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I have won several domains in the past and this is the first time I won the domain and then had the auction canceled because the owner renewed it at almost the last minute.

I have heard this could happen when someone else complained about it on Namepros.com. I understood how he felt, but at the time considered the rights of the current owner to be greater than those that want to scoop up a good domain that someone may have forgotten about.

Now I am not so sure.

The thing that I have decided I don't like and IS NOT "FAIR", is that Dynadot posts that if we bid on a domain and then don't pay, they will take steps against us, like banning us from bidding again. So Dynadot thinks it is a bad thing to have a "breach of contract" by us, but not by Dynadot.

Perhaps the situation has been explained so that people are "warned" but once I had to pay for the domain, I considered that to be a done deal. If it's NOT a done deal, you should not take my money. If you Do take my money, and don't deliver the domain as expected then you should refund 200% of my money. Or something like that.

But if you don't do that you should not take my money before you are sure you can deliver the domain because I could be using those funds for something else.

I like Dynadot and that is why I am bothering to explain all this. Thank you, Chris

This could be due to specific Registrants waiting until the last minute to renew their domains, as it does happen. Most users, however, let their domain lapse and the domain is then turned over to the new winner.

In my experience this is not the case. I have had approximately 40% of the domain-names I have won at auction clawed-back by these 'rare' renewals.

Can you provide na example?  That isn't the way our system is set up.

There r plenty of cases when DD snatched a won domains PAST the 40 deadline.

We will certainly discuss your concerns.  For our part,  we expect each bid to be honored and will ban users who fail to pay for auctions-wins.  Because of this,  we do not feel the auction prices are artificially inflated.  Yes, sometimes people do not pay, but we believe it was their intention to do so.

Dear DD Staff
There were TWO issues under discussion here. The 2nd issue, that of bogus price inflation or auction price abomination, is what your explanation does not address.

The first issue we realise is largely out of DD control. But the reality of forcing an honest bidder to pay the dishonest price (what I will call any final price where the high bidder vanishes and does not pay) - left by the un-paying high bidder, IS totally in DD control.

As  b_c_heusden_be points out, it is silly thing to do. A bidder who honestly bids, and the High Bidder Drops out after the auction --  should be allowed to then pay his last bid price -- just like eBay and Godaddy. It MAKES NO SENSE for DyndaDot to uphold the non-paying high-bidder's phoney last bid.

I would like to see this issue addressed, as it comes up much more often than the rare last-minute purchase, etc.
BarryG

This is a rare loophole in the auction system.  When a domain (COM/NET) expires,  the Registrant has a 40 day Renewal Grace Period.  They are entitled to this period by ICANN.  After the 40 days, the domain is deleted from the Registrar's database and though it can be restored,  it is a much more difficult, expensive and time-consuming process.  

What we do is list the domain at auction once it has been expired for 30 days.  The auction lasts 7 days, leaving a 3 day window in which the original Registrant can still renew the domain.  It is rare that this will happen because they have let the domain lapse for over 30 days at this point.  

I understand that this can be incredibly frustrating for the auction winner but we try to remain to everyone.  This process is discussed in our help files as well as in our Service Agreement.

@b_godzilla_us

I understand how you feel.

In Godaddy if for example you have a bid of $25 on an auction and a bid war starts with you and a some bogus bidder and the bid ends at $200 with the bogus bidder having the highest bid then at least when this bidder doesn't pay up I don't have to pay $195 but only $25 since that was my highest bid before this non-paying bidder jacked up the price.

In dynadot on the other hand to get the domain you would have to pay your highest bid of $195 (or even the full $200, I'm not sure) if the highest bidder doesn't pay up.

Kinda silly if you ask me but everyone has their own rules.


 [This post has been edited by b_c_heusden_be on Jul 28, 2012 12:14am.]

It's very common, happened to me as well

I know how you feel, but I think you are only half-correct. The rules where a person can pick something up at the last second are not made by Dynadot; there is something like a 5 day period after the 30 days where one can still get the domain. As far as the funds go, it was my understanding that Dynadot refunds (or credits our account)when a domain cannot be purchased after this fashion -- which of course is outside of DD's purview. I do not know because your situation (as a buyer) has not happened to me. I would like to know :-)

As far as the penalties, I believe there is good cause for DD to chastise people who do not purchase. I was really pissed off to have another buyer jack up the auction price beyond what I felt marketable -- so when the guy was terminated DD came back to me if I wanted the domain -- but at the same bogus price left by the phony buyer. Which was more than I felt proper. But they would not go back down to the last price I[/] had offered.

So, (1) all the idiot has to do is come back under a new name and (2) it is stupid to offer the bogus price, everyone loses. eBay at least allows the the last price bid by ME, not the stupid price. So that is my beef.

BG