A Practical Guide to Getting More IPv4 Space

If you run a network, public IPv4 space is basic fuel. Without enough of it, new services slow down, mail delivery gets harder, and upstream planning becomes messy.

There is no free pool left for normal growth. If you need more public addresses today, you get them through the transfer market.

This process is manageable when you break it into clear steps. You need the right block size, the right registry approval, careful due diligence, and a clean cutover plan after closing.

Key Takeaways

The fastest way to avoid mistakes is to focus on a few rules that do most of the work.

• The market exists because the free supply is gone. IANA handed out its last global IPv4 blocks on February 3, 2011, and ARIN depleted its free pool on September 24, 2015.
• Prices still vary by block and region. In 2026, average pricing sits around the mid-$20s per IP, while many /24 blocks trade near $6,400 to $9,000 before fees.
• ARIN buyers usually need a 24-month justification. Pre-approval helps you move faster once you find a seller.
• Escrow is not optional. Release funds only after the registry record changes to your organization in RDAP or WHOIS.
• Your first month matters. Publish routing and DNS records quickly so the block works well and keeps its value.

What You Are Really Acquiring

You are paying for control of a registry record, not for a physical asset.

Each block is tracked by a regional internet registry, or RIR, such as ARIN, RIPE NCC, or APNIC. After a transfer, the registry record is updated so your organization controls that range.

The market exists because the original supply ran out. Since then, organizations have moved address space to one another under policy-based transfer rules.

Registry control alone is not enough. Border Gateway Protocol, or BGP, is the system that tells the Internet where your block lives. If your routing setup is weak, the space can be yours on paper, but it’s hard to use in the real world.

Decide Whether To Own Or Lease

Ownership usually wins for steady growth, while leasing can work for short-term demand.

When Ownership Fits

Buying makes sense when you expect long-term use, want stable mail reputation, need full control for cloud moves, or are cleaning up address sprawl after a merger. You pay more up front, but you get predictability.

When Leasing Fits

Leasing can fit a trial launch, seasonal traffic burst, or short contract. Run a simple 12-month and 24-month cost comparison before you choose. For anything longer, ownership usually looks better.

Keep IPv6 Moving

IPv6 is still the long-term answer, and it should stay on your roadmap. Even so, most businesses still need IPv4 today because so much of the internet still depends on it.

Choose A Block Size You Can Route

The right block is the one that fits your growth plan and can be announced cleanly on the public internet.

A /24 gives you 256 addresses, a /23 gives 512, and a /22 gives 1,024. A /24 is also the smallest prefix that the global internet widely accepts, so it is the practical floor for most buyers.

Do not build a plan around advertising a /25 or anything smaller. Longer prefixes are commonly filtered, which means the wider internet may never see them.

Choose A Seller Channel Carefully

The best sales channel is the one that reduces risk without hiding the details from you.

Brokers and marketplaces can offer curated inventory, standard contracts, and help with registry paperwork. Direct deals can work too, but only when both sides understand the process and still use independent escrow.

If you prefer a broker-managed route, ask whether the team handles escrow, registry tickets, and inherited reputation issues. That extra support can simplify approval timing, keep documents aligned between parties, and reduce the chance of avoidable delays during closing. Compare verified inventory carefully before you decide to move ahead and buy IP addresses through a secure checkout that shortens close time and reduces risk.

Budget For The Full Cost

The sale price is only one part of the bill, so budget for the whole transaction.

Pricing has softened from the peaks seen between 2021 and 2024, but it is still meaningful. In 2026, averages sit near $25 per IP, larger blocks have cleared near $20 per IP, and many /24 blocks trade around $6,400 to $9,000 before fees.

What Moves Price

Four things drive cost more than anything else.

• Reputation: A range tied to spam or abuse usually sells at a discount.
• Region: Supply and policy differ across ARIN, RIPE NCC, and APNIC.
• Size: Small /24 blocks usually cost more per IP than larger ranges.
• Transfer Friction: Messy ownership history or inter-RIR paperwork adds cost.

Also include brokerage, escrow, legal review, registry fees, and engineering time. A /24 priced at $7,500 can easily end near $9,000 after those extras.

Conclusion

A careful process protects both your money and your network.

Start with a realistic capacity plan, get registry approval early, verify the block before you fund the deal, and use escrow every time. That is what separates a smooth transfer from weeks of cleanup.

After closing, finish the routing, DNS, geolocation, and reputation work within the first month. Those steps protect the value of the address space you just acquired.