Buying expired domains

[dragtastic]

Has anyone here actually bought an expired domain for reg fee and successfully flip it?
Is this even worth doing? I am relatively new to the domain world and have been doing this once in a while, and am looking for some advice.
Are buying deleted domains comaparable to beating a dead horse?
Before I buy anything, I run the domain on estibot/valuate search to see if it has traffic and CPC value.
The domains I buy have a value of at least $500 - some have a few thousand but they are hard to flip for anything decent. Am i doing something wrong? Should I actually hold onto these domains? or possibly host/develop?

Thanks in advance!
8^X

 

[Erdy]

Has anyone here actually bought an expired domain for reg fee

Don't try this. It is very very unlikely you will find anything average if the domain has become available. Those pending delete lists are over processed by thousands of domainers and the registrars themselves. The amount of computerised analysis for pending deletes is mind blowing.

I have some advanced scanning tools custom developed for myself. A few times I checked freshly availables and couldn't find a single one to register. If the domain is available it is already far too late. You are looking in the wrong place.

You might say, "OK then I should check pending delete domains and backorder them before they drop". No. Even that is too late. Two thirds of expiring domains are auctioned during the first 45 days of expiry. You need to get them during this first auction. It is called pre-release auction.

 

[dragtastic]

Don't try this. It is very very unlikely you will find anything average if the domain has become available. Those pending delete lists are over processed by thousands of domainers and the registrars themselves. The amount of computerised analysis for pending deletes is mind blowing.

I have some advanced scanning tools custom developed for myself. A few times I checked freshly availables and couldn't find a single one to register. If the domain is available it is already far too late. You are looking in the wrong place.

You might say, "OK then I should check pending delete domains and backorder them before they drop". No. Even that is too late. Two thirds of expiring domains are auctioned during the first 45 days of expiry. You need to get them during this first auction. It is called pre-release auction.

]

thanks for being helpful and actually pointing me in the right direction. I do appreciate that a lot

 

[Name Trader]

I agree with Erdinc

 

[dragtastic]

SO even domain names that have traffic and have an estibot/valuate value of say $1,000 it is still not worth picking up ifs been dropped?
Thats the only dilemma Im still trying to figure out

I do appreciate everyones input thanks

 

[keesj]

I've once bought a dropped domain for reg fee and then flipped it for about $800 a couple of weeks later. I was a bit lucky though, because the value of the domain increased overnight due to a related product launch of which I suspected its name. – Of course this was an exception and is definitely not the rule.

I've not been actively domain-ing the last couple of years, but I don't think those services that estimate a domain's value are to be trusted.

Anyway, you could just buy the domain, have it appraised here, and find out your answer for $7.

 

[Erdy]

If the domain gets traffic it wouldn't become available. Verisign makes traffic data available to all registrars for all pending deletes.
Why do you want to buy a domain when it becomes available and not much much earlier during pre-release? Give me one good reason.

Godaddy closeouts is only $5 more than what you pay for an available domain. You can buy the domain instantly. There is no auction. It is like a no brainer.