ENS names are NFTs, so a name you own can be listed or traded on third-party NFT marketplaces. ENS does not run a marketplace and cannot sell, transfer or release a name for you.
Before you list
Check three things:
How long is left on the registration. A buyer inherits the expiry date. Names in grace period cannot be listed.
Whether it is your primary name. If it is, clear it first. Otherwise your own address keeps pointing at a name someone else owns.
What the records say. Your profile records travel with the name. Addresses, social handles and avatar all go to the buyer unless you clear them.
Selling the name is a transfer of ownership. It does not cancel the registration or automatically change other records.
Secondary marketplaces
Third party marketplaces include Opensea.io, Grails.app, ens.tools and namewhisper.ai.
How a sale happens
You list the name on a third-party marketplace, a buyer pays there, and the marketplace moves the name to them. The whole exchange happens on that marketplace, not in the ENS App.
You can also agree a sale privately and transfer the name yourself. In that case you are trusting the other person.
After it sells
The name leaves your account. You cannot get it back unless the buyer sends it to you or lets it expire and you register it again.
Common questions
Which marketplace should I use?
We cannot recommend one. Third-party marketplaces run separately from ENS, and we cannot see or change anything on them.
Can ENS sell my name for me, or pass on an offer?
No. ENS cannot sell, transfer or release a name on anyone's behalf, and cannot broker a deal or pass a message to an owner.
My listing disappeared, or the sale did not complete.
Contact the marketplace. Listings live on their systems, so we cannot see the status of one or fix it.