When a domain name expires you can sometimes bid for it in auction.
However, many domain names never go to auction. Instead, they expire and are dropped allowing a user to register them for about $10 (the registration fee).
BUT, if someone else wants the same domain name as you they are likely to try to register it with an automated service — called a dropcatching service.
And let’s face it…computers are faster than us and can see if the domain name is available every second of the day; we have to sleep. To compete with them, you can pay about $60 and hire a backorder service (also known as a dropcatching service) to do the same on your behalf, the services will keep checking for the moment a domain name 'drops' and will register it for you, most charge on a no-win no-fee basis.
Notes:
- Some of these services charge to place the domain name backorder, while others only charge you if a backorder is completed.
- If more than one backorder is placed at any service, it’s likely to go to a closed auction at that service provider; in some cases, it goes to the first backorder.
- No single service provider can guarantee acquisition and – due to many factors – no one service provider is better at acquisition than another. If you really want a domain name, put in a backorder at all of them.
Here is a list of backorder services that you may want to investigate (in alphabetical order):
- Free backorder with credit card on file; only pay upon successful registration, com/net: $49
- Free backorder; only pay upon successful registration, com: £39.99 (other TLD pricing listed)
- Free backorder; only pay $59 upon successful registration (if more than one backorder, it goes to auction)
- com: $14.99, net: $14.99, org: $14.99
- Pre-pay $20.98 (or less) and use until successful for com, co, info, org, net, me, mobi, us and biz
- Free backorder; only pay $69 upon successful registration
- Free backorder; only pay $69 ($59 in some cases) upon successful registration
- Free backorder; only pay $99 upon successful registration; Only for .io domains
- com: $18.95, net: $18.95, tv: $58.95, cc: $58.95
- Free backorder; only pay $60 upon successful registration
- Free backorder; only pay $69 upon successful registration (if more than one backorder, it goes to auction)