plonk . net expires on 16 Mar 2006.

The following dropcatchers allow me to backorder it:
www . SnapNames . com
www . Pool . com
www . GoDaddy . com

But this one:
www . enom . com / auctions / clubdrop . asp
tells me this:
plonk . net: Domain not in dropping names list

and this one:
www . namewinner . com
tells me this:
Search completed for: PLONK . NET No matches were found.

So what am I missing? Is there a way to put in a backorder
through enom and namewinner that I am missing? Or is it
just a matter of waiting for 15 March and trying again?

Enquiring minds want to know!

What makes you think it won't be renewed? It's registered at Enom. If Enom don't take it for themselves, which they are entitled to do under their tos, then it'll go for auction at ClubDrop, 99% of the time. Just keep monitoring the whois.

I just checked the whois. It doesn't even expire until the 16th. There's the whole redemption period to go thru yet. I think at Enom that's 30 days, iirc. Check their tos. You might find it on ClubDrop after it has actually expired (I'm not sure of the timing as to when they place an expired domain into ClubDrop but suspect it's sometime during the redemption period).... or whatever Enom call that period after expiration.

Good luck :)

That and the fact you just notified everyone on WHT that plonk.net is dropping and they all just added it to their back order list so they can outbid you.....

I was being too kind in not mentioning that, I see, RossH :)

"That and the fact you just notified everyone on WHT that plonk.net is dropping and they all just added it to their back order list so they can outbid you....."

Aw, shucks, I figger y'all are just to gulldurn nice to do that... <grin>

Actually, I already thought of that. While getting ready to post my question I did a search for a domain that expires within a day or so of the one I really want and which is also registered at enom. It will be interesting to see whether anyone here tries to grab it.

Getting back to my original question, if I understand you correctly, you are saying that enom and namewinner are set up differently from snapnames, pool and godaddy, and won't allow me to get everything set up for attempting to get a domain weeks in advance. So, how much time will I have? Will checking once a week be enough to insure that I don't miss my chance?

A bit of boring background; I am shopping for a few select domain names that are of little interest to most people but are of huge interest to my employer because they relate to the company name. I have a large budget and can pretty much outbid anyone. If any of the names on my list become available I want to grab them and so I have signed up with every dropcatcher I can find and set up advance bids on all the names.

The tricky question is when to make an offer to buy the domain. Obviously if a domain is a few weeks away from expiring I shouldn't let the owner know of my interest, and just as obviously, for a domain that expires in five or ten years I should try to buy it from the owner, but the cases in between are tricky to decide.

why do i get the feeling that it really was the domain name you wanted.

good luck!

lessons learned.

Your naturally trusting nature?

This may come as a shock, but some folks actually do tell the truth, even on the Internet. I will post the name of the domain I am really interested in as soon as doing so can't hurt me.

So, is checking enom and namewinner once a week enough?

I guess you've placed those bids everywhere already. I think you can relax until the domain actually expires. Check the tos of the registrar for that domain to see how they deal with the redemption period and how long it takes. The dropcatchers aren't going to get a bite of the cherry before it actually drops, but the registrar's affiliated auction house is already auctioning off the domain during the redemption period. You need bids at the other auction houses/dropcatchers only for insurance.

You should read the thread Backordering in the Domain Name Tutorials on this Forum.

Well actually... if the name really is registered with eNom, here is what I would do. eNom has become a little more rigid with its 29 day grace period rule for "good" domains. That is, I'm finding that DomainsThatAreReallyLongAndNoOneWants.com tend to be given a little more latitude and time than the stated 29 days hoping that the original registrant will renew it. ;)

But, for a domain *like* plonk.com (which is short and pronouncible), I would suggest that you check eNom's auctions starting on the 28th day after expiration to see if they are conducting a reverse auction (where the price gets cheaper over 3 days). You might be able to pick it up there and then before the other drop services get a crack at it. I would check back everyday until I see it offered. (Be aware that you will have a "hold" on the domain while it is in the REDEMPTION PERIOD and the original registrant can still pay the $160 to get it back. But you will be able to change DNS settings and use the domain until you get 100% ownership over it.)

BTW, eNom charges the auction and ClubDrop fees in ADDITION to the annual renewal/registration fees. So you'd best get at least an $8.95 account from the likes of Bashar or Mr Zippy, lest you be paying eNom's $29.95 retail price.

Thanks! Very informative. Now I can mark my calendar. :) I will take a look through the archive for info about this "$8.95 account."

I really appreciate the advice.