advice Do I Dropcatch?

[domainquestions8]

hi everyone
Earlier this year I stupidly let my domain expire, as I didn't realise the process was so difficult when it comes to getting it back.
I'm now reaching the point where the pending delete period is nearly over, so I'm trying to figure out the best way to get it back. I'm stuck between hoping it doesn't get picked up and I can hand register it, or trying Dropcatch. I kept my eye out on a similar domain, same 'stats' on expireddomains, and it slipped through fine and is still available now. However i think mine was a tiny bit more developed as stuff shows up when you google it, I'm not sure if that has an impact or not. I also used whois sites before I realised that they give the information out so that might affect it too. I'm worried that if I try to dropcatch it'll draw attention to it, and I definitely don't have the funds to compete in an auction, so I'm wondering if it's safer to just hope I can hand reg? If anyone more experienced in this could give their advice, I'd be so grateful. I've tried researching but I keep getting stuck at this decision. Worst case scenario I'll just have to use an alt domain, but I'd prefer the original one.
Thank you in advance

 

[Gube]

Wow, we are almost in the same situation..
I found a domain to build a website, but it's in redemptionPeriod.
So I sent a few emails to the company owning the name, no answer
And they didn't renew the name either.

In a few days, It will go to PendingDelete..
I think I will dropcatch it at the last minute at DropCatch and SnapNames

If your name is valuable for you, dropcatch it

 

[domainquestions8]

Wow, we are almost in the same situation..
I found a domain to build a website, but it's in redemptionPeriod.
So I sent a few emails to the company owning the name, no answer
And they didn't renew the name either.

In a few days, It will go to PendingDelete..
I think I will dropcatch it at the last minute at DropCatch and SnapNames

If your name is valuable for you, dropcatch it

thank you so much for the reply! is there nothing shady going on at dropcatch? I don't want to backorder it and draw attention to it, i don't think anyone else would be interested in it since it's a made up word but it's hard to say! hopefully I'd be able to transfer the domain away too, as I don't really want them as my registrar. What time would you recommend as last minute, minutes before it closes?
Good luck, I hope you get the domain!

 

[Gube]

Yes, not minutes before it drops..
At dropcatch there is a deadline for backorders
Snapnames too if I'm correct

The only problem with these services is that in the event there would be more than one bidder, the name will go to a PUBLIC auction so anyone could bid.
They also have big companies as partners and we never can be sure they don't transmit lists of backordered domains..

 

[domainquestions8]

Yes, not minutes before it drops..
At dropcatch there is a deadline for backorders
Snapnames too if I'm correct

The only problem with these services is that in the event there would be more than one bidder, the name will go to a PUBLIC auction so anyone could bid.
They also have big companies as partners and we never can be sure they don't transmit lists of backordered domains..

yes, that's a really big concern for me. there's no simple solution at all! since I don't have the funds to win an auction, it makes me wonder if I should just leave it and try hand reg, since it's lose-lose either way at that point! I wish there was a trustworthy company

 

[DotKing]

It really depends on your name quality, if your name has built-in value expect some competition, else it should be easy to catch for starting price. Good luck anyway

 

[domainquestions8]

It really depends on your name quality, if your name has built-in value expect some competition, else it should be easy to catch for starting price. Good luck anyway

it's a completely made up word so im hoping it won't have much competition! keeping my fingers crossed, thank you!

 

[DotKing]

You can also try to catch it with dynadot cause it is much cheaper and they are great registrar. Sometimes they catch domain first if its not too good. You can use multiple services cause you will pay only if they succeed.

 

[BaileyUK]

Hope you don't mind OP but let me give you my steer on you position, Because we've all been there.

1. You probably didn't value the domain too highly in the first-place. Lets face it, It's not hard to keep up with the renewals unless your holding hundreds or thousands of domains.

2. Yep you probably put-off that renewal decision time and time again while you thought I'll make my mind-up by next week.

3. Domain goes into redemption. (probable recovery fee) NO I'm not paying that!

4. Domain expires. Damn Now that I think about it, Wish I'd kept that one. Now self justification for your bad decision kicks-in. The more you think about it, The more relevant the domain becomes. don't worry you'll find all sorts of new, previously unexplored reasons why you should have kept the domain.

5. Domain drops. NO you couldn't justify that drop catching fee, plus as you say you didn't want to awaken other parties interest.

6. Domain sits unregistered after drop. So now your thinking maybe it wasn't so good as you subsequently thought, After all nobody else wanted it. So you might even leave it for now.

7. Two months down the line you've either re-registered it or it's still sitting there. Unloved by anyone else. Somebody may stumble upon it but even then it still took two months or so - After all it was a so-so domain.

8. You forget about it and move on. OR, If you did re-register it you'll probably go through all the same hoops again this time next year

 

[domainquestions8]

Hope you don't mind OP but let me give you my steer on you position, Because we've all been there.

1. You probably didn't value the domain too highly in the first-place. Lets face it, It's not hard to keep up with the renewals unless your holding hundreds or thousands of domains.

2. Yep you probably put-off that renewal decision time and time again while you thought I'll make my mind-up by next week.

3. Domain goes into redemption. (probable recovery fee) NO I'm not paying that!

4. Domain expires. Damn Now that I think about it, Wish I'd kept that one. Now self justification for your bad decision kicks-in. The more you think about it, The more relevant the domain becomes. don't worry you'll find all sorts of new, previously unexplored reasons why you should have kept the domain.

5. Domain drops. NO you couldn't justify that drop catching fee, plus as you say you didn't want to awaken other parties interest.

6. Domain sits unregistered after drop. So now your thinking maybe it wasn't so good as you subsequently thought, After all nobody else wanted it. So you might even leave it for now.

7. Two months down the line you've either re-registered it or it's still sitting there. Unloved by anyone else. Somebody may stumble upon it but even then it still took two months or so - After all it was a so-so domain.

8. You forget about it and move on. OR, If you did re-register it you'll probably go through all the same hoops again this time next year

thank you so much for the response! that definitely sounds like an accurate cycle, but I feel like my position is a bit different to the norm here? it's not that it's not important, it's more I was just ignorant and naive. I had no idea about how domains work. I didn't like my registrar so I thought I could let it expire, then reregister (ashamed to admit I didn't realise you could transfer), but I didn't know there's all this buying and reselling going on.
Point 3 is spot on, I freaked out initially at the redemption fee and thought they were trying to rip me off, and figured I'd just register it after waiting. Definitely made a lot of mistakes here! The problem is that if it was just a domain that I wanted to make money from I'd be fine, but it's for my own use. I wasn't using the site at the time so I wasn't thinking about it much but now I have plans for it, awful timing really.
As I said before I could use another domain, but then it gets a bit messy, I'm just praying it'll be unregistered!

 

[frank-germany]

dropcatch it
when it has value

don't hand reg it
if it doesn't have value

 

[Robert Garcia]

I'm gonna tell you something.
Back in 2013 i created a site with a bad domain (14 digits with a hyphen, ugh).
Later i came up with a shoter 8 digit domain, no hyphens. Which i use to this day.
I 301 redirect to the new domain and let the old ugly one expire.

As soon as it expired it was picked up.
To this day (5 years) it keeps getting renewed.
Private Whois, no sell page, no intention to sell.

I don't believe dropcatching sites will let you hand register it, they do it in milliseconds and you have no clue at what precise time it will drop.

You have to preorder it and hope you win the auction. That's the only way.