Quick question for you domain-registration junkies: There’s a domain I really, really want. For the purposes of this post, let’s call it Acme.com.
For the last 10 years, it’s been owned by a company called Acme Corp. It made sense for them to own it. But about five years ago, Acme Corp. changed its name and brand to something new. Since then, Acme.com has just been a placeholder page, with a few lines saying “Acme Corp. is now Blahblah Corp. Visit our new web site at Blahblah.com.”
Did I mention I really want to own this Acme.com?
So today, on a whim, I go to Acme.com. There’s nothing there. Not a 404 error — just IE’s standard “We can’t find www.acme.com” error, the one it throws off when you go to an unregistered domain.
So I ran a quick whois to see what’s up. Turns out that Acme Corp. — on purpose or by mistake — has let Acme.com expire. It expired on June 3.
I immediately try to register it. But alas, my registrar (Dotster) tells me the domain name is taken! I try another couple registrars, and they tell me the same thing — it’s taken. But the whois entry (verified at several whois servers) clearly says Acme Corp.’s claim on the domain has expired, and the site is clearly gone.
What can I do? Is there some sort of rule on a window of time after a domain expires when someone can renew? Do I need to jump through any special hoops to get this domain? Help me out, people, I’m dying over here! I need this domain!
Anyone who can help me get this domain gets $20 and a six-pack of beer.
5 thoughts on “the sad tale of acme.com”
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Josh, I’m in same situation for a .co.uk domain which expired 3 moths ago. It seems that the domain doesn’t become available for reregistration just because it expired. It can take several months for it to appear again. Personally, I reckon that it’s a scam to try to get people to “backorder” domains that are unavailable as this always costs more than a simple registration.
While I’m here, do you fancy a gmail invite? I was given some today.
I think you just have to wait and keep obsessively checking for its availability. Could be fun new hobby.
Last week, two domains I wanted to register became unavailable in the 24 hours it took me to brainstorm, check dotster, and decide I definitely wanted to register them. Life can be cruel, eh?…
90 days is the typical grace period given. The domain holder will get several notices (and probably has already gotten quite a few). The fact that they haven’t responded probably means that they won’t renew.
I believe Dotster et al have domain stalking tools, so you’ll get an email as soon as it become available.
Also, some registrars will hold the domain because they think it has some value – they can then auction it off even though it has expired. Netsol has done this for some time.
Just keep checking every day – also look for a way to backorder the domain – if you really want it the little extra cash won’t be so bad.