What is

Here's how it goes, "roughly" 21 days after a domain name expires it goes into redemption period, by "roughly" I mean I've seen it take as little as 21  days and as long as well a lot of days (more than 60), please keep in mind this ain't our doing, and I HATE how unreliable the times are too!

AFTER this it goes into "redemption period" also called "extended redemption" where it is basically held hostage for an INDEFINITE period of time. To get it back you have to pay $200 + the renewal price to get it back. Please remember this is not our doing, we think this stinks too. And by indefinite, they MEAN indefinite, I know of a domain that's been in redemption for over 2 years now! But I've also seen a domain leave redemption and be snapped up by a NEW OWNER after 14 days! That means in as little as 40 days after your domain expires, it COULD BE SOLD TO SOMEONE ELSE!

After this "redemption" period it kinda goes into "limbo" for a few days where it shows as unregistered yet we still can't touch it, I think this is mostly a propagation that lasts about 3 days. Then it goes back "into the wild" (not usually, read on for why not usually).

Now there's a problem with letting it "expire" from redemption, if the domain name is listed in any search engine halfway decently then the chances some domain speculator out there has a "snapback" in for YOUR domain is QUITE high, I've seen some REALLY "odd" domains yanked that I would have NEVER guessed would be "stolen" big LONG domain names that are quite specific to one group or company that maybe got a dozen hits per day on a good day, taken the second it became avilable to re-register.

It seems to me a domain only leaves redemption when someone else has bid on it and the registrar has decided "hey these folks are paying good money for this domain, let's let them have it" and then they transfer it to that new owner.

So, long article longer, if your domain goes into redemption, you're pretty much stuck EITHER paying the $200 * in ransom, or you're pretty much guaranteed to lose the domain to someone else.

 

 

* Please note - effective 12/1/09 Enom raised their "Redemption" blackmail rate to $275 for domains expired ~21 days or longer.

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