Domain Backorder Module for WHMCS
Let clients backorder taken domains from WHMCS, work each one from an admin queue, charge on success or refund on failure, and email every status change.
What will the domain backorder module do?
It lets clients order a domain someone else holds today, in case it expires and is released. A client enters the name on a Backorder page in the client area, or follows a link from your domain checker's taken result, and the module confirms it is registered and shows its expiry date where the registry publishes one through RDAP. You set a backorder fee per TLD and choose, per TLD, whether clients pay upfront or only when the domain is caught.
It is built to order: you get the license key at purchase, once I have checked your account, and the download within 15 business days.
What does WHMCS already do, and what does this add?
WHMCS checks availability through its lookup provider, tells the client a domain is taken, and can suggest other names. It tracks grace and redemption periods for domains already registered through your install. It has no way to take an order for a domain that belongs to someone else. This module adds the backorder, the queue your staff work from, and the payments and emails around it.
What is included?
| Part | What you get |
|---|---|
| Ordering | Client area Backorder page, plus a link from the domain checker |
| Payment | Upfront with refund on failure, or invoice only on success |
| Queue | Every backorder with client, expiry date, status, notes and catch reference |
| Daily check | Availability of watched domains, with a staff alert when one is free |
| Caught | Domain added to the client's account with the registrar and dates you enter |
| Time limit | Backorders not caught within your limit close as failed |
| Emails | Placed, submitted, caught, failed and canceled |
Who is it for?
Domain resellers and hosts whose clients ask for names that are taken, and who already place backorders by hand with a catch service. The queue keeps those requests out of tickets and makes sure nobody pays for a domain they did not get.
What do you need, and what are the limits?
Requirements: WHMCS 8.13 or 9.x (I confirm your exact version at purchase), PHP 8.1 or newer, the standard WHMCS cron, and an account with the drop-catch service or backorder program you use.
Limits: the module does not catch domains itself and is not connected to any catch service's API. Staff place each catch with the service they use, record its reference and mark the result. The daily check only spots names nobody else grabs; popular names need a catch service. Many country-code registries publish no expiry date, so that field can stay blank. A caught domain sits at whichever registrar caught it, and moving it to yours is a normal transfer once the registry allows it.
It costs $79 once for a lifetime license with twelve months of updates and support, and a seven-day refund window. I check each account by hand, which can take up to 24 hours, before the license key is issued, and the download follows within 15 business days of purchase.
Key features
- Backorder page in the client area and a link from the domain checker
- Registration check and RDAP expiry date where the registry publishes one
- Backorder fee per TLD
- Pay upfront or pay on success, chosen per TLD
- One active backorder per domain, first come first served
- Admin queue with status, notes and catch reference
- Daily availability check with a staff alert
- Caught domains added to the client's account
- Refund to the gateway or credit when a backorder fails
- Status emails at each step
Why customers buy this module
- →Taken domains become orders instead of lost sales
- →Clients pay only for domains they get, or get their money back
- →Staff see every backorder and its status in one place
Frequently asked questions
Does the module catch domains automatically?
No. It takes the order, the payment and the paperwork, and staff place the catch with the drop-catch service or registrar backorder program they already use. The daily availability check alerts staff when a watched name becomes free to register normally, which happens with less wanted names that nobody else catches.
What happens if two clients want the same domain?
Each domain takes one active backorder. The first client to complete theirs holds it, and anyone else who tries is told the name is already backordered. If that backorder fails or the client cancels it before staff submit the catch, the domain opens up for a new backorder.
When will I get it, and what if you can't deliver?
It is built to order. I check your account by hand, which can take up to 24 hours, then issue the license key, and the download follows within 15 business days of purchase. If I do not deliver it in that time, you get a full refund. Once it is delivered, the store's 7-day refund window applies.
Technical specifications
- WHMCS
- 8.13 and 9.x (confirmed at purchase)
- PHP
- 8.1+
- Payment models
- Upfront with refund, or pay on success
- Catch service
- Your own, placed by staff
- Availability
- Built to order, delivered in 15 business days
- License
- Lifetime, 1 year of updates and support included
- Delivery
- License key after a manual account check (up to 24 hours); download when built
- Refund window
- 7 days
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