Domain Tasting
Domain tasting was the practice of registering large quantities of domain names, monetizing them with parked pay-per-click advertising pages during the [[add-grace-period|Add Grace Period (AGP)]], and then deleting them before the 5-day window closed to receive a full refund from the [[registry-operator|registry]]. This allowed speculators to test the traffic and revenue potential of domains at essentially zero cost. At its peak in 2007, over 99% of all new .com registrations were ultimately deleted within the AGP. ICANN's 2008 cap on AGP credits — limiting refunds to 10% of monthly registrations or 50 domains per [[registrar]] — effectively eliminated the practice, as it was no longer economically viable at scale.
Example
In 2007, registrars operating domain-tasting schemes would register 50 million domains per month, park them with Google AdSense or Yahoo advertising, and delete 99% of them within 5 days — paying no net registration fees while earning ad revenue.