When does an expired domain become available to the public?

[garyv]

I've had my eye on a domain in a small niche that I'm interested in. It has been inactive for some time w/ dead links and pictures etc. I've tried contacting the whois info to make a deal, but the whois info is outdated.

I was looking at it again today, and noticed that it is now parked at godaddy. So I looked at the whois again, and noticed that it expired on March 10th. So my question is, does anyone know how long godaddy holds these past the expiration? And - do people usually snatch domains up when godaddy releases them? I know I've seen services where they'll give you a list of expiring domains. Does godaddy put out such a list?

[derekwong28]

It is supposed to be around 75 days. If indeed the domain is with Godaddy, you should place a backorder immediately with them. You will have the domain is there is no other backorder at the end of the period. If there is more than one backorder, it will go to an open auction at TDNAM.

[garyv]

Originally Posted by derekwong28

It is supposed to be around 75 days. If indeed the domain is with Godaddy, you should place a backorder immediately with them. You will have the domain is there is no other backorder at the end of the period. If there is more than one backorder, it will go to an open auction at TDNAM.

Ahh - thanks derek! I didn't know you could do a backorder. I'll look into that.

[bgmacaw]

Do the backorder because it will go to TDNAM auction and then closeout if it doesn't sell at auction. Indexed sites with good links are a hot commodity, even more so if they have a good keyword in the domain name. I buy, on average, 25 expired domains a month through TDNAM auctions.

[Devon Brown]

This would be a good time for me to say that if you want a domain, whether a new purchase or backorder. Purchase it at the time you're viewing it. Some registrars (not sure if GoDaddy is one of them) "leak" or sell the information from domain searches and squatters buy them up so you can contact them and have it sold to you at a higher price.

[kutchi]

Depends on extension (TLds) I think mostly it takes around 60 days

[Anthony Robinson]

I had the same thing this morning when trying to purchase a domain name for a client. Namecheap told me it's 80-90 days.

I'd like to backorder the name for my client, can anyone advise someone besides Godaddy that provides that service?

Thanks!

[thinkrich]

Back order it with NameCheap or else GoDaddy will steal it
They do that (occasionally)

[garyv]

I have it back-ordered. Hopefully godaddy won't do anything shady and try to charge me a lot for it.

It is number 1 in google for my niche's keywords - but the niche has very little competition right now.

[Anthony Robinson]

Originally Posted by thinkrich

Back order it with NameCheap or else GoDaddy will steal it
They do that (occasionally)

That's what happened with the client I have now, he already had the domain name registered with godaddy but when it came up for renewal, they snatched it from him and sold it. (AFTER he paid the renewal) Now he's stuck with a ton of business cards, catalogs, flyers, t-shirts, etc., that all have that domain on them, so he's pretty set on getting it back since he's literally got thousands tied up in it.

I asked NameCheap and they said they don't offer a backorder service, and I WONT go with godaddy...any other ideas where I could back order this?

[Palo Coyote]

This is an EXCELLENT story about how a domain expires AND how to get it, he names the THREE companies that get these expired names. It's worth the read:
Mike Davidson - How to Snatch an Expiring Domain

Palo

[garyv]

Originally Posted by chopper180

That's what happened with the client I have now, he already had the domain name registered with godaddy but when it came up for renewal, they snatched it from him and sold it. (AFTER he paid the renewal) Now he's stuck with a ton of business cards, catalogs, flyers, t-shirts, etc., that all have that domain on them, so he's pretty set on getting it back since he's literally got thousands tied up in it.

I asked NameCheap and they said they don't offer a backorder service, and I WONT go with godaddy...any other ideas where I could back order this?

I'm not sure how godaddy snatches a registered domain - they've always given me notices about 1nce a week for months before a domain expires - they then even hold it for you for a while after it expires.

[Scott Burton]

Originally Posted by Renegade Success

This would be a good time for me to say that if you want a domain, whether a new purchase or backorder. Purchase it at the time you're viewing it. Some registrars (not sure if GoDaddy is one of them) "leak" or sell the information from domain searches and squatters buy them up so you can contact them and have it sold to you at a higher price.

I personally have never had this problem at GoDaddy. Being an odd sort, I had done some searches, added to my cart, and then managed to forget to come back and place my order.

Two weeks later, when I was looking to pick up one domain, all the ones I'd previously searched and placed in my cart were still there, and still available.

Just my 2¢...

[bgmacaw]

Originally Posted by chopper180

That's what happened with the client I have now, he already had the domain name registered with godaddy but when it came up for renewal, they snatched it from him and sold it. (AFTER he paid the renewal)

I'll have to go along with Gary on this one although there are some situations where this can happen.

There could be a problem them screwing something up like big companies do from time to time so getting them on the phone is essential if there's a problem.

Some domains that were originally registered via RegisterFly are known to be a problem at renewal time. If your client was in this group they need to call GoDaddy and get the situation straightened out.

Another is when a customer doesn't provide a valid renewal email address and payment method. For example, the renewal notice goes to an unused mailbox or the credit card on file has expired. In this case, you'll lose the domain when it expires unless you catch it in time. If you catch it late in the process before someone else has bought the domain you'll have to pay extra to get it back. Many people balk at this price, which can be around $200, and will incorrectly say that GoDaddy (or other registrar) 'stole' their domain.

If someone else bought it, try to open negotiations with them. Be nice and don't say "You stole my domain you #@#$@#". In most cases you can buy it back for a reasonable price. The few I've had like this and I've sold back essentially at cost plus a reasonable estimate of the value of the domain. There has been one exception where the previous owner was a jerk. I decided to hold onto that one forever.

[Devon Brown]

Right Scott.. I couldn't remember which major registrars are up to those sneaky scams. Glad GoDaddy isn't one of them! Thanks for clarifying!

[Anthony Robinson]

I've never had any trouble personally with godaddy, but that's his story and he's sticking to it! Keep in mind he's not the most tech savvy guy, so who knows? I have heard/read more than one horror story about them, but you never can tell.

[davezan]

Originally Posted by derekwong28

If indeed the domain is with Godaddy, you should place a backorder immediately with them. You will have the domain is there is no other backorder at the end of the period. If there is more than one backorder, it will go to an open auction at TDNAM.

For this specific discussion, this answer is it.

Take it from someone who's worked in the registrar business in a previous life.
Not with Go Daddy, though.

[Alp Bozkurt]

Hey tell me the domain and I will let you know when it's available again

Actually, back-ordering such a domain is a big risk if you REALLY want to have it. Why? Because as soon as the domain is available for registering, in the next second, a war starts among the ones who want to get it. And when your backorder is processed (usually many hours later than this war), it's too late because someone probably got it earlier than your backorder.

You should use an expired name grabbing service like enom. Enom usually wins the war.