Hey folks! So, today I went ahead and registered a domain name with a registrar. I made sure to check the availability of the domain on both the registrar's website and other domain checking services, and they all indicated that the domain was available - no surprises there!

Afterwards, I completed the purchase and the money was deducted from my account, but oddly enough, I didn't receive any confirmation email for the purchase. On top of that, I couldn't see the domain in my control panel.

Fast forward three hours, and I received an email stating that the funds had been withdrawn from my account. Lo and behold, the domain finally appeared in the control panel, but with a peculiar "Pending TMCH" status. What could this mean? When I checked the domain's availability through the same registrar, it now showed as occupied. However, all other domain checking services still indicated that the domain was free.

Does anyone have an explanation for this strange turn of events? And has anyone encountered a similar situation before?

When you checked the availability of the domain and it showed as available across multiple domain checking services, it's possible that there was a delay in the updated status reaching the registrar's system. This could explain why you didn't receive an immediate confirmation email after the purchase, as the registrar's system might not have registered the domain as purchased yet.
The "Pending TMCH" status you saw for the domain in your control panel indicates that the domain is going through a process related to the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH). The TMCH is a centralized database of verified trademarks, and when a domain is marked as "Pending TMCH," it means that the domain name matches a trademark in the TMCH and is subject to additional review or actions. This could be the reason why the domain suddenly appeared in the control panel with this status after the funds were deducted from your account.

As for the discrepancy in domain availability between the registrar's system and other domain checking services, it's not uncommon for such discrepancies to occur due to delays in updates and synchronization among different databases and registries. The domain may have been registered by another party shortly after your purchase, leading to the change in availability status.

In essence, the sequence of events you encountered could be attributed to the timing of updates between different systems, the TMCH review process, and the dynamic nature of domain availability across various platforms.

It's crucial to communicate with the registrar's support.

Before reaching out, ensure to verify the domain's availability through the huiz zone. If the domain is not registered there, simply utilize this link to get in touch with the registrar.

It's advisable to request a refund, as once you confirm, the trademark owner will be notified, and if they disapprove, there's a risk of losing the domain.

Before finalizing the decision to register, refrain from registering the domain.

Wouldn't it be more convenient if all the services indicated that the domain is available and allowed registration with another registrar?
Have you verified the TMCH database to ensure compliance with trademark claims? Additionally, have you considered conducting a thorough search across multiple databases to confirm the availability of the desired domain name?