How to win a backorder: why the first second of a drop matters
When a domain is deleted, who gets it is usually decided in the first moments of the drop. We walk through how a domain drops, how a backorder works and what happens when someone else wants the same domain.
How does a domain drop?
An expired .com or .net is not deleted right away. First it enters a grace period of up to 45 days, during which the owner can renew it at the normal price. If it is not renewed, a 30-day redemption period begins: the owner can still get the domain back, but pays an extra redemption fee.
If the redemption period also ends, the domain moves into the 5-day pending delete stage. From this point there is no way back; when the time is up, the registry deletes the domain and the name is open for anyone to register again.
The deletion happens within a certain time window, but the exact moment is not known in advance. That is why everyone who wants a dropping name tries to register it in the same window, and the domain goes to whoever makes the first successful attempt.
Trying to catch a dropping domain by hand means guessing the moment of deletion and refreshing the page. A backorder makes that attempt for you, at the right moment.
Backorder steps at Reggeo
- Place a backorder. Create a request from the Dropping domains list or from the panel, for at least the opening amount. Nothing is charged to your card; the amount you enter becomes your upper limit in a possible auction.
- If an auction is needed, it ends first. As soon as a second request arrives for the same domain, an auction starts in which only the request holders take part. The auction ends before the domain drops; the winner owns the registration attempt.
- We try at the moment of the drop. When pending delete ends, we try to register the domain on your behalf.
- The domain moves to your account. If we catch it, the amount is charged to your saved card, the domain is added to your panel and a 1-year registration begins.
How do you win an auction?
The amount you enter in your backorder is used as your hidden upper limit. The system bids on your behalf only as much as needed, up to your limit; the current price is one step above the second-highest limit. Your limit is never shown to anyone.
Every bid that arrives with less than 10 minutes to go pushes the end to 10 minutes after the bid. So bidding at the last second gives you no advantage: the soundest approach is to enter, from the start, what you are really willing to pay for the domain.
Fees
There is no charge for a backorder you do not win. If the domain is not caught, you are not charged even if you won the auction. You can withdraw your request from the panel or raise your limit until the domain drops.
For details, see the How backorders work and Auctions pages.