Registering expiring domain

pboae

OH used to have a domain that he was very fond of, and had a proper site on. For various reasons he missed a renewal and the domain was registered by someone else. Fair enough, his mistake. This was several years ago and he's been watching it ever since. The site just has a holding page for a reseller company, and the domain registration expired today.

Now I know it's still possible they will renew it anyway, but in previous years they have always renewed prior to it expiring. If they don't renew it, what's the best way for him to try and re-register it? There seems to be lots of sites that drop catch for .com domains but I can't find anything obvious for .co.uk sites.

Presumably if he is able to get it, he will have to pay over the odds for using a drop catch service, but is there a rough guide as to how much extra it would cost?

PROLIANT

If is a .co.uk then change it to a .com or .net vice versa. Try DNS Exit or Names Co.

robt_2

Hasn't the current registrant got another 60 days to renew it before it is 'released' for someone else to get?

aztec21

If the domain isn't being used why doesn't your OH just contact the registrant to see if he will sell?

pboae

The other relevant variants of it have long been registered already. He asked the new owners if they would sell previously and they wanted silly money for it (several thousand, and it really isn't worth that).

AIUI it will be 75 days before it goes back on the market (and they could renew it at almost any time during that period). If it is just released then that would be fine, and he could reg it himself. But one of the drop catching firms will get it automatically before it ever becomes available for registration to the general public. I just need to know which are the good ones to use for a co.uk domain.

richt71

Hi,
There's a great blog post on this topic and it's complicated
http://www.mikeindustries.com/blog/archive/2005/03/how-to-snatch-an-expiring-domain

pboae

Thanks for that, but it only really applies to .com and to a lesser extent .net domains, the companies he lists don't specialise in co.uk

sleep2much

re-register with the people you bought it from, my domain was running out and I got a letter out of the blue asking about £75 to renew it, I checked online with my service provider and they did it through Tucows for £8.99, the people who send these letters must be doing a con job?

pboae

We can't just re-register it, it already belongs to someone else, and has done for several years.

robt_2

sleep2much wrote: »

re-register with the people you bought it from, my domain was running out and I got a letter out of the blue asking about £75 to renew it, I checked online with my service provider and they did it through Tucows for £8.99, the people who send these letters must be doing a con job?

That is no use - the domain belongs to someone else.

Also you probably received a letter from nominet which had the £75 figure? The letter also states that it will probably be cheaper if you renew through your existing company, so its hardly a con.

richt71

pboae wrote: »

Thanks for that, but it only really applies to .com and to a lesser extent .net domains, the companies he lists don't specialise in co.uk

There are no specific UK based back order domain companies I'm aware of. I buy and sell domains as part of my business. The ones listed in that blog aren't specifically for .net or .com's although that's the bulk of their business.