inquiries and help brokers find owners who have affirmatively indicated interest in a transaction.
