A domain I want is expiring today. Any suggestions on how to get it without paying if that is possible? I don't think there will be many others who want it but there might be. Should I just wait tell its for sale again?

if it just expiring today.. you have to wait some more.. after the domain expires there will be a grace period of 40 days where the owner can still renew the domain without penalty... after that 30 days of redemption period where the domain owner can still renew the domain for a fee and after i think another 6 days of pending delete status then the domain will drop..

A domain I want is expiring today. Any suggestions on how to get it without paying if that is possible? I don't think there will be many others who want it but there might be. Should I just wait tell its for sale again?
The short answer is NO. Backorder it with at least 1 of the drop-catching services out there.

Both eNom and Pool register THOUSANDS of unwanted dropping names every day - the ones you think no one else would want, and they put them up for auction on their site.

So don't be too sure since you think no one else wants it, that it'll sit around for you to register at your leisure.

Beebadeeba is right. There are lots of companies with automated systems that pick up dropped domain names very fast. Some use them for driving traffic, or ad sites.

The good part is that some of these companies only keep the domain names for a couple of days, keeping only the ones with high traffic. Some registrars allow them to hand back the domain name and get a refund if it's done within 4-5 days. (Domain tasting.)

So, if the domain name you wanted seems to have been picked up, it may pay off to look again a couple of days later. It may be available again.

If I follow the often-given advice and backorder the domain name with all of the dropcatchers, will they still try to grab it when it drops after the "tast test"?

If I follow the often-given advice and backorder the domain name with all of the dropcatchers, will they still try to grab it when it drops after the "tast test"?
That may depend on their service. I suggest you send them an email and ask.

Or maybe someone else here at WHT knows for sure?

All you can do is all you can do. If you really want the domain, I would suggest you:

Tell us who the registrar is, and we might be able to tell you where it may go up for auction before being dropped. For example, GoDaddy auctions domains at www.tdnam.com
Go to that Registrar and try to determine their policies regarding expiring domains. For example, eNom, seems to be sticking to a 29 day grace period rule now.
Register and put in backorders at SnapNames & Pool now because you don't pay unless they get the domain for you (although they do verify your credit card with an temporary authorization).
Check the domain status daily if you can to see if it has been renewed by the current owner. To get an accurate record, do it on the whois server of the Registrar of record.
When the domain goes into the PENDING DELETE phase, head on over to eNom's ClubDrop and NameWinner and put in backorders there, too.
If you happen to miss getting it on drop day, then be sure to check back five days later because, as mentioned earlier, sometimes the domains are temporarily registered by "drop registrars" to test the traffic and then released after five days before they actually have to pay for the domain.
Good Luck! ;)

Always good advice, 4solutions. I wonder what would happen if those "tasters" had to pay $1 per domain, like us consumers have to. Perhaps there really is "always a free lunch" (for them).

If the domain is expired now, the owner is probably not planning to keep it, so I suggest contacting the current owner to see if they want to sell it. I've purchased a few domains that way for anywhere from $20 to $100. If they're letting it go anyway, who wouldn't prefer to make a few $$ off it instead?

Sure, some of them will just renew it and hope to sell it for a huge amount because of your interest, and other will have just forgotten, but most of the ones I've contacted, sold it to me for a decent price.

Nice one Mike. Something else jsaniuk could do 4solutions, is to read the "Backordering" thread in Domain Name Tutorials on these Forums :) Jsaniuk hasn't been back after his initial post, so it couldn't have been too important for him ;)