Nick CaristinosThe .CA domain space has grown over the years and, similar to its TLD counter parts like .COM, the best domains are often the hardest to come by. With so many great .CA domain names already taken, how can you increase your chances of getting your hands on one of them? The answer is simple – by monitoring the CIRA .CA TBR (to-be-released) list through Webnames.ca. The TBR lists all .CA domain names that have passed the 30 day post-expiration suspension period and are to be released by CIRA for registration.
Sometimes domain names are registered on speculation, for short term use or to protect emerging brands. Many of these names are not renewed and once the registration term expires, they are suspended for a 30-day period before CIRA fully deletes the domain names and makes them available to the public for registration. The list of these domains is updated weekly and the domains are released each Wednesday for the domains which have passed their 30 day suspension period the previous week. By monitoring this list you can find some great domains that others have simply let expire.
It’s easy to do:
- Go to http://www.webnames.ca/content/tbr.asp
- To view the Webnames.ca TBR list, you can sort the list by domain name or release date.
- Click on the domain name in the list that you wish to pre-book.
- Follow the steps to log into or create your new Webnames.ca account and submit your request.
The best part is there is no charge to use the TBR service and you are only billed if you successfully are rewarded the domain name. That means a no risk chance at getting the domains you want!
A quick look at this weeks TBR list showed some great domains: the60s.ca, make-a-deal.ca, realdeal.ca.
There is no guarantee that by pre-booking a domain name you it will be successfully registered. This is because it could also be submitted by another person pre-booking through another registrar. To help increase your chances, Webnames.ca only takes one request for each domain name on the TBR. This way you are not competing with other Webnames.ca customers for the same domain name.
So the next time you are shopping for domain names, don’t limit yourself to the domains that show as available, check the TBR list and you may find some hidden gems just waiting for a new owner.