Best method for securing an unpopular name that's about to drop?

[soulscience]

Hi,

I'm not big on domaining, and I couldn't really find what i needed searching.

I want to get the domain of a last name, which is not a very popular last name, and it is expiring soon. What's the best method to go about this?

Are any of the "backordering" services on like snapnames etc. good for this or are they bs?

or should I just wait for it to drop and then just buy it, I don't think I'll have much competition if the current owner doesn't re-reg.

What is the timeframe for buying a dropped domain? Can I just get it the next day? 30 days later?

some help would be very much appreciated, thanks!

 

[dogfighter]

All of the drop catchers get the same lists of expiring domains, which you can actually get on your own (this is how a lot of the big domainers like Yun Ye and Frank Schilling did it back in the day). However, just because they list the name doesn't mean you can get it.

If you want a name, you have to run a whois on it, and then find out who catches drops for that registrar. For example, GoDaddy drops are caught by TDNam. eNom drops are caught by NameJet. Most LARGE registrars will have their own dropcatching service, like the two mentioned above.

As for the timeframe, there is a redemption period post-expiration during which the previous owner can recover the name and I believe that's 30 days.

 

[Fixer]

Depends on the domain IMO, I got a domain that just dropped and went to Godaddy and registered it the day it came out of the redemption period. As dogfighter said there are timeframes that the registrars have to give and I think it is 30 days from the actual expiry date that it will be available (I then sold the domain I found for $15k, BOOM, very lucky TBH!!!).

 

[annabelle]

Whoa! Really? That IS lucky! Have you been able to repeat that with any other dropped domain?

Depends on the domain IMO, I got a domain that just dropped and went to Godaddy and registered it the day it came out of the redemption period. As dogfighter said there are timeframes that the registrars have to give and I think it is 30 days from the actual expiry date that it will be available (I then sold the domain I found for $15k, BOOM, very lucky TBH!!!).