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If there's a domain name that will be expiring in the not-too-distant future, and I would like to maximize my chances of being able to register it, what should I do (if that's possible)? Assume for the purpose of the question that there are other individuals who have the same idea as well as a fair likelihood of a squatter.
Bonus points for telling me how I might go about transferring it to a different registrar, if I did manage to get my hands on it. (I understand there are, at the very least, waiting periods involved...)
Bonus points for telling me how I might go about transferring it to a different registrar, if I did manage to get my hands on it. (I understand there are, at the very least, waiting periods involved...)
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Date: Mar. 19th, 2014 04:59 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: Mar. 19th, 2014 09:05 am (UTC)From:Really, if it actually came to pass I would definitely be emailing tech-savvier trusteds like
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Date: Mar. 21st, 2014 03:12 am (UTC)From:All of this assumes the current registrant does not reregister it, of course. If they do, you can always try to contact them using the domain registration info to see if they would be willing to sell it to you. By ICANN regulations, the email address in the domain WHOIS is public record and should be valid, even if it's a "privacy protect" address. Those usually forward to the actual admin address.
Upon expiration, it will go into a 10-14 day grace period depending on registrar. During that grace period, the registrant may reregister it for the same cost as an on-time renewal. It will not be available for purchase during this time.
After the grace period it will go into what is called redemption. During redemption, the registrant can usually renew it for a fairly large extra charge. When I used to handle the domain name stuff, I would see redemption renewal fees run anywhere from $80-$300. Redemption generally starts when the grace period expires, and can run anywhere from 30-90 days. In general, the domain is not available for purchase in the open pool, however! Some domain registrars WILL offer domains in redemption up for auction during the last few couple of weeks or so of the redemption period. This isn't terribly ethical, but it's not illegal and ICANN doesn't prohibit it because the domain name is technically expired. It is very common for domains that go up for auction while still in redemption to get snapped up by domain snipers looking to sell it back to the owner for a jacked up price, because the reasoning is the original owner may have lost it by accident/inattention. If you know a domain is sitting at about 30+ days post expiration but it is not in the available pool yet, you can check the registrar's page to see if it's up for auction. Godaddy is super notorious for this.
Assuming nobody reregisters it, and it isn't auctioned out of redemption, and nobody's put a backorder request on it through a drop-catching service, the domain will generally go back into the available pool roughly 90ish days after expiration. Most registrars release domains back into the available pool anywhere from 85ish to 95ish days after expiry specifically to kind of fudge the date a bit so as to ostensibly give people a more fair shot at getting it, but as mentioned there are backorder services available that will let you buy the chance at grabbing it automatically if it ever becomes available. These are called "domain drop-catching" services, and they are often utilized by people who are looking to grab up domains for resale.
If you do grab the domain name, the actual process of transferring it to another registrar is easy. Keep in mind, if it ends up back in the available pool you are not obligated to register it with the same registrar it expired from - once it's available it can be purchased through any ICANN accredited registrar. However if by some chance you end up acquiring it via a different registrar than the one you want to use, ping me and I'll explain the process. I had it all typed out here, but LJ bitched at me for writing too long an entry so I'll type the rest out if you get the domain.
no subject
Date: Mar. 21st, 2014 09:05 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: Mar. 21st, 2014 11:42 am (UTC)From: