Why are some names available at one registrar but not another?

[BELLC1]

I frequently run various small lists on GoDaddy's bulk domain checker. I started noticing recently only one or two names are available, but I can go to another registrar and many more of the same names ARE available (and yes they are actually registerable as I have registered some GoDaddy said were not available).

I thought at first maybe it had to do with the domain being at the previous registrar, but I checked and that was not the case.

Does GD just have a crappy checker compared to everyone else?

[radioz]

If it is a very recent drop, Go Daddy is usually very slow to update their database. I've found that a drop may be available for registration at Dotster that isn't available at Go Daddy. Obviously, if you want a name, register it wherever you can!

[Yofie]

GoDaddy does not offer a "real time" whois like Moniker, Enom and Dynadot. Why they do not do this? No clue, as they lose so much business because of it.

If you are checking to see if a domain is available, use Moniker or Dynadot.