Domain Sniping Software

[barryhynd]

Just wondering if anybody uses this type of software and how good it is. I have my eye on a domain at present which is currently in a suspended state. In the past pretty much as soon as one of these went back on for sale it was snapped up.

How ethical are these types of software and are they actually any good? Has anyone else actually used them?

[Mark]

If you are looking to pick up a domain that is premium quality (generic, good dictionary words) or has has a good traffic history, then catching domains as soon as they become available again is pretty much required.

How ethical are they? well I think that depends on the context you are looking at it from. Sure they make the playing field unfair, but then, the chances are if it is a decent domain then it is entirely possible someone else is going to try the same tactic to get the domain.

If it is a .co.uk domain, caught.co.uk are a recommended domain catching service on domain forums. I have a couple of domains booked with them at the moment but won't know the outcome for another month or so! (UK domains take 92/99 days to drop after the renewal date).

A man who would likely be in the know on other catching services would be ScottJ on this forum.

[barryhynd]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for that. I've also came accross pool.com have you ever used that before? I guess they pretty much all work along the same lines. You have to wonder thought how they all succeed given that they all cant win. I'm expecting the domain which is .co.uk to be out in the next 10 days so fingers crossed

[Mark]

I've heard of them but not used them myself yet. It's only recently that I've started trying to acquire domains that are in suspended state so my experience is fairly limited at the moment. Mainly getting to grips with how it all works (considering setting up my own catching system for personal use ).

Some catchers may be more successful than others on a particular day depending on how busy they are that day and how popular the domain is. Nominet Registrars (those who register .co.uk's on your behalf) have access to a Domain Availability Checker (DAC). Having a DAC account lets you effectively query (programmatically) the whois database 432,000 times a day versus the 1,000 times a day an individual can.

Obviously, if someone is using all 432,000 queries on a single domain then they will have a far greater chance of getting the domain than someone using maybe 5000 queries on the domain that day. But things like network latency and sheer luck of timing could make it easily go one way or another with domain catchers as the exact time a domain becomes available is unknown.

Good luck with the domain, will have to let us know the outcome!