How to track expiring domains and catch them when they drop

If the domain you want belongs to someone else, your best move is to wait for the owner to forget to renew it and register it the moment it's free. This is called tracking dropping domains, or "drop catching." To succeed, you need to know the right day, read the domain's current stage correctly and be ready on the day it drops.

1. Find the expiration date

Run the domain through a WHOIS lookup and check the expiration date:

• If it's years away, the domain is most likely renewed regularly or was registered for several years. Tracking it still makes sense, but results may take a while.
• If it's a few weeks or months away, it's worth tracking. You'll see whether the owner renews when the date arrives.
• If it has already passed, the domain is already on its way to dropping. Check the status codes.

2. Watch the status codes

Once the expiration date has passed, the status codes tell you whether the domain is going to drop:

• If the expiration date jumped a year ahead and you see autoRenewPeriod, the domain is in the grace period and not yet truly renewed. If the owner pays, the status code disappears and the domain stays theirs for another year.
• If you see redemptionPeriod, the owner didn't renew, and the domain is in its 30-day redemption period. The previous owner can still recover it for an extra fee, but that's rare.
• If you see pendingDelete, the domain becomes available within five days. At this stage, no one can save it.

The timeline differs by extension: see the drop timeline for generic extensions like .com, and the 60 + 30 day process for .com.tr and the other .tr extensions.

3. Estimate the drop date

For generic extensions, the length of the grace period depends on the registrar, so the drop date isn't exact; it's a range between the earliest and latest dates:

• Earliest: expiration + 30 days of redemption + 5 days of pending delete = about 35 days.
• Latest: expiration + 45 days of grace period + 30 days + 5 days = about 80 days.

The range narrows once the domain moves to redemptionPeriod: the 30-day redemption and 5-day deletion queue are fixed, so the drop date is nearly certain. Once you see pendingDelete, five days at most remain.

For .tr extensions, the math is simpler: the domain is deleted at the end of the 90th day after expiration.

4. It may change hands before it drops

Not every expired domain drops into the open:

• Registrar auctions: Some registrars put expired domains up in their own auctions during the grace period. If one sells, the domain goes to its new owner without ever dropping.
• Last-minute renewals by the owner: Owners often renew, even during redemption, once they notice their site has gone down.
• Backorders: Some companies take advance orders and try to register the domain for you the moment it drops. If several people ordered it, they may hold an auction among them. This service isn't guaranteed.

5. Be ready on drop day

Valuable domains can be taken within minutes of dropping. To prepare:

• Have an account open with the registrar you'll use, with a payment method already on file.
• Set things up so you can act the moment the domain is available; alerts on your phone make a real difference here.
• If you're targeting more than one extension (say, .com and .com.tr), track each of them separately.
• Check the domain's history before you buy it: is it on spam lists, and what was published on the old site?

6. Watch out for trademark rights

Registering a dropped domain that contains someone else's registered trademark can later lead to a dispute that takes it away from you. If the name you're after resembles a brand, look into its trademark status first.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a special service to get a dropped domain? For less sought-after names, registering through your registrar the moment it drops is enough. For very valuable names, many people and companies apply at once, so backorder services can improve your chances, but none are guaranteed.

What happens if the owner renews? The domain stays with the previous owner for another year, and its expiration date jumps ahead. NicFollow notifies you about this as well. You can keep tracking and wait for the next expiration date, or consider making the owner a direct offer.

Why isn't the drop date exact? For generic extensions, the grace period registrars offer ranges from 0 to 45 days, and it isn't shown in the WHOIS record. Once the domain enters redemption, the remaining time is fixed and the estimate becomes certain. For .tr extensions, the periods are fixed, so the date is known from the start.

How many domains can I track at once? On NicFollow's free plan you can track up to 100 domains; the limit applies separately to your own domains and to the domains you want to get. To add many domains together, just paste your list into the Bulk add page.

Will I find out if someone else registers a domain I'm tracking? Yes. If someone else registers the domain after it drops, its registration details change; NicFollow spots this on the next check and notifies you. You'll know right away that it slipped away and can quickly weigh options like making the new owner an offer or looking for a similar name.

Tracking with NicFollow

When you add the domain, choose I want it mode. NicFollow:

• checks the record more often as the expiration date approaches,
• notifies you when the domain expires and when it enters the redemption and deletion stages,
• calculates the earliest and latest drop dates and shows them on your dashboard,
• sends you an instant email and Telegram alert when the domain becomes available,
• tells you if the owner renews the domain, so you don't wait for nothing.

Create a free account to track up to 100 domains.