obtaining an expired domain

use my registrar or the one that it is currently with?

[microcars]

that about sums it up.

there is a domain I would like to aquire that is already expired, but has not been released yet.

I've tried contacting the current "owner" and no reply.

So I guess I have to try to obtain it another way. It's not a particularly "valuable" domain. Zero Page Rank, but I'd like to get it if possible. If not, no big deal.

anyways- is there any advantage to going through the current domain's registrar rather than trying to use the services of my own registrar?

I think someone might snap it up as soon as it actually expires and I have only registered domains in the past that had expired and were easily available for registration.

[chicagohh]

anyways- is there any advantage to going through the current domain's registrar rather than trying to use the services of my own registrar?

Snapnames has first shot for any name that is registered at Networksolutions. If your name is there, you must use snap if your serious about getting the name.

Pagerank has much less to do with a domains value than what most people would like to think (high PR can be an exception).

[microcars]

its not registered at Network Solutions, its Registered with Tucows.

I don't use any of their affiliates, everything I have is with GoDaddy.

[tedster]

Tucows was supposed to be launching their own auction for expiring domains.

[webmasterworld.com...]

[microcars]

crap

oh well. thanks for the heads up.

[snsh]

a few months ago, i put about six backorders on a dotster-registered domain.
namewinner ended up grabbing it.
namewinner is affiliated with dotster.

[microcars]

it doesn't appear that Tucows has implemented their "auction" thing they announced in September.

But I just tried to "backorder" the domain with my current Registrar (Godaddy) and it was not until AFTER I purchased the "Monitor/Backorder" feature and applied it to the domain name I wanted that I was told:

THIS DOMAIN NOT AVAILABLE FOR BACKORDER

?
#*$!?

aarrggh

[microcars]

well I found out why it didn't work:

The domain has been "backordered" by "another" Godaddy customer.

I see.......

now I am back to square one, which is:

Any Registrar better than another for obtaining an expired domain from Tucows?

I looked at Tucows and see nothing about backordering with them.

[Waypointer]

microcars - I have been acquiring domains through SnapNames. Go there and search for that exact domain name. The old way to "backorder" the domain (i.e., with you as the only exclusive buyer - are over).

The SnapNames auction process now is pretty incredible. The starting bid is $60 (including the next year registration), but you are not the only bidder. I was one of about 12 bidders on SalesTraining .com and saw it go up to its eventual sale price of $85,200 (I kid you not).

For everyone else out there: If you go to that site, two questions:
1. Is that guy using Google for parked domains, and
2. Can he really be making enough conversion dough to justify paying $85,000!?

[powerchuter]

no kidding about snapnames, the prices are incredible.
I got nailed at the end of sportscentral . com the other day with very little time left and ended up losing by over a $1000.

other domains that I wouldn't pay $50 are going for $1000s every day - the most I have paid is around 5k for one there and that was a couple of months ago when the $$ where reasonable.

there are a few guys there that when I see them in an auction that I am about to bid on--- i just step away from the computer and don't even bother anymore

[Waypointer]

You are right.

Did you take a look at that high-price-paid-for address? I may be a newbie, but how can he be making enough to justify that price?

What kind of site (parked domain, AdSense premium, etc.) is he running? Anyone?

[powerchuter]

most of the big players have sweetheart deals with ppc companies that don't mind a little click fraud now and then.... add that to a guy with virtually unlimited resources to drive traffic (by any means possible) and you can see how the big players are clearing 100k per day in profits (which they then plow back into more domains)

i often park domains at services like domain sponser until i am ready to develop them. good ones will make a buck or two a day (more if you use popups ect... which i don't). it isn't much but it adds up to enough to pay renewals on a LOT of domains until you get around to building them out.

i think a lot of these guys are looking at the long run. example buy a $800 domain that generates $1 per day in ppc traffic it is paid off in less than 3 years and then brings in $359 per year net from then on with NO work or expense

then multiply that by 3000 (or 30,000) domains and you have a great business -- of course it is very late in the game unless you already have a large portfolio since the game depends on great type in domains (which are long gone) and expired domains (which are now way overpriced)

[activeco]

You should consider Pool and Enom as very good catchers too.

[powerchuter]

I used to use pool a LOT (almost an auction a day), but since the went to the double blind ripoff auction format I have stayed away as much as possible.

some of the domain forums talk is their business dropped over 95% in the last few months since the network solution/snapnames deal was put in place.

haven't tried enom much, maybe its time.

[microcars]

update to my original post:

Got the domain name I wanted!

AND it was in Redemption Period!

so I bypassed the other person who had used GoDaddy to "backorder" it (preventing me from doing so through GoDaddy) and also bypassed the entire potential auction process.

ah, nothing like finally finding the right phone number to call.