Domain backorder: get a taken domain name the moment it is released

Want a domain name that is taken or in quarantine? Place a backorder with LJPc. We then check the name every five minutes, day and night, and register it in your name automatically the moment it becomes available. Placing a backorder is free: you only pay once the registration has succeeded.

This guide explains when a taken domain becomes available again, how to place a backorder in the customer portal, what the messages and statuses mean and what you get when the catch succeeds.

What is a domain backorder?

A domain backorder is a standing request to register a domain name as soon as it can be registered again. You use it for a name that belongs to someone else today but may be released, for example because the owner cancelled it or let it expire. Once the registry releases such a name, anyone may register it, and whoever is first gets it.

With a backorder we watch that moment for you. As soon as the name is free, we register it straight away.

When does an expired or cancelled domain become available?

A domain becomes available when its owner cancels it or stops renewing it. The registry then holds the name for a while so the previous owner can still restore it. Only after that period can someone else register it.

If the owner keeps renewing the name, it stays theirs and your backorder stays Active until you cancel it. So check the status of the name in WHOIS first. For a .nl name the SIDN Whois shows the status In quarantine once the name has been cancelled. For .com and other generic extensions that phase shows up as redemptionPeriod or pendingDelete. Read more about WHOIS in how to manage WHOIS data for your domain.

Where to find backorders in the customer portal

You find backorders in the menu under Services > Backorders. On the Hosting and domain names page they also have their own tab, Backorders, next to Sites, Domains and WHOIS contacts, with the number of running backorders in brackets. You can also press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on a Mac) and search for Backorders.

Backorders are enabled per account. If you do not see Backorders in the menu, request it through a support ticket. If you work with sub-accounts, the main account can give a sub-account the backorder permission as well, as described in sub-accounts in the customer portal. All backorders of the account are then listed in one place.

If an invoice is 9 or more days past its due date, the portal locks the Backorders page until that invoice is paid, in the same way as the pages of your domains and sites. Your running backorders keep running in the meantime. See paying invoices in the customer portal for how to pay.

How to place a backorder

1. Log in to the customer portal and go to Services > Backorders. See log in to the customer portal if you need help signing in.
2. Under New backorder, enter the domain name, for example yourdomain.com, and click Check. If you paste a web address with https:// or www, the portal strips that off for you.
3. If the name is taken, a green panel tells you that you can place a backorder. It also shows the current yearly price excluding VAT and a note that you pay the yearly price that applies at the moment of registration.
4. Click Place backorder. You see the message Backorder placed and the name appears under Your backorders with the status Active.

If the name is already available, the portal tells you so and shows an Order now button. It opens the order wizard with the name filled in and checked, so you can register it right away. See how to order a domain and hosting in the customer portal for the steps.

Make sure your default contact is complete

Because we register the name automatically, also when you are offline, the portal checks when you place the backorder that your registrant details are complete for that extension. The name is registered to the WHOIS contact with the Default label. If that contact lacks details the extension requires, the portal says so and you complete the contact first through Manage your WHOIS contacts. Then click Check again. The WHOIS article above explains how to choose and complete a default contact.

What the message after Check means

How much does a domain backorder cost?

Placing a backorder and keeping it running is free. When we register the name for you, you pay the yearly price of that extension as it stands at the moment of registration. When you place the backorder, the portal shows the current yearly price excluding VAT. That is the price for your account: if you have a value pack with a domain benefit, it is already included.

The invoice follows automatically after the registration, in a separate email. With direct debit the amount is collected automatically; otherwise you pay through the payment link in the email. After that the domain renews automatically every year, like your other domains. If the registration does not succeed, you pay nothing.

What the backorder statuses mean

What you get when the catch succeeds

• An email with the subject Success! yourdomain.com has been registered for you. The name is then in your name and active immediately.
• The domain appears in the portal under Services > Domains, with auto-renewal switched on.
• We put the name on our nameservers (ns1, ns2 and ns3.ljpc.network) and create a DNS zone with basic settings right away. You manage the records in that zone yourself in the portal, as explained in manage DNS records in the customer portal and Plesk.
• The basic settings protect your new name against abuse from day one: an SPF record and a DMARC record make sure nobody sends email on behalf of the domain. Want a website or email on it? Contact us to link the name to your hosting. How to register a domain and link it to your hosting explains what linking involves.

If someone else got the name first, you receive the email Update on your backorder for yourdomain.com. If the name was released as a premium domain, you receive the email yourdomain.com became available as a premium domain. Reply to that email if you still want the name, and we will look up the current premium price and arrange the registration.

How to cancel a backorder

No longer want the name? Under Your backorders, click Cancel next to the backorder and confirm in the dialog. The button is there for as long as the backorder is running. The backorder gets the status Cancelled and you pay nothing. Changed your mind later? You can place a new backorder at any time.