Beginner Help with Domains

[Otterhead]

I'm jumping back into the fray! I've dabbled a bit here and there in building websites and helping a family member with theirs, but most of what I do is Google search/trial and error learning. At one point I had their website running with PayPal buttons for their store and was looking at getting more involved (like with Zen Cart), hosting it with MDD. I had to take a break for more than a year and someone else took over their website stuff. Now the family member has asked me to come back and set it up again. This time however I've got a bit of a domain mess to figure out and I don't know how to go about doing it, so any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

Domain A (main .com one): Stolen by GoDaddy a few years ago when I accidentally let it lapse in registration. They still hold it, WHOIS listing domainsbyproxy. Oh joy. It expires in March and I'm hoping by some miracle I can get it from them, because we would really like it back without paying an arm/leg/torso, or having to use GoDaddy (ugh). Are backordering/acquiring services the only way to go here?

 

Domain B (main .net one): Registered through Melbourne IT, the registrar behind Microsoft Office Live when it was running. I simply kept renewing it for one year at a time through them, and it expires in February, so I need to figure out how whether I want to keep it with Melbourne IT, or transfer it somewhere else (and how do I do that?)...

 

Domain C ("store" .com one): a related domain registered by the person who was doing website stuff while I took a break. Short story is that they disappointed my family member greatly and I'm being asked to reclaim what I can from them. The domain expires in February also and I need to know timing wise when I should approach them to get the domain from them and what I need to ask them for to make it happen.

 

Finally, I'm trying to get together a cost list so my family member knows how much getting all three domains together in one place is going to be, so any help there would be great as well. I know MDD offers these services in some form, but I'm having a heck of a time finding prices all in one place without entering everything in separate in my actual client area...

 

Thanks again everyone.

[mrintech]

1. Yes, but you should use a trusted back order service. Back order will only work if Nodaddy don't renew the domain once again! I have seen $50 minimum charge for a back order service.

 

2. Transferring domains from one registrar to another is very easy. You need to Unlock the domain and get the transfer EPP code.

 

First select your preferred registrar and browse through their knowledge base (or open a support ticket with them) and you will get complete information about how to start the transfer?

 

3. If they are fully managing the domain, then you need to ask them to start the transfer process to your preferred registrar. If you have control over the domain, then you can start the transfer process yourself. First gather information about point 2 above.

 

And, you should approach them NOW.

 

I am not mentioning any name of third party service/company as this is MDD's forum