Please Help the Noob Catch a Drop!

[Noobio]

I am not a domainer and don’t plan to become one, but there is one domain (a .com) that I’m really interested in getting my hands on for a business venture I’d like to launch. The more googling I do on the topic, the more confused I become about the best way to go about this. I’m hoping you guys might be willing to give me a little direction.

The domain is registered to some outfit that appears to be sitting on hundreds of domains, none of which are being actively used, as far as I can tell. I tried to contact them about a direct purchase, but all of the WhoIs information led to dead ends.

The domain registration expired in late April. Since then, the WhoIs information has changed to the following:

“Status: RENEWAL HOLD. This Domain Name has expired. In this status the domain name is inactive. This domain name will be activated once it is renewed. If this domain name is not renewed by May 6, 2010, it will be permanently deleted.”

Ok, so I get that this is in the grace period right now, and if the outfit that registered it wants to renew, they can until May 6. But what really happens on May 6? I assume that it does not “drop” that day, and that it goes into some new grace period phase? Everything I read suggests that it is 30 to 75 days from initial expiration to actual drop, so this would be pretty fast right? So how do I figure out when it is going to drop?

I’d like to confirm with you guys that my best bet at this point is to register with Pool, SnapNames, and NameJet to try to get a hold of this domain when it drops. Are those three sufficient, or do I need to register with others as well? Do I need to place a GoDaddy order as well? I have not been able to determine if the registrar has relationship with any particular domain catching company.

Also, should I go ahead and register with all three (or four) of those right away? I remember reading somewhere that with NameJet at least, I’d want to wait until the last possible moment to sign up so as not to generate competitive interest in the name. Is that sound advice? If so, how on earth do I determine when “the last possible moment” is? Is this a concern with all of these companies?

I do not have enough experience to gauge the value of this domain. It seems a solid enough two word combination – the words don’t naturally go together, and it maybe a little long for most people’s taste, but it suits my business idea well. I very much hope that it is not considered valuable and that it generates little interest. I’ve got a price limit in mind, and I’ll have the nerve to stick to it if I end up in an auction process. But if I can sneak under the radar and pick this up without too much of a fight, I’d be delighted.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Keith]

I would backorder the domain at Pool and Snapnames. It is your best shot at getting the name outright or at the very least entering into an auction.

 

[Noobio]

Thanks Keithmt,

Any thoughts about figuring out when it is going to drop and whether I need to "time" my backorder so as not to inadvertently create interest in the domain?

 

[Keith]

Thanks Keithmt,

Any thoughts about figuring out when it is going to drop and whether I need to "time" my backorder so as not to inadvertently create interest in the domain?

Haha, you just created interest by posting the date it will drop. I would edit your post right away.

5 days before it drops go ahead and backorder it at both Pool and Snap. This will give you a good shot at getting a hold of it.

 

[Noobio]

Thanks, I think I'm safe on the date unless someone plans to go after every single domain on a particular date in the hopes of getting a few dollars out of me.

And your comment really gets to one of my questions: The WhoIs info says the domain will be "permanently deleted" on May 6. But that can't mean the drop date, right? Everywhere I read about various and lengthy stages in the process, etc., etc. So how do I figure out when the ACTUAL drop is?

 

[Kate]

The name might not be in redemption yet. Depending on the registrar it might actually be available as prerelease and auctioned off before it even drops.

If you check the domain with the registry:
VeriSign WHOIS - Domain Name Lookup from VeriSign, Inc.
What does it say ?

 

[beauty]

Is snapnames and pool the only real companies that can do this? I was trying to find a uk company that can catch .co.uks

 

[Noobio]

Thanks Sdsinc. That Whois info did not provide much more to go on. How can I tell if a particular registrar does this sort of thing, or if it has a relationship with one of the big domain catching companies, such as Pool or Namejet?

 

[Erdy]

Where is the domain registered?

 

[Kate]

Thanks Sdsinc. That Whois info did not provide much more to go on. How can I tell if a particular registrar does this sort of thing, or if it has a relationship with one of the big domain catching companies, such as Pool or Namejet?

What is the status of the domain as per registry ? Redemption or otherwise ?

 

[Noobio]

More Guidance Please?

Ok, so the domain I am after is almost through the redemption period. Can you all please confirm my strategy, or tell me if I can do better:

1) I'll be checking WHOIS frequently to see when it switches from "redemption period" to "pending delete." There is nothing I need to do until it reaches pending delete right?

2) Once I see it go to "pending delete" I will backorder with SnapNames and Pool. On NameJet, I will try to wait until the last possible moment to backorder, so as not to create interest in this domain. Is the "order by" information that NameJet provides reliable? Am I correct that I do NOT need to play that game with SnapNames and Pool?

3) If I use the three I have mentioned, do I need to bother at all with GoDaddy? Any other services, or are my chances pretty good if I use those three?

4) There is no way that this can bypass "pending delete" is there? I haven't been able to determine if the registrar in this instance has a relationship with any of the big services.

Any guidance you can give me would be greatly appreciated!

Noobio!

 

[Ms Domainer]

*

If you wait until pending delete, it might get snapped up in a pre-release auction, so keep an eye on it. Check it every day. If it's a highly desirable name, it WILL get bids anyway, so I wouldn't worry too much about placing a bid. If it's NOT a "hot" domain, then I wouldn't place a bid right away, just to keep eyeballs away.

You need to know the registrar because in a pre-release auction, the name will NOT drop, but will be handed over to the registrar's partner: Pool, Snapnames, or Namejet. If it's a GoDaddy name, it will likely go to auction at GoDaddy, even if you backorder it.

Once the name hits pending delete, it's anyone's game, for the name will drop, and anyone with the right tools could catch it. It's likely that one of the big three will catch it, but there are some other players popping up, so it's best NOT to wait for pending delete.

If it's already too late, then you will need to sign up with the big three for sure. In that case, if it's a GoDaddy name, it's not likely that they will catch it; GD is notoriously bad about catching even its own names upon deletion.

It's a crazy and somewhat seedy system, but it is what it is.

*

 

[Skinny]

Ms Domainer is spot on.

I was gonna say it but she beat me. Find out which domain registrar the domain you want was registered at.

GoDaddy has been mentioned, but if it's an older domain like Network Solutions they will be at Namejet.com

If its at Dotster, Register.com, Melbourne IT, DotRegistrar, DomainPeople, Moniker, DirectNIC you should backorder with Snapnames.

It doesn't hurt to backorder with all of them because you aren't paying unless they get the name.

Skinny

 

[ecigs.net]

If it's a GoDaddy name, it will likely go to auction at GoDaddy, even if you backorder it.

Yeah, and if you backorder it at GoDaddy and it goes to their auction, they'll keep the backorder fee (18.99) and charge you whatever the end price is in the auction.

 

[Noobio]

Thanks very much everyone. This domain is not bad, but I doubt whether it would be considered "hot." It just happens to suit an idea I want to develop. That said, who knows.

The registrar is Planet Online. I have been completely unable to determine if they have a relationship with any of the big companies. Do any of you know -- or know how I can figure it out?

And just to be clear -- you all think I should backorder it now with the big services, BEFORE it reaches pending delete, just in case it never gets to pending delete? If I were to wait, could I participate in a pre-release auction? Or only if I have backordered?

You are right Ms. Domainer -- it is crazy AND seedy! What a pain!

Thanks again.

Noobio

 

[Ms Domainer]

*

Noobio,

Do some research on the name to determine its desirability. If it's a one-word generic that is common, then it will go for at least xx,xxx, but I suspect that your name is not in that category.

Do a Google search of the term with "" around it. That won't tell the whole story, but it will give you an idea of how hot the domain will be. Even with low numbers, if there are a lot of Google ads (banner and down the side), then it will be a highly sought after name, and you should probably do a name search on all of the big three drop catchers. Chances are, for highly desirable names, there will already be bids on it.

ADDED: In that case, put your bid in, BUT be careful; on Namejet, the bidding before an auction starts is NOT a proxy bid, so at this point, put in a minimum bid, even if there are higher bids. You really have to be careful because, unfortunately, there is shill bidding in this industry, and bidders are allowed to pull out of an auction before the actual auction starts, leaving large bids in place.

I don't know Planet Online (which is a .net, btw) or who it may partner with, but if you check the whois for the domain that you want, look at the nameservers; sometimes you can Google the nameserver and find out who the drop catching partner is. When in doubt, you'll probably need to sign up at all three of the major drop catchers, where you'll have to give a credit card number. It's okay, I have never had a problem with any of them.

If you were a domainer, I would tell you to go to the "Google Adsense Keyword Tool," but you're an end user interested in a specific domain, not in hard numbers--although before paying a huge amount for a domain, it would be a good idea to check the search volume of your term.

You may find that it's not the right domain after all.

Are you having fun yet?

*

 

[Noobio]

Thanks again Ms Domainer -- I truly appreciate the help!

Whois shows the nameserver as: DNS.PARKPAGE.FOUNDATIONAPI.COM. Googling that doesn't yield me anything that looks helpful. Any tips?

Again, I'm pretty sure this is not going to be a hot domain. I googled it extensively in deciding whether to move forward on this idea, and there are few results at all with this specific word combo. It is not a common combining of words, and it is not a short string.

Here's a piece I do not understand. If it does go to pre-release auction somewhere, I'd have a chance -- like everyone else -- to participate in that auction even if I did not register / bid prior to that, right? I only need to bid before the deadline if it goes to pending delete, in which case I need to get into the small pool of potential auction participants by bidding before the pending delete deadline. Do I have this right?

Aarrgh. This is worse than buying a mattress or airline ticket!

Undeterred,
Noobio!

 

[Erdy]

Noobio!,
The story entirely changes depending on the registrar the domain is registered with. The only piece of information that you need to provide is the registrar. Ironically this is the only information you didn't tell despite writing a lot of unrelated things.

Pre-release means, a partner registrar domain that is already in the system and the auction house doesn't need to catch it. So there are a bunch of registrars that have partnered with certain auction houses. Again since you didn't tell the registrar we can't tell you to which auction house you should look.

Next time there is domain you are interested in, you can just tell us the registrar and then stop.

 

[accent]

Enter the domain into search on one of the auction houses' home page (Namejet or Snapnames). There should be a listing for it and similar names giving the drop date. Click the name and there will be a simple page, allowing you to pre-bid. One or the other of these pages will state a time deadline to bid. If it is morning or 1 PM USA time then the domain is not pre-release with that auction house. Afternoon/Evening (again, US time) means that house has control of the domain. I am not familiar with Pool, might work there too.

Hope it is Snapnames, they are $10 cheaper.

 

[Noobio]

Erdinc --

The registrar is PlanetOnline.net (which I mentioned in this thread before :]). I mentioned (as is still the case) that I have had no luck figuring out whether that outfit has a relationship with any of the big drop-catch services. If you can provide any insight, I'd appreciate it very much. Ms Domainer suggested that the nameserver info might provide another clue, but I don't know how to read those tea leaves. Again, the nameserve info is: DNS.PARKPAGE.FOUNDATIONAPI.COM. If you can crack the code for me and give me an edge on catching this one, I'll be in your debt.

Accent -- I had not heard before that the time deadline contained such clues, so thanks for that.

So I am still unsure (and I feel like I am getting conflicting advice) on whether it is safe to wait to take any action until I see the status change to "pending delete." Do I need to jump before that to keep my hopes alive?

Thanks again all!

Noobio