When a domain is purchased initially, the cost is usually minimal — $10-$12 at maximum. Renewing the domain each year insures that this price won’t change much.
Most registrars (we use NameCheap.com exclusively) will allow you to input a Credit Card or PayPal account and set the domains (and hosting) to ‘auto-renew’. This means that they will automatically renew it when it is due to expire, and will send you a notice telling you of the process, one month in advance. This is the safest way to make sure your domain never falls into limbo that might subject it to procurement by ‘scalpers’.
Here we will explore what happens when a domain perceived as popular or desirable, is given up, either because the owner forgot to renew it, or didn’t need it anymore and thought they could easily register it again if they wished.
We often have people come to us to recover a ‘lost’ domain. Sometimes it’s possible (we’ve shamed 2 or 3 ‘scalpers’ into selling back domains to their owners for $10) but sometimes it isn’t because ‘scalpers’ have procured the domain and are now asking some ridiculous price for it they will never get. But still they persist, and the result is, the former owner has lost it forever.
Below is just such an example. The NH Merrimack GOP uses merrimackgop.org (and also holds the .net) because at the time their website was being set up, a GOP group in another state held the .com. However, that group was not wise enough to manage it and have lost it to these scalpers who are attempting to charge $2995.00 for it!
Don’t let this happen to you! We can assist you in making sure your domains are secure, for the original cost or close to it.
