Domain Drop Catching
April 7, 2008
Domain names are always an important part of any business. For web based businesses they are sometimes a lifeline. So, what do you do if you do not own a domain name you want? One of the available options is to use a domain drop catching service.
This involves registering your interest with a service provider such as Snapnames.com. The provider will then try to acquire the domain when it becomes available (that is, if the current owner fails to renew it), and then offers it to the highest bidder who has registered its interest in acquiring the domain name.
What guarantee is there that you will get your domain name? None. There are many drop catchers out there, and whichever one gets the domain first will get the domain for its clients.Performance is hard to measure, and service providers will be quick to point out that you only pay if you get your domain.This seems fair enough.Given that you can’t expect guaranteed results, the best policy is to register with as many service providers as possible. Registering with Pool.com, and Godaddy as well as Snapnames should give you a good chance of successfully acquiring the domain name.
Procedure
The procedure for using a drop catching service is to arrive at their site, search for the product (the domain name) you would like to have, add it to your online basket and checkout. You are then effectively registering your interest in the domain.Most providers do not charge you at this point but if they manage to acquire the domain, it is important to remember that they own the domain – you still have to buy it from them.
If no one else has registered an interest in the domain following the service provider’s acquisition, you will ultimately get the domain. It is more complicated if others are also interested in the domain name, in that you will end up in an online auction competing with them for the domain.
It can be a tentative process to successfully acquire a domain name using a domain drop catching service and the fundamental point should be remembered – the domain must expire in the first place to have any chance of success!
