Apr 28 2026
Last year, my team needed a clean /24 for a SaaS launch. Shared IPs hurt transactional email, a vendor needed static provider-independent space, and NAT, or network address translation, kept creating cross-cloud edge cases.
We bought a /24 on the secondary market, transferred it through ARIN, and had it routable in under three weeks. The work was manageable because we treated the deal like a compliance project, not a shopping trip.
That distinction matters. A missed WHOIS mismatch, stale contact record, or Spamhaus listing can delay approval or damage deliverability on day one.
ARIN's IPv4 free pool ran out on September 24, 2015, and IANA's global pool had already been depleted in early 2011. For a U.S. business that needs provider-independent IPv4, meaning space not tied to one carrier, the secondary market is the only practical path.
The goal is simple. Buy clean space, document the need, close the transfer, and make the block usable right away.
These points shape pricing, compliance, and day-one operations.
IPv4 acquisition is a policy-driven transfer, not a simple retail purchase.
In practice, you buy registration rights to an existing IPv4 block from a current holder. After ARIN approves the Section 8 transfer, WHOIS, the public registry record, shows your organization as the registrant.
That does not create property ownership in the usual legal sense. It gives you the right to register and use the block under Regional Internet Registry, or RIR, policy and the terms of the RSA.
Common sizes include /24, /23, /22, /21, and /20. A /24 gives you 256 addresses and is enough for many mail streams, application endpoints, or fixed vendor integrations.
Most buyers use one of three paths. They work through a broker, buy through a marketplace, or negotiate directly with the holder using counsel and escrow.
Ownership matters when the need is durable and the network has to be predictable.
Dedicated space isolates sender reputation. You control reverse DNS, abuse handling, and routing security instead of inheriting the history or mistakes tied to a shared or leased range.
Lease rates remain around $0.40 to $0.50 per IP per month in 2025 market data. A /24 lease can cost about $1,200 to $1,500 each year, which makes ownership easier to justify over a multiyear horizon.
Owned blocks can be moved between carriers, routed from another cloud, or sold later if your design changes. IPv6 adoption keeps growing, but dual-stack networks are still the real-world norm, and plenty of third-party systems still require IPv4.
A realistic budget prevents weak approvals and rushed buying decisions.
The market corrected sharply after early 2024 highs. Large blocks that once traded near $50 per IP dropped closer to $20 into 2025, while one 2026 broker report estimated an average near $25 per IP.
Size and cleanliness drive the spread. Larger /16 blocks can clear near $18 to $20 per IP, while /20 through /23 deals more commonly land in the high $20s or low $30s.
For a clean /24 at $30 per IP, the block itself costs $7,680. Add escrow, legal review, any broker fee, and engineering time, and an all-in budget of $9,000 to $11,000 is reasonable.
Do not anchor to listing prices alone. Reputation, region, seller responsiveness, and inter-RIR complexity can move the final number.
Preparation is what turns a three-week close into a real possibility.
Finish the basics before you speak with sellers.
Teams skip this work because it feels administrative. It is the cheapest risk control in the whole process.
The right buying channel depends on deal size, internal expertise, and how much operational risk you can absorb.
For smaller teams that want vetted sellers, ARIN coordination, and escrow support in one process, a white-glove broker can reduce compliance risk and save time. If that describes your situation, Brander Group is a practical option for reviewing current inventory, comparing clean blocks for small and midsize deployments, and requesting a quote via Buy IPv4 before you start seller outreach.
Brokers are usually the safest route for first-time buyers. They screen sellers, coordinate ARIN paperwork, keep escrow moving, and spot issues that small teams miss. A broker with transfer experience, such as Brander Group, is most useful when you need a clean block and a clear paper trail, not just the lowest listed price.
Marketplaces can be faster and more transparent on pricing. They work well when your team can handle due diligence, policy questions, and post-transfer activation without much hand-holding.
Direct holder-to-holder deals make the most sense for larger blocks and experienced buyers. They can lower fees, but they raise the burden on legal review, verification, and project management.
Choose the channel that matches your team, not your optimism. The wrong process usually costs more than the visible fee.
A cheap block becomes expensive fast if its history breaks email, routing, or the transfer itself.
Check the asset before you fund escrow.
Also verify seller authority through counsel and tie fund release to the registry update. In IPv4 escrow workflows, WHOIS confirmation is usually the closing trigger.
Most transfers are straightforward when both sides answer ARIN quickly and submit complete records.
The sequence is usually predictable.
Step 1: Negotiate the block, price, closing conditions, timeline, and any cleanup duties before paperwork starts.
Step 2: Fund escrow so money is parked while the registry work moves forward.
Step 3: The seller opens the ARIN 8.3 or 8.4 transfer ticket and submits the required acknowledgment.
Step 4: You confirm your Org ID, sign the current RSA if needed, and provide recipient justification. For larger blocks, ARIN expects documents showing 50 percent utilization within 24 months.
Step 5: Respond to ARIN questions fast. Slow replies cause more delays than policy complexity.
Step 6: ARIN approves the transfer and updates WHOIS. Escrow then releases funds to the seller.
Step 7: Start activation immediately, because ownership on paper does not make the range usable.
With complete documents, intra-RIR deals usually close in two to four weeks. Inter-RIR transfers often add one to two more weeks for the second registry review.
The block is not production-ready until routing, DNS, and reputation controls are in place.
Start with RPKI, Resource Public Key Infrastructure. Publish Route Origin Authorizations, or ROAs, that match the exact prefix and origin ASN you plan to announce.
Next, create matching IRR route objects and send a Letter of Authorization, or LOA, to each upstream if they will announce the prefix. Border Gateway Protocol, or BGP, filters are easier to clear when these records match.
Then set forward and reverse DNS, update abuse and NOC contacts, and test reachability from more than one network. Public validators should show the route as RPKI valid before you move live traffic.
Finally, submit geolocation corrections to providers such as MaxMind and keep automated blocklist checks running during the first weeks of use.
Buying clean space is only valuable if you manage it like a permanent part of the network.
That means documenting why you bought it, keeping registry records current, reviewing reputation on a schedule, and revisiting address use before you need the next block. The 2026 market is far less overheated than 2024, but good outcomes still come from discipline, not timing.
If you handle the paper trail, protect the block's reputation, and finish activation quickly, ownership gives you lasting control over routing and deliverability.
These are the issues that usually come up after budget approval and before the deal closes.
Yes. RIRs allow specified-recipient transfers under published policy. You receive registration rights, not property ownership in the usual legal sense.
Most intra-RIR transfers take two to four weeks when documents are complete and both sides respond quickly. Inter-RIR transfers usually take a bit longer.
You need an ASN if you will originate the prefix yourself. If an upstream announces it for you, you still need matching routing records and a clear LOA.
A /24 is the minimum ARIN transfer size under NRPM 8.5.3 and the smallest prefix usually accepted on the public internet. Longer prefixes, such as /25, are typically filtered.
Treat that as a deal term, not an afterthought. Require seller remediation or an escrow holdback, and do not send mail until the block is clean.
Lease for short spikes or temporary projects. Buy when you need stable routing, durable cost control, and direct control over sender reputation.
No. IPv6 use keeps rising, and Google reported days above 50 percent of traffic in April 2026, but dual-stack remains common and a lot of systems still depend on IPv4.
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