How to get an about to expire domain name?

I'm working on some new business ideas and after a lot of thinking I think I've found the perfect name for it. After checking all the domain names for this name are still available except for the .com The .com name has been registered for a 5 year period but has never been used, in a couple of months it will expire and I want it! I've seen some websites that will register names for you the second they become available, but how well will that work? I know with my current allready signed up domain names I have to cancel the agreement like a month before expiration or it will be automaticly extended for the next year. I've checked with the company that actually registered the .com name I want and they state on their website that you will be informed before your registration is extended. So what do I do now?

1. wait for the name to expire and after it does, register it. All the other domain extensions of the name are still available so I guess it's not a much wanted name...
2. get one of those domain sniper companies to register it the instant it becomes available. I've seen lists of websites that are about to expire and some companies just register as many as they can just to resell them for a very high price
3. contact the company who has the site registered now and see if I can get a deal there. Then again I might just wake them up and cause them to extend the registration for another 5 years...(might I add this is not just some guy who registered the site it is a very large company with thousands of employees)
4. just forget about the .com get the .eu .net .org .whatever

Has anyone here ever been in this situation? What would be the wise thing to do?

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Maybe you should check sedo.com

They deliver various domain related services, and they can try to buy the domain for you.

But of course this is a solution only if you can pay xxx $ for this domain. Otherwise you can back order it from Godaddy or any other registrar that you use

highly recommend godaddy.com for domains alone, but their hosting is crap. Websitesource.com is my personal fav host, great support 24/7

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All the Godady's services except domains are crap, but the domains are very cheap

I would go with option 2.

If you contact the owner he or she will notice that you want it and probably extend it another year in an attempt to sell it to you.

Oh, this is a very tricky affair...

FIRST OF ALL (!) be very careful; check if they don't have a copyright on the term(s) that form the domain name. That way, even if you do manage to get the domain, they can always file a complaint and chances are they'll get it back.

Second, if the name isn't copyrighted, DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES contact the owner. There's a 99% chance they'll screw you over if they see that there's interest in their domain. Even if they agree to sell it to you, they'll ask an insanely high price, much higher than if you sniped the domain.

So, yes, I suggest you go with a snapping company. Now there's another fork in the road: if the name is regged at godaddy or at any of their affiliates (through wild west domains), your best bet is to use their own snapping system, which costs only around 10 bucks if they maanage to snap the name for you.
If it's with any other registrar, I suggest you use snapnames.com - they give you the best chance of getting the name. They do cost more, $60 per snap, but the price includes a one year registration at a registrar of your choice, if I remember right.

Good luck

Oh, yeah, I forgot to add... if you can afford it, get the other popular extensions as well.

Oh, yeah, I forgot to add... if you can afford it, get the other popular extensions as well.

Yeah I was planning on getting those as well, but since they are still available I want to wait untill I have the .com (don't want to direct any attention to the name )
btw the name has been registered at networksolutions.com do you know if they have a snipe service?

i would not recommend purchasing an "about to expire" domain name, chances are, its a scam, and ur getting ripped off

Mind_nl, you'll HAVE to go with snapnames.com on this one. Network Solutions has an agreement with snapnames - N.S. makes expiring names available to snapnames prior to letting other snapping companies have a go.
Here's a link to snapnames' preffered partners page - among others, you'll find the Network solutions logo there along with a more detailed explanation.

https://www.snapnames.com/preferred_info.jsp

Hope this was of some help.

Thanks for the info Matrics!
and Method: put that bong away , I'm not buying an 'about to expire' domain, there is a domain name I want to buy and it is about to expire, so as soon as it does expire I want to buy it

and Method: put that bong away , I'm not buying an 'about to expire' domain, there is a domain name I want to buy and it is about to expire, so as soon as it does expire I want to buy it

never.

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