FAQ

General Questions

  • What is IPv4.Global?

    IPv4.Global is Hilco Streambank’s IPv4 brokerage business, offering blocks of IPv4 addresses and AS Numbers for sale via (a) private transactions and (b) its online marketplaceThe online marketplace allows registered users to buy and sell IPv4 address space directly, providing an efficient sales process for IPv4 transactions.  IPv4.Global also aims to add transparency to the IPv4 market by providing information on past online marketplace sales, giving both buyers and sellers real transaction data to establish pricing trends of IPv4 addresses.

  • How long does it take to transfer IPv4 Addresses?

    The amount of time it takes to transfer IPv4 addresses depends mostly on how quickly the winning bidder and the seller respond to the relevant RIR’s or RIRs’ requests for information and documentation to support the IPv4 transfer process. See “How does the auction and transfer process work?” below. This generally ranges from two (2) weeks to one (1) month for Intra-RIR transfers, and slightly longer for Inter-RIR transfers.

    In order to speed up the transfer process, we encourage Buyers to apply for pre-approval prior to bidding (see “What if I cannot qualify for a transfer from my Regional Internet Registry (RIR)?”).

    In order to speed up the transfer process, we encourage Sellers to make sure the registered holder of the IPv4 Addresses is accurate, including the current legal company name and points of contact, and that they can provide authorized, notarized signatures.

  • Who pays the RIR transfer fee(s)?

    We follow RIR Transfer Fee policies. Each party is responsible for the transfer fees invoiced to them by the relevant RIRs. Each RIR has different methods of determining transfer fees, these can be seen on our home page by clicking on “Transfer Fee Schedule”

  • Can I transfer IPv4 addresses registered in one RIR into another RIR?

    ARIN, APNIC, RIPE, and LACNIC currently have compatible Inter-RIR transfer policies, thus IPv4 addresses can be transferred from one to another. Please note that within the APNIC and LACNIC regions, certain countries have additional rules or restrictions, summarized here. Currently, Inter-RIR transfers are not available to or from the AFRINIC region.

Buying

  • I want to buy an IPv4 address block size that is not currently listed on the Online Platform; can IPv4.Global help me?

    Yes! As an expert IPv4 brokerage, IPv4.Global provides custom solutions for larger or more complex IPv4 transactions ranging from full Class B blocks, to transactions involving millions of IP Addresses. For more information about our private brokerage, visit here. Contact us for private listings here and to find out how we can help you meet your IPv4 needs.

  • Why should I register?

    We require registration to ensure that Buyers and Sellers are qualified, bona fide entities capable of engaging in a transaction, in accordance with both legal and RIR requirements. Registered users can view the specific IPv4 address blocks offered for sale. Registered users will also be able to view their transaction history.

  • Why hasn’t my registration been approved yet?

    We review all registrations, generally within one business day, though it may take up to 72 hours. The most common reasons for delays are missing or inaccurate information. If you have not yet done so, please complete your registration request, including signing the NDA, and check your email (including spam filter) for messages from support@ipv4.global with questions for more information. Sign in at auctions.ipv4.global. If you still need assistance contact us here.

  • Why don’t I have an email approving my registration?

    If you have not yet received an email approving your registration, check your spam mailbox for emails from support@ipv4.global requesting more information. If you have not yet confirmed your email address please reach out to us for assistance.

  • How do I know that the IPv4 addresses are clean, and not on any blacklists?

    After your registration has been approved, you will be given access to the specific IPv4 address ranges available on the IPv4.Global Online Platform. You may perform any diligence you deem necessary prior to bidding in any auction. For instance, some customers check Spamhaus or other blacklist sites to see if the addresses have been listed as sending spam. IPv4.Global has worked with professional services firms to clean up address reputation, and can make referrals upon request.

  • What happens if I cannot qualify for a transfer with my Regional Internet Registry (RIR)?

    All sales through the online marketplace ultimately result in a transfer to the Buyers, subject to approval by the RIR in the Buyers’ region. All bidders are encouraged to apply for pre-approval prior to bidding on IPv4.Global to ensure that the transfer will be approved by their local RIR. $500 of the purchase price of every sale will be identified as the “Deposit”, which will be forfeited if the winning bidder is unable to qualify to receive the addresses won within 45 days through no fault of Seller.

    Buyers in the ARIN region can apply for pre-approval via their ARIN Online account. For more information regarding ARIN IPv4 address pre-approval, visit here.

    Buyers in the APNIC region can apply for pre-approval by submitting the pre-approval form via their MyAPNIC account. For more information regarding ARIN IPv4 address pre-approval, visit here.

    Buyers in the LACNIC region can apply for pre-approval via their Solicitud de recursos LACNIC Resources Request System. For more information regarding LACNIC IPv4 address pre-approval, visit here.

    Buyers in the RIPE region are not required to get approvals, unless transferring address space from ARIN or APNIC. Pre-approvals are not available, though the justification requirement is low. For more information about transfer requirements in RIPE, see .

    Buyers in the AFRINIC region can apply for pre-approval after requesting membership and submitting an address plan here.

  • How do I know my RIR?

    Find your location on this list to learn which RIR you should become a member of based on your regional location.

    Organizations with operations spanning multiple regions may need further investigation to determine the most appropriate region. Contact us to help.

  • How does the auction and transfer process work for Buyers?

    A summary of the process can be found here.

    1. Register and get access to the specific IPv4 address ranges available in the listed auctions. See “Why should I register?” Bidders are encouraged to seek RIR pre-approval prior to purchasing, see “What happens if I cannot qualify for a transfer with my Regional Internet Registry (RIR)?”
    2. Perform diligence. Bidders may perform whatever diligence they require prior to bidding in the auction, outside of contacting the Sellers directly. See “How do I know that the IPv4 addresses are clean, and not on any blacklists?”
    3. Bidders bid in an auction (or Buy Now) and at the conclusion of the auction period, the highest Bidder will receive an email notifying them they have won, with a link to the invoice. The invoice can also be found by logging into the site.
    4. Buyer remits the payment of the full purchase price into an escrow account, or Escrow.com, where the funds will be held until the IP addresses have successfully transferred into the Winning Bidder’s specified RIR account.
    5. After receipt of payment into escrow or Escrow.com is confirmed, the Seller submits the RIR transfer request. The Seller will forward the ticket number to an IPv4.Global representative, who will forward it to the Buyer, to include in their transfer request as they submit a request through their RIR online account.
    6. Buyers may be responsible for certain transfer fees prior to the RIR reviewing the ticket. See “Who pays the transfer fee(s)?”
    7. After the RIR fee(s) is paid, and the RIR(s) has completed its review, the RIR(s) will notify the parties that the transfer has been approved. Following approval, the RIR will notify the Buyer of any final steps (contracts or fees, for example), before updating their registry(ies) to reflect that the addresses have been transferred into the Buyer’s name. For transfers between regions, multiple RIRs will be involved. If transferring to ARIN, there is a transfer fee due to the RIR before they will complete the transfer ticket.
    8. Upon confirmation of the RIR registry updates, payment is released to the Seller, less the commission agreed to directly with the Seller.
  • How can I see and change the geolocation information about an IPv4 address block?

    Several different companies build databases of the physical location where IP addresses are used. Some, such as search engines and social networking sites, are closed and proprietary. One public database used by others is MaxMind GeoIP, who accepts data correction requests here.

  • I want to buy an IPv4 address block size that is not currently listed on the Online Platform; can IPv4.Global help me?

    Yes! As an expert IPv4 brokerage, IPv4.Global provides custom solutions for larger or more complex IPv4 transactions ranging from full Class B blocks, to transactions involving millions of IP Addresses. For more information about our private brokerage, visit here. Contact us for private listings here and to find out how we can help you meet your IPv4 needs.

Selling

  • I want to sell a size of IPv4 address block that is not currently listed on the Online Platform, can IPv4.Global help me?

    Yes! As an expert IPv4 brokerage, IPv4.Global provides custom solutions for larger or more complex IPv4 transactions ranging from full Class B blocks to transactions involving millions of IPv4 Addresses. For more information about our private brokerage and to contact us, go here

  • How do I sell my IPv4 addresses on IPv4.Global’s Online Marketplace?

    First, register as a Seller on the auction site. Once your account has been approved, you can submit IPv4 blocks online. Following submission, we will perform evaluations to ensure you are properly recorded as the IPv4 address block holder of record so as to prevent problems in any potential IPv4 transfers and sales in the future. IPv4.Global will provide an Exclusive Listing Agreement for signature. Meanwhile, IPv4.Global performs some diligence to confirm the transferability of the space by the Seller, to reduce the risk of delays or cancellations during the transfer later.

    At any point during this process, you may contact us directly at support@IPv4.Global or call +1 212 610 5601.

  • Why doesn’t my block appear in the online marketplace?

    If you have submitted your block for sale and it is not yet on the website you should have received an agreement via AdobeSign. If not, please check your junk folder. If you have already signed this agreement one of our team members should have reached out to onboard you into our system. If not, reach out to IPv4.Global support (support@ipv4.global)

  • How should I set the price?

    Review current listings here and recent history of transactions here and contact us if you would like to discuss listing strategies.

  • Nobody bought my block. What now?

    If your block goes unsold, it will automatically re-listed by our team. Sometimes the auction period will expire with no bids. You may want to visit our prior sales page here to track recent transactions and see how your pricing compares.

  • How does the auction and transfer process work for sellers?

    A summary of the process can be found here.

    1. Seller registers, submitting a list of IPv4 blocks to sell,
    2. Global will review the submission for completeness and accuracy and will then approve the registration.
    3. Shortly following approval, IPv4.Global will send Seller an Exclusive Listing Agreement for review and signature.
    4. Upon completion of the Listing Agreement, your IP Addresses will go into the queue for listing. A representative of IPv4.Global will be in touch with you regarding your listing details.
    5. When each auction ends (or Buy Now is done), Buyer sends funds to be held in escrow.
    1. IPv4.Global notifies Seller that the funds have been escrowed, and provides details so Seller can initiate the transfer request with the RIR.
    2. Seller sends RIR ticket number back to an IPv4.Global representative, who forwards it to the Buyer to include in their transfer request, thus associating the transfer requests to one another.
    3. Following the submission of both parties’ transfer requests, some RIRs will invoice the Seller a transfer fee which must be paid prior to the ticket moving on to the next step.
    4. Both the Seller and the Buyer will work with the appropriate RIR(s) to receive approval for the transfer.
    5. After the RIR fee(s) is paid, and the RIR(s) has completed its review, the RIR(s) will notify the parties that the transfer has been approved.
    6. Following approval, the RIR will notify the buyer of any final steps (contracts or fees, for example), before updating their registry to reflect that the addresses have been transferred into the Buyer’s name. For transfers between regions, multiple RIRs will be involved.
    7. Upon confirmation of the RIR registry updates, payment is released to the Seller, less the commission agreed to directly with the Seller.
    8. Do I have to give IPv4.Global Exclusivity in Order to list space online? Yes. When a buyer bids on or buys a specific set of addresses, we have to be able to ensure that block is available to them. Without exclusivity it’s possible that block may have been sold through a different avenue while there was bidding going on. Having done their diligence on that block, and compared it to all other blocks listed on the platform, they have chosen your specific block and we can’t make substitutions after the purchase.

Bidding

  • How do I bid?

    Once you are an approved Bidder on Hilco Streambank’s IPv4.Global’s online portal (https://IPv4.Global/Auctions ), you can go to any auction page and bid. Enter the amount of your highest bid in the designated Bid. The bid must be greater than or equal to the minimum bid amount  and in a qualifying increment. Your maximum bid is confidential, and not revealed to Sellers or other Bidders; if there are multiple bidders on a block, the platform will automatically increase your bid to beat other Bidders, up to your stated maximum. Of course, it will also update the other bids, up to the other Bidders’ stated maximum. You may increase your bid at any time before the conclusion of the auction by entering the bid in the box above the “Update Max Bid” button. For each bid you enter, you will receive an email confirmation that your bid was successfully placed.

  • What is the “Buy Now” option?

    Bidders may purchase IPv4 address blocks marked as “Buy Now” at the listed fixed price without a competitive bidding auction.

  • Why do auctions extend at the end?

    If a bid is placed in the last 5 minutes of an auction, the auction end time will extend for an additional 2 minutes. This allows Bidders that were outbid to increase their bid before the auction is concluded. This method is used to simulate a live auction and prevents other Bidders from “sniping” an auction at the last second.

  • How can I enter my maximum bid without it appearing to other buyers?

    All bids placed on the Online Platform act as “maximum bids”. You can bid the highest amount you are willing to bid and allow the system to manage the bidding for you. The Current Bid displayed on each auction is equivalent to the second highest Bidder’s bid, plus one bid increment. This allows Bidders to know that if they place a maximum bid, they could still win the auction for any amount below or at their maximum bid.

    Example: If you find an IPv4 address block that you are interested in that is currently at $1,000 (with a $50 bid increment), and you place a maximum bid of $5,000, your winning bid will be $1,050 if no other bids are placed.  Otherwise, your bid will be increased by the minimum increment up to $5,000.  The system will continue to automatically outbid other bidders by the minimum increment on your behalf, but will never exceed your maximum bid of $5,000.

  • What are the bid increments for each auction?

    The bid increment is the minimum amount by which a new bid must exceed an existing high bid. It is predetermined based on the current high bid. Here is how increments are determined: Bids under $10,000 will be subject to a minimum bid increment of $50; Bids in excess of $10,000 but less than $20,000 will have minimum increments of $100; Bids in excess of $20,000 but less than $100,000 will have minimum increments of $250; Bids in excess of $100,00 but less than $500,000 will have a minimum increment of $1,000; Bids in excess of $500,000 but less than $1,000,000 will have a minimum increment of $5,000; and Bids in excess of $1,000,000 will have a minimum increment of $10,000.

  • Why did I lose the auction if I bid the same amount as another buyer?

    In order to win an auction, you need to bid a higher amount than the current highest bidder.  For example, if both you and another buyer placed maximum bids of $5,000, but the other bidder placed their bid before yours, they will win the auction.  If you are logged in to the Online Platform, the auction will note whether you are the current high bidder.

  • How do I know if I win?

    The winning Bidder is notified by email at the close of the auction. This will also show up as an order on your “Bids & Purchases” page. 

Payments

  • How do I pay? How long do I have to pay?

    A link to the invoice will accompany your Winning Bidder email with payment instructions. The invoice will also be located in your account. Payments are due within five (5) Business Days of conclusion of the auction or Buy Now purchase.

  • What forms of payment do you accept? How long do I have to pay?

    Wire or ACH payments are accepted for payment to IPv4.Global’s escrow. If you elect to close with Escrow.com, please see [link] for Escrow.com’s payment policies. This is the standard practice in the sale of Intellectual Property assets. You can pay by credit card up to a maximum of $30,000 USD. We do not accept personal checks or Western Union payments.  If your Company has certain requirements for payments such as issuance of Purchase Orders, onboarding as a vendor or payment by corporate check, please contact us.

Other Questions and Troubleshooting

  • How can I contact you?

    The easiest way to reach us is by filling out the Contact Us form or, by sending us an email directly.

  • How do I report a technical problem?

    Send us an email to report your issue. Please be as specific as possible and be sure to include any information that would help us determine the cause of your problem, including: which web browser you are using (Edge, Chrome, etc.), the web page you are on, steps to replicate the issue you are having, and other details and screenshots for our review.

  • I am approved and having trouble logging in. What can I do?

    Sometimes your browser can cause login problems. Please try the following fixes:

    Clear your browser’s cache, then close it and reopen it and try logging in again.

    Try logging in with a different browser. We recommend using the latest version of Firefox, or Chrome

  • When I try to log in, I see the message “incorrect password”. Why?

    If you receive this notification, then you either have not yet registered on IPv4.Global by Hilco Streambank, or you are entering an incorrect password. You can reset your password by clicking the “FORGOT PASSWORD?” link below your password entry and entering your email address. If you have not applied, then you can click REGISTER to begin your application.

  • When I try to log in, I see the message “account awaiting approval” what do I do?

    If you receive this notification, then we have not yet reviewed your application. We generally complete validation within one business day, but may take up to 72 hours before approval.

  • I never received an email verification, what should I do?

    After you complete your profile an email verification email will be sent to the mailbox you registered an account with. Please check your spam folders. If it is not there, when you log in again there will be a banner on the top of the page asking if you would like to re-sent the email verification. Should that not work, please contact us directly at support@ipv4.global.