PSA: Don't Use Namecheap | Hacker News Reader

PSA: Don't Use Namecheap

10 pointsanewguy900013 comments

what is the point of a service like namecheap? to find and buy a domain right?

so i am using namecheap to find a domain. i search and search and finally find a domain that suits my needs. i sleep on it before buying it. the next day i decide to go ahead but wait.. it's been taken. by namecheap. and instead of being $10, it's now "make an offer"

thanks ICANN...

are there any registrars who have pledged not to do this?

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You don't use registrars to find domain names -- because some will take advantage of the data you are handing them for free to try to blackmail you into paying more.

You search for domain names using the DNS system itself, via the command line and nslookup or dig. You only go to a registrar once you've identified a name that is not in the DNS, to see if you can buy it.

Is this 'perfect'? No, you'll sometimes find a name that's owned, but has no entry in the DNS system. But you'll also avoid telling disreputable registrars what names you might be willing to buy so they can then decide that the name is "in demand" and raise the price on you.

> You search for domain names using the DNS system itself, via the command line and nslookup or dig. You only go to a registrar once you've identified a name that is not in the DNS, to see if you can buy it.

Why? There's WHOIS servers, that's how you know if a domain actually exists.

Hi, Tamar from Namecheap here. This is not a practice we partake in as you can read by the comments. Please share the domain in question via DM (I use the same name on reddit if that helps). My guess is our service reported it accidentally as available due to a technical miscommunication with the registry but it was already registered. However, I would need to know the domain to do that. Otherwise, we can open an investigation into what would've happened but it is not in our interests to do this for a number of reasons. I would like to see what occurred though, so please be in touch.

thanks, will dm you. do you explicitly state its a practice you do not engage in anywhere other than the comments here? if so it would greatly help folks like myself if it was an error of some kind. the whois record showed it registered after my search, so i dont think a misreporting makes sense. if its a mistake that would be cool, obviously incredibly suspect which led me to read up on it and i found similar stories from others

You don't know if it was Namecheap that sniped it, or if an actual person just registered it. It also doesn't make sense to do front running for them.

And if they did snipe it, why wouldn't they list it for sale? What good does registering tons of domains that people search for and then just... not selling them to the people who wanted them?

It's a baseless accusation.

maybe i wasnt clear - its listed for sale by name cheap. i am open to other explanations, but im just sharing my experience of what happened. the whois record shows name cheap as the owner. thats the "basis" for my point here. why would they do it? well read about what happened with icann, lots has been written about the incentives and state of affairs today. if you could link to some policy that states this practise is not done (like how some companies privacy policy calls out if they sell your data or not), that would be great, but otherwise baseless comments like this are not helpful

> its listed for sale by name cheap

You yourself said it wasn't.

> it's now "make an offer"

"make an offer" shows up for all registered domains, clicking it will show you:

"Powered By DomainAgents"

"This domain is not listed for sale, but you can still make an offer. DomainAgents will track down the domain owner, present your offer, and bring them into the negotiation."

> the whois record shows name cheap as the owner

You mean it shows up as the registrar?

Like this:

> Registrar: NAMECHEAP INC

And possibly:

> Registrant Name: Redacted for Privacy

> Registrant Organization: Privacy service provided by Withheld for Privacy ehf

(that meaning you don't know who actually registered it.)

Do you want to disclose the domain?

got it, thanks. indeed looking again at the whois record, the registrant info is redacted, and the make offer link takes me to domain agents.

so i may have jumped to a conclusion here, but ultimately though my question remains: i searched a domain on namecheap, it was available, and then suddenly it is taken a couple days later. the domain itself appears unused and for auction, and the registrar is also, conveniently, namecheap. so if namecheap isn't the actual registrant holding it for ransom, are searches shared or sold to third parties looking for potentially valuable domains? whatever happened it's hugely suspect - so the net effect is that im hesitant to search with or use namecheap again for my next domain without some insight here

counter-anecdote: I sleep on it a lot and Namecheap has never taken the one I was looking at

What happens if you offer them less than $10? Maybe you can get a deal.

this didnt occur to me but its a good idea lol if its automated maybe it could work, i will try and report back!

minimum bid is $199 :(

That’s some excessive price gouging.

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