What Is a Backorder?
A backorder is a reservation placed on a domain before it deletes. Multiple services race to register it the millisecond it drops; whoever succeeds gets the domain and auctions it among back-order customers if more than one person placed an order.
Major Drop-Catch Players
- DropCatch – 1,000+ registrars, strongest for .com
- SnapNames – partners with registrars, good for .net/.org
- GoDaddy Backorders – largest user base, $25 credit if fail
- NameJet – premium inventory, often pre-release
Success Rate Stats
DropCatch wins roughly 65% of contested .com drops due to registrar volume. Placing orders at multiple services increases coverage but you may win twice and pay twice; refund policies vary.
How to Place Orders
Create account, deposit $50-$100 credit, search domain, click backorder. You can set max auction bid in advance. No upfront fee at DropCatch; you pay only if you win. GoDaddy charges $25 whether you win or lose (credit applied to future purchase).
Pre-Release vs Pending-Delete
Pre-release names are still at registrar but owner let them expire; registrar auctions them before ICANN deletion. Pending-delete means domain already entered 5-day ICANN purge queue and will drop publicly.
Valuation Before Ordering
Use NameBio comps, check backlink profile (Ahrefs), ensure no trademark UDRP risk. A name with 1,000 educational backlinks may justify $500 back-order even if word is mediocre.
Auction Dynamics
If three people backorder same name, it goes to private 7-day auction. Sniping occurs in last 5 minutes; most platforms extend by 5 minutes if bid arrives late. Budget 30% above your max for end-of-auction emotions.
Payment & Transfer
Winning domains land in your account within 24 hours. You must pay within 48 hours or lose the name and get banned. Transfer out is free after 60 days; push to another user inside same registrar is instant.
Alternative Strategy: Closeouts
If a name receives zero backorders it hits “closeout” pricing ($5-$15) for 24 hours. Monitor DropCatch closeout feed; you can flip decent names for $50-$200 on NamePros without any auction battle.
Risk Mitigation
Never backorder trademark typos like “amaz0n.com”. Limit total exposure to 5% of annual domain budget. Diversify across niches: geo, generic, brandable, numeric, to smooth ROI volatility.