Deciding on where to buy a domain name depends on the domain you want to register. As mentioned in our step-by-step guide, you'll have to look at different registrars to find one that offers the unclaimed domain name and suffix you want. If the URL extension is taken, but you're open to using other names that are close to your original idea, then choose registrars like Hover.
Your budget also affects your choice of domain registrar. Domain names currently owned by another entity or sold by a third party cost a lot more than those offered by registrars. There's no limit to pricing—they can start from a hundred dollars and then reach millions.
When buying pre-registered names from a marketplace or aftermarket, investigate both the vendor and the history of the domain name you want. You can look up the domain name in WHOis.net to check who registered it and how to contact the person or company.
Use the Wayback Machine and Security Trails to check how it was used and what content they used to publish. Meanwhile, tools like Google Search Console can help you verify if the name has received a penalty, or currently faces one.
To get a general idea of a domain's value, you can use EstiBot or Flippa for appraisals.