
Show HN: Browse recently expired, pronounceable domain names (Part II) - TheMask01
https://decentdrops.com
======
TheMask01
Ha. So here it goes I guess, I’ve been working on this pretty consistently for
too long now (backend mainly).

Inspiration for the project was based off one I made over half a decade ago.
And I gratefully got recognized on HN for it! I saw (my) username that posted
it, tried a few of my go-to password ’s, and boom, I still got it :)

Here was the thread for a trip down memory lane
[https://web.archive.org/web/20160322215116/https://news.ycom...](https://web.archive.org/web/20160322215116/https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9025800)

And the new one is called DecentDrops.com - Would have totally used
DomainInferno again but looks like some squatter had it, hey that’s what I get
for neglecting I guess. Still not sure why.. Updated daily. Sorry I’m bad
about rambling and don’t want to do a (bigger) wall of text but if you’ve got
questions shoot em!

~~~
dang
That thread still works!
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9025800](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9025800).

I didn't see any differences with the archive.org page. It would be
interesting if there were some.

------
tialaramex
As recently expired names, you should be aware that they may suffer an array
of detriments.

Notably:

"Pinned" security properties like recursive HSTS may apply until they expire.
Even if _you_ have only ever operated [http://clown-
photos.example.com/](http://clown-photos.example.com/) and never
[https://clown-photos.example.com/](https://clown-photos.example.com/) the
previous owner of example.com could have set policy saying all names are
HTTPS-only.

Certificates issued in the Web PKI as much as three years ago for names in
these domains may still exist and be valid. In principle some of them might
even not be in CT logs. As new owner you are entitled to have those
certificates revoked, but to do that you first need to know they exist.

Adverse user permissions decisions apply indefinitely. If the previous owner
spewed notifications, or had unsolicited video content the resulting adverse
decisions by users survive the change of ownership. (The other side of this
applies too, if you buy a popular cat video sharing site, you're going to
inherit lots of "allow autoplay" type permissions) but that's something you'd
probably explicitly plan for rather than being a surprise.

White and black lists maintained by third parties may impact you. Whether
that's a DNS blacklist that means some PiHoles block your whole site because
the previous owner was an advertising network, or a spam blacklist that
ensures your newsletter is never seen by its subscribers, that could be a real
problem. Some list maintainers are very responsive, others not so much.

Speaking of lists, the domain could be on the PSL. Again you can ask to be
removed (or indeed added if your planned use would mean the domain should be
on the PSL and isn't). But if you don't realise the domain is PSL listed,
you'll be astonished that it's impossible to get a Let's Encrypt certificate
for *.example.com, or that cookies and frames and other origin-restricted
stuff doesn't work as you expect.

~~~
account42
> Speaking of lists, the domain could be on the PSL.

Public Suffix List for those like me who might not have all the latest TLAs
memorized.

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Suffix_List](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Suffix_List)

------
wtracy
You know, someone needs to make an Iron Chef styled reality TV show where
teams of web developers are each handed a random recently-expired domain name
and challenged to make a viable service that fits that domain.

~~~
pryce
You joke, but I know people who hunt to acquire domain names first, and then
come up with business ideas based on them. Putting it bluntly, I feel that
this is an astoundingly misguided way to operate business ventures, and, so
far, the market seems to agree.

~~~
sbmthakur
> business ideas based on them.

Were any of those converted into an actual business?

~~~
calg
I believe VidaliaOnions.com was born from buying the domain first.

@searchbound on twitter is the owner. It's his thing to acquire a premium
domain first then develop it.

~~~
sbmthakur
> I believe VidaliaOnions.com was born from buying the domain first.

I had come across the Vidalia onions post on HN but missed that bit. Thanks.

------
TheMask01
If anyone's wondering why the results started looking a tad more strange (and
higher rate of unavailable domains on the list), it's because todays list was
just processed over the course of the past. ~20min. Have some jobs spread out
a little to be nice to the server and inconsistencies.

For the next who knows maybe hour or so, from this minute actually, you'll
probably notice a few more than average domains one the list are already
taken. Don't worry i've got my best robot people on it

------
iampims
This is neat. After browsing for several pages, I'm yet to find something that
is a decent name.

In a similar space, I really like [https://park.io](https://park.io)

~~~
doh
Surprising. I just purchased couple that I found there. My rule for a domain
is that needs to be easy to pronounce, preferably it's not a real word,
doesn't have many Google results for the name, doesn't contain w/v, i/y and h.

So for instance snuno doesn't mean anything, 5 letters, easy to pronounce in
all language, people don't get confused when you pronounce it. The name
eventually becomes associated with whatever you put in.

After I saw Mt.Gox taking off, I realized, that the name is challenge only
initially. People will figure it out once they think there is value.

------
shange
R.I.P. cryingbitches.com, gone before I even knew her

~~~
TheMask01
Oh now that's decent!! Which one of you picked it up. I'll pay top dollar!

~~~
consumer451
Hello, very cool site. Nicely done. I have a few questions for you about some
domains I've had for a long time. Please contact me via email at my username
on gmail if you have a moment. Thanks!

------
totetsu
I remember seeing a hacker talk about picking these domains up and setting up
an MX record to collect emails meant for the past registrar. .. Including 2FA
and passwords resets if I recall correctly..

------
eganist
Thanks for this, found a diamond in the rough.

Good on you for restricting people from sending "4" or less for the character
count; I'd probably hide that too and use that for my own needs in your
position, though it only raises the barrier from opportunistic searchers to
people with a mild amount of curl/grep knowledge.

~~~
TheMask01
I don't own a single one nore have tried but I understand many would. Honestly
I did that 100% because they're simply always taken by bots on the spot. It'd
be a waste of space on the site/cluttering the feeds. Our process is muchhhh
slower around the clock as we check all domains and delete any no longer
avail, again to keep the lists tidy, it'd only get everyone's hopes up just to
have them let down. I can guarantee it

~~~
henryfjordan
If I did want a 4 letter domain, how would I get one? Is the best way to pony
up a few grand for one? I plugged a few into a domain-name service and some
were available for as little as $3k...

5 letters, however, $8.99!

~~~
duud
Check out Dropcatch.com, Namejet and GoDaddy Auctions. You can get a decent 4L
com for under $1000 if you're patient. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
but generally speaking you're going to get a much, much better name by
spending $100-1000 at auction then by handregging. There are bots and people
trawling through pending delete lists catching anything good before it becomes
available.

~~~
mrkramer
Domain resellers are trouble but I wonder how lucrative actually domain
reselling is considering lots of people are doing it.

------
xkuc
Thanks for the service! I found a decent 4-letter that I can use as a
pseudonym for political blogging now ;) Grade A!

------
zeveb
a) Really awesomely cool!

b) Kinda sad to read all those names and think that someone once thought,
'hey, this could be my baby.' Sure, I imagine a bunch of them were just
hoovered up by domain squatters, but at least a few of them are failed sites,
right? … right?

~~~
DEADBEEFC0FFEE
Certainly a bit sad. I cannot read those domains without imagining what the
story behind them was.

Justinandsam.com is just heartbreaking.

~~~
ComputerGuru
Why is it heartbreaking? Think positive. Probably just a domain used for a
wedding registry and RSVPs leading up to the event and then no longer needed
after the big day.

------
chrisjarvis
Hmm what business could be built around havecheesewilltravel.com?

~~~
heyitsguay
Grassroots artisan cheese distribution?

~~~
chrisjarvis
I like it! :)

------
y42
Really impressive, and de-motivating for me! :) I was working on something
similar as a side project. The only information that was not easy to get,
because it was not delivered with every DNS request, is the "expiration date".
How did you manage to get it? Or even more interestingly: Are you willing to
give some insights, how you realised it?

------
jlgaddis
Anyone have recommendations for a nice and easy, "no BS" site for selling a
domain? Or even some "we'll (try to) sell it for you and take a commission"
type of place?

I've got _one_ domain that I think I could actually sell for a decent price,
but I just really don't wanna deal with it...

~~~
jasongill
Sedo is by far the easiest. Just list your domains and it's painless. I've
sold well over $100k worth of domains via Sedo over the years with zero
hiccups, despite their somewhat clunky website - can't say the same about
other marketplaces.

~~~
broth
If you don’t mind me asking, what are some of the top domains that you have
sold on Sedo?

~~~
jasongill
Combinations of (something)cloud.com did well, by companies wanting to start
their own cloud services for their industry. Not branded / trademark terms,
just normal words combined with cloud dot com. I'm sure that trend is winding
down but there's always a next big thing.

------
gbmor
After browsing the list for a bit, I really wish I had a use for haterade.org

------
ComputerGuru
Nice site! Just from a UX perspective, I’d advise against a modal dialog
within a second of landing on the page. Consider a dismissible header for the
introduction instead.

------
tkjef
I have sem.fyi available and several other nice 2-3 letter .fyi domains at
[https://rad.fyi](https://rad.fyi)

------
etxm
ButtholeDragon.com

------
andrefuchs
Useful service, congrats on the launch. Do 4 character domains basically never
drop or why is the minimum length 5?

~~~
Jtsummers
There's at least one 4-character domain in the results (easier to find when
you set max to 4), `xuci.org`. So they do drop.

~~~
a_t48
If you squint your...ears it almost sounds like "sushi.org". Not bad.

------
anirudhmurali
Is it possible to add a column with the Page Rank or Domain Authority of the
particular domain?

~~~
TheMask01
You know I briefly looked in to it because I'm not dumb I understand it'd make
this unstoppable, but there's very few options with very high prices. You
never know with what the future holds but yeah, not cheap. Definitely doable
though.

The good thing about 'our' filtering is that it would take down the number of
daily requests to their API, but still...a. lot. I wouldn't say it's out of
the question even remotely, I have the funds but am cautious with my
finances/investments. But you're right and I should definitely give it some
serious though..

~~~
wtracy
That strikes me as a good option for a future "professional" tier of the
website.

------
pdxandi
This is great, but most of these don't seem that pronounceable to me.

------
mkl
knotso.com seems like a very clever name for a knot-tying instruction site or
game. I'm not going to make one though. Anyone keen to?

------
goatherders
Awesome.

I just registered (majorsportsapparelmaker)golf.com

And yes, they make golf shoes and apparel.

So that's fun.

~~~
ComputerGuru
You can’t use it for anything and the only value is in hoping they randomly
decide to contact you and ask to buy it (you can’t approach them because that
is extortion of trademarked property) rather than going through the courts.

~~~
etxm
You can make a “brand name golf sucks” blog.

