Can you still sell a delisted stock?

Asked by: Ms. Eva Koss  |  Last update: March 13, 2026
Score: 4.9/5 (52 votes)

If a company is delisted, you are still a shareholder, to the extent of a number of shares held. And yet, you cannot sell those shares on any exchange. However, you can sell it on the over-the-counter market. This means you can look for a buyer outside the stock exchange.

Do I lose my money if a stock is delisted?

The only thing delisting does is that the stock doesn't trade on whatever exchange it got delisted from. It would still exist and you would still own it. No one is going to pay you out. It would trade over the counter.

How do I sell a stock that has been delisted?

If you still hold shares after they are delisted, you can sell them—just not on the exchange on which they traded before. Stock exchanges are very advantageous for buying and selling shares. When they delist and trade over the counter (OTC), selling shares and getting a reasonable price for them becomes much harder.

Do delisted stocks ever get relisted?

Yes, a delisted stock can be re-listed on a major exchange like the NYSE or Nasdaq if the company subsequently meets all of the exchange's listing requirements. This typically involves getting the stock price above the minimum threshold, meeting financial benchmarks, and filing up-to-date financial reports.

What should I do with a delisted stock?

Delisting does not necessarily make the stock worthless (although the company is probably not in good shape at this point). Regardless of the reason for the company's delisting, you would still need to sell these stocks through your broker in order to claim the losses in most cases.

Do I lose my money if a stock is delisted?

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Is a delisted stock worthless?

You don't automatically lose money as an investor, but being delisted carries a stigma and is generally a sign that a company is bankrupt, near-bankrupt, or can't meet the exchange's minimum financial requirements for other reasons. Delisting also tends to prompt institutional investors to not continue to invest.

Where can I sell delisted shares?

When a stock is delisted, it can no longer be bought or sold on the exchange. However, it may still be possible to trade the shares over-the-counter (OTC) or through private transactions, depending on the circumstances.

How do I recover money from delisted shares?

However, there is one way to claim the losses on shares which are delisted and still lying in your demat account. You can transfer these shares from your demat account through off market transaction for a very nominal price to any of your friends or relatives.

How to sell delisted shares online?

Only through off-market transactions can the investor get rid of such shares. These investors can contact specialised brokers who deal with unlisted shares.

What happens if you own puts on a stock that gets delisted?

When a stock is delisted, options trading on that stock typically ceases. This means that options holders are no longer able to buy or sell their options on the open market. However, they still have the right to exercise their options if they choose to do so.

Can a stock come back after delisting?

Relisting of voluntarily delisted stocks: Such shares will have to wait five years from their delisting date to get relisted again. Compulsory delisting: If a company has been delisted compulsorily, they will have to wait for 10 years before they can be listed again on the exchanges.

How to get rid of a stock that no longer trades?

If the security cannot be sold in the market, it may be possible to dispose of the worthless security by gifting it to another person who can be related or unrelated to you. If you gift the worthless security to a family member, you will need to ensure that the person is not your spouse or minor child.

Can I claim delisted shares?

So though the shares are not traded on the stock exchanges after delisting, they are still there in your demat account. So, delisting cannot amount to extinguishment of the shares or your rights in the shares.

Can you write off a delisted stock?

If you own securities, including stocks, and they become totally worthless, you have a capital loss but not a deduction for bad debt. Worthless securities also include securities that you abandon.

Can I sell my delisted stock on Robinhood?

If a stock is untradeable on Robinhood, you won't be able to buy or sell shares of it.

What happens when a stock becomes untradeable?

If a stock becomes delisted, the liquidity drops immensely. In fact, they are considered illiquid. In many cases, they are untradeable on most brokerage platforms that don't support OTCBB or Pink Sheets trading.

What happens to my money if a stock is delisted?

If a company's stock is delisted from an exchange, shareholders still own their shares in the company, but the stock may trade over-the-counter, which could lead to decreased liquidity and less transparency for investors.

Where do delisted stocks go?

After a stock is delisted, it can trade over-the-counter ("OTC") on one of three different exchanges.

Can unlisted shares be sold?

Unlisted shares can be bought/sold through dealers.

Do delisted shares have value?

In case of Involuntary Delisting, your ownership of the shares is not affected, however, the value of your shares might get devalued after delisting. Thus, traders or investors generally sell their shares when the company announces buyback.

What happens if you short a stock and it gets delisted?

What happens when an investor maintains a short position in a company that gets delisted and declares bankruptcy? The answer is simple: The investor never has to pay back anyone because the shares are worthless. Companies sometimes declare bankruptcy with little warning. Other times, there is a slow fade to the end.

Can you get your stock money back?

Yes, you will receive money when you sell stock, as long as its value is more than $0. The proceeds from the stock sale will be deposited into your brokerage account or sent to you in the form of a check.

What happens if a stock goes to zero?

When a stock's value falls to zero, or near zero, it typically signals that the company is bankrupt. The stocks are frozen and unless the company restructures, it's likely you will lose your investment.

How to sell delisted shares over-the-counter?

If you own delisted shares, you can still sell them on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB) or on the Pink Sheets, which have more relaxed regulations and few listing requirements. OTC trading is volatile, and this level of risk is typically not suitable for beginning investors.

What does it mean when shares are delisted?

A stock is delisted when it's removed from a stock exchange. This can be voluntary, when the company chooses to do so for strategic or financial reasons, or involuntary, when the exchange forces the company to delist.