Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Domain Names : How do I reclaim my domain from a speculator?

[rjohnson]

I recently lost the rights to my domain name thanks to lack of knowledge on my part and the FeaturePrice scam. The minute my domain expired it was pick up by a speculator and was offered to me for $1,000. I told them to, ...well I can't put it in print here what I told them to do with it.

I'm assuming that once I decide not to pay their asking price they will eventually drop it since it has no market value other than to me. How will I know when it is available and is there a way I can get myself first in line to get it back when it expires?

Please send me an email or send me a link of where I can find some rules on how registration works.

I don't know much about how all of this works so I would appreciate it if you could "boil it down for me" because I prob won't understand any inside jargon or stuff like that.

Thanks,
Ryan Johnson

[Sticks]

you can visit http://snapnames.com/ and put a snap on it i hope it helps

[nameslave]

But it will be AT LEAST another YEAR (or 14 months now with the new Redemption Grace Period) before this name become available again! If it is a business website, I don't think you can let it go on for that long.

Frankly, $1k is NOT an outrageously high asking price for this kind of situation, even though very often the seller will probably nod on $500.

[WannaBaHost]

It evidently had some sort of value or he/she wouldn't have picked it up. Link popularity=value and there are many other ways it could be of value.

[Foreigner]

It's a very sad thing - but happens a lot.

Personaly I get Much better domains for my hosted clients and and keep my eye on their old domains. Funny thing is when they get it back in a few years they no longer want it

It's the webmaster who gives "popularity" value to the domain - and she/he can do that with any other domain - trust me on that.

[kohashi]

Its funny how a johnson got scammed in the featureprice scam. Any relation?

Well in all seriousness - they own it for a year. You can pay if you want it back, or just want.


Some services that might help:
NameAlerts.com - (snapback reseller)
NameWinner.com

[UH-Matt]

Dont rely on them dropping it. Speculators dont mind paying $7 a year to hold on to a domain if they know someone somewhere (you) does indeed want it.

Your going to have to pay up or start with a new domain unfortunately.

[hostjet]

the fact that you emailed them and asked to buy it, means they will in all likelihood renew it.

[rjohnson]

Well, honestly I really don't have a need for it other than to direct traffic to my new site. I just moved my web site to a .net which I regiestered for 5 years when they grabbed the .com site.

They actually came to me trying to sell it the very next day. I'm sure if they were camped onto it they knew who the previous owner was and that is why they contacted me trying to take me to the cleaners.

The best part of the whole thing is that their email stated that they had acquired the domain name to "protect me from domain name speculators who will try to charge you $1,000s to sell it back to me". Wow, and your only going to charge me $1,000 plus "paperwork fees" to transfer it? Where do I sign up!

I don't know who would be the bigger idiot, the person that actually buys their story, or the guy that runs their operation thinking that people will believe them.

I would really have a good laugh if they renew it for another 5 or 10 years thinking they have someone's "business" by the short and curlies and that it will only be a matter of time before I can't live without it anymore.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. If I got the correct drift of most of those "snap" web sites, it looks like they charge you to basicly get in line, yet there is no guaranty that you will even get your domain back anyway. If I'm not willing to pay the current owner $1 to buy it back I guess I don't see the point of paying someone for the privilage of waiting in line for it.

Ryan J

[nameslave]

Originally posted by rjohnson
I just moved my web site to a .net which I regiestered for 5 years when they grabbed the .com site.

Not a very clever move indeed: using a matching (?) .net counterpart only reinforces their holding on to the .com, PLUS you will be sending them traffic, making "their" .com more valuable.

[Scott]

I totally agree with nameslave. It's time to put the thinking cap on and create a new name to brand or buy the original back.

[rjohnson]

Well I guess if he/she values having my relatives visiting their domain then they certainly scored a winner. The only problem is that I told the 20 people that visited my site that I moved...

I still don't see the value in acquiring someone's personal website. Now if you swiped coke.com or something like that I could see that you might have something valuable that someone would pay to get back. With the billions of domains available its just as easy for me to pick another rather than pay someone to get my other one back.

Too each their own.

Ryan J

[Bigdave]

Originally posted by rjohnson
Well I guess if he/she values having my relatives visiting their domain then they certainly scored a winner. The only problem is that I told the 20 people that visited my site that I moved...

I still don't see the value in acquiring someone's personal website. Now if you swiped coke.com or something like that I could see that you might have something valuable that someone would pay to get back. With the billions of domains available its just as easy for me to pick another rather than pay someone to get my other one back.

Just keep in mind that it's only about a 7 dollar bet on the part of the speculator...

BD

[nameslave]

Originally posted by rjohnson
... I still don't see the value in acquiring someone's personal website ...

When it takes less than a hundred dollars for them to keep your domain name for up to 10 years, it IS a very good investment/speculation; not ethical I'd say, especailly when you said they actually called you up the very next day.

[kohashi]

Its a personal website. Moving is easy email your family, have them change their bookmarks. End of story. The speculator loses this one.