Have you ever wanted to register a domain name for use on your own web site that was owned by someone else? If so, the first step to grabbing a domain name is to find out who owns it and when it will expire. You can do this by consulting the WhoIs registry www.internic.net/whois.html. If the domain name is just about to come out of registration and you think that the current owner may not renew, you can begin the process to try and grab it for yourself.
The first thing to understand is that domain names do not just become available as soon as the registration period has ended. The current owner still receives first refusal over a period of 40 days if they decide that they would like to register the domain name again. This is known as the domain expiry period and during this time the current domain owner is able to re-register the domain name without cost. After 40 days, the domain name enters what is called the “redemption period”. At this point, all WHOIS data associated with the domain name starts disappearing AND…very importantly..the domain owner will be required to pay quite a large fee if they still want to keep the domain name.
Before general release the domain name becomes locked for 5 days. The name will then officially drop from the ICANN database and will be available for registration. The time between the domain name expiring and becoming available for registration is exactly 75 days. Once the domain name is released…timing is everything.
Good luck!
