Domains: Beware the Domainsbot

Digital Traffic · 02-15-2010, 09:05 AM

I just ran into something interesting today. I haven't been doing this stuff for long, but here's what happened to me.

Was doing research for domain names this morning, using suggested tools form this forum, which one's don't really matter to my story.

After doing my research, I located a list of 25 or so domains to check on.

This is where it gets interesting.

I used DomainsBot.com to look and see if the domains were available.

I went through my list, and found 3 names that were available in .com form according to DomainsBot.com.

Great, I went immediately to Go Daddy, where I do most of my registrations, type in the name and found the .com domain was no longer available.

I then went back to DomainsBot.com to check and make sure I spelled the name correctly there, as it was still fresh on my screen, it had only been 2 minutes or so since I found it was available.

Checked the spelling, it was correct, refreshed the screen, and now it shows the domain as for sale at Sedo.com.

At first I thought it might have been a fluke, but as I moved on to the other two domains, I discovered the something had happened, both .com versions were available just minutes before, now those were gone as well.

Yep, you guessed it, both of those, when I checked the names again at DomainsBot.com minutes later, were now also available for sale at Sedo.com.

Has this happened to anybody else? I assume now, that Sedo.com, must also be, or connected to DomainsBot.com.

Suggestions for how to avoid this situation?

Pretty slick on their part, if that indeed is what happened. They used 3 hours of my research, and snagged three of my .com names that I found.

I can buy them now for only $399 each, or make an offer.

BarrieAdams · 02-15-2010, 09:56 AM

If they indeed did do this, it is very sneaky and close to theft IMO, as you say Digital Traffic, you did the research. Must have been very frustrating for you.

I dare not try it! (and never will)

Goatboy · 02-15-2010, 10:23 AM

If you suspect this is what has happened, you could test the theory by searching for some off the wall domain names and then see if they get stolen. Try something like "besttightywhiteys."

I'm not familiar with godaddy's registrar set up, since I use namecheap, but I would think godaddy would let you search to see which domain names are available. Namecheap does this, and I usually do all of my searching right there before I purchase.

bgmacaw · 02-15-2010, 11:28 AM

I use domainsbot pretty regularly and I've never seen this happen. I'm not saying that they haven't started doing this now but it could just be coincidence. Domainers use tools to target available .com sites pretty aggressively.

Cringer · 02-15-2010, 01:48 PM

This is my second such instance of hearing this happening within a matter of weeks; with whom or what registrar I can't recall, but if it's something registrars are employing then that is very bad form imo.

Sorry to hear about that Digital Traffic. Let's hope it's not the case.

Nigels · 02-15-2010, 03:13 PM

I've used domainsbot a few times, including two days ago, in just the way you describe (check availability using domainsbot then go to different company to register) without any problems.

Hopefully this is just coincidence/bad luck.

JimmyRose · 02-15-2010, 04:29 PM

I've seen domainsbot display domains as available when they are in fact not. I just assumed domainsbot were a bit crap and didn't have the right data. I no longer use it anyway and just default to the one at namecheap.

emigre · 02-15-2010, 08:56 PM

This is a fairly common nefarious activity called "domain tasting" - it is practiced by some in the domain industry. Even some big domain registrars do it.

tresfavian · 02-15-2010, 09:13 PM

Yes, this has happened to me with domainsbot also. I will quit using them too.

timpears · 02-15-2010, 10:34 PM

It is hard to believe that what looks like it happened to you, happened. But, the names disappeared right after you looked them up and fond them open. You can look up bulk lists of domains at Godaddy in their bulk register section. You can put in the name, or a bunch of key words and see what is available and select any number of tlds for them. Just click on the bulk register link.

Marakatapolis · 02-15-2010, 10:47 PM

It's domain squatters. This is why I always check manually in the address bar to see if a site comes up or not, if it doesn't, then I go directly to register it. I never use any website, especially not GoDaddy as they sell your search queries to Dutch domain squatters in real time, because they can automatically steal and temporarily register the domain name based on their big list of "flags" for certain keywords. Then, they use the temp registration to test the domain to see if it's worth keeping in their domain portfolio or not, if not, they simply let the temp registration expire.

AllThingsArePossible · 02-16-2010, 01:13 AM

that's why I use saferwhois/com sparingly to prevent domain theft

If I really found a great domain name then I simply type the url manually in search engine

I learned my lesson the hard way to never trust register's like no daddy or any type of domain checker tool

DireStraits · 02-16-2010, 03:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllThingsArePossible

that's why I use saferwhois/com sparingly to prevent domain theft

If I really found a great domain name then I simply type the url manually in search engine

I learned my lesson the hard way to never trust register's like no daddy or any type of domain checker tool

I've been a customer of GoDaddy only once, for a .ME domain that I bought (they wre one of the cheapest I could find at the time that accepted PayPal).

Not only are their shady behind the scenes practices appalling, but the customer experience of using their website before even buying anything from them is downright crappy.

The website is bloated, filled with ads. They try to sell you on allsorts of useless extras all the time (often selecting them to be added to your cart automatically unless you say "no"), the site is slow, when you pay with PayPal they don't just take a one-time payment - they set up automated payments by default which then means you have to login to PayPal after you've completed the sale and delete the recurring payment from your account.

Awful company; awful customer experience. I don't often rant about companies I don't like, but GoDaddy have a special place in my heart (I mean, on my darts board).

VaultBoss · 02-16-2010, 06:10 AM

I agree,

It is always smart to type in the domain in the address bar and see what comes up.

Or at least, search for it directly on the registrar's website, so that you can go buy it right away once found untaken.

Steve Lorenzo SEOVirtuoso

BarrieAdams · 02-16-2010, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marakatapolis

It's domain squatters. .....I never use any website, especially not GoDaddy as they sell your search queries to Dutch domain squatters in real time, because they can automatically steal and temporarily register the domain name based on their big list of "flags" for certain keywords. Then, they use the temp registration to test the domain to see if it's worth keeping in their domain portfolio or not, if not, they simply let the temp registration expire.

This is bad bad bad. Domain industry corruption, Annoys the hell out of me that these companies buy up domains when they're expired, let alone just after searching for one.

pup · 02-16-2010, 10:45 AM

This happened to me when I used Bustaname, it showed available and I couldn't buy it from Godaddy. I went back to Bustaname and they still showed it available so I just chalked it up to Bustaname having a blip in their system.

ARVolund · 02-16-2010, 11:08 AM

This is easy enough to check. Do a whois search and see when the domain was registered. If it was right after you did your search that would be highly suspicious, if it was earlier then you know that is not what happened.

I have heard of this happening but I have always done my searches on either namecheap or godaddy and have never had a problem.

If you found a tool or site that was doing this a good way to make it less profitable for them would be to do a lot of searches for completely worthless domain names for them to buy up.

Richard

02-15-2010, 09:05 AM	#1
Digital Traffic HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 373 Thanks: 74 Thanked 69 Times in 61 Posts	Domains: Beware the Domainsbot I just ran into something interesting today. I haven't been doing this stuff for long, but here's what happened to me. Was doing research for domain names this morning, using suggested tools form this forum, which one's don't really matter to my story. After doing my research, I located a list of 25 or so domains to check on. This is where it gets interesting. I used DomainsBot.com to look and see if the domains were available. I went through my list, and found 3 names that were available in .com form according to DomainsBot.com. Great, I went immediately to Go Daddy, where I do most of my registrations, type in the name and found the .com domain was no longer available. I then went back to DomainsBot.com to check and make sure I spelled the name correctly there, as it was still fresh on my screen, it had only been 2 minutes or so since I found it was available. Checked the spelling, it was correct, refreshed the screen, and now it shows the domain as for sale at Sedo.com. At first I thought it might have been a fluke, but as I moved on to the other two domains, I discovered the something had happened, both .com versions were available just minutes before, now those were gone as well. Yep, you guessed it, both of those, when I checked the names again at DomainsBot.com minutes later, were now also available for sale at Sedo.com. Has this happened to anybody else? I assume now, that Sedo.com, must also be, or connected to DomainsBot.com. Suggestions for how to avoid this situation? Pretty slick on their part, if that indeed is what happened. They used 3 hours of my research, and snagged three of my .com names that I found. I can buy them now for only $399 each, or make an offer.

02-15-2010, 09:56 AM	#2
BarrieAdams Warrior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 18 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Domains: Beware the Domainsbot If they indeed did do this, it is very sneaky and close to theft IMO, as you say Digital Traffic, you did the research. Must have been very frustrating for you. I dare not try it! (and never will)

02-15-2010, 10:23 AM	#3
Goatboy Steve War Room Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: USA Posts: 420 Thanks: 493 Thanked 62 Times in 54 Posts	Re: Domains: Beware the Domainsbot If you suspect this is what has happened, you could test the theory by searching for some off the wall domain names and then see if they get stolen. Try something like "besttightywhiteys." I'm not familiar with godaddy's registrar set up, since I use namecheap, but I would think godaddy would let you search to see which domain names are available. Namecheap does this, and I usually do all of my searching right there before I purchase.

02-15-2010, 11:28 AM	#4
bgmacaw Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Atlanta GA Metro Area, USA. Posts: 3,643 Blog Entries: 5 Thanks: 309 Thanked 922 Times in 642 Posts Social Networking	Re: Domains: Beware the Domainsbot I use domainsbot pretty regularly and I've never seen this happen. I'm not saying that they haven't started doing this now but it could just be coincidence. Domainers use tools to target available .com sites pretty aggressively.
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02-15-2010, 01:48 PM	#5
Cringer AKA Kevin O'Connor War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Somewhere over the rainbow... Posts: 329 Thanks: 127 Thanked 259 Times in 58 Posts Social Networking	Re: Domains: Beware the Domainsbot This is my second such instance of hearing this happening within a matter of weeks; with whom or what registrar I can't recall, but if it's something registrars are employing then that is very bad form imo. Sorry to hear about that Digital Traffic. Let's hope it's not the case.
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02-15-2010, 03:13 PM	#6
Nigels Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 34 Thanks: 8 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Domains: Beware the Domainsbot I've used domainsbot a few times, including two days ago, in just the way you describe (check availability using domainsbot then go to different company to register) without any problems. Hopefully this is just coincidence/bad luck.

02-15-2010, 04:29 PM	#7
JimmyRose Good Bloke War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 191 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 1 Thanked 22 Times in 13 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Domains: Beware the Domainsbot I've seen domainsbot display domains as available when they are in fact not. I just assumed domainsbot were a bit crap and didn't have the right data. I no longer use it anyway and just default to the one at namecheap.
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02-15-2010, 08:56 PM	#8
emigre HyperActive Warrior Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: across the universe Posts: 379 Thanks: 7 Thanked 31 Times in 24 Posts	Re: Domains: Beware the Domainsbot This is a fairly common nefarious activity called "domain tasting" - it is practiced by some in the domain industry. Even some big domain registrars do it.

02-15-2010, 09:13 PM	#9
tresfavian HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Taos, NM Posts: 201 Thanks: 30 Thanked 19 Times in 19 Posts	Re: Domains: Beware the Domainsbot Yes, this has happened to me with domainsbot also. I will quit using them too.

02-15-2010, 10:34 PM	#10
timpears Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Vancouver, WA, USA. Posts: 3,500 Thanks: 327 Thanked 584 Times in 408 Posts	Re: Domains: Beware the Domainsbot It is hard to believe that what looks like it happened to you, happened. But, the names disappeared right after you looked them up and fond them open. You can look up bulk lists of domains at Godaddy in their bulk register section. You can put in the name, or a bunch of key words and see what is available and select any number of tlds for them. Just click on the bulk register link.
	Tim Pears

02-15-2010, 10:47 PM	#11
Marakatapolis Emerald City Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Seattle, WA - USA Posts: 290 Blog Entries: 15 Thanks: 42 Thanked 49 Times in 14 Posts	Re: Domains: Beware the Domainsbot It's domain squatters. This is why I always check manually in the address bar to see if a site comes up or not, if it doesn't, then I go directly to register it. I never use any website, especially not GoDaddy as they sell your search queries to Dutch domain squatters in real time, because they can automatically steal and temporarily register the domain name based on their big list of "flags" for certain keywords. Then, they use the temp registration to test the domain to see if it's worth keeping in their domain portfolio or not, if not, they simply let the temp registration expire.

02-16-2010, 01:13 AM	#12
AllThingsArePossible Just do It War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: states of United Posts: 204 Thanks: 21 Thanked 12 Times in 12 Posts	Re: Domains: Beware the Domainsbot that's why I use saferwhois/com sparingly to prevent domain theft If I really found a great domain name then I simply type the url manually in search engine I learned my lesson the hard way to never trust register's like no daddy or any type of domain checker tool

02-16-2010, 06:10 AM	#14
VaultBoss Master eMailSmith War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Constanta, a beauty! Far-away Romania Posts: 215 Thanks: 31 Thanked 68 Times in 60 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Domains: Beware the Domainsbot I agree, It is always smart to type in the domain in the address bar and see what comes up. Or at least, search for it directly on the registrar's website, so that you can go buy it right away once found untaken. Steve Lorenzo SEOVirtuoso
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02-16-2010, 10:45 AM	#16
pup Active Warrior Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Small Town... Wisconsin Posts: 55 Thanks: 24 Thanked 17 Times in 13 Posts	Re: Domains: Beware the Domainsbot This happened to me when I used Bustaname, it showed available and I couldn't buy it from Godaddy. I went back to Bustaname and they still showed it available so I just chalked it up to Bustaname having a blip in their system.

02-16-2010, 11:08 AM	#17
ARVolund Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 542 Thanks: 4 Thanked 72 Times in 65 Posts	Re: Domains: Beware the Domainsbot This is easy enough to check. Do a whois search and see when the domain was registered. If it was right after you did your search that would be highly suspicious, if it was earlier then you know that is not what happened. I have heard of this happening but I have always done my searches on either namecheap or godaddy and have never had a problem. If you found a tool or site that was doing this a good way to make it less profitable for them would be to do a lot of searches for completely worthless domain names for them to buy up. Richard