The sections below describe the major concepts and process of the Tucows auction service.

In this topic

• Proxy Bidding
• Maximum Bid
• Reserves
• Currency
• Escrow period
• Refunds
• Renewal fee
• Bid increments
• Timing considerations

Proxy Bidding

You place your maximum bid by using the proxy bidding system during a 3-to-5 day challenger auction. The highest bid determines the winner of the domain at the end of the auction.

Maximum Bid

When placing a bid, you will be asked to enter your maximum bid amount. Subsequently, during a live auction, the Domain Name Auction service’s proxy bidding system will bid up to this amount on your behalf. Once the current bid amount exceeds your maximum bid, the system will no longer place bids on your behalf.

Reserves

The minimum reserve on auctions must be a universal configurable price that if only one bid is placed on that domain, the domain will be sold for that reserve price.

Currency

Auctions are performed in U.S. currency.

Escrow period

If won in auction, a domain is placed in escrow and held for 100 days total from the expiry date, with a 24 - 48 hour margin. The domain will be released to the winning bidder at the end of the escrow period.

Note:: The original registrant can redeem the domain during the escrow period. If the original owner redeems the domain, the winner of the auction will not be granted the domain, but will be refunded the bid amount paid.

Refunds

If a domain is won in auction but the original owner redeems the domain during the escrow period, the winning bidder will not be granted the domain, but will be refunded the bid amount paid. Refunds will be credited to the credit card used to pay the winning bid, and will be applied within 10 business days from the date that the domain was redeemed.  A domain can be redeemed any time during the 61-day period after the auction end.

Renewal fee

Winning bids may be subject to a renewal fee for the domain; the winning bid amount does not include the renewal fee.  The renewal fee adds one year to the domain’s registration. If a renewal fee is applied, your auction provider will determine this amount and will notify you of the cost. Renewal fees are billed in a separate transaction and cannot be included in the auction payment transaction.

Bid increments

Bid increments are preset by the Domain Name Auction service. Bid increments can be $1, $2, $5, $10, $25, $50, and $100 U.S. depending on the next user’s maximum (proxy) bid.

Here are the increments required by bid range:

Note:At e3internet, the winning bid amount does include the first year renewal/registration fee for the domain.

Timing considerations

A domain name goes through several stages before it expires. Details concerning the Domain Name Auction timeline follow.

5 days before a domain expires:

Renewal message sent by Reseller to current registrant.
Payment and contact information captured.

The day the domain expires:

Domain is put on Registrar hold.
Domain name does not resolve.

25 days after a domain expires:

All domains not currently renewed are flagged as available for auction, and are announced as an upcoming auction.

33 days after a domain expires:

Auction starts.

36 to 38 days after a domain expires:

Auction ends.
Email sent to winning bidder.
Any domains not flagged with a winning bid are deleted.

39 days after a domain expires:

The original registrant can renew a domain from expiry until now.

40 days after a domain expires:

The original owner can no longer renew the domain; however, the owner can redeem the domain between now and the next 60 days.
If won in auction, the domain is placed in escrow and held for 60 - 61 days. The domain is held for the winning bidder and will be released to that bidder at the end of the escrow period.

Note: The original registrant can redeem the domain between now and the next 60 days, while the domain is in escrow. If the original registrant redeems the domain, the winner of the auction will not be granted the domain, but will be refunded their bid amount.

75+ days after a domain expires:

Unless a bid was placed on the domain name, it will be released by the Registry.  

100+ days after a domain expires:

Winning auction name is released from escrow to the winning bidder.
Once a winning bidder obtains a domain name, all the regular domain rules apply, for example, no transfers for 60 days, etc.