Please help - The domain I want is about to expire

[ellago]

Hello,

After reading on this site I'm almost as confused as when I first started. :greensigh: I searched through posts but didn't find the exact info I need. I tried looking for answers in the Exprired Domains forum but don't have access to the posts. Any help would be very much appreciated for this one question I have.

I am starting a business and want a particular domain name that somebody had registered almost two years ago. I checked the history and they have done absolutely nothing at all with it in the time they've had it and it is set to expire at the end of next month. After looking on whois.com and researching the name of the individual it's registered to, I've surmised that the person intended to use it to start a business but never got around to it (as opposed to parking it with the intent to sell for a profit). The domain name itself isn't anything special and I doubt anyone is waiting to pounce on it like I am (but you never know). It's desirable to me because it ties in very well with the short sales pitch that I will be using for advertising and would be memorable to the people who see it.

I don't want to approach the person who owns the domain name because I fear that it will result in him renewing it or that he might try and sell it to me
for an unreasonable amount of money.

What way of attempting to obtain this domain name would give me the best chances?

In the glossary on this site, under "Renewal date" it states:
"...If the renewal date is allowed to pass without payment, the domain name becomes expired and will eventually drop."

From some of the posts I've read and what it says above, I wouldn't be able to simply snatch it right up on June 1st? Or can I?
I'm looking for the most surefire way to obtain this domain.

BTW - The below is a little bit of info from the whois page for the domain (if that helps):
---------------------------
Domain Name: xxxxxxxxxx.COM
Registrar: INTERCOSMOS MEDIA GROUP, INC. D/B/A DIRECTNIC.COM
Whois server: whois.directnic.com
Referral URL: http://www.directnic.com
Status: ACTIVE
Updated Date: 30-may-2004
Creation Date: 30-may-2004
Expiration Date: 30-may-2006

Record expires on 05-30-2006
Record created on 05-30-2004
----------------------------

A big thanks to anyone who can help me out.

[polin]

Backorder this name if it's really expired.
Use the following services to backorder domain:
1.Snapnames.com
2.Pool.com
3.GoDaddy.com
4.Enom clubdrop

[ellago]

It expires at the end of next month. Do I have to wait until it's expired or can I put the backorder in before that?

Thanks, polin.

[March2005]

You can backorder now and then if the name drops, the various software programs that the companies use will try to grab it for you.

Also, it seem like visiting the site might be registered somewhere, so the name may not be dropped if it is getting lots of traffic.

Also, if it is a .com and you register the .net right now, someone might notice that and then try to grab the .com before you do.

I do not know if there are any scam backorder companies or not.

Doing various backorders may be more expensive then just buying the name from the guy, but asking for a price may be risky or may backfire.

Am I being too paranoid?

[Honan]

Do you want the bad news or the worse news?
Firstly, noone can register that name on 1st June
It will expire not drop
It will enter a 30 day registry hold period
During this period , the owner may renew for the normal fee
After that there is a 30 day Redemption Grace Period where the owner can renew for an extra charge like $200
Then there is a pending delete period of 5 days
When it finally deletes there is every chance you will be beaten to it by the drop catch professionals
It may go to an auction
You will be very surprised at the high prices paid at these auctions for very ordinary names
There is a strong possibility the name will be renewed anyway before 1st June
Even if it does drop you will be very lucky to get it through a back order
It is real gamble on your part not giving the owner an offer
Then again your gamble may pay off, if it is really not wanted by anyone
Chances are that if you like the name, other people will too.

[ellago]

Thanks for the advice, guys.

Am I being too paranoid?

Not nearly as paranoid as I am right now! LOL I'm afraid whatever decision I make is going to end up being the wrong one.

After reading everyones advice, I think I'm going to ask the guy if he's interested in selling it. What way do you advise that I approach this? One tip I read on another thread, someone recommended to an interested buyer that he should e-mail the domain owner from a generic e-mail service like hotmail. That way it might give the owner the impression that the person probably doesn't have deep pockets. Truth be told, after investing in expensive equipment for my business, I don't have deep pockets!

Should I contact him directly through his e-mail address, his physical address, or should I go through a company like sedo? The type of business I'm in is a niche market where, for the most part, not very many people make a lot of money (only a few). So maybe/hopefully, if the guy does decide to sell, I can get the domain without having to make a high offer.

If I contact him, is my best bet to make an offer or ask him if he's interested in selling and for how much?

[Honan]

Make a firm offer of $

[labrocca]

Offer the owner $60 for it. Tell him you prefer not to wait for it to drop. Act casual about it...don't appear desperate.

[ellago]

Good advice.

I was all ready to follow through with it until I hit a snag... All of the guy's contact information is out of date and I'm having trouble tracking him down. He has a name that's not exactly unique so I'm in a bit of trouble here. If I can't find him it looks as though I'm going to have to take my chances with backordering.

If I have to do that, is there a backordering service that has first dibs on the domain names dropped by his registrar (INTERCOSMOS MEDIA GROUP, INC. D/B/A DIRECTNIC.COM)? I noticed different services claiming to have first dibs with certain registrars.

Due to his contact information being out of date, I'm willing to bet he has no idea that his domain is about to expire. Especially since it appears that he's never going to get around to developing the site and it's with 99.9% certainty (after researching him) that he's not parking it with the hope of selling it for a profit. Before I found out that his contact info was out of date, I assumed that he would be less likely to re-register. Now that I know that he's probably not receiving renewal notices, it's making me a little hesitant about trying to contact him. I'd absolutely hate it if I served as the reminder that prompted him to re-register for another 2 years and then he ends up not doing a single thing with the site.

Actually, now that I think more about it, I'd like to go through the backordering method. I'm especially paranoid now that the guy will renew if I contact him. You know how some people are pack rats and refuse to throw things away because they think later on they'll use those items that are forever destined to be dust magnets? Say you reach into one of their loaded closets and pull out a broken camera that's been sitting there for years. You tell the person, "Why don't you throw this away, you're never going to use it?" and they respond, "Oh, but I'm going to fix it someday." Someday will never come but the person clutches onto the item that, if you hadn't talked to them about it and had simply thrown it away, they would have never missed it. Maybe this guy is one of those types. Know what I mean?

The domain name is not something that professional domain traders would be interested in, so I'm not worried at all about losing it to that particular group of folks. The only risk I run is that somebody else within the very small industry may have backordered it already. If the domain is backordered, and the person didn't backorder with a company that has first dibs with that registrar, then maybe I have a decent shot at getting it?

[ellago]

After calling lots of disconnected & wrong numbers in a futile attempt to try and locate the domain owner and getting the feeling that it might be better to take my chances after all, I've put the domain on back order with Snapnames.com.

Also, I've registered a different domain name that I'll be satisfied with if I don't get my first choice. I'll post an update down the road on whether or not I get the domain.

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

[jazzpetals]

Don't forget to also backorder it with pool.