I missed renewing a bunch of parked domains with eNOM and now they want a hefty reinstatement fee, which I am reluctant to pay.

In your opinion does eNOM grab/re-sell non-renewed domains or do they simply drop them after some time. In other words, what are the chances that I may be able to pick them up again later without paying them their ransom?

I doubt enom themselves would grab them, but there are TONS of services out there that scan domain names regularly for expiry dates, and will swoop in and grab them the second they get out of the redemption period.

eNom automatically renew all domains for 1 year. They park them. If the revenue is good, they keep them. If not, they put them up for auction at their JV company, NameJet. If they don't sell on NameJet, they get dropped.

Thanks stu2 - that's a great, informative answer. So I can kiss the old domain goodbye if I dont want to subject myself to their demands.

I have to disagree with stu2 regarding eNom automatically renewing all domains of for a year

We have many clients that have a large bank of domains and some they let pass without renewing

As they pass out of redemption we have seen none grabbed/hrld by eNom.

What we see often is the common name grabbers - the number one being Oregonnames.com grab them the second they are released. They hold them for 4 d-5 days to see if the get any traffic (Domain tasting) to warrant keeping for adwords

If not they release them and the next grabber attacks

Normally when Oregonnmaes.com lets it go back into the system it will end up available

That being said any domain name with viable keywords WILL be grabbed and llost to you 99% of the time

search for them on namejet.com. see if someone is bidding on them.

eNom automatically renew all domains for 1 year. They park them. If the revenue is good, they keep them. If not, they put them up for auction at their JV company, NameJet. If they don't sell on NameJet, they get dropped.Not always. Depends of the domain name.
If they think they can make a buck or two, they will register and park it.

I had a bunch of domains there that I let expire, they basicly were available for registeration after their "pay $160 to reclaim" period.

What we see often is the common name grabbers - the number one being Oregonnames.com grab them the second they are released. They hold them for 4 d-5 days to see if the get any traffic (Domain tasting) to warrant keeping for adwords

If not they release them and the next grabber attacks

Normally when Oregonnmaes.com lets it go back into the system it will end up available

That is interesting. Pardon my naivete, but Oregonnames.com grabs expiring domains, don't they have to pay for them? And if they have paid for them, why release them after 4-5 days instead of holding on to them for the full year?

There is a window that the domain tasters play in where certain registrars (and of course they use those) allow them to turn the domain back for a full credit within 5 days

They "taste" the domain for hits - if the domain attracts hits they see it as a possible albeit small revenue producer for a parked page

If not they turn it back in within the 5 days so they insure they get their funds back

Pretty simple and very frustrating to many

Thanks stu2 - that's a great, informative answer. So I can kiss the old domain goodbye if I dont want to subject myself to their demands.

Yep. That's about it. You can always search for the domain again 6 days after the renewal date. But it's probably going to be picked up by a dropcatcher. Then you have to search every six days until the dropcatchers have finished tasting it. By which time you've probably migrated to another domain anyway.

As to the comments about eNom not renewing. Most Registries renew the domain AUTOMATICALLY. It's up to the Registrar to reclaim that renewal MANUALLY. The Registrar has a 75 day window after expiry before the name enters Pending Delete Status (if they claim back their renewal fee within the first 45 days). eNom has a window of 30day (Grace Period) +42day (Redemption Grace Period) after expiry. The discrepancy of 3 days is so they can auction it off at NameJet before it goes into Pending Delete Status. If they don't reclaim the renewal fee within the first 45 days after expiry, they're stuck with that domain for the whole year (unless they auction it off at NameJet). In my experience eNom NEVER reclaim that renewal fee. ENom's Grace Period is normally just under 30 days. After that it goes into Redemption Grace Period (where you have to pay the $160 Redemption Fee). After that, when it goes into Extended Redemption Grace Period (also $160 redemption fee), they are definitely beyond any chance of reclaiming they're renewal fee.

Upon re-reading this message I might have expressed myself more clearly. But I bolded the most important item of interest.

You write that "In my experience eNom NEVER reclaim that renewal fee." but then say that the domain goes into Redemption Grace Period.
That must be the status eNom sets them self and not the status at the registry. A domain can only go into redemption when you issue a delete command. When they do that in the first 45 days after expiry they get the renewal fee back.
The other thing you write is that they auction the domain in the last three days of redemption. Again here that must be there own status. When the domain has a redemption status at the registry the registrar must send a restore command. Restores are only allowed to restore a domain for the original owner. So if they would restore a domain for the auction winner they would do something prohibited.

I just checked a eNom domain on NameJet. For me it looks like eNom puts the domains 30 days after expiry on the NameJet list, 35 days after expiry the auction starts if there is someone interested in the domain.
I will monitor some domains to see what happens with them in the next few days.

You write that "In my experience eNom NEVER reclaim that renewal fee." but then say that the domain goes into Redemption Grace Period.
That must be the status eNom sets them self and not the status at the registry. A domain can only go into redemption when you issue a delete command. When they do that in the first 45 days after expiry they get the renewal fee back.


This is correct. The registrar can have their own "grace period" of say a month before the domain enters the registry wide "Redemption period". Each registrar handles their expired domains differently. Some won't charge you anything more than a normal renewal to reinstate your domain during this "grace period". Once it hits redemption period status though, you pay the ~$150 fee (this goes directly to the registry: Network Solutions in the case of .com/.net), and whatever fee your registrar imposes to line their pockets.

Once it hits redemption period status though, you pay the ~$150 fee (this goes directly to the registry: Network Solutions in the case of .com/.net), and whatever fee your registrar imposes to line their pockets.

The registry is Verisign (they owned once NSI).
eNom is one of the few registrars which charges that a high fee. Most registrars are much lower, around $60.
This money also doesn't go directly to the registry, the registrar keeps quite a big part. That's where they are making there money as they don't earn anything on the registrations anymore.

Edit:
Forgot to add: there was once a time where it involved manual work to restore a domain out of redemption. Now a day this can be done fully automated. When there was manual work involved this somehow justified the higher fee.

All my eNom expiring domains have gone from Renewal Period (30 days) to Redemption Grace Period (+42 days) to Extended Redemption Grace Period (120 days). Of course they reserve the right to auction it off after 72 days, but in my experience, my expiring domains always go into Extended Redemption Grace Period. Which means they've paid for the renewal. Even if they decide to auction the domains off, they've paid for the renewal. They ALWAYS pay for the renewal. It's only a matter of what they do with it after that.

It's not a good idea to look at NameJet auctions and try to work your way back because eNom have paid for the renewal. So they may well be sending domains to auction at the end of the term they renewed. You can't really know. You need to take 1 of your expiring eNom domains and track what happens to it if you don't renew.

The recommended ICANN Redemption fee is $160. They charge to the Registrar $80 (I think). Any registrar which charges you less than the recommended $160 are doing you a favor. Most charge the $160.

The recommended ICANN Redemption fee is $160. They charge to the Registrar $80 (I think). Any registrar which charges you less than the recommended $160 are doing you a favor. Most charge the $160.

It must be less then $80 for ICANN as Directi's recovery fee is only $60.

Directi and GoDaddy are the only 2 registrars I'm aware of which don't charge the full $160.

Directi and GoDaddy are the only 2 registrars I'm aware of which don't charge the full $160.

Yes so one must admit, ENOM is making a huge profit of this. As i'm sure Directi isn't taking a hit on every domain restored.

As is every other registrar who charges the recommended ICANN amount. However. The REAL story is you shouldn't EVER let your domains expire at ANY registrar.

stu2 - u hit the nail right there - there is little excuse for allowing domains to get to that point - at a minimum people should use a calendar LOL and better extend for a longer period of time so as not to have to worry

One thing we see often with clients is they use an aol or something like that email and a few years later when a domain that was registered to that email comes due for renewal and the owner no longer has that email this happens - they lose the domain OUCH!

As is every other registrar who charges the recommended ICANN amount. However. The REAL story is you shouldn't EVER let your domains expire at ANY registrar.

I agree fully.

stu2 - u hit the nail right there - there is little excuse for allowing domains to get to that point - at a minimum people should use a calendar LOL and better extend for a longer period of time so as not to have to worry

One thing we see often with clients is they use an aol or something like that email and a few years later when a domain that was registered to that email comes due for renewal and the owner no longer has that email this happens - they lose the domain OUCH!

We get many many returned emails everyday due to domain registrants contact info not being up to date.

All my eNom expiring domains have gone from Renewal Period (30 days) to Redemption Grace Period (+42 days) to Extended Redemption Grace Period (120 days). Of course they reserve the right to auction it off after 72 days, but in my experience, my expiring domains always go into Extended Redemption Grace Period. Which means they've paid for the renewal. Even if they decide to auction the domains off, they've paid for the renewal. They ALWAYS pay for the renewal. It's only a matter of what they do with it after that.

It's not a good idea to look at NameJet auctions and try to work your way back because eNom have paid for the renewal. So they may well be sending domains to auction at the end of the term they renewed. You can't really know. You need to take 1 of your expiring eNom domains and track what happens to it if you don't renew.

The recommended ICANN Redemption fee is $160. They charge to the Registrar $80 (I think). Any registrar which charges you less than the recommended $160 are doing you a favor. Most charge the $160.

Great info STU. Stu is right about enom keeping the domains names as I am going through the same experiece(more info below)
I wanted to open a thread but I thought I will ask you here itself.
I have registered a domain with namecheap which I forgot to renew(this is when they were resellers of enom). The domain expired on January 6th 2008.
The site went to a parking page(dns pointed to DNS1.NAME-SERVICES.COM) It was showing the registrar as namecheap in the whois with all the original details.
I contacted namcheap and they told me to wait for 72 days.
Now it is more than 72 days. 23rd of March at 12 midnight I saw a change in the whois record and the registrar was changed to enom. The owner details were changed to enom to.

The information by stu has been useful and it appears as if enom has retained the domain.
Stu you said that after 72 days enom holds the domain for 120 days. So will they release the domain after 120 days from expire or 72+120 days from expiry.
I am not too keep on paying extra for the domain as it is a clients domain and he may not be willing to pay extra and has decided to go in for another domain.
I am just came here to see what else I can do. The domain name is unique to my client, in the sense no one else in the world may ever want that domain.
So what do I can wait if I have to way another 48(120-72)days.
Should I try searching the domain on enom.com.
Is it wise to search for the domain in namejet or enom. Maybe they might assume there is a a demand and raise the price or hold it longer?
Thanks

I contacted namcheap and they told me to wait for 72 days.

That is really bad advice. I think you must be taking that information out of context. Why wouldn't they just tell you to pay their Redemption Fee.

eNom rarely/never release a domain (except when it doesn't sell at auction). They all go to NameJet auction or are kept by eNom. It's my contention that eNom keep the domain up to the next renewal date and then auction it at Namejet (if they don't intend to keep it for themselves). Rony contends, and it's in their ToS, that the domain goes to auction after 72 days. They probably do a combination of both.

So in your case you should check NameJet 3 days before the next expiry date. You can bid on it at the auction. Better still place a backorder at NameJet before it goes to NameJet. If what you say about the domain is true, you will be the only bidder and win the domain without an auction. If you want to run the gauntlet of the drop-catchers, check the whois 6 days after each creation date, until it drops, and you pick it up for regfee.

The recommended ICANN Redemption fee is $160. They charge to the Registrar $80 (I think). Any registrar which charges you less than the recommended $160 are doing you a favor. Most charge the $160.

I didn't knew that ICANN makes price recommendations.

Verisign charges for com domains $40 plus one year renewal (and ICANN charges the ICANN fee).

Still a huge profit.

With all this discussion - the reality is do NOT let your domains expire or u deserve to get and pay a hit

Calendars are not new inventions

**** happens!

If a domain is important the concerned person should pay the fee and move on

Trying or should we say hoping it will go to delete and then pass the domain tasters is a ridiculous hope

If a domain is important the concerned person should pay the fee and move on

Trying or should we say hoping it will go to delete and then pass the domain tasters is a ridiculous hope

The world is not black or white - it all depends on how important is a domain. If it is crucial to the owner's business, obviously he has little choice other than to pay up; if it is less important, obviously a 'wait and see' approach may be desirable. Who knows, perhaps a low-ball bid at the auction may even do the trick?

I would agree but this thread was started with a CONCERN for the loss of the domain

My point is good business practice means a lot to a lot of concerns in one's business

In the case of a valuable, viable and long duration domain the first thing you do is insure you review your Expire by Date for all your domains

There is a reason most Domain Control panels allow the user to change the viw o see the list by First date of expiration first

Accidents happen of course but this is a costly mistake when made - allowed to happen

That is really bad advice. I think you must be taking that information out of context. Why wouldn't they just tell you to pay their Redemption Fee.

They did recommend the Redemption fee, which 200$ in namecheap btw. Then they told me that the domain is with enom and that since I contacted them on the 72nd day, the executive "advised" me to wait it out.

eNom rarely/never release a domain (except when it doesn't sell at auction). They all go to NameJet auction or are kept by eNom. It's my contention that eNom keep the domain up to the next renewal date and then auction it at Namejet (if they don't intend to keep it for themselves). Rony contends, and it's in their ToS, that the domain goes to auction after 72 days. They probably do a combination of both.

So in your case you should check NameJet 3 days before the next expiry date. You can bid on it at the auction. Better still place a backorder at NameJet before it goes to NameJet. If what you say about the domain is true, you will be the only bidder and win the domain without an auction. If you want to run the gauntlet of the drop-catchers, check the whois 6 days after each creation date, until it drops, and you pick it up for regfee.

I have a "recovered" an expired domain from godaddy before,(infact I had exposed a scam about how godaddy would show an expired domain as Not available and then a domain-taste company would book it for 6 days.). I figured it out just like you mentioned by seeing the creating date.
Here the creation date is the same i.e. jan 6th 2007. From the whois it appears that enom has booked it for 2 years from the day of creation.(as the expiry is showing 2009). It doesnt looks like its going to be dropped. or else they would have done it. As far as I remember the whois information the status never showed, pending delete or redemption period(correct me if I am wrong here about the status show if the domain is in the above cases)
The only activity was on the 72nd day at 12 midnight the whois record was changed and my details were deleted and the registrar also was changed from namecheap to enom.
Even I planned to grab the domain if it was with the drop-catchers. I grabbed 4domains till now, from them.(all were godaddy.com expired domains of friends. I think now godaddy has stopped going that)

This is worse than godaddy I must say. Why isnt enom even trying to sell the domain. There is no link where I can buy it. I probably must wait for 120 days to pass. But still this is a really bad inconvience and from this post I am assuming that enom may even retain the domain till the expiry date.
I wonder what enom is tying to do.
I really dont know whom to register my names with.

I really dont know whom to register my names with.

That really isn't the issue. The issue is not to let your domains expire. NameCheap, eNom, GoDaddy are all good registrars.

This is not really the thread for discussing GoDaddy. However, I suggest you read the Backording thread in the Domain Name Tutorials section, to better understand the how/why of GoDaddy renewal/dropping procedures. http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=477474

I am still amazed users are complaining against the registrars when THEY forget to keep their domains current

I am still amazed users are complaining against the registrars when THEY forget to keep their domains current
No-one would blame a registrar if they did what they were supposed to do when a domain expires, i.e. keep it in the redemption period and after 72 days release it to the public. Registrars should not be allowed to "keep" the domain, it is almost equal to blackmail. I understand it is our mistake we forgot to renew, so why exploit our mistake. IT is not ethical.

That really isn't the issue. The issue is not to let your domains expire. NameCheap, eNom, GoDaddy are all good registrars.

This is not really the thread for discussing GoDaddy. However, I suggest you read the Backordering thread in the Domain Name Tutorials section, to better understand the how/why of GoDaddy renewal/dropping procedures. http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=477474
I understand what you are trying to say, I am just asking if there is a registrar out there who sticks to its job and makes profit only out of registering domains. Ok so I forgot you cant exploit me for that, just release the domain after the said period.
Thanks for the link, I will take a look at it a try to backorder this domain, BTW going in for an alternative domain, but if this domain gets free then would like to keep both.

We all only wish everyone the best but this seems like a futile Thread - the moral to this story is learn from others mistakes and protect your domains if they are important to you

No-one would blame a registrar if they did what they were supposed to do when a domain expires, i.e. keep it in the redemption period and after 72 days release it to the public. Registrars should not be allowed to "keep" the domain, it is almost equal to blackmail. I understand it is our mistake we forgot to renew, so why exploit our mistake. IT is not ethical.


I understand what you are trying to say, I am just asking if there is a registrar out there who sticks to its job and makes profit only out of registering domains. Ok so I forgot you cant exploit me for that, just release the domain after the said period.
Thanks for the link, I will take a look at it a try to backorder this domain, BTW going in for an alternative domain, but if this domain gets free then would like to keep both.

I agree with qwan, and to answer the question = yes. It's all about greed.

Pretty much all the registrars are domain grabbing leaches. They pretty much all have deals with auction houses to sell off expiring names. To my knowledge, 1AND1 don't have any redemption period at all. You can't renew it after it expires. They just delete the domain after 30 days. So it looks like they might not be taking any profit out of expired domains. However, I really can't recommend them as a registrar.

If you'd like to PM me the domain, I'll see what I can discover for you.