I was trying to pickup http://goalbot.com about a year ago when it was on the verge of expiration. When I did some research the whole auction process seemed unreliable and a bit overwhelming to me, so I contacted the owner and got the domain for a very reasonable price. He obviously wasn't planning on renewing, so it worked out perfectly for both of us.
I suppose if I had read this article first I might have put in the extra work, but I'm happy with how everything worked out.
Potential problems with your approach are that he may not respond (worth a shot, though), and that it lets the owner know someone is interested. If he's an asshole, he might renew it unless you pay a high price.
Glad to hear it worked out for you.
Comments
This is absolutely true.
I was trying to pickup http://goalbot.com about a year ago when it was on the verge of expiration. When I did some research the whole auction process seemed unreliable and a bit overwhelming to me, so I contacted the owner and got the domain for a very reasonable price. He obviously wasn't planning on renewing, so it worked out perfectly for both of us.
I suppose if I had read this article first I might have put in the extra work, but I'm happy with how everything worked out.
Potential problems with your approach are that he may not respond (worth a shot, though), and that it lets the owner know someone is interested. If he's an asshole, he might renew it unless you pay a high price. Glad to hear it worked out for you.