The registration for a domain name I want is expiring soon. (I know it won't be renewed because it has remained undeveloped for many years.) I don't want to contact the domain name registrant or the registrar (Network Solutions) in advance of expiration because the price might go up and I won't spend more than a few hundred dollars.

Who can I trust to reserve the domain name in advance of expiration so that I am first in line to get it when the current registration expires? (I am willing to pay a reasonable fee for this "reservation".)

Thanks in advance for any advice.

i screwed up a couple of years ago and i tried to reserve w/ big daddy- DONT
someone else scooped up the domain and has renewed it and parked it since

I have my domains registered with http://directnick.com/. I'm really happy with them. For the last 5-6 years never had a problem with them.

Thanks. Have you used them to reserve a domain name?

My wife and I both use www.ehost.com.

I use namebargain.com, the cheaper sibling of register.com. I have only had good experiences with them. They now offer DNS hosting too.

I haven't reserved a name with them, just a happy customer...