Recently a domain I owned went up for auction from the register namesilo. I didn’t renew the domain after 30 days; and so they auctioned it off.
Now this isn’t a hit piece on namesilo. This process is in their ToS. It is my fault that I didn’t check my emails or even notice that the domain was no longer up. After all, namesilo sends out emails regarding the renewal of the domain. They even send out notices that it is in a 30 day grace period. It is my own fault for not keeping the register paid.
BUT…
What a nightmare to get things working again. By working again I mean that I had to buy a different domain name. Then work to get the WordPress database corrected. After that was updating the SSL cert on the site.
One of the issues is dealing with browsers that cache data. A browser might cache a redirect, so you wouldn’t know if your apache conf files are correct. A browser might cache the SSL cert, so you will not know if your SSL cert is working correctly.
Maybe one day I will be able to get the old domain back. I will either need thousands of dollars or I will need to just wait until the squatter gives up on selling the sign and stops registering it yearly. When the LLC makes enough money, I might look into buying the site from the domain squatter. I doubt they will give it up for a few years, or decades.