D&P Is it possible that Namecheap took possession of my expired domain without my permission?

[SleekVulture]

I came across an excellent expired domain with a 40DR that had dofollow backlinks from reputable news sites like nytimes, time.com, and theguardian.

When I checked for its availability on Namecheap, it was listed as available for purchase, and I managed to buy it successfully. However, I immediately received a refund within three seconds, and now the domain is no longer available.

Do you believe that Namecheap may have taken haveion of the domain without my consent?

 

[Upilword]

It used to be a common practice for platforms like Godaddy to secure a domain immediately after it was searched on their interface. It's likely that when you performed the search, it triggered their system to initiate the purchase process. By the time you attempted to buy it, their automated bots had already claimed it. It's unfortunate to hear that you missed out, but it wasn't a case of them stealing it from you—they simply acted faster in securing the domain.

 

[Adtecarmp]

I came across an excellent expired domain with a 40DR that had dofollow backlinks from reputable news sites like nytimes, time.com, and theguardian.

When I checked for its availability on Namecheap, it was listed as available for purchase, and I managed to buy it successfully. However, I immediately received a refund within three seconds, and now the domain is no longer available.

Do you believe that Namecheap may have taken haveion of the domain without my consent?

This situation can occur.

In my personal opinion, it is advisable to avoid purchasing or checking high-value domains through popular hosting platforms, as it increases the likelihood of encountering such circumstances.

 

[AlliLove]

It is possible that previous discussions have taken place regarding the issue of checking domain availability on popular registrars, with others sharing similar experiences.

 

[Birdstoc]

Was it today that it expired and dropped, just moments before you tried to register it? Or had it been unregistered and expired for more than a day?

 

[SleekVulture]

It used to be a common practice for platforms like Godaddy to secure a domain immediately after it was searched on their interface. It's likely that when you performed the search, it triggered their system to initiate the purchase process. By the time you attempted to buy it, their automated bots had already claimed it. It's unfortunate to hear that you missed out, but it wasn't a case of them stealing it from you—they simply acted faster in securing the domain.

I used the term "steal" because I made the purchase and they deducted the money from my PayPal account.

Was it today that it expired and dropped, just moments before you tried to register it? Or had it been unregistered and expired for more than a day?

No, it remained unregistered.

 

[Bubbleanac]

I recall an incident when a friend owned a popular online movie website that received nearly millions of monthly visits. Unfortunately, while using GoDaddy, he accidentally clicked on the option to deactivate the domain, which resulted in an automatic transfer to GoDaddy. When he contacted them, they demanded a considerable sum of money to return the domain, which seemed quite amusing.

 

[Birdstoc]

No, it remained unregistered.

I'm sorry to hear about your experience, especially since they took your money, which constitutes a transaction. Ethical businesses don't operate that way; it seems suspicious.

Are you absolutely sure that your credit card or PayPal information was current and accurate, without any errors that might have triggered a fraud alert? I've even had this happen mistakenly with credit cards I've used for over 20 years.

Did you check the WHOIS information to see if it was redacted or registered by NC at the exact moment you lost the domain?

Have you reached out to their support team?

It seems there are more negative stories about NC than positive ones. I often recommend Namesilo and Namebright, as I've used them for years without any issues, including with their WHOIS services. It seems like NC might have a bot that intercepts registration inputs and compares them against a lookup table.

 

[Proudel]

Yes, they did. It's best to consider using a different registrar next time.

 

[KingDoom]

I highly doubt that.

First, did you verify the exact date it was registered? Most of the time, it’s mistakenly flagged as available when it isn’t.

Second, they didn’t "steal" it, as it was never actually yours to begin with.

 

[Poolab]

To safely check a .com domain before registering, use ICANN WHOIS to see if it's already registered. If it's available, log in to Namesilo and register the domain there.

 

[Mountaili]

I highly doubt that.

First, did you verify the exact date it was registered? Most of the time, it’s mistakenly flagged as available when it isn’t.

Second, they didn’t "steal" it, as it was never actually yours to begin with.

If, after he found the domain, a bot was triggered to purchase it before he could, then it’s still stealing an opportunity. If he can prove this, it could be a significant problem for the company, as it demonstrates bad faith and unethical practices.

 

[KingDoom]

If, after he found the domain, a bot was triggered to purchase it before he could, then it’s still stealing an opportunity. If he can prove this, it could be a significant problem for the company, as it demonstrates bad faith and unethical practices.

Again, there’s a strong possibility that it was never actually “available” in the first place.

 

[GambitTeen]

I don’t think that’s likely. If a company were doing this on a large scale, they would end up purchasing a lot of worthless domains, which isn’t practical. High metrics don’t always equate to high value. If a domain is truly valuable, it would likely be captured by drop-catching services long before you’d have a chance to register it.

It’s more likely an error with the database or API, or just a coincidence. While companies like GoDaddy have been accused of such practices, and Namecheap could potentially do the same, it would probably be on a much smaller scale.

 

[Trippinet]

Again, there’s a strong possibility that it was never actually “available” in the first place.

I’m guessing the original poster didn’t check the WHOIS and the registration date before making this post.
99.99% of the time, the domain was registered years ago (not stolen).

 

[Runnish]

I highly doubt that.

First, did you verify the exact date it was registered? Most of the time, it’s mistakenly flagged as available when it isn’t.

Second, they didn’t "steal" it, as it was never actually yours to begin with.

I was about to say the same thing.

Check the recent WHOIS records to see the exact registration date of the domain.

Lately, there have been a lot of bugs with Namecheap.

 

[Enuentis]

Any updates on the WHOIS records, OP?

 

[Newagen]

Yes, they are doing this—it's not just a coincidence. I've had similar issues with a few of my domains. They were about to expire, so I paid for the renewal, but later received a refund with an explanation that something had gone wrong in their system. They can be quite sneaky. I suspect GoDaddy might be doing the same thing.

I had a similar experience. I tried to buy two valuable domains, but when I added them to my cart, Namecheap's bots were triggered and snatched them up before I could complete my purchase, just three hours later. I created a topic about this and found that the practice is known as "Domain Front Running."

Many people have faced the same issue.

This situation can occur.

In my personal opinion, it is advisable to avoid purchasing or checking high-value domains through popular hosting platforms, as it increases the likelihood of encountering such circumstances.

This is the solution: I stopped checking my acquired domains and those I wanted to buy later on Namecheap, and interestingly, they remain available on WHOIS.

To safely check a .com domain before registering, use ICANN WHOIS to see if it's already registered. If it's available, log in to Namesilo and register the domain there.

This is what I do now.
It seems that many big registrars are untrustworthy, especially when significant money is involved.
I recommend avoiding research on these registrars and sharing this advice with your SEO colleagues. Only search for domains when you’re 99.9999% sure you’re going to buy them, and ensure the "query to buy" process takes less than 5 minutes, hoping you can act faster than Namecheap’s bots or employees.

 

[Felinerone]

I came across an excellent expired domain with a 40DR that had dofollow backlinks from reputable news sites like nytimes, time.com, and theguardian.

When I checked for its availability on Namecheap, it was listed as available for purchase, and I managed to buy it successfully. However, I immediately received a refund within three seconds, and now the domain is no longer available.

Do you believe that Namecheap may have taken haveion of the domain without my consent?

That’s unlikely! I just made a purchase there. Try submitting a ticket to the Risk Management department. This issue might be related to your credit card.