Sell my phone number: what you can and cannot sell
Through a broker or marketplace, you can port a local number to a buyer and sell it. A toll-free number cannot be sold, since FCC rule 47 CFR 52.107 bans that.
Can I sell my phone number?
When the number is local, you can sell your phone number: the buyer pays you, most often through a broker or marketplace, and a port moves it to the buyer's carrier. Selling a toll-free number is not allowed. No one may sell a toll-free number for a fee because of the FCC rule 47 CFR 52.107. That rule reaches toll-free numbers only. Marketplaces such as NumberBarn see local numbers bought and sold openly.
| Your number | Can you sell it? | How it changes hands |
|---|---|---|
| Local mobile, landline or VoIP number | Yes | Port it to a broker or marketplace, and they port it to the buyer |
| Toll-free 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 or 833 number | No | You may stop using it, but charging for it is not allowed. |
| Toll-free number assigned through FCC competitive bidding | The anti-brokering rule does not apply | Through the auction exception in 52.107 |
| A number you license from someone else | No, you do not hold it | It returns to the owner once the license ends |
How to sell a phone number through a marketplace
For anyone who wants to sell a number, NumberBarn posts its full terms. That broker program works in three steps:
- Port the number in or add it. Place your number in a NumberBarn account. Under NumberBarn's parking plan, the port-in fee is $5 per number.
- List it and pick a price. Prices are yours to set; NumberBarn does not set them for you. A fixed price is one choice, and Make an Offer with a price range is another. Negotiation happens in the system, so you do not talk to buyers yourself.
- Make the sale and collect your payout. NumberBarn collects the payment, ports the number over to the buyer and handles buyer support.
Payouts and fees
- Of the sale price, you keep 60%. The remaining 40% pays for processing, marketing, porting and buyer support.
- Listing costs nothing, but a listed number owes NumberBarn's parking fee: $2.99 a month until a buyer takes it.
- The first payout you receive is held for 30 days. After that, payouts become available 10 days following a completed sale, sent by ACH to a US bank account.
- An EIN is needed, or an SSN if you are an individual or sole proprietor.
- If your payouts total more than $600 in a year, NumberBarn sends a 1099-K.
Another route is a license: the buyer pays each month for the right to use the number, you keep ownership, and the number comes back to you at the end of the license. There is also a Sell Your Number page on RingBoost's site; ask for the terms there before you list.
How much your phone number is worth
What buyers pay for is patterns, words and old area codes. NumberBarn's broker page gives example asking prices: $450 for (305) 123-5000, $2,999 for (212) 555-BARN, $7,500 for (555) FOR-SALE and $25,000 for (555) 444-4444. On those examples, your 60% payout works out to $270, $1,799.40, $4,500 and $15,000. According to NumberBarn, these are examples only: they are not average sale prices, and they do not promise that a sale will happen.
Pricing yours means running it through the number appraisal, reading the scoring guide and comparing what vanity sellers and premium number listings ask. According to NumberBarn, some numbers sell within days while others take months, and memorable digits and a competitive price matter most.
Before you sell your cell phone number
- Start by getting a new number. After the number ports out, it stops ringing your phone. For second-number options, see virtual phone number.
- Move any logins that are tied to it. Any account that texts codes to this number, such as a bank or email account, needs a different number before the sale.
- Hold off on canceling your service. Keep the number active, because porting needs that, and keep paying until it moves to the broker. For the carrier's requirements, see How to port a phone number.
- Make sure it ports. Carriers do not all take every number, and landline numbers belong to a rate center, so a broker may ask to confirm portability first.
Selling contact lists is what most people mean when they search for selling numbers to telemarketers, and that is a separate matter. The subject of this page is selling the number itself.
Questions
Can I sell my phone number?
Yes, if the number is a local one. Put it up with a broker or marketplace; they port it over to the buyer. Under 47 CFR 52.107, a toll-free number cannot be sold.
How much can I sell my phone number for?
It depends on the digits. NumberBarn's examples run from $450 for a round ending in 305 to $25,000 for (555) 444-4444, and you keep 60% of the sale price there.
Can my 1-800 number be sold?
No. That practice is called number brokering, and the FCC bans it when a toll-free number is sold for a fee. A number assigned through FCC competitive bidding is the only exception.
Will I owe taxes on a phone number I sell?
NumberBarn says you will probably want to report the income, and it issues a 1099-K if your yearly payouts pass $600.
Where can I sell my phone number?
NumberBarn has an open broker program, and it publishes the fees. Another option is to ask sellers on vanity number sellers if they buy numbers.