Question regarding domain kiting

[pam]

I keep reading how people do a search for a domain, find the one they want, then go back the next day to register it and all of a sudden it's taken. Well, this happened to me ... I wasn't sure if I wanted the domain or not and wanted to think about it.

I went back 2 days later to register it and instead, it was registered and available to be bid upon for a minimum bid of $400. So, I decided I wanted it and bid $400 (while kicking myself for not grabbing it quickly) and was told I'd have a response within 48 hours.

Nothing.

So, I emailed to ask about it, and today received an email simply stating the domain was available. I didn't use their link to register it, I went to my own registrar and sure enough, it was available and is now mine for $9.20.

Obviously someone grabbed it 5 days ago after I searched, put up a parking pgae (I saw it and scoured it to be sure my own trademarked domain name wasn't being used) and then it dropped.

Why bother to set up a domain auction and let a domain drop? Are they kiting so many names they simply can't keep track of them all? Seems to me they lost some good money and I seriously doubt they made $400 in revenue from a PPC page in those few days.

 

[Dimva]

Check out http://domibot.info
Glad to hear you finally got the domain

 

[Dale Hubbard]

This has come up before -- many times lately. I personally believe that there are a couple of registrars in league with this system. If you want to check whois for availability, why not do it here:

http://www.internic.net/

I bet you won't find a domain taken if you look it up there first.

If you have a desktop whois client, then set the whois server option to query here:

rs.internic.net:43

 

[Steen]

I cannot say I did not have the idea of doing this a few years ago, but it amazes me that it is being executed on such a large scale.

 

[Dave Zan]

You can refer to the transcript below, also discussing this very issue:

http://www.icann.org/meetings/marrakech/captioning-dn-27jun06.htm

Thanks to John Berryhill for posting this in a previous thread.

 

[jberryhill]

I personally believe that there are a couple of registrars in league with this system.

Without re-hashing the entire discussion about the limited wisdom of using a registrar interface to check domain availability, some additional information has come to my attention.

The "name spinning" function on many registrars' websites (i.e. the feature that suggests a list of alternative available domain names to the one you entered) is often outsourced to a third party which generates the results that are then displayed on the website. Some leakage is believed to be ocurring in that process.

 

[Dale Hubbard]

That would make a lot of sense, and as you say, it's generally oursourced.

 

[pam]

I only check for domain availability at whois.sc -- out of habit, I guess.

Usually if I check for a domain, I register it right there and then. I still wonder how many other domains they had up for "auction" that got bids, yet they simply let them drop.

This domain name is one I should have grabbed many years ago and it amazes me that I was able to get it

 

[Dave Zan]

This domain name is one I should have grabbed many years ago and it amazes me that I was able to get it

I knew someone who waited 6 years 'til she finally regged the domain on the
spot. :-D

Anyway, congrats on your acquiring it. Now make sure you don't lose it!