Last year, I started to buy all kind of expired domains. In most cases, I never heard back from former owners. But for the few times I did, I got 2 different kind of messages. So, this post is for former owners that want their domains back.
Why you lost your domain name?
If you lost your domain name, it's your fault not the new buyer. The main reason is that you forgot to renew the domain. It's that simple in 99.9999% of the time. So, check that your domain is using current payment information or your contact email with the registrar is still good. In many cases, the host/registrar are the same.
Contacting the new owner
It's not STEALING so don't accuse the buyer of that in your first email. Learn ALL the facts first. If you are polite, the new buyer will consider this. At least, I do. If you are a jerk, this will not be in your favor.
That's the 2 kind of message I got: Polite(mostly) and Jerks.
Getting the domain back
In a few cases, I had won the auction but the new owner was able to get it back during a few days. Check if you can first from your registrar.
Making an offer
If the owner agree to sell you the domain back, make a reasonable offer.
In most cases, I paid more than the registration fee. For example, I paid last year $250 for a domain name but I earned it back within a few months. It had traffic exchange but still some traffic I could use.
Also, I do research before and after buying a domain. But, sometimes the domain is parked because I did not have time to get around to it after it was bought.
I don't work for free so that's where the reasonable offer comes in. I want to be paid for my time and for the price I paid for the domain. It's only fair and it's business.
Buying the domain
If you and the seller agree, you should use an escrow service. In my case, I used SEDO. They charged me a 10% fee. I think it's worth it since one or the other might back down or not complete the transaction.
Conclusion
Being polite will be more in your favor to get your domain back. Those that buy older domains will use them to make money whatever the name is.
For example, Google does not mean anything yet it's making money because of what it offer on the site. It will be the same with your domain name. You might just had use it for personal use but I can use a domain to make money from it.
Keywords: Business, domain name, Expired Domain, Internet, Money, price, registrar, SEDO, Traffic