nicsell

nicsell, a dropcatcher for European domain extensions

nicsell operates as a domain backorder service, a category the company itself describes as a dropcatcher. Its model allows users to bid on a large number of domains that are currently in the deletion phase, so that a domain about to expire can be secured through an auction rather than registered directly. The service is run by DomainProfi GmbH, which also provides the nicsell service team.

The company presents its combination of low starting prices and a high success rate as the best price-performance ratio in the German-speaking world, a claim that corresponds to its own positioning rather than to an external ranking. Auctions open at a starting bid of €10, and if nicsell does not manage to register the domain, the bidder pays nothing.

How the auction and backorder process works

Users take part in auctions for domains in the deletion phase and can raise their chances of a successful registration through minimum bids. The platform includes a domain alert for automatic notifications on domains of interest and a favorites list for tracking selected domains. Bidding is optimized for bulk participation, so it is not necessary to place bids on each domain individually.

Payment is handled through PayPal, which the company describes as an easy and safe transaction method. The service also allows owners to auction their own domains through nicsell, extending the platform beyond buyers looking to catch expiring names.

Domain extensions available

The catalogue of extensions handled by nicsell covers both country-code and generic endings. The list published on the site includes:

• .de.at.ch and .li for the German-speaking markets
• .eu.be.fr.uk.nl.es.it and .pl within Europe
• .se.nu.cz and .me
• .ai

The auctions shown on the site at the time of writing included names such as eps.de, fro.de, regionalliga.de, frankfurt-macht-schule.de, ristoranteriviera.it, nikonservice-muenchen.de, toscanaccio.co.uk, is-krivoklat.cz, softskills.de, duftshop.de, ics.nl, breckle.de, forestdefenders.eu, koordinationsstelle.at, polpopesce.it, franziska.de, karelkorner.ch, hotel-basilisk.ch, delambiek.be, eltallerdebagatela.es, sportmountain.es, x8.de, grenzland-apotheke-gangelt.de, luchs.de, drusobg.it, merrionhotel.cz, festivaldujeuvalence.fr, blome.de, social-trading.de and 112pila.pl. The remaining time on those lots ranged from one day to twenty-four days, with current bids between €176 and €1,420.

Recently registered domains

The site also lists domains recently registered through the service, a sample of which includes agalma.ch, alyze.de, animator.ch, asi-vaud.ch, astci.ch, banq.be, beauty-agent.de, belgafilmsfund.be, betonfraesen.ch, borna-borreliose-herpes.de, broken-city.de, capsensixx.de, casinopengar.se, cerevia.de, ciao-chao.ch, cortexos.de, cottoncandy-fashion.de, crabshack.uk, designgarden.ch, digitalco.de, docora.de, e3-fabrik.de, feinmoebel.de, flammes.be, freshany.de, gastech.uk, glanna.ch, hellobengreen.de, hueppi-motorsportshop.ch and is-diat.eu.

Company background and relocation

DomainProfi GmbH and its nicsell service team moved to new premises in Osnabrück. The company stated that it remains in the same city and that only the street and postal code changed, while the telephone number, email addresses and contact persons remain as before. The new address is Johannisstraße 112/113, D-49074 Osnabrück. The company refers to decades of experience in the industry.

Support and abuse reporting

Enquiries can be sent through a contact form with subject categories that include budget increase, exclusive domains, submitting a proposal, customer recruitment, reporting domain abuse, account verification and other concerns. The company indicates that it responds within one to two business days. A separate email address, domainabuse@nicsell.com, is dedicated to reporting domain abuse.