Just as thousands of new domains are registered every day, many are cancelled or are not renewed. These domains, about to be released (TBR for short) from their current owner become available to the public, but this happens through a unique process that’s not necessarily intuitive. Here’s what you need to know to be able to get a TBR domain for yourself.
When the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) releases a canceled or expired dot-CA domain name, it becomes available for registration during a special registration period held every Wednesday at 3:00PM (Eastern Time).
The Importance of Timing
Some TBR domain names that are being released can be very valuable. Because a list of all the domains to be released is posted ahead of time, everyone is aware of what’s at stake, and naturally there’s a race to grab the most valuable domains. The only way to guarantee you get the TBR domain you want is to have your registrar put in a registration request before any other registrar does.
The TBR registration period begins at 3pm on Wednesdays, and registrars can only begin submitting registration requests at that time. CIRA only allows each registrar a single connection to their TBR system, and registrars can only submit 1 registration request every 5 seconds. These limits are strictly enforced by CIRA’s systems and there are absolutely no exceptions for any registrar.
What this means to you is that you want to work with a registrar who has the fastest and most efficient way of placing these domain orders.
At CanSpace Hosting Solutions, we make this process simple. By paying a fee, you can guarantee one of a few spots, from first in line to fifth in line. Since these orders can only happen at intervals of 5 seconds, that means these first 5 requests are all submitted in the first 25 seconds the registration window is open.
The “1st in line” option is obviously the most expensive, and virtually guarantees you will get the domain you want. Oftentimes 2nd, 3rd, or even 10th in line is sufficient to guarantee the domain you are after (don’t forget that other registrars may have dozens of TBR orders to put in, and they may be submitting them manually). The further along in the line you are, the less the option costs. Again, we do not bill you up front for the front-of-the-line guarantees either, we only AUTHORIZE your credit card for the amount. If we do not get the domain you want, we release the entire hold, including the front of the line fees.
Once the “1st in line” option is purchased for a particular registration period, it will not be available to anyone else to purchase. To see which spots are available for the next TBR period, and to see pricing options, please proceed to our order page.
Our fees for these guaranteed spots are:
- 1st in line $349CAD
- 2nd in line $299CAD
- 3rd in line $249CAD
- 4th in line $199CAD
- 5th in line $149CAD
Ready to look for your next domain? To view the domain names that are going to be released next Wednesday at 3:00PM, see CIRA’s list at https://cira.ca/ca-domains/tbr.
