So you have been waiting for years for a domain to expire. You kept checking and checking, and finally, it expired.
It is very upsetting the most websites tell you to just wait for the name to enter the 5 day pending delete period for a .com name and after that period, the name is yours if you are the first to register it.
What really happens to most good names is something different. Most names will never enter the redemption or pending delete period. First, they will go to auction with a starting price of up to approximately $70.
For example, GoDaddy, NameSilo, NetworkSolutions, and many others, run what is known as an aftermarket domain auction marketplace. They all have different rules, but the idea is the same, before they send the domain to redemption, they will auction it off.
If there is a name you really want, and it expired, you need to check who is the registrar.
You can do that by going to ICANN and doing a quick search. IGNORE the expiration date you see on ICANN because sometimes it will look like it was renewed. Next, go to the registrars site and use their whois tool. For example, if the domain is with GoDaddy, go their their whois page and look the name up.
You might also want to visit the domain itself, some registrars will redirect the page to an expired notice.
Next you need to find out what that registrar does with expired names. Many registrars will send them to GoDaddy, Sedo or to SnapNames, others will have their own in house auction system.
Use common sense and do not start bidding early for the name.
Keep in mind, most names will not be shown on the marketplace as soon as it expires.
There are three main things that happen when a name expires:
- Grace Renewal period: This is a time the owner can renew the name usually at no additional cost. This is also the time that in most cases, the name will go to auction. For example, if the registrar offers a 30 day grace renew period, on the 23rd day they can send the name to auction and the winner will end up getting the name after the renewal period ends. In fact, if you win the name on the 28th, you might find out a few days later that you won’t get the name because the owner renewed.
- Redemption period: If nobody got the name, the owner has 30 days to pay a fee and get the name restored.
- Pending Delete period: This is a 5 days period that the owner can not get the domain back. From here, it will drop and anyone can register it. Usually good names will be caught by companies that specialize in catching them on behalf of others. In rare cases names were taken out of the pending delete phase via a court order.
Getting a good name you are confident about is really important. Over 100,000 names drop every day. If you plan well, you will have a good chance on getting your hands on the name you really want and usually for very little money compared to if someone owns it already and you need to buy it.
If it did enter the redemption or pending delete phase (there will be a clear notice on the ICANN whois results) you need to focus on having companies like DropCatch or SnapNames get the name.
Contact us for help with a specific name. If you provide the registrar and the status (we don’t need the name) we can reply with more detailed help for free (yeah, some things in life are free 🙄).