Backorder

Also called domain backorder

Backorder, explained

A gTLD name that is not renewed passes through the registrar's post-expiry period, a 30-day redemption period and a pending-delete stage of typically 5 days before the registry releases it, an event the industry calls the drop. Drop-catching services work through many accredited registrars, each with its own connection to the registry, and send registration requests at the moment of release; the first to succeed gets the name. You can backorder a name at several services, and if several customers of the same service backordered a name it catches, the name typically goes to an auction among them.

Many valuable names never reach the drop. Owners renew them, or the registrar sells them first: GoDaddy, for example, lists expired names on its Expired Domains Auction 26 days after expiry. A backorder with a drop-catcher matters only if the name is actually deleted, so check where a name is registered and which auction it could appear in.

Place backorders before the pending-delete stage, check trademarks and the name's history first, and treat a catch as a fresh registration, with a new creation date and the 60-day transfer restriction that follows. Services differ on fees and refunds, so read the terms. GoDaddy stopped selling new backorders in August 2024, supported existing ones until August 2025, and now points buyers to its auctions and broker service.

AI tools help most before the drop: daily deletion lists run to many thousands of names, and models can score them for meaning, pronounceability, likely buyers and trademark conflicts so you backorder a shortlist. They do nothing for the catch itself, which depends on the catcher's registry connections and on how many others want the name.

Go deeper Expired Domains and Drop Catching: How the Domain Lifecycle Works

Education, not financial, legal or tax advice. Domain investing is speculative and most domain names never sell. Read the disclaimer.