[thelist] registering an expiring domain

[Stephen Rider]

Hi there --

There is a domain out there that someone else owns that I would like to 
get.  It was purchased by a small company that never actually used it 
-- they had a "coming soon" page up for a while, which later 
disappeared.  Now there is nothing at that address.

I've done a whois and found that the domain is expiring in a few months.

Now, as far as this domain goes I am purely a hobbyist -- this would be 
for a personal site.  In other words, I'm not willing to pay a thousand 
dollars for it.

What would be the best way to get this domain?  Wait until it expires 
and then register it?  What happens when a domain does expire -- does 
it go back into the pool right away?  I would write them and offer to 
buy it from them (for $75 or $100 maybe), but I'm afraid that they 
would suddenly decide that the address is worth renewing and try 
charging $$$$.  It is a reasonably good address -- in other words, 
something someone else _might_ want.

Any thoughts?

Regards,
Steve Rider