Say ive seen a domain that is already registered but id like to own it in a few weeks when it expires, are these backordering services any good and how do they actually work?
Have you used a backorder domain service and, did you get the domain? If so, which service did you use?
Regards,
Lee
Pretty sure Luke did this not too long ago and got the domain. I know it's an available service through GoDaddy. Basically you pay like $19 and when the name becomes available they buy it for you. I have no idea if it's possible for more than one person to do this though on the same domain name, and no clue how they'd decide who gets it if they do.
You know, I have paid for sevearl "backorders" on domains that i would not think would be overly popular such as small personal sites and such that were expiring... and i NEVER have been awarded a backorder. I'll see a domain that i like within 30 days of expiration and put in an order on it... then i'll start checking back and i'll see it go to expiration, then domain lock pending renewal or deletion....i'll get my hopes up..... and then one day i'll check back, and someone else will have picked up the domain from a firm that uses scanning scripts and repoints dead domain names to traffic sites that they control.
This has happened to me on many (probably 10) occasions and has left me very very frustrated with this service. I don't know how the domain accumulators get an edge on me on this ... but somehow they do.
And trust me, I am talking some pretty obscure domains sometimes, that are not even keyword domains....but domains that have filtered traffic for one of my markets....
So for me... I don't put much faith in them, but sometimes do it because the $20 crap shoot is at least a chance......following the "you can't win if you don't play" mentality.
JMHO
tom
..."stir the tiles! , stir the tiles!"... - dragon slayer
i'd be curious if this worked! , though it will be somtime before the names i want become available.
has anyone been "awarded" a "back-order"?
jim :francais:
Well, it appears that DN Registries, such as Network Solutions, have the right to try to find a buyer for a domain after a grace period upon expiration of the domain's current registration... and this can be apparantely without regard to backorders.... and they call it a direct transfer... they appear to seek out those who might be willing to pay for domains and give a percentage to the original owner and keep the rest for themselves. This may very well defeat the whole backorder process. It appears that using this process, the only time a domain might go to a backordered buyer, is when they are not able to find a buyer for the domain to do a direct transfer, and thus settle for just a new customer renewal fee.
Here is an excerpt from the user agreement for NS that gives, in my opinion, the guidelines for this..
If an expired domain name registration is not renewed during any grace period provided by us, pursuant to our Service Agreement, rather than delete the domain name registration, we may, in our sole discretion, attempt to find a third party who is interested in registering the domain name, and then renew and transfer the domain name registration to that third party on the customer’s behalf. This renewal and transfer process is called a “Direct Transfer.” We will not attempt to complete a Direct Transfer of a domain name registration after expiration if the customer to whom the domain name is registered has notified us by e-mail at backorderservice@networksolutions.com stating that he or she does not want us to proceed with such a transfer. In this case, the domain name registration will be deleted. A customer’s failure to notify us that they do not want us to complete a Direct Transfer constitutes that customer’s consent to the Direct Transfer. As described in our in our Service Agreement, customers are eligible to receive between fifteen and twenty percent (15-20%) of the Net Proceeds generated from the Direct Transfer.
I had registered bear-universe.com and, at the time, bearuniverse.com was not available - it was owned by someone else. At the time, I made sure there was no site at bearuniverse.com. It had been registered a while ago, so I made the assumption that the owner wasn't doing anything with it. When I checked the whois it was registered to someone at 123 Main Street, Anywhere, so I figured it was some kind of a bogus registration. Based on all of this I figured it was safe to go ahead and put something up on bear-universe.com. I suppose I could have been burned, but I took a chance.
As the expiry of the domain came closer (about two months away). I backordered the domain through GoDaddy. It was a long and drawn out process. GoDaddy starts bugging a domain owner 90 days out that their domain is about to expire. Then they get a 60-day, 45-day, 30-day, probably 14-day, then a 7-day, and then a "it's expiring." Throughout the process, I also got an e-mail notifying that the domain name I had back-ordered was due to expiry in 30 days etc. I was finally notified that the domain had expired and that the owner had not renewed it and that GoDaddy would try to obtain it for me.
Then I got a notice that the domain was in a holding pattern so if the owner wanted it back they could get it, GoDaddy was still in line to get it. Then the domain was frozen and no one could register it, GoDaddy was still in line. Then the domain was being released, Godaddy was still in line. Then it was released, GoDaddy ... Then finally I got it.
What I learned is that when a domain is due to expire there is a whole process before and after the expiration date that a registrar should follow to notify the rightful owner. This gives them ample opportunity to renew and prevent a domain from being stolen from its owner - supposedly. I backordered the domain on September 18, I think the domain was expiring in the middle of October, I finally got it on November 23. So, it was a two month process.
I liked GoDaddy's backorder service because although the e-mail notifications were excessive, they did keep me notified of the process and what was happening.
When should you use it? If you're thinking you're going to score by back-ordering gay.com or gaywidewebmasters, your probably just wasting your money. However, if you're really wanting gaywhitepimps.com and there's currently no site there, I'd say that's a good candidate for the backordering service. If a domain is about to expire and there's currently no site there, the owner may have lost interest or forgotten about it.
You may also want to use it to secure a domain held by someone who posts a list of domains they want to sell on a board like GFY. Let's say someone posts 50 domains they are selling, you check one you like and you notice it's due to expire in a month. If the owner doesn't get an offer to buy it, they may just let it go. If they don't want it, and no one wants to buy it, why waste another $6.95 to re-register it and hold it for another year. So, if the owner is asking some ridiculous amount of money, like $1000 for a domain, you might get it for $24.95 by back-ordering it.
Cheers
dzinerbear
You may want to use GoDaddy's back ordering service. There's no checking back on your part, no guess work. As my above post shows, they notifying me to the point of being a pain in the butt as to what was going on.Originally Posted by tombarr
dzinerbear
After reading dzinerbear's reply i went to godaddy to review their domain agreement, and it appears to be missing the domain direct transfer procedure that netwoksolutions appears to have in theirs. This then leaves me with the impression that successfully back ordering and obtaining a domain through a back order depends on a number of factors ... but perhaps a good portion of the ability to successfully backorder a domain is a direct consequence of the domain registrar's policies. it appears that godaddy is a much more "user" oriented approach to domain management, and that other registrars are a bit more bottom line oriented ... and as such, perhaps domains with certain registrars are more likely to be successfully backordered than those with other registrars..... hmmmm. Makes me wonder. Might alter the domain acquisition strategy a bit to see if this can work as a predictor of success.
Here is an example of what i am talking about... i placed a backorder for a domain using snap names...... the domain is in it's 35 day expiration grace window with it's registrar, Network Solutions... however, i JUST got this email:
So even though i had a backorder on the domain, and it appears that others have also, it has been ACQUIRED, during it's 35 day grace period as specified in the Registrar's own domain agreement. The domain went into expired status on April 26th, today being the 35th day...SnapNames has acquired the domain name: xxxxxx.com. Multiple back-orders were placed for this domain name. As a result, a brief auction will take place to determine to whom it will be awarded.
The expected end date for this auction is: 2005-06-03.
should not the oldest Back order have been granted the right to buy this domain?
Now there will be an auction......
Is it possible that some registrars would use the back-order process not actually as a service for their customers, but as a means of finding out what domains people actually want? Then, having this information perhaps another company, which is really just a division of the regsitrar, grabs those names and either sells them at a horendously high fee, or in the case of numerous back-orders, has a auction and sells them to the highest bidder. Sounds like a strong possibility to me.
dzinerbear
From Snap Names:
No Risk: It costs nothing to place a back-order. You pay our low minimum acquisition fee of $60 only if we are able to deliver the domain name to you.
Preferred Access: As a SnapNames customer, you gain access to the most valuable domain names from the world's largest registrars — before they are available anywhere else.
Simple Auctions: If yours is the only order, the domain name will be fulfilled to you for the minimum acquisition fee. If more than one order has been received, a short auction takes place to determine fair market value.
Least Cost Bidding: Set the maximum amount you are willing to pay, and our system automatically bids for you, using the least amount necessary to maintain the high bid on a domain name
Automatic Notification: You will be notified by email automatically any time one of your back-orders is fulfilled, an auction begins, or if your maximum bid on a domain name is exceeded.
Fair Price Guarantee: Shill bidding, sniping and other common abuses are all prevented by our advanced auction platform
I would say this is a pretty good possibility.....Seems to make sense and answers most of the questions...but also reaffirms my belief that backordering a domain is at best a crap shoot.. but one that you can develop some sort of strategy on......
I have done this quite a bit and had success about 95% of the time. The good thing with godaddy's service is that they only allow one person to backorder the domain name, so if they accept your order chances are pretty good you will get it.
cheers,
Luke
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