One slot per name, only in the last five days
Name.com backorder and domain backorder alternatives for investors
Name.com does sell a backorder. It takes one order per name, only after the name has a drop date in its final 5 days, and refunds you in full if another catcher wins. That works for a single name nobody else wants. For a monthly list, Domaining scores every drop, places backorders by rule and charges only the registration fee on a win, from $49 a month with 25 backorders.
Drop list
Demo board, 40 names| Name | ScoreValue score | Price | vs rule | Expires | Status | Rule result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sample list, not live drop data. No card required to create your account. Domaining is not affiliated with Name.com.
How does a Name.com backorder work?
A Name.com backorder is an order for a name that is about to be deleted by its registry. Name.com accepts it only once the name has a drop date, which in practice means pending delete, the last 5 calendar days of a deletion process that takes about 77 days in total. When the name drops, Name.com tries to register it for you.
Name.com's help center sets out the rules plainly. You place the order from the Deleting Domains page while logged in. Only one customer at Name.com can backorder a given name. If Name.com gets it, the name lands in your account renewed for one year with no further charge. If it does not, the full amount goes back to your card within 2 to 5 business days. And Name.com says outright that a backorder is never a guarantee, because customers of other registrars and drop catchers are going after the same release.
Orders per name at Name.com
1
Window to place it
5 days
Expiry to deletion
~77 days
If you miss
Refund
Source: Name.com help center articles "Backorder basics" and "Placing a backorder on a domain". Name.com notes that the time between a drop date being announced and the release varies by extension, so check each name's WHOIS status instead of counting days from the expiry date.
Where a Name.com backorder falls short
The refund makes a Name.com backorder low risk, and for a long, plain name that nobody else is watching it may be all you need. The trouble starts with names that other buyers want too.
- One registrar at the drop. At release, catchers that run many registrar connections fire at once. A single registrar's attempt is one of many, and the good names are usually gone within seconds.
- Only in the final days. You cannot order a name until it has a drop date, so a name you spotted at expiry has to sit on a reminder for weeks.
- First come, one slot. If another Name.com customer ordered the name first, the button is gone for you, and there is no auction between interested customers.
- One name at a time. Each order is a manual search and checkout. There is no score, no filter by length or age and no rule that orders every match for you.
What happens to a domain that expires at Name.com?
A name registered at Name.com does not go straight to pending delete. The holder first gets a window to renew at the normal price, then a redemption period where only they can restore it, for a fee. Name.com puts the whole path from expiry to deletion at about 77 days.
In between, the name may be sold. Domain Name Wire listed Name.com in March 2026 among 29 registrars that send expired names to GoDaddy Auctions, next to Enom, Tucows, Hostinger, Squarespace and Wix. So a strong Name.com name is often won by a GoDaddy bidder weeks before any backorder could be placed, and only the names that nobody buys and nobody restores reach the drop.
Before the auction
Put the name on a watchlist with domain expiry alerts, so you know the day it expires and can set your ceiling early.
During the auction
If it shows up in GoDaddy's expired auctions, bid up to the value from the domain value estimator and stop there. Our GoDaddy Auctions alternative page covers that route.
At the drop
If it goes unsold into pending delete, both a Name.com backorder and a Domaining backorder can go after it. Holding more than one order on a name you really want is normal practice.
Name.com backorder compared with other ways to catch a drop
Every option below can win a name, and none of them can promise one. They differ in what you pay, when you can order and how much of the work they do for you.
| Option | What it costs | When you can order | Best for | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name.com backorder | Priced in the cart, full refund if missed, one year of registration on a win | Only once a drop date is set, in pending delete | An occasional name that few others want | One slot per name, one registrar at the drop, manual one by one |
| DropCatch | About $59 per caught .com, public auction if contested | Any time before the drop | Contested names where catch speed matters | A fee on every catch adds up on a monthly list; see the DropCatch alternative |
| SnapNames or NameJet | $79 minimum per win | Any time before the drop | Names from their own partner registrars | Higher minimum per name; see the SnapNames alternative |
| GoDaddy expired auction | Winning bid plus a year of registration | While the name is listed, before redemption ends | Strong Name.com names that draw bidders | Every GoDaddy bidder sees the name; GoDaddy's own backorders ended in 2025 |
| Domaining | From $49 a month with 25 backorders, registration fee on a win | Any time, by hand or by rule | Investors and agencies working a list every month | Cannot reach a name the holder restores or a GoDaddy bidder wins |
Fees as published by each service in October 2026; they can change. A fee by fee ranking of drop catchers is in the best domain backorder service comparison.
Which backorder should you use?
It comes down to how many names you chase and how many other buyers chase them with you.
A Name.com backorder is enough when
- You want one or two names a year and already hold your names at Name.com
- The name is long or niche, so few catchers are likely to fire on it
- You will remember to come back and order it once the drop date appears
Use Domaining when
- You follow dozens of expiring names a month across many registrars, not only Name.com
- You want backorder rules to order every match by score, length, age and price cap
- You would rather pay a flat plan than a fee on every caught name
How to catch an expiring Name.com domain
From the WHOIS lookup to the name in your account, in four steps.
-
01
Read the WHOIS
Check the registrar of record and the status. Name.com plus a past expiry date means renewal window, auction or redemption; pendingDelete means the drop is days away.
-
02
Score it and set a ceiling
Run it through the estimator, read the reasons behind the score and write down the most the name is worth to you.
-
03
Watch for the auction
Add it to a watchlist. If it appears in the GoDaddy expired auction, bid up to your ceiling and no further.
-
04
Backorder the drop
If it reaches pending delete unsold, place your backorder. Two Domaining members on one name settle it in a private auction.
The full mechanics of orders, wins and member auctions are on the backorder domain names page, and the speed side of the drop is explained under drop catching.
Who backorders Name.com domains
Name.com has registered names since the early 2000s and is popular with developers and startups through its API, so its expiring list carries a lot of short project names, side business brands and tech words that a founder let lapse.
Investors
Who restock with brandable and aged domain names and resell them on the domain marketplace with no commission.
Agencies
Picking up a client's old brand name, or a better local service name, when an old account lapses.
Founders
Whose exact product .com sits at Name.com with an expiry date that has already passed.
Multi-registrar buyers
Covering Name.com next to the Enom backorder and Porkbun backorder routes from one list.
Questions about Name.com backorders
Does Name.com offer domain backorders?
Yes. Name.com sells a backorder for names that have entered pending delete and have a set drop date. You place it from the Deleting Domains page while logged in, and Name.com tries to register the name when the registry releases it. If someone else gets it first, Name.com refunds the full amount to your card.
How do I backorder a domain on Name.com?
Log in, open the Deleting Domains page, search for the name and filter the results. If the name already has a drop date and nobody at Name.com has backordered it, a Backorder button appears. Add it to the cart and check out. You can see and cancel open backorders in the backorder section of your account.
When can you place a backorder at Name.com?
Only once the name has a drop date, which in practice means it has reached the pending delete stage. Name.com describes pending delete as the last 5 calendar days of a deletion process that takes about 77 days in total. Before that point the name may still be renewed or redeemed, so Name.com does not take the order.
Can two people backorder the same domain at Name.com?
No. Name.com allows one backorder per domain name, so the first customer to order it holds the only slot at Name.com. That customer still competes with drop catchers and customers of other registrars at the moment of release, which is why Name.com says a backorder is never a guarantee.
What happens if my Name.com backorder fails?
Name.com automatically refunds the full amount to your original payment method, and the refund takes 2 to 5 business days. You are emailed as the backorder moves along. A failed backorder usually means a faster catcher registered the name in the first seconds after the drop.
What happens when a domain registered at Name.com expires?
The holder gets a period to renew at the normal price, then a redemption window with a restore fee. Domain Name Wire listed Name.com in March 2026 among 29 registrars that send expired names to GoDaddy Auctions, so a good name is often sold there before it ever reaches pending delete.
Is a Name.com backorder enough to catch a good name?
For a name nobody else wants, often yes. For a short, aged or keyword-rich name, usually no, because DropCatch, SnapNames and other catchers run many registrar connections at the drop, and several of them may hold orders for it. Covering the name in more than one place raises your odds.
How much does a Domaining backorder cost compared with Name.com?
Name.com prices each backorder in the cart and refunds it if you miss. Domaining is a plan, from $49 a month with 25 backorders, and a name you win costs only its registration fee. If several members order the same name, a private auction between them decides it and the winner pays the closing bid.
Is Domaining affiliated with Name.com?
No. Domaining is an independent platform with no tie to Name.com, Identity Digital or GoDaddy. The details on this page come from Name.com's public help center articles on backorders and from Domain Name Wire reporting, so check the live WHOIS status of each name before you rely on a date.
Backorder the whole list, not one name at a time
Score every drop, let rules place the orders and pay only the registration fee on a win. Plans start at $49 a month with 25 backorders. Compare limits on pricing.