I'm looking for the best/fastest way to (eventually) get a domain that recently expired at the beginning of the month so I searched the forum and came across SnapNames (http://www.snapnames.com) and ExpireFish (http://www.expirefish.com). Does anyone know what registrar SnapNames and ExpireFish go through to register your domain once it is available? Is it more money on top of the $50 or $10 they charge for their service? I just found out Afternic (http://www.afternic.com) has the same sort of deal. I guess all you pay is a $10 one-time membership fee and they'll monitor the domain. Does anyone have experience with them or any info on how often they try to register a back-ordered domain? I couldn't find any info on the forum. Also, if anyone of these services uses NetworkSolutions as a registrar, is it possible to change to a "better" registrar without much hassle?

I've seen ExpireFish recommended a few times, never heard of SnapNames though.

Try namewinner.com

Ther go through dotster.

:cool:

Try http://www.deleteddomains.com
They are pretty good. Its FREE.

I tried both namewinner and deleteddomains and they didn't have the domain I want to register. Does it have to be out of the whois database for these sites to get it?

SnapNames and ExpireFish (in theory) attempt to get you the domain name *before* it drops. Deleteddomains is a just a list of recently dropeed domains, which anyone can register. They are different beasts...

Originally posted by Chicken
SnapNames and ExpireFish (in theory) attempt to get you the domain name *before* it drops. Well, not really. They let you "backorder" it before it drops, to use the term SnapNames uses. But they can't actually do anything to obtain ownership of it before it drops; they claim that they'll pick it up "within milliseconds" of its becoming available.

You'd definitely be better off going with the registrar that had it registered before, if they offer that type of service.

Like if it was registered with dotster, use their NameWinner service.

Well, the domain was registered with register.com and that's how I found out about AfterNic but I dont know anyone that's tried it. I guess SnapNames looks to be my next best choice to "guaranteed" I ge t the domain when it is dropped, eventhough I think they use NetworkSolutions as their registrar.

Originally posted by El Nino
I think they use NetworkSolutions as their registrar. You can choose from a list of registrars to use with SnapNames. Besides NSI, you could choose BulkRegister, OpenSRS, Namescout, eNom, Directl, internic.ca or domainsatcost.ca.

Ahhhh, good. I went there yesterday and for some reason they only listed NetworkSolutions. Thanks for your help.

I'm in the exact same situation as El Nino (name expired early in December, Register.Com is the registrar etc.). I've more or less decided to use ExpireFish, but I can't find any "small print" at their site.

What happens when the first year has passed. Will I be able to use another registrar? Who is the registrar for this company? Is this a good service in all?

Sorry about the newbie questions, but I am a newbie at this. ;-)

Originally posted by El Nino
Ahhhh, good. I went there yesterday and for some reason they only listed NetworkSolutions. Thanks for your help.

I noticed that, too, when I checked out SnapNames service surfing from a link on NetworkSolutions' page. I think it is cookified, because I pulled up their site in a second browser (one IE and one Netscape), the choices of registrars were available.

I went with Snapname/NetSol, because I figured NetSol might give its partner (snapnames) the inside track when they finally release the domain I want.

If the owner of the original domain is reminded a month before the domain expires, there is a slim chance the domain can be snatched. Am I making sense? I mean I have been watching a particular domain to expire and snatch it but to no avail.

I just found out about this from namewinner website:


"Start your engines!

Winning expiring domain names with NameWinner is simple:

Create or login to an account at Pit Row.

Look for expiring domain names you want at the Starting Line.
Decide how much the domain is worth to you, and place your bid!
Bids start at just $25 for one-year registrations, and you'll only be charged if we win it for you"


You mean if I need the to snatch the domain, I have to bid for it? What does it imply to me? Ah, I take it as they will be selling expired domains off a bid. Am I right?


Thanks.

:)

Originally posted by Helena
What happens when the first year has passed. Will I be able to use another registrar? Who is the registrar for this company? Is this a good service in all?

I think ExpireFish uses Registerfly.com as their partner registrar. I'm not sure what the registration term is for a domain through ExpireFish, I'm guessing one year. After that year I'm pretty sure you can transfer to a new registrar if you don't want to stay with RegisterFly.com I know Register.com has their own service like ExpireFish called AfterNic.com but I didn't hear any feedback from it so I can't let you know if it's good or not.

I ended up signing up with SnapNames.com . I believe they check the can check the status on a domain every second while ExpireFish checks every 10 minutes. SnapNames eventhough it was more money seemed like a better chance at getting a domain once it is dropped.

Hi El Nino,

Yes, I too decided to use SnapNames, for the same reasons and also because their terms of use are clear. My only problem is that I don't know which registrar to pick (except that I shouldn't go for Network Solutions ;-) ). I guess I'll have to take a chance.

I have used SnapNames in the past and using their services currently. From all the choices I could find they seem to offer the best bang for your buck and have excellent customer service and support.

Helena - why don't you give openSRS a try for your registrar choice :)

Hi Scott,

We'll be off for Christmas in a few hours (and be away for almost two weeks), so I had to sign up with SnapNames before getting any replies. I took a chance, but I happened to pick the one you recommend. :-) That's great. Thanks for the reply and happy holidays!

Excellent choice Helena! Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year!

:)

I got my domain name! Yay!!!!! It sure was worth those $49. :-)

The only problem(?) is that they couldn't use the registrar of my choice (OpenSRS) and instead used Namescout.com. I don't have much experience with registrars because I have only used Register.Com before, which has worked fine, but I know that there are some to stay away from. Is Namescout.com OK, or should I try and move while I can do it for free? Is it worth the risk?

El Nino, hope you got (will get) your name too!

Thanks,
Helena

Go check out the services that Namescout offers, and make sure there are no surprises or hidden costs. If you are happy with their service offerings, stick with them. If not, switch :).

-t

Thanks! I decided to stay with them. :-) They look fine and everything works fine too.

I see snapnames' fee is increasing to $69.

I wanted to "backorder" a domain with SnapNames, but someone has already done that on my domain of interest. :bawling:

I figure no sense bothering with another service, as the domain is registered with netsol.

Ian

Originally posted by ibrandt
I wanted to "backorder" a domain with SnapNames, but someone has already done that on my domain of interest. :bawling:

I figure no sense bothering with another service, as the domain is registered with netsol.

Ian
There is no guarantee that SnapNames will get it. I'd say go for it with one of the others. Until the Wait List Service is defined, approved and implemented, the process is still open and competitive.

-t