How to Guide for Purchasing Global IPv4 Addresses

Most people who set out to buy global IPv4 discover the same thing halfway through: the money was the easy part. The hard part is that an IPv4 block is not a product you purchase, it is a registration record that a Regional Internet Registry has to agree to move.

That distinction changes everything about how you shop. You are not choosing a vendor so much as choosing someone who can get ARIN, RIPE NCC, APNIC or LACNIC to approve a change in holdership without your money getting stranded in the middle.

What Buying Global IPv4 Actually Involves

The free pools are gone. Every block that changes hands now moves through the secondary market, and the registry is the party that makes it official by updating Whois.

“Global” matters here because supply and demand are not evenly spread. A buyer in Singapore may find the cleanest available block sitting in an ARIN organisation in Ohio, which turns a simple purchase into an inter-RIR transfer with two rulebooks in play.

What Each Registry Requires

This is the part that decides your timeline, and it is the part most vendor pages skip entirely.

Two more details worth knowing. APNIC pre-approvals stay valid for 24 months, and RIPE NCC will only register incoming resources if your network has at least one active element inside its service region.

Intra-region RIPE transfers are fast once the paperwork is right. RIPE NCC completes most of them within one or two business days, while inter-RIR transfers take considerably longer because two registries have to synchronise their updates.

The Buying Process, Step by Step

1. Open an account with the registry that covers your region and create an organisation identifier.
2. Get pre-approved if you are buying in ARIN or APNIC. Skipping this is the most common reason deals stall.
3. Source a block and request a blacklist and routing history report before you agree on price.
4. Sign the transfer agreement and place funds in escrow rather than wiring directly to an unknown seller.
5. Both parties file transfer tickets, the registry verifies ownership and need, then updates Whois.
6. Funds release to the seller once the registry confirms the transfer.

How We Chose the Providers Below

Every provider here was reviewed against its own published information in August 2026. Confirm current details directly before transacting. We looked for four things: registry standing that can be checked independently, stated regional coverage across more than one registry, a disclosed fee model and evidence of routine transfer volume rather than occasional deals.

We excluded providers whose registry status we could not confirm from a primary source. We also separated purchase brokers from leasing platforms, because leasing does not transfer holdership and is a different transaction entirely.

Where to Buy Global IPv4

1. IPv4 Connect

IPv4 Connect is a fixed-price marketplace operating as an official IPv4 facilitator across the ARIN, RIPE and APNIC regions. Buyers can browse live inventory, reserve a subnet and review terms with no upfront payment, then complete a fully managed transfer that typically runs two to three weeks. Every listed block is screened against more than 100 global blocklists before listing, and the company offers a free blacklist report on buyers’ own blocks.

Pre-approval assistance is included for ARIN and APNIC buyers, and settlement runs through secure wire or escrow.com.

2. IPv4.Global

A division of Hilco Global, itself a subsidiary of ORIX Corporation USA, IPv4.Global runs the industry’s only fully public marketplace and publishes completed transaction prices, which makes it the default reference point for market pricing. It handles both small buy-now purchases and large privately negotiated sales, and also offers leasing plus its ProVision IPAM software.

3. IPTrading

The first public IPv4 broker, trading since 2010 with founders whose networking company dates to 1986. IPTrading is registered across ARIN, APNIC, RIPE and LACNIC, has completed more than 1,000 transfers in over 75 countries and authored the ARIN interregional transfer policy along with the LACNIC transfer policy.

4. Prefixx

A registered broker with ARIN, RIPE NCC and APNIC that also facilitates LACNIC transfers. Prefixx charges buyers nothing, taking a 3 to 8 percent commission from the seller depending on block size, and includes escrow, blacklist scanning and reputation reports as standard.

5. Avenue4

An ARIN Qualified Facilitator focused on advisory work for large and legacy holders rather than volume transactions. Best suited to complex deals where valuation, structuring and negotiation matter more than speed.

6. Prefix Broker

A RIPE-region specialist covering Europe, the Middle East, Russia and parts of Central Asia, with a track record in ARIN as well. It quotes a fixed brokerage fee per transaction, disclosed upfront during a free intake consultation.

7. IPv4 Depot

An ARIN-approved facilitator handling purchases, sales, leases and transfers across the ARIN, RIPE and APNIC regions, with blacklist checks and full transfer documentation supplied on every block.

8. LARUS i.LEASE

A global IPv4 trading and management platform covering buying, selling and leasing, with RIR membership support and post-transfer lifecycle operations. Strongest for buyers who want the operational layer handled after the transfer closes.

9. IPXO

Worth naming for what it does not do. IPXO is a leasing and monetisation platform spanning all five registries with automated LOA and ROA handling, so it suits teams who need capacity quickly, but it does not facilitate permanent transfers.

Comparison Table

What to Check Before You Wire Money

Confirm registry standing at the source. ARIN publishes its Qualified Facilitator directory and APNIC maintains a registered broker list, so verify the claim on the registry site rather than the broker’s.

Ask for the blacklist report before agreeing on price, not after. A block with Spamhaus history will cost you weeks of remediation, and the seller has no incentive to volunteer it.

Secure your registry account properly, because whoever controls it controls your resources. The same habits that secure your network infrastructure apply here, and a phishing-resistant second factor is the sensible default for an account holding assets worth six figures.

Finally, get the fee structure in writing. Most brokers are seller-paid, but registry fees, escrow charges and membership dues are yours regardless.

Closing Thought

Buying global IPv4 rewards patience over speed. The buyers who get burned are almost always the ones who moved money before the registry paperwork was in order, and the buyers who do well are the ones who treated the transfer approval as the actual deal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you actually own an IPv4 address?

No. You hold registration rights recorded by a Regional Internet Registry, and those rights carry ongoing obligations and fees.

How long does a global IPv4 transfer take?

Two to three weeks is typical for a managed intra-region transfer. Inter-RIR transfers take longer because both registries must approve and synchronise the update.

Do I need to justify why I need the addresses?

In ARIN and APNIC, yes, through a pre-approval process before transfer. RIPE NCC has no such requirement.

What does IPv4 cost in 2026?

Pricing varies by block size and registry and has softened considerably from the 2021 to 2022 peak. Because the market is thinly traded, ask any broker for recent comparable transactions rather than relying on published averages.

Is leasing a reasonable alternative to buying?

For short-term or uncertain capacity needs, yes. Leasing avoids the transfer process entirely, though you never hold the registration and rates continue indefinitely.