Buying a domain name is pretty simple, just head to an [http://www.internic.net/regist.html accredited domain name registrar], plug in your domain and pull out your wallet. But what do you do when you plug in your domain name only to discover that someone else has already registered it? 

Well, if you've ever wondered why the web is full of companies with strange domain names like Flickr or del.icio.us, wonder no more -- domains can be hard to come by.

Here's our guide to getting the domain you want when someone else already has it.

== The basics ==

The first step is getting in touch with the current owner. Generally that means doing a WhoIs search to find contact information for the current owner. Assuming the contact info works you can just email the current owner and ask if they're willing to transfer the domain to you.

In some cases you may be more comfortable going through a domain broker, though that will incur an additional fee, is no guarantee of success and isn't strictly necessary provided you're able to negotiate like a professional.

==Things that go wrong ==

=== Unable to find the current owner ===

One of the biggest stumbling blocks to acquiring a domain can be the simplest -- getting in touch with the current owner. If the current registrant of the domain doesn't have working contact info available via a WhoIs search it can be difficult and sometimes even impossible to get in touch. 

Start with the website itself, if there is one. Contact anyone listed on the site and ask who you would need to talk to about the domain name (make sure to view source if you can't find any contact info, web developers sometimes leave their contact info in HTML comments, which can provide a lead).

If the domain doesn't currently have a website it's worth checking domain auction websites like [http://www.sedo.com/us/home/getting-started/ Sedo]. Type in your domain and Sedo will point you to any ongoing sales. It's not complete and it's nearly always better to get in touch yourself, but if that's already failed Sedo and its ilk offer another way. The chief problem with domain auctions is that the sellers typically think their domains are worth far more than you'll think they are. 

Another trick to finding contact information is to look at older versions of the site. Head over to the Internet Archive [http://archive.org/web/web.php Wayback Machine] and plugin in the URL to get some idea of the history of the domain. Perhaps the site had contact info on it at some point in the past.

The Wayback Machine may also give you some bargaining advantage -- how many times has the domain changed hands? How long has it been unused? Also look at Google's search rankings for the domain. All of these tidbits will help you get a clearer picture of how valuable the domain is.

=== The owner doesn't want to sell ===

Make a bigger offer. It's worth a try. But sometimes no matter how much venture capital money your start up has, throwing more of it at the current owner of a domain isn't going to induce them to sell. 

==Conclusion ==

Sometimes it just isn't worth it. With an ever shrinking number of domains remaining unregistered we're all having to get more creative with our domain names. If you can't get what you want, consider getting creative.

Ever wonder why Flickr is missing its "e"? The owner of the domain name "Flicker.com" didn't want to sell so [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/26/tech/main2731568.shtml Flickr dropped the "e"] and moved on. It's nice to get the domain you want, but it's not necessary. Dropbox spend most of its early life at getdropbox.com because dropbox.com was either not for sale or too expensive. Dropbox later acquired the domain, but not having it from the beginning certainly didn't hurt the company's success.