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drop catching

Trying to register a domain the instant it is deleted and released by the registry The central database and system of a top-level domain, or loosely the organization that runs it. Full definition, using fast automated systems. Services that do this often sell the caught name by auction if more than one customer wanted it.

category
Aftermarket and investing

Updated on 4 min read

When a domain name A readable internet name made of labels separated by dots. Full definition is not renewed and is finally deleted, anyone can register it again. Drop catching is the race to register such a name at that exact moment, using automated systems. Names that several people want often end up in an auction.

What drop catching is

A gTLD generic top-level domain A top-level domain not tied to a country, run under ICANN contracts. Full definition name that nobody renews passes through several stages before it is released. At the end of the last stage, pending delete The final days before a deleted domain is released, when it can no longer be saved. Full definition, the registry purges the name from its database and, in the words of ICANN Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers The nonprofit that coordinates the global DNS and gTLD policy. Full definition’s page on EPP status codes Standard labels showing a domain's state and what actions are blocked. Full definition, it “becomes available for registration Obtaining the right to use a domain name for a set period. Full definition”. That moment is the drop The moment a deleted domain becomes available to register again. Full definition.

Drop catching means trying to register the name at the drop. Specialized services run automated systems that send registration requests through registrar A company that registers domain names for customers with the registry. Full definition as soon as the name is released.

No ICANN rule gives the former holder priority after the drop: the protections of ICANN’s ERRP Expired Registration Recovery Policy ICANN rules on expiry reminders and recovering expired gTLD domains. Full definition (ERRP) end with the redemption grace period A window after a registry action when it can be reversed, usually with a credit to the registrar. Full definition.

How expired domains reach auction

Expired names can be auctioned at two different times.

  1. Before deletion Removing a domain registration from the registry, which starts the path to its release. Full definition. After expiry, a registrar may offer an auto-renew grace period A period after expiry when an auto-renewed domain can still be renewed or canceled. Full definition of 1 to 45 days. ICANN warns registrant The person or organization that holds a domain name registration. Full definition that, depending on the terms of service, the registrar may auction the name to a third party during that period. Platforms such as GoDaddy Auctions GoDaddy's platform for auctioning expired domains and member listings. Full definition, NameJet A domain auction and backorder platform, sister to SnapNames. Full definition and SnapNames A domain backorder and expired-name auction platform owned by Newfold Digital. Full definition sell expired names in this way; in July 2025 the trade press reported that NameJet and SnapNames would get first access to expired names from Bluehost and HostGator.
  2. After the drop. A drop catching service registers the name and, if more than one customer asked for it, auctions it among them.

As of October 2026, a gTLD name that is not renewed follows this path:

  1. Expiry, then an optional auto-renew grace period of 1 to 45 days.
  2. Deletion, which the RAA Registrar Accreditation Agreement The contract between ICANN and each accredited registrar. Full definition (RAA) requires within 45 days of the registration agreement ending, save extenuating circumstances such as a court order.
  3. A 30-day redemption grace period (RGP Redemption Grace Period A last chance to recover a deleted domain, usually for an extra fee. Full definition). The name stops working, cannot be transferred, and the former holder can still restore Bringing a deleted domain back during the redemption grace period. Full definition it, through the registrar.
  4. Pending delete: five calendar days according to ICANN, although RFC Request for Comments A numbered document in the series recording the internet's technical standards and practices. Full definition 3915 leaves the length to each registry.
  5. Purge and drop.

ccTLD country code top-level domain A top-level domain for a country or territory, usually two letters long. Full definition set their own rules. As of October 2026, a .es name is deactivated at expiry and, if it is not paid, de-registered and available 10 days after expiry.

How drop catching services compete

Each ICANN-accredited registrar deals with the registries directly, so a catcher with more accreditations can send more registration requests at the drop. The industry widely says that registries limit each registrar’s requests, which would explain this.

The scale shows in the registrar list kept by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA Internet Assigned Numbers Authority The functions that coordinate the root zone, IP addresses and protocol numbers. Full definition). As of October 2026 it lists 3,320 accredited registrar IDs. Of these, 1,501 (about 45%) are named “DropCatch A drop catching service that uses a very large number of registrar accreditations. Full definition” followed by a number, 98 are named “SNAPNAMES” followed by a number, and 500 use the RDAP Registration Data Access Protocol The modern protocol for looking up domain registration data, replacing WHOIS. Full definition server of another company, Gname.

Each accreditation has a cost. As of October 2026, ICANN charges a non-refundable application fee of US$3,500, an annual fee of US$4,000, a share of a variable fee that it splits among all registrars regardless of size, and US$0.20 per transaction. An accreditation lasts five years.

Backorders, auctions and fees

A backorder A paid request to catch a domain name the moment it is deleted. Full definition is a paid request to a service to try to catch a specific name. If several customers backorder the same name and the service catches it, the service may hold an auction among them.

Prices, auction lengths, minimum bids and what happens when a catch fails are set by each service and can change. Read the terms before placing a backorder.

Some auctions use a reserve price The hidden minimum a domain must reach in an auction to be sold. Full definition: a minimum, usually hidden, below which the seller does not have to sell. An auction with no reserve sells to the highest bidder whatever the amount.

The three terms are related but different: drop catching is the technical act of registering at the drop, a backorder is the customer’s request, and an expired domain auction An auction of a domain whose owner did not renew it. Full definition is a sale that can happen before deletion or after a catch.

How to try to catch a dropping domain

  1. Check the name’s EPP status in a registration data The information kept about a domain and its owner. Full definition lookup. The status redemptionPeriod Status code for a deleted domain that its former holder can still recover. Full definition means the RGP has started; pendingDelete means the final stage.
  2. Estimate the drop: about 30 days of RGP plus five days of pending delete. The registry sets the exact length.
  3. Remember that many names never drop. The registrar may auction the name during the auto-renew grace period, and the holder can restore it during the RGP.
  4. Place a backorder. Some buyers use more than one service; each has its own terms and costs.

What owners can learn from it

  • Renew well before expiry. ICANN itself warns that a registrar may auction a name during the auto-renew A setting that renews a domain automatically so it does not expire. Full definition period.
  • Keep contact details current. Registrars must send at least two reminders, about one month and one week before expiry.
  • Read the registrar’s deletion and auto-renewal policy, which the RAA requires it to show on its website.
  • If a name has expired, renew it during the grace period, if offered, or restore it through the registrar during the 30-day RGP, possibly for a fee.

After the drop, the former holder can only get the name back by buying it from whoever registered it or, where trademark rights are involved, through a dispute such as a UDRP Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy ICANN's out-of-court process for trademark disputes over domain names. Full definition case. A lawyer can advise on a specific situation.

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