Watch a taken domain and register it when it becomes free

If the domain you want is taken, the dashboard can watch it for you. When the domain becomes free, we register it and charge your saved card. If your account has no saved card, or pays by bank transfer, we email you instead so you can buy it yourself.

Before you start

• To start a watcher, you must be an Owner or IT manager of your business in the dashboard. See What each dashboard role can do.
• Your account must have an active service with IT Solver that is not set to cancel. If it does not, the Watch this domain button does not show.
• To have the domain registered automatically, your account must pay by card and have a saved card. The dashboard checks this when the domain becomes free, not when you start the watcher. See Pay an invoice and manage your card on file. Without a saved card, or if the account pays by bank transfer, you get an email instead.
• For a .au domain, have your ABN, ACN or other eligibility details ready. See What you need to register a .au domain.

Start watching a domain

1. Sign in at dashboard.itsolver.net.
2. Select Domains.
3. In Find a new domain, type the full domain name, for example yourbusiness.com.au. Select Check availability.
4. If you do not see Find a new domain, open the plus (+) menu at the top of the page and select Register a domain. On the search page, type the full domain name and select Search domains.
5. Make sure the result for your exact domain shows Taken. Select Watch this domain.
6. On the Watch a domain page, in Watcher settings, check the Domain * field.
7. In Notify email *, type the address that must get the watcher emails. The dashboard fills in your account email.
8. In Registrant contact, check the details. These become the owner details of the domain when we register it. Fields with a star (*) are mandatory.
9. For a .au domain, complete the AU domain eligibility section.
10. Select Start watching.

The dashboard opens the Domain watchers page and sends a setup email to the notify address. The first check starts within 15 minutes. After that, the dashboard checks the domain every 15 minutes.

What happens when the domain becomes free

• Your account pays by card and has a saved card: we register the domain for 1 year and charge the saved card. You get an email that the domain was registered.
• There is no saved card, or your account pays by bank transfer: we do not buy the domain. You get an email that the domain is available. The dashboard stops checking. Buy the domain yourself quickly, because someone else can register it first. See Find and buy a domain.
• The registration fails: the watcher status changes to failed, the error message shows below the domain, and the dashboard stops checking. Email support@itsolver.net with the domain name.
• The dashboard cannot finish a check: for example, the availability check fails, or no payment method is chosen for the account. The watcher stays active, shows the message below the domain, and tries again in 15 minutes. Fix the cause, for example in Billing, or email support@itsolver.net.

Check or cancel a watcher

Any user with access to the account can view the watchers and cancel them. The Domain watchers page is not in the sidebar. It opens after you select Start watching. You can also select View watchers on the Watch a domain page. Only an Owner or IT manager can open the Watch a domain page. If you have another role, ask an Owner or IT manager of your business, or email us.

Each watcher shows its status, the last check and the next check. An active watcher can also show a message below the domain if a check could not finish. It keeps checking. The times are Brisbane time. The statuses are:

• active: the dashboard is watching the domain.
• processing: a check is in progress now.
• available notified: the domain became free and we emailed you. The dashboard does not check it again.
• purchased: we registered the domain for you.
• failed: the registration did not complete. Read the error message below the domain. The dashboard does not check it again.
• cancelled: someone cancelled the watcher.

To stop watching a domain, select Cancel next to it. The status changes to cancelled and the dashboard stops checking.

To watch a domain again, or to change its notify email or contact details, do the steps in Start watching a domain again for the same domain. The dashboard updates the existing watcher and starts checking again.

Examples

The .com.au you want belongs to a business that closed

You search for the domain and it shows Taken. Select Watch this domain, complete the registrant contact and the .au eligibility details, then select Start watching. If you have a saved card, we register the domain as soon as it becomes free.

You got an email that the domain is available, but nothing was bought

Your account has no saved card, or it pays by bank transfer. The email asks you to add a payment method. Adding a card now does not make us register this domain, because the watcher has already stopped. Go to Domains, search for the domain and buy it now. If you want automatic registration next time, make sure your account pays by card and has a saved card in Billing. See Pay an invoice and manage your card on file.

You do not see Watch this domain

Check that you are an Owner or IT manager, and that your account has an active service that is not set to cancel. The button shows only for the exact domain you searched for, and only when that domain shows Taken. If the result shows DNS prepared, the domain is already connected to your account. Transfer it instead. See Transfer your domain to IT Solver.

You already own the domain at another registrar

You do not need a watcher. Transfer the domain instead. See Transfer your domain to IT Solver.

Still have a problem?

Questions? Email support@itsolver.net or phone 07 3123 6000.