Expired domain auction

Why it matters

Registrars often auction expiring names during the grace period before they go to deletion. Winners pay their bid and a renewal fee, and then receive the name. Auctions can give a buyer a chance to get a name the owner no longer wants. Competition is strong for good names, and drop catchers watch the same lists. Check the name's history first. Common mistake: bidding on a name with a spam past. Google lists expired domain abuse as a spam practice when a lapsed domain is reused to game rankings.

Source: developers.google.com