Hi all. We have leased space for four years and I recently did the math on what we have spent. It is not a comfortable number, and at the end of it we own precisely nothing. Leadership has approved moving to ownership for our core ranges. Problem is I have never bought address space, only rented it, and the secondary market has a reputation for being opaque. Where does a first time buyer start, and what are the ways this goes wrong for people who do not know better? We are talking about two /24 blocks to start, with more likely in the next eighteen months if this goes well.

The main ways it goes wrong are paying for a block the seller does not actually control, skipping the reputation check and inheriting a blocklisted range, and wiring money with no escrow. All three are avoidable with a process. Start by defining exactly what you need in terms of size and region, since registry rules differ, then verify the holder in the registry database before any money moves. You can Buy IPv4 addresses safely , through IPv4.online, which is the route we took, and having the paperwork checked by someone who does it daily was worth it. Budget one to two weeks for the RIPE transfer after the documents are clean.