While it is still possible to manually "grab" (i.e. register) some expiring domain names at the moment they become available, the competition surrounding the most desirable names has become so heated that manual methods alone are unlikely to do the trick.

An entire mini-industry has sprung up around the grabbing of expiring domain names; while none of the solutions below provide an infallible solution to the problem of securing expiring domain names, they can all help even the playing field a little.

The biggest firm in the expiring name acquisition game, and perhaps the most well-known, is SnapNames.com. For a fee of $69, they provide customers with a "SnapBack" on the domain name of their choice. SnapNames will attempt to register domain names with SnapBacks placed on them at the exact second that they become available, and they have partnered with a number of Registrars, both large and small, to help boost their chance of success.

By purchasing a SnapBack, you are essentially buying into the possibility of obtaining an expiring domain name, since SnapNames doesn't operate at 100% efficiency. SnapBacks last for a year before they expire, so you can "move" a SnapBack onto a different name if SnapNames failed to grab the domain name you wanted. If an entire year elapses without the SnapBack being used, it will expire and you will - essentially - have wasted your money.

NOTE: Because SnapNames only accommodates one SnapName per domain, you need to get into the queue very early for some of the more desirable names. That's why doing the research into expiring domain names is imperative.

Another company that has been having some success in the grabbing game is NameWinner.com. NameWinner operates on a very different model to SnapNames, in that its services are priced fluidly according to an auction model, and that they only charge if they have been successful in obtaining a domain name.

To use the NameWinner service, you need to first go to the site and create an account, then select the domain or domains you want them to monitor, and the price you are willing to bid to get hold of these domains (all bids start at $25). Note that you can only bid on domain names that have already expired, so you'll have to be quick on your feet if you want to get in line for a name (SnapNames.com allows you to place speculative SnapBacks on names that have NOT expired)

As with most auctions, NameWinner allows you to specify both an initial bid and a proxy bid; the latter will be used to bid against others should they decide to contest a domain name.

It's worth noting that NameWinner locks its auction mechanism between 10:00am and 12:00am Pacific Time (essentially, while it is focused on grabbing domain names that are expiring) so you are limited to whatever bid you can place by the cutoff time.

If NameWinner has been successful in obtaining the domain name(s) you requested, they will be held temporarily in limbo until your credit card has been debited, then released to you.

Another player in the domain grabbing arena is ExpireFish.com. The lack of uniformity among expiring domain services comes into play here, as they have yet another method of pricing and conducting their service.

You first open an account at ExpireFish, then set up a second account with their back-end partner site, RegisterFly.com. You have to pre-fill your RegisterFly account with money in order to ensure that ExpireFish will trigger and grab names on your behalf. Note that since the domain names you'll be "chasing" will almost never all expire on the same day, you don't have to pre-pay ALL the domain names you're after - a prepayment to cover 3-4 domain registrations should suffice unless you are a particularly avid grabber.

ExpireFish allows you to monitor an essentially unlimited number of domain names - though you can only monitor a domain name if it is not already being monitored by a different user. As such, it is the most flexible system for monitoring large numbers of domains, though its success rate to date appears lower than NameWinner or SnapNames.

If ExpireFish successfully obtains one of the domain names it was monitoring on your behalf, that domain name is transferred into your RegisterFly account, which is debited the appropriate registration amount.

	To maximize your chances of grabbing an expired name, try and get yourself positioned at the front of the queue for all 3 services listed above. Since NameWinner and ExpireFish only charge for success, you won't be out of pocket if SnapNames grabs the name you're after on your behalf - and if one of the other two services gets it, you can move your SnapBack on to the next target.

Good luck grabbing the domains you want!