Originally posted by: EKKC
i can never transfer my domain
i had it in registerfly.com before, now i want to move to godaddy but it's already expired but someone has my domain "parked" what the heck do i do to get it back? registerfly wants 17 bucks or something to renew it, can they do that???
Been dealing with this since 1995. It actually takes 75 days for a domain to truly be lost. Here's the scoop.
First and foremost, no matter the registrar, an expired domain cannot be transferred.
That said here is the progression.
Domain grace period - Up to 40 days past expiration. The domain can be renewed for no additional charges.
Domain Redemption period - At the end of the grace period the domain enters the redemption period. The domain can still be renewed by its original owner, but there are substantial fees to do so to discourage owners from letting it go this far. Typically around $105 + the domain renewal fee charged by the registrar.
Domain name deletion - 5 days after the end of the redemption period the name will be deleted from the registry. Those of us who deal with this on a daily basis know there are specific times the names are made available.
If you want to know when, Google can provide the answer with some digging. Be advise there is some misinformation out there from people who do not want you to know the times, lest you complete with them to register the good names that are dropped. I recently spent a week in Vegas at a conference where a lot of these ?people? were. It was a sad feeling to see the ruthlessness and greed of some of these guys. They are also responsible for the almost absolute need to use Google as a filter now days. I very rarely try to type a domain in hand since virtually every misspelling of any popular domain is grabbed up and pointed to one of those search pages. (Reverse the N and D in forums.anandtech.com and see what happens. Basturds)
I was floored to hear some of these guys will buy, literally, tens of thousands of domains, track them for 24 hours and use some registrars generous return policy to drop the duds without paying for them.
Oh and if you are still with me, thanks, and do yourself a favor and avoid GoDaddy like the plague.
Hit 1and1.com as they offer $5.99 domain everyday. Also be advised everyone will raise their price shortly as the new ICANN price increases go into effect in October (If I remember correctly)