What is domain backorder and monitoring?

 Note: As of August 8, 2024, backorder credits will no longer be available for purchase.  Existing credits can be used until August 8, 2025, after which the credits will be removed from your account.

Domain backordering is a method to acquire a registered domain, and monitoring lets you know when a domain's settings change. Check out some of the most commonly asked questions for backorders and monitoring.

Select a question to see its answer:

• What is a domain backorder?
• Does a backorder guarantee domain registration?
• Can more than one person backorder the same domain
• What is domain monitoring?
• Why are some domains unavailable for backorder?
• What happens after I backorder a domain?
• I didn’t get my backorder – what should I do next?

What is a domain backorder?

A domain backorder is a service that helps you attempt to acquire a domain when it becomes available for registration. You can think of backorder like putting a reservation on a domain — you put your name on a list and when the domain expires, you'll get a chance to register it before anyone else. Purchasing a backorder also includes a Domain Monitoring membership, a Wurk Auctions® membership, $25 USD toward your first auction bid, and one year of domain name registration. Domains that aren't expired yet don't include one year registration if the backorder is successful. Customers who won an expired domain auction that started on or after the 30th of October, 2023 through a backorder, will be asked to pay an additional $15 USD.

Does a backorder guarantee domain registration?

No. The Domain Backorders service doesn't guarantee you'll acquire a domain name. When you place a backorder, we attempt to acquire the domain name for you when it becomes available for registration. If it's listed for auction, we provide you instructions on how to participate.

If a backordered domain name becomes available, but our service fails to acquire it, or you lose the auction, you can reassign the backorder to another domain name. If we are not able to acquire your domain name, we notify you by email.

Can more than one person backorder the same domain?

Prior to March 2009, we allowed only one backorder per domain name. This means that if another customer placed a backorder on a domain name prior to March 2009, you can't backorder the same domain so long as the original backorder remains in effect. If a backorder was placed on a domain after March 2009, you can still place a backorder on the same domain.

What is domain monitoring?

Domain monitoring tracks changes to certain domain settings so you receive an email when these settings are changed. By default, the administrative contact receives all monitoring notifications, but you can also set up two additional contacts.

Monitoring is set up for one year at a time. To continue monitoring domain, you must renew the monitoring. Monitoring is supported on domains with the following extensions: .com, .us, .biz, .net, .org, .info, ,me, .mobi, or .co. You'll be notified when any changes are made to the following domain settings:

• Registrar: Changes to the registrar could indicate a domain transfer
• Status: Certain actions will change the status of a domain, such as unlocking or expiration
• Expiration Date: The expiration date might change if the current registrar renews or cancels the domain
• Nameservers: Changing the nameservers of a domain affects DNS management

Why are some domains not available for backorder?

There are a few situations where a domain might not be eligible for backorder.

• Single backorder policy — Prior to March 2009, we allowed only one backorder per domain. If someone placed a backorder on a domain prior to March 2009, no other backorder can be placed on the same domain so long as the original backorder remains effective.
• Domain extension not supported — We support backorders for the following domain extensions: .biz, .co, .com, .info, .me, .mobi, .net, .org, and .us.
• Blocked — We block customers from backordering certain domain names.
• Registry Premium domains: At this time, we don't offer backorders for registry premium domains.

What happens after I backorder a domain?

After you backorder a domain, we recommend setting up domain monitoring to stay up-to-date on any changes to the domain. The next steps depend on where the domain is currently registered and whether we're able to capture the backorder. Check out the full process for more details.

I didn't get my backorder — what should I do next?

There are many reasons we might not be able to capture a backorder for you. If this happens, you can keep the backorder on the same domain to try again the next time it expires. Or, you can change your backorder to a different domain, at no cost to you.

Related steps

• Ready to get started? Purchase a domain backorder and set it it up in your Wurk account.
• You can also set up domain monitoring to keep an eye on domains you're interested in.

More info

• Update the contact info for your backordered domains.
• Use two-step verification to protect your entire Wurk account.