How to Sell Privately Held Stocks

If you want to sell your private shares, here's how to do it.

By Lyle Daly – Updated Mar 10, 2026 at 5:01 PM EST | Fact-checked by Parker Hicks

Key Points

Selling shares back to the issuer is a simple option, though it requires company approval.
Use private securities markets like Nasdaq Private Market to find buyers.
Consider an IPO for more comprehensive selling options, recognizing the lengthy process.

Companies whose shares trade on public stock exchanges get most of the attention from investors, but the vast majority of companies haven't gone through the cumbersome process of initial public offerings. If you invest in a privately held company and receive stock, your options for selling your shares are much more limited. Below, we'll look at how to sell privately held stocks so you can examine your options.

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Pile of stock certificates. — Image source: Getty Images.

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About the Author

Lyle Daly is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering information technology and cryptocurrency. Lyle has been a contributor at the financial services company since 2018. His work has been featured on USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, Fox Business, and Nasdaq. Before joining The Motley Fool, he wrote for financial brands including Intuit.

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