--- id: "drop-catching" kind: "glossary-term" title: "drop catching" language: "en" category: "Aftermarket and investing" updated: "2026-10-10T10:28:55Z" canonical: "https://tldlog.com/glossary/drop-catching/" translations: es: "https://tldlog.com/es/glosario/captura-dominios-liberados/" de: "https://tldlog.com/de/glossar/drop-catching/" fr: "https://tldlog.com/fr/glossaire/capture-noms-domaine-liberes/" it: "https://tldlog.com/it/glossario/drop-catching/" pt-BR: "https://tldlog.com/pt/glossario/drop-catching/" ru: "https://tldlog.com/ru/glossariy/perekhvat-osvobozhdayushchikhsya-domenov/" zh-Hans: "https://tldlog.com/zh/cihui/shanchu-yuming-qiangzhu/" --- # drop catching Trying to register a domain the instant it is deleted and released by the registry, using fast automated systems. Services that do this often sell the caught name by auction if more than one customer wanted it. When a domain name 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 name that nobody renews passes through several stages before it is released. At the end of the last stage, pending delete, the registry purges the name from its database and, in the words of ICANN's page on EPP status codes, it "becomes available for registration". That moment is the drop. Drop catching means trying to register the name at the drop. Specialized services run automated systems that send registration requests through registrars as soon as the name is released. No ICANN rule gives the former holder priority after the drop: the protections of ICANN's Expired Registration Recovery Policy (ERRP) end with the redemption grace period. ## How expired domains reach auction Expired names can be auctioned at two different times. 1. **Before deletion.** After expiry, a registrar may offer an auto-renew grace period of 1 to 45 days. ICANN warns registrants 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, NameJet and SnapNames 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 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (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). The name stops working, cannot be transferred, and the former holder can still restore it, through the registrar. 4. Pending delete: five calendar days according to ICANN, although RFC 3915 leaves the length to each registry. 5. Purge and drop. ccTLDs 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). As of October 2026 it lists 3,320 accredited registrar IDs. Of these, 1,501 (about 45%) are named "DropCatch.com" followed by a number, 98 are named "SNAPNAMES" followed by a number, and 500 use the RDAP 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 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: 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 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 lookup. The status redemptionPeriod 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 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 case. A lawyer can advise on a specific situation. ## Sources - [5 Things every Domain Name Registrant should know about ICANN's Expired Registration Recovery Policy (ERRP)](https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/registrant-about-errp-2018-12-07-en) - [EPP Status Codes | What Do They Mean, and Why Should I Know?](https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/epp-status-codes-2014-06-16-en) - [Registrar Accreditation Agreement (current text, 21 January 2024)](https://itp.cdn.icann.org/en/files/accredited-registrars/registrar-accreditation-agreement-21jan24-en.htm) - [Registrar IDs (IANA registry), CSV export](https://www.iana.org/assignments/registrar-ids/registrar-ids-1.csv) ## related terms - [drop](https://tldlog.com/glossary/drop/) - [backorder](https://tldlog.com/glossary/backorder/) - [pending delete](https://tldlog.com/glossary/pending-delete/) - [expired domain auction](https://tldlog.com/glossary/expired-domain-auction/)