What's up with expired domains being unavailable?
from Maroon@lemmy.world to selfhosted@lemmy.world on 27 Feb 09:03
https://lemmy.world/post/43631607

A domain name I was interested in expired in January this year. It was previously registered at Squarespace.com.

Why is it still unavailable to purchase despite being more than a month since its expiry?

Not sure if relevant but I checked the expiry date at: whatsmydns.net/domain-expiration

#selfhosted

threaded - newest

one_old_coder@piefed.social on 27 Feb 09:04 next collapse

Try to buy it to see who is holding it to scam people.

Maroon@lemmy.world on 27 Feb 09:40 collapse

Any recourse even if I do find out who it is?

one_old_coder@piefed.social on 27 Feb 13:27 collapse

If it’s not a cooldown period as that other guy said, you may contact the scammer new owner, he will ask for a billion dollars and it’s up to you whether that domain was important enough. Consider finding a new one right now if you can.

Thorry@feddit.org on 27 Feb 09:32 next collapse

Usually the previous registrar will hold on to the domain for 6-18 months in case the customer wants the domain back. After that it’s automatically sold in bulk auctions. The companies, sometimes called domain squatters, buying those domains in bulk hold on to them often for years asking a premium price. The idea is once someone thought that domain name was valuable, it might be valuable again. They buy 1000 domains and maybe sell a dozen or so, but as operating costs are extremely low it’s still somehow worth it. It’s all highly automated at this point, so just a fact of life. I’ve seen domains being held for over 10 years.

See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybersquatting

foggy@lemmy.world on 27 Feb 12:13 collapse

I know a guy who was holding onto basically every variation of [state][marijuana reference].[tld] back in like 2015. Guarantee he made bank on that investment.

Fedditor385@lemmy.world on 27 Feb 12:40 next collapse

Expired domains have “cooldowns” because this would be a security issue, if suddenly, overnight, because someone forgot to extend their domain, there is suddenly a new owner. This means, after the domain is expired, you usually have a grace period where you still have the chance to extend it before someone else “snatches” it under your nose.

Pika@sh.itjust.works on 27 Feb 18:39 collapse

Basically many domain providers will hold onto domains for a little while after it expires.

Some like namecheap also advertise the domain names to peddle-man companies that will somehow buy temporary access to the domain after your extortion recall window expires.

To continue the namecheap example, when your namecheap domain expires, it gives you a lapse window where you can pay like double the cost of the domain renewal to reclaim it. If you don’t reclaim it during that window they give it to a middleman whom will somehow buy a 2 or 3 months domain lease for it. They will put it on a “site for sale” broker page and will charge you easily 100x what you paid for the domain if you wanted it back.

I would recommend just keep checking on it every few days to see if it gets released.