Domain Backorder and Monitoring FAQ

Does Domain Backorders guarantee domain name registration?

No. The Domain Backorders service does not guarantee you will acquire a domain name. When you place a backorder, we attempt to acquire the domain name for you when it becomes available for registration.

Each backorder comes with Domain Monitoring, a useful service that lets you track the domain name. It keeps you in the loop on that domain name's expiration date and any changes to its status.

If a backordered domain name becomes available, but our service fails to acquire it, you can reassign the backorder to another domain name. If we are not able to acquire your domain name, we notify you by email.

For information about reassigning a backorder, see Change a Backorder to a different domain name.

What is Domain Name Monitoring?

Domain Monitoring tracks changes to domain name settings. It also includes historical tracking for domain name changes and monitors domain names registered anywhere. When information for these settings changes, Domain Monitoring sends you an email notification.

You set up monitoring for a year at a time. To continue monitoring domain names, you must renew your subscription.

You can use our Domain Monitoring service to track any domain name with a .com, .us, .biz, .net, .org, .info, .me, .mobi, or .co extension, even ones that are not registered by you or with us.

Specifically, this service monitors:

• Registrar — Notifies you of any change to a monitored domain name's registrar.
• Status — Tracks any changes to a domain name's status. For example, if a monitored domain name registered with us changes its status to unlocked, Domain Monitoring notifies you. It also notifies you when a monitored domain name that is not registered with us goes into pendDelete or redemptionPeriod status; indicating that the domain name might soon become available.
• Expiration Date — Tracks any changes to the registration expiration date for any monitored domain name.
• Nameserver — Tracks nameserver changes.

For more information, see Setting up domain monitoring.

What is Investor's Edge?

Investor's Edge is a monthly subscription service that provides a list of more than 250,000 expiring domain names. This service gives you a jump on your peers by providing up-to-date information on domain name availability and lets you place an order immediately.

We update all the domain names on this power list daily. You can backorder a domain name from this list the moment you see it.

Can a domain name be backordered more than once?

Yes. More than one of our customers can purchase a backorder for the same domain name.

If more than one backorder is purchased for a particular domain name, the backorder placed first becomes the opening bid in a public auction, and other backorder holders are notified when the domain name goes to auction. Backorder holders and the general public have the opportunity to place a higher bid.

Note: The fee with a backorder will include the registration charge for 1 year, with any additional costs from Auction Up Pricing being added in.

If your backorder is not successful, you can reassign it to another domain name. See Change a Backorder to a different domain name for information reassigning it.

Until your backorder captures a domain name, it does not expire.

Note: Prior to March 2009, we allowed only one backorder per domain name. Therefore, if another customer placed a backorder on a domain name prior to March 2009, then you cannot place a backorder on the same domain name as long as the original backorder remains effective.

Can premium domain names be backordered?

No. At this time, we do not offer backordering for premium domain names.

Why are certain domain names unavailable for backorder?

If the domain name you want to register is unavailable, under most circumstances, you can purchase a backorder for it. Domain Backorders is a service that helps you attempt to acquire a domain name when it becomes available for registration.

However, backorders are unavailable for domain names under the following circumstances:

• Single Backorder Policy — We allow only one backorder per domain name. Therefore, if another customer placed already placed a backorder on a domain name, then you cannot place a backorder on the same domain name as long as the original backorder remains effective.
• TLD Not Supported — We only support backorders for the following top-level domain names (TLDs): .biz, .com, .info, .me, .mobi, .net, .org, and .us.
• Blocked — We block customers from backordering certain domain names, such as our company's domain name.

For more information about the backorder process, see What are Domain Backorders?