As we have seen previously, domain names expire to different schedules, depending on the original registrar they were registered with. Since desirable domain names can be grabbed in seconds once they become available, the only way to have a chance of securing a domain name of value is to be prepared by arming yourself with the knowledge of exactly when it will become available.

There are several sources of expired domain name information, some free and some that require the payment of a subscription or membership fee.

One of the best free resources is DeletedDomains.com. From this site, you can research which domain names have expired in the last 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days or 60 days. The search tool is limited to 2000 results, so if you're searching for a very popular term, you'll want to limit the results you get by specifying a prefix or suffix, narrowing the timespan under consideration, or ignoring domains containing a hyphen or number.

DeletedDomains, while free, still requires a modicum of initiative: you have to come up with the queries to run on the site. If, however, you prefer to simply be informed of ALL domain names expiring on a given date, then you'll want to turn to other resources.

NameWinner.com, as well as offering a domain name grabbing service which we will be covering in the next section, also issues lists from time to time of names that are about to expire. These lists can be viewed by visiting the site and going to the "Starting Line" section in the left-hand column. There, you'll be able to search, view and download the latest list of expiring domain names, if one is available.

If you are willing to pay for expired domain information, there are a number of sources, such as UnclaimedDomains, which mails out a weekly list of all domains expiring that week and LocalWhois, which sells a variety of domain lists and online domain lookup tools.

There are many other similar services out there; try searching for "expired domains" on your favourite search engine.

Always bear in mind that trawling for interesting expired domain names requires effort, whether it's thinking up search terms and feeding them into a search engine, or painstakingly stepping through a long list of expiring names. With over 20,000 domains expiring some days, the hunt for quality names can often feel like searching for a very small needle in a towering haystack - but the effort becomes worthwhile should you succeed in tracking down and registering the expiring domain name you've always wanted...

Which names should I be looking for?

One assumes you're hunting down expiring domain names for one of two reasons: to use the name or to invest in the name for possible resale later. If you're hunting for names to use in building a site or service, you'll already have a list of criteria as to what makes a good name, including suitability to the product or service it is intended for, length and memorability.

When hunting for expiring names, you also need to bear in mind who the previous owner of the name was, and what they were using the name for (if anything). While generally, expiring names can be considered "fair game" in that they are available to be registered by anyone, you doubtless wouldn't wish to fall afoul of the legal department of a giant corporation such as Microsoft or IBM - even if you eventually proved to be in the right.

So, often, a little research into who the previous owner of an expiring domain name was, and what they were using the name for, can be both rewarding and reassuring.

Many times, a simple Whois search is sufficient to reveal the current owner of a domain name that has been placed on hold ready for deletion. However, there can be times (such as when the original Registrant's information has been deleted in the domain record and substituted for information provided by the Registrar) when the ownership information is not as readily available.

This is where the "Wayback Machine" offered by Archive.org can come in handy. This site allows you to view stored "snapshots" of millions of sites around the web as they appeared at different points in time. To check for information on the expiring domain name you're interested in, enter "www.EXPIRINGDOMAIN.com" into the search box at Archive.org's main page, and see if any snapshots have been recorded for an old site at that domain. If some snapshots exist, you can browse the snapshots to try and get an idea of who the previous domain registrant was - and what they were using the domain name for.

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