Spaceship Removes .in Domains from SellerHub in Compliance with Indian Registry Regulations

Recently, the domain name platform Spaceship announced that it has removed .in domains from its SellerHub marketplace in accordance with a request from India's National Internet Exchange (NIXI). This means that .in domains can no longer be publicly listed or resold through the platform. This move has sparked industry concern and is seen as another signal from the Indian Registry that it is strengthening its management of .in domains.

.in is India's country code top-level domain (ccTLD). Its administrator, NIXI, has been tightening its policies in recent years, particularly regarding domain resale and speculation. As early as 2023, NIXI proposed amending the registrant agreement to prohibit the resale of .in domains above the maximum retail price (MRP). The draft clearly states that this restriction will apply not only to registrars but also to all registrants. This move is seen as a direct target on domain investment and secondary market transactions.

NIXI is also promoting a new Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) with strengthened compliance requirements, including stricter registrant identity verification (e-KYC) and restrictions on registrar sales channels. Although public documents do not explicitly prohibit the trading of .in domain names on third-party marketplaces, many platforms have taken a conservative approach, proactively removing or restricting the resale of .in domain names to mitigate potential risks.

Industry insiders point out that such measures could weaken the liquidity of .in domain names among global investors and suppress their secondary market value. However, supporters believe that restricting speculative behavior will help ensure fairer access to domain resources for end users and promote the healthy development of .in domain names in the domestic market.

With Spaceship's removal of .in domain names, NIXI's regulatory direction has already had a real impact on international platforms. The future trading landscape of .in domain names may undergo significant adjustments, with the balance between investment and usage becoming a key focus.