Thank you for this wonderfully informative article.
I am interested in a domain name that is set to expire in April 2016. The domain is registered with Domain.com, so I have placed a backorder on Snapnames.com (thanks for confirming I at least did that part right). I also placed backorders with NameJet.com and Pool.com, based on previous advice I received. Now I’m wondering if that might be overkill since Snapnames is the designated auction house. Will I ultimately end up bidding against myself?
Note: For what it’s worth, my desired site currently appears to be one of those placeholder sites bought years ago by someone who thought it would be desirable enough to net a profit if sold. There’s content, but it’s not “real,” if that makes any sense.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my few years in the domain name industry is that there are no set/fixed/definitive rules. Yes, you are covered by your backorder at SnapNames but there’s no guarantee they’ll get it. And there’s no harm by backordering it at another service (provided you didn’t pay in advance).
Now’s the painful time to sit and wait. Hopefully it will expire and you will have a chance to register it.
Finally, just because you have an idea doesn’t mean that you have more rights to a domain name. That’s not the way the system works. For example, Microsoft owns more than 75,000 domain names. Surely they’re not using them all — but they were acquired through purchasing businesses, hand registering them for business ideas, defensively registering them, etc. And they have the right to do so, just like you do for any idea that they have yet to come up with…just like a real estate investor does for a plot of land they have no intention of building upon for the next decade…just like an art collector does who wraps a Picasso and puts it in their basement.
I wish you nothing but the best. As a fellow entrepreneur, I always hope that the best brand goes to the company with the best idea.
Simple question: say I get the URL I want via auction for however umpteen hundreds of dollars, what about the renewal prices? Am I at the mercy of the auction house every year I want to renew it? Is it as simple as paying 10 or 15 bucks a year like with GoDaddy with a URL I got not through an Auction? I’m willing to pay for the desired URL up front but I don’t know what that entails down the pike.
You pay regular renewal fees, not the auction price, year after year.
The auction fee on an expiring domain name will usually include a year of renewal.
Once you win a domain name at auction, the domain name most likely resides at whatever registrar it was at when it expired. Sometimes they’re large registrars, and sometimes they’re small, never-heard-of-before registrars.
You can transfer it to any registrar you want by getting the auth code from the current registrar. .com renewal pricing ranges from $0.99 on coupon to $100 or so. Here’s a useful site to check pricing: https://www.domcomp.com/
So if I win an expiring .com auction on GoDaddy for $250, for instance, I can leave it at GoDaddy and pay around $10 per year for renewal. And if I win it at NameJet for $1,842, for instance, it will stay at a NameJet-related registrar (such as eNom) and I will pay around $10 per year for renewal.
Thanks, Michael. I cannot find the auction site house of this registrar. It IS up for auction, but it’s NOT fully expired nor dropped – so it appears as though using an automated domain name backorder service may not be the best course of action. The URL still renews every year and is not set to expire until June 2016. The registrar is DOMREG LTD and seems to be tied in to LIBRIS.com. Any suggestions? I just need to ensure my $ is going to the actual entity that’ll grant me the URL. I’m unclear how to avoid paying $ for the URL to a company/service that can’t actually do anything for me (i.e., getting ripped off). Thanks for any direction you can offer.
If the domain name is not expired, then it’s listed as a private-party auction and not an expired domain auction. There’s a difference.
If it’s a private-party auction, the auction proceeds (minus a commission to the auction company) will go to the current registrant. If it’s an expired domain auction, the auction proceeds will go to the auction company (minus registration fees to the registry).
I want a domain that is about to expire in 9 days.
The registrar (Pananames.com / URL SOLUTIONS INC.) does not appear to have an auction partner. Do you know if they do?
Also, the domain is already listed on SnapNames, with no bidders and a backorder status and a minimum bid of $69. (I checked a couple of my own domain names that I am not giving up, and they are listed at SnapNames with the same status, so not sure what that means!)
I read the FAQ with the question, “So what do I do if I cannot find the auction house of the registrar?” but I wonder if I’m missing something in this situation. Do I place a bid at SnapNames and also with a couple of other backorder services now, or wait until the official expiry date? I don’t want to draw in competitors to the name, but also do not want to miss out on it.
I heard back from pananames this morning. Looks like I’ll be going the “as many backorders as possible” route. Thanks again:
“Hello Andrew,
Please be informed that we don’t have any auction partners for expired domains. If there is anything else you would like to know do not hesitate to contact us.
Thank you.
— Stavri Theophanous +507.8339556 Pananames.com URL Solutions Inc. “
I’m trying to get a hold a domain name that’s the name of my business. The domain is “[domainremoved].com”. I own the “.US” version of it, but I really want the “.Com” version. It’s been registered since 2009 by Proxy Tech Privacy Services with Alpine Domains (registrar) and is expiring next month. They aren’t using the domain for anything other than a rip-off service to make websites. I got a quote to see how much they are charging for just the domain and it’s in the thousands! Ridiculous!!!
I learned a lot from your article, but wanted to know if you knew of Alpine Domains having an auction house? I did a WHOIS search for “[domainremoved].com” and saw a registrar with the name Power-dns.com as well as Alpine Domains. I’m not sure if they would be the ones to have an auction house for the domain name.
I’m going to try and place it on backorder through GoDaddy and test my luck on trying to hand register it as well.
It’s likely a waste of money to put in a backorder at GoDaddy. Their technology is not as good as others for drop catching. If the domain was expiring at GoDaddy, then a backorder would make sense.
See the FAQ with the question, “So what do I do if I cannot find the auction house of the registrar?” That answer applies to your situation.
Alternatively, a few thousand dollars for the domain name does not seem outrageous to me, as a business owner. If you can justify the value, then buy it. If you can’t then do without it and take your chances in the drop.
I had two domains, a .com and .net with godaddy. I’m beyond their redemption period ($80 fee), but they said it should be released back to the public domain soon and I may be able to get it back. Before I knew this, I paid $12.99 plus ican fees for the .com thinking it was available as the rep told me she was able to add it their cart, and I paid a $24.95 fee for back ordering my .net domain. Shortly thereafter, I received an email from godaddy saying:
“Unfortunately, the following domain name registration was unsuccessful:
We will evaluate the error and retry the registration if appropriate. If we are unable to successfully register the domain name, your account will be credited accordingly (allow one business day for the refund to be processed).”
Am I wasting my time, and what’s the best way to get it back? I fell on hard times and couldn’t afford to renew at the time, but I now can. Help!
They’re likely robots who see it expired and that you were the previous registrant. I’d not click on any of the URLs in those emails as it will indicate to them that 1) your email address is valid and 2) you’re interested in the domain name.
I doubt any random person emailing you about the expired domain name has your best interests in mind.
Thanks Michael. I own a few good domains. Will you help me make money from either flipping them or putting content on them to generate cash flow? I can share them with you privately if so.
I want to purchase a domain name that is to expire very soon. After looking it up on Whois, the owner is revealed to be 1 and 1, which doesn’t have a designated auction house based on your chart above. How should I go about trying to buy this? Because I don’t know if it will go to auction, and if it does, which auction house I should look at. It is set to expire soon: 2015-09-21
The domain name I wish to acquire can be Backordered at snapnames.com. The expiration date at “Whois” on this particular domain name is 09-mar-2016. Does that mean I have to wait until sometime in April of 2016 before I know whether or not I will recieve the name?
The current registrant may renew the domain name before that date. If s/he doesn’t, then it goes into expiration and may drop. If that is the case, follow the instructions above to find the auction partner. If you’ve done that already, and the domain is going to drop at Snapnames, then you should be all set.
Thanks for sharing the information. It’s been quite helpful. So far I’m having trouble locating the auction house for “TURNCOMMERCE, INC. DBA NAMEBRIGHT.COM.”
Based on a forum, a NameBright.com employee they stated the company does NOT have any agreements with any auction houses for expired domain names. You can view the disscussion below. The questions is asked by Rich on Oct 16, 2013 and answered by Rebies.
The name I’d like to obtain expires in 9 months and I’m willing to track it and registrar but have yet to find an auction house to that registrar. My questions to you are:
1. Does a registrar have to have an auction house for expired domains? If not… 2. Have you heard of Namebright.com partnering with a auction house recently? 3. What should I do when the name expires and they don’t have an auction house?
Hey Michael – doing some research and ran across your post. So what do you do when the domain your targeting is with an obscure registrar, in this case : TIRUPATI DOMAINS AND HOSTING PRIVATE LIMITED?
If you think the domain is worth $5,000 to $10,000 or so to you, then you can try to contact the CEO of the registrar and see if there’s a way for you to purchase it directly from them when it expires. (The CEO might not give you the time if you make a $500 offer.)
I have been watching a domain that should have dropped on 3-28. The whois still says expires on 3-28-15, but the status says “OK”. What could be the issue here. Do you think the registrar holding the domain? I dont see it for auction anywhere and the old owner’s info is still present.
I’ve seen some registrars renew them for a short period, then if the customer doesn’t pay they drop it and get the fees back.
I’ve seen others update the status the day after the drop.
If you email me using the contact form at the top of the page, I’ll confidentially look it up and see if I can figure out anything for you when I have a minute today.
Thanks for the offer. I did a search on snapnames and they had it as a buy it now. It appears they never let the name drop. I guess the registrar “Dotster” has a partnership with Snapnames.
Hi – I am trying to secure a domain name that shows the registrar as Public Domain registry. It seems they picked it up upon expiration and tacked on a year???
Registrar PDR LTD. D/B/A PUBLICDOMAINREGISTRY.COM Created on 2015-04-13 – Expires on 2016-04-13 – Updated on 2015-04-13
Can someone tell me what Auction House does the PDR associate itself with? Any tips on how I can secure this domain??
On the website of PUBLICDOMAINREGISTRY.COM, on the about page, I found: “PDR LTD. D/B/A PUBLICDOMAINREGISTRY.COM a wholly-owned subsidiary of Endurance International Group Holdings, Inc.”
Wow Michael, this is definitely one of the more detailed articles on expired domains. This must have took you some time to write!! I’m trying to pick up some expired domains for seo purposes so this has helped me out. So far I’ve found one through another similar article but will use your advice as well.
Besides auctions and looking at the usual places (for expired domains) another alternative is to find a scraper to do all the heavy lifting for you. I found one such tool… it’s called Arachnida, as in spidering for domains. Check it out and let me know what you guys think? Oh, here is the url: http://arachnida.io
Thanks Michael for your excellent article on how to grab expiring domains. Cheers! – Cesar
i had a backorder for a domian that was registered at godaddy. The backorder of the domain says the domain expires feb 23, 2015. However, when i check the whois on different websites, it now says the domain is registered through feb 2016. However, GODADDY back ordering still has the domain with the expiration date of feb 23, 2015. Why would they be showing 2 different dates? The domain is not even in an auction, so the 2016 seems like the new correct date?
Since the domain name is registered at GoDaddy, you have your backorder at the correct location. But I don’t have enough information to help you in this case.
You’ll need to contact GoDaddy support for an explanation.
Quick question. I’m eyeing a domain name that was registered with Tucows domains and expired on 2/7/15.
I went ahead and set the minimum bid ($69) with Snapnames, because your article said that was the appropriate service for that registrar. Fortunately, the domain name isn’t the type to be very appealing to other domainers, and only the .com is taken.
If Tucows says their grace period for .com’s is 40 days, no one else bids and the owner doesn’t renew, would I still have to wait about 75 days to use the domain?
If Tucows has a 40 day grace period, then add to it the redemption period and you have a total length of time until it goes to Snapnames. It may not completely “drop” since Tucows has a relationship with Snapnames.
Hi, my domain was dropped yesterday and is registered by some profilebuilder.com as sponsoring registrar for one year ie it expires on 26feb 2016 now. On NameJet I saw it available for $350. Should I buy that or wait until it drops back for public sphere.
I think something must have changed since the article was written:
I followed the steps in your article and backordered a domain expiring on eNom.com with NameJet.com as instructed. I was notified of pending delete, but no auction.
I’m still he high bidder, but the name is now registered to some squatter whose domain redirects to snapnames.com. The domain is not available on snapnames either.
When domains are in Pending Delete status, the domains are in process of being deleted and made available for free registration by the Registry itself.
As the domain was fully released, we attempted to procure this domain for you however it looks like another company was able to get this domain before us by just a few milliseconds.
We apologize, however we were not able to get this domain for you at this time.
—
I own the corresponding.net and the trademark on the root of the name.
It’s unclear who I would contact. The domain redirects to a link farm.
Any advice (and an article update) would be appreciated.
It’s unclear if eNom holds a private auction before releasing domains to NameJet or if the auction is done by NameJet — in any case the technique described seems to be incomplete or obsolete — at least for eNom.
The response from NameJet was appropriate and likely correct.
If you bid at NameJet *after* the domain name moves to Pending Delete status, then it’s too late for NameJet to take advantage of their relationship with eNom and take control of the name. So then eNom thinks, “no interest from NameJet users; we’ll just drop it” and it goes through the regular deletion process — where the fastest fingers can register it. In some cases, investors don’t want to pay the $59 or $69 fee at NameJet and if there are no bids they can likely get it for $18.99 at Pheenix or using other dropcatching services.
Sorry you didn’t get the domain you wanted. I’ll update the text above to note this additional information.
According to my email logs, I placed the backorder on 1/6/15 — well in advance of the change and at above minimum bid as suggested by NameJet’s FAQ.
On 2/4/16, I received this message from NameJet:
Dear NameJet Customer:
We are happy to inform you that a domain name you Backordered as a Wish List item is about to become available and is entering a Pending Delete status.
[snip]
I’m still baffled as to the process here — hoping to document it for others.
Thanks for sending the domain. I did a historical lookup on Domaintools.com and see the record’s expiration date BEFORE it expired.
Here’s what I see (without domain name details):
This means that you would have needed to have your NameJet backorder in by November 20th. There may have been some time after that point that it might still have worked, but I’m not sure of the exact details…you’d need to contact NameJet for those.
It looks like maybe it went in an eNom internal auction?
In retrospect, I’m assuming I should have put in an offer on eNom directly?
It might be worth updating the article to state that after the Registrar Registration Expiration Date, the instructions don’t hold — if that’s the case.
It looks like there’s another layer to be explained.
There is a name I want, which I know they will not sell it. They are not using it. This could be a long process. I want to find out how to be there to get it right when it expires. Any tips?
Tim! I am afraid if the domain is a good one; you may miss it if you are waiting for it to drop before catching it. Sorry this is from my own point of view. I think Mike will need to advice you further. Cheers.
I lost my domain from Moniker (partly due to their email policy – which sends you so many emails that it’s easy to miss the crucial ones about renewal).
Its about to go into delete and I’d like it back if i can, But Im only a student so funds are limited. I’ve already registered a .org version of the name.
Can I please get your help? (And feel free to just refer to my question numbers to save time!)
1) If I place a bid at an auction house, does that mean that I cant then go the alternative route: i.e just register the name thru the process of just letting it drop into the open public sphere – because I would have already bid on it? (Im sorry if this is a dumb question!)
2) Is the auction house for moniker still snapnames?
3) Am i right in assuming that you said there is only one auction house allowed to offer it? Is that still true?
4) before it drops into the public sphere, it will always go thru an auction right? so it only goes to the public sphere if there are no bidders?
5) My overall impression/summary: * if you think name could be popular, best to put in a bid at the relevant auction house * if not, then you could take your chances and let it drop completely and then go for it when its publicly available, either by: – using a drop-service (which prevents the risk of u missing the day) – just keeping an eye on it, perhaps with the help of DomainTools or the like
This is a wonderful resource and has been very helpful as I try to understand the nuances of buying expired domain names.
I read the article, FAQ, and accompanying comments and I did not see this addressed.
What happens if a registrar does not have an auction house partner? I’m asking specifically about Eurodns. Does Eurodns still run auctions or is the only way to secure the domain to try to backorder it?
Thanks Michael! I emailed eurodns’ support team about the best process for securing the domain since they don’t have an auction partner. The support team wrote back and asked me to share the specific domain name. Is this safe to share with them? Why would they want to know it?
Try contacting their customer support group to ask. See the answer above to the question, “Can you tell me how I can find the auction house for UKRNames.com?”
I paid and 5 hours later the domain was stolen from my account and i was issued store credit back! They said the original owner paid the renewal fee AFTER i won the expired domain auction. Is this normal? Can the expired domain really be taken back after i paid?
Very disappointed with Godaddy and would much appreciate your opinion Michael
“On the 25th day after expiration, [GoDaddy] put[s] your domain name up for auction with a domain name industry auction service.”
In addition, “On the 42nd day after expiration, [GoDaddy] cancel[s] your domain name. We delete all services associated with the domain name.”
Their process works in such a way that those who “forgot” or even wanted to see what value their domain name reached in auction could pay an extra fee and have their domain name renewed (subject to the domain name registry rules…they’re all different).
Many of us have also won auctions only to have the domain name renewed and the auction fees refunded. It’s never a good experience, but you’re not alone.
Thank you for the impressively quick response! I feel better already. Now that i know this, I will consider expired domains auctions a ‘chance’ at getting the domain. Rather than a sure thing.
I can’t thank you enough for this site and your passion for it. I’m addicted to learning about domaining, and your site is the most valuable source of information AND inspiration for me.
Something similar happend to me in an auction a couple of weeks ago, I won the item, I paid for it, got an email with receipt and all, and then the next day they took it away from me and got the refund.. I know it sucks…… Some auction sites take a lot of time to upgrade their auctions, and this complicate things to, u can win an item in sedo, and still be listed in go daddy or vicceversa, sometimes it takes them days, I once called go daddy and told them, “hey! That domain in auction is mine” , “oh, sorry we haven’t upgraded”..
The reply by Micheal is right in this case but there is definitely some malpractices by godaddy. Many times i have seen the domain to be not deleted by godaddy even after the 42nd day,
Some jerk stole my .com domain name after I had owned it for 10 years and accidentally let it expire, and he’s trying to extort lots of money from me for its return. On the site where it says who owns it, it says “Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited”. What does that mean? The domain expires on September 26. He’ll probably automatically renew it, like he has for the past couple of years. But in case it becomes available, I want to grab it. I’m the only person in the world with my name, and I posted at a blog for 10 years with that domain name. So I’m really upset I don’t have my own name anymore.
It’s unfortunate that your domain name expired, but just like if you didn’t pay your mortgage payment your lender may repossess your home. I’m sure there are better or more accurate analogies, but that’s the first one that came to mind.
There’s even a grace period for getting the domain name back under registration after expiration, but once it passes the domain is gone. And there are companies and individuals that look for aged domain names with traffic and backlinks so your expired domain name was likely something desirable to them.
So what do you do now? 1. Negotiate with the company that has the registration to buy it back 2. Wait for them to let it expire (which may never happen) 3. Cut your losses and move on with another domain name
If you want to reach out to me privately (michael at the domain name listed above) and reference this thread, I’ll see if I know the domain name owner and might be able to facilitate something. No promises, but I’ll see if there’s anything I can do.
great this is a life changing article now people become aware to the registration of expire domains and they will get pre- ranked domains….. thank you very much Michael for this post
Besides Dynadot, and Godaddy expired domain auctions you can also try using DomainPeel.com. No waiting and you can skip the process of bidding on domains.
I’m looking at a name on NameJet that expired on Network Solutions. Is there any benefit/strategy to backordering sooner rather than later or vice versa?
If I backorder will it show that there’s a bid or backorder activity to the public?
And I just want to make sure, there’s no cost if I don’t place the winning, right?
I’m thinking about backordering now but before I do, I wanted to ask your opinion.
Thanks for the awesome blog + podcast. You are my favorite source of info.
If you backorder it now, you’ll have no chance of forgetting to place your backorder. That’s pretty much the only benefit.
If you place your backorder a day or two before the deadline, then your domain is likely to be selected for a promotional email that NameJet sends out with the “most backorders”. Sometimes all it takes is one backorder to be selected for their email newsletters.
If there is already one or more backorders, then it’s likely going to get selected for promotion anyway, so go ahead and put in your backorder so you don’t forget.
Ideally — with no backorders placed yet — you’d wait until a few hours to an hour before you need to get your backorder in to prevent being highlighted.
If you are the only one to place a bid, then you will win it and it will cost you $59 or $69 (whatever the minimum bid is for the domain of interest).
If you place the minimum bid and it goes to auction, you’ll only pay if you’re the highest bidder / winning bid.
Hey there, I was wondering if you knew wether the current owner of a domain name is alerted if I place a bid on it through namejet.com? I would just rather they not know I am trying to obtain it. Thanks in advance! -j
Once a name goes to auction at NameJet, it’s past the point of reactivation by the last known registrant. In other words, if the last known registrant wants it, they have to bid for it just like everyone else.
This is not the case at GoDaddy Auctions, however. There, GoDaddy starts the auction before the domain names has fully expired and the registrant does have the ability to pay a one-time restoration fee to restore ownership. This is particularly frustrating to those bidding in the auction, as you may be the winning bidder and pay your winning bid price only to find out a few days later that it was restored. You then have to wait for a refund from GoDaddy.
Other auction marketplaces may work differently as well. No two have the exact same rules or processes.
Michael
Michael
Do I place a bid at SnapNames and also with a couple of other backorder services now, or wait until the official expiry date?
I don’t want to draw in competitors to the name, but also do not want to miss out on it.
http://www.domainsherpa.com/domain-name-backorder-services/
Michael
If there is anything else you would like to know do not hesitate to contact us.
Stavri Theophanous
+507.8339556
Pananames.com
URL Solutions Inc. “
Michael
Michael
Bob
Michael
2. Have you heard of Namebright.com partnering with a auction house recently?
3. What should I do when the name expires and they don’t have an auction house?
2. Not that I’ve heard
3. Contact them to buy it. Their prices are usually pretty reasonable, from what I’ve seen.
Michael
Created on 2015-04-13 – Expires on 2016-04-13 – Updated on 2015-04-13
Michael
Cheers!
– Cesar
Michael
Sponsoring Registrar IANA ID: 1198
Whois Server: whois.domainstreetdirect.com
Referral URL: http://www.networksolutions.com
Name Server: NS1.INTERIMNAMESERVER.COM
Name Server: NS2.INTERIMNAMESERVER.COM
Status: ok http://www.icann.org/epp#OK
Updated Date: 08-feb-2015
Creation Date: 08-feb-2015
Expiration Date: 08-feb-2016
Michael
Michael
Registrar URL: http://www.enom.com
Updated Date: 2015-01-02T04:32:17.00Z
Creation Date: 2009-11-20T22:40:40.00Z
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2014-11-20T22:40:40.00Z
Registrar: ENOM, INC.
Registrar IANA ID: 48
Registrar Abuse Contact Email: abuse@enom.com
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone: +1.4252982646
Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited
Registry Registrant ID:
Registrant Name: REACTIVATION PERIOD
Registrant Organization:
Registrant Street: 15801 NE 24TH STREET
Registrant City: BELLEVUE
Registrant State/Province: WA
Registrant Postal Code: 98004
Registrant Country: US
Registrant Phone: +1.4252744500
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax: +1.4259744791
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email: REACTIVATION-PENDING@ENOM.COM
Michael
I think Mike will need to advice you further. Cheers.
* if you think name could be popular, best to put in a bid at the relevant auction house
* if not, then you could take your chances and let it drop completely and then go for it when its publicly available, either by:
– using a drop-service (which prevents the risk of u missing the day)
– just keeping an eye on it, perhaps with the help of DomainTools or the like
Michael
Michael
Michael
Michael
1. Negotiate with the company that has the registration to buy it back
2. Wait for them to let it expire (which may never happen)
3. Cut your losses and move on with another domain name
Michael
-j