GoDaddy offer a domain 'backorder' service that takes the hassle out of waiting for domains to drop or go up for sale. Around two years ago I started to watch the .com version of a .co.uk domain used for a private project that I was developing and rebranding for public use. I set a calendar appointment to remind me when the domain was due to expire, only to have a different machine 6 months later with a fresh calendar. A month or two after the expiration point I remember the domain and looked it up - it had been renewed.

The second time I looked the domain up, I did so on GoDaddy's domain search. I was offered a 'backorder' service on the domain for £12 GBP ($19 USD). The fee gets you the service for one year. I decided to give it a try for one year and after that point, give up if they domain was not in my possession.

What is included in GoDaddys Backordering Service?

At the time of purchase, my £12 got me the below.

• GoDaddy Auctions Membership
• DomainAlert(R) Pro Monitoring
• Domain Registration fee if Domain Expires

Part of me considered the above to be good value, though the cynical part of me brushed it off as mostly bulked up sales pitch. After-all, what are the changes the domain would even change let alone end up for sale on GoDaddy's very on auction listings?

A year on and I had an email from GoDaddy telling me the domain had been updated (renewed for another year + DNS updated). I deleted the mail and considered the domain lost as until now the domain had just sat dormant without even as much as a holding page.

Forward a month and I receive another email from GoDaddy telling me the domain has been added put up for auction with them and that they have automatically placed an opening bid of $10. If my bid was beaten, I would be advised. I was sent a link to the GoDaddy auction pages. Two weeks later and I get an email saying I won the auction.

Nice. Seems like a fair deal on all parties - I get the domain I had been following for two years, the previous owners get their requested openning bid on auction.

To Summerise

GoDaddy fulfilled their end of the deal; I have them £12 and they got the domain I have previously failed to get myself.

Overall, I'm happy with the service and would use it again. That being said, I do wonder if the domain was for sale elsewhere such as Sedo, would GoDaddy have picked it up from the name servers and let me know? If it had expired, would they have grabbed it for me in time?

If you have used GoDaddy's Backingordering service, or another backordering service - let us know how you found the experience. I'd be interested to know if I just hit it lucky in this case or if many of their backorders end up fulfilled.