The Official Domain Name Drop List is the list of .au domain names which will ‘drop’ (be deleted or ‘purged’) from the registry.
Once a name is purged from the registry it becomes available to register again by the general public.
The drop list is updated and published every day and is divided into two sections:
Deleted domain names: Names which registrants have requested be deleted, or names which have been deleted due to policy breaches. Names in this category can restored by the registrar right up until the purge time.
Expired domain names: Names which have not been renewed by the registrant.
The purge cycle is an automated process which the registry runs every day. Deleted names are purged at 1:00pm AEST. Expired domains are purged from the registry at 1:30PM AEST.
How to read the drop list
The drop list .csv files contain the following fields:
- Date
- Eligible purge time (in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC))
- Domain name
It’s important to note the date and eligible purged time are not when the domain will be purged, but when they become eligible to be purged at the next purge cycle.
To work out exactly when a name will drop, add 10 hours to convert the time and date to AEST, and the name will be purged at the next scheduled purge cycle. If the time listed for a name is before 1:00pm AEST, it will drop that day. If it is after the 1pm AEST, it will drop the next day.
Example:
I’ve spotted a name on the deleted name list I’m interested in:
Date: 16/12/2021
Eligible Purge time: 15:04:50
Name: deletedexample.net.au
Add 10 hours to convert the time and date to AEST
Converted Date: 17/12/2021
Converted Eligible Purge Time: 01:04:50 (1.04am AEST)
The name will be available to be re-registered at the next purge cycle after the converted time which in this case will be 17/12/2021 at 1 .00PM AEST.
‘Catching’ dropped names
Once a name is purged from the registry, it becomes available to register by the general public on a first-come, first served basis like any other available domain name.
Some names, particularly if they’re a generic word or very short, may have several people interested in registering them. If you think a name might be popular or it is important to you to register it, you can engage a company known as a ‘drop catcher’. These companies use software to catch names as soon as they’re purged from the registry.
Where there are multiple parties interested in a name, you will need to need bid against them via the drop catcher to secure the name.
It’s important to note that using a drop catcher doesn’t guaranteed you’ll acquire a particular name, but it does increase your chances.
Category: Managing your .au domain name
