Domain Purchase Terms

01What you are buying

You are buying the transfer of the domain name to you. A .au domain name (such as .com.au) is not owned outright: it is held under a licence that the .au Domain Administration (auDA) governs, for a set term that must be renewed. A .com or other domain name is held under a registration on similar terms. Either way, it is held in your name once the transfer is complete.

02The .au eligibility rules

Australian domain names cannot be held by anyone for anything. Every .au name needs an Australian presence, such as an Australian company or registered business.

For .com.au and the like, the name must also be an exact match, or an abbreviation or acronym, of your business name or trade mark, or have a close and substantial connection to your business. A plain .au name needs an Australian presence only.

The full rules are the auDA Licensing Rules, published at auda.org.au.

• At checkout you tell us which entity will hold the name, the basis on which you are eligible, and declare that it is true. We keep that record with your purchase.
• You are responsible for your eligibility. If the information is wrong, auDA can cancel the licence, and we cannot reverse that.
• Not sure whether your basis holds? Ask us before you pay. We would rather tell you no than sell you a problem.

03The transfer

• Once your payment clears, the name is marked sold on our store and we check your eligibility against the business details you gave at checkout. If anything is missing, we email you within one business day.
• We then transfer the name into your business's name. If the registrar emails you asking you to confirm or accept the .au terms, please approve it: the transfer waits on that step.
• Once eligibility clears, the name is usually in your name within two business days.
• If you would rather hold the name with your own domain provider, tell us and we will send you the transfer code once it is in your name.
• The name moves to you with whatever term is left on it. You pay the next renewal.

04If a transfer cannot be completed

• If we cannot complete the transfer for a reason on our side, we refund you in full.
• If the transfer cannot go through because you are not eligible for the name, we refund you less any registry or transfer costs.

05Names under offer

• A name shows "Under offer" once a deposit is paid. The deposit is 10% of the price.
• You have 14 days from paying the deposit to pay the balance.
• The deposit is non-refundable, except where we cannot transfer the name. If that is for a reason on our side, you get it back in full. If you are not eligible for the name, you get it back less any registry or transfer costs.

06Authority, history and search value

Information we show about a domain name, such as its age, history, links or estimated search value, is our honest assessment from the data available to us. It is not a promise of any search ranking, traffic or sales, which depend on how the name is used.

07Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law

Nothing in these terms limits your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.

08Governing law

These terms are governed by the law of Victoria, Australia.