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Buying A Domain For Your Blog Starts With A Working Major Credit Card

An occasional sad story, from people trying to purchase a non BlogSpot URL for their blogs, results from lack of preparation before using "Buy a domain".
I had my domain all chosen, but when I entered my credit card number, the card was declined. I straightened out the credit card problem with my bank - but now, I get
We found an existing order for this domain.
Help me!

Generally, when this happens, we have the blogger clear cache, cookies, and authenticated sessions, and restart the browser. But this uncertainty is unnecessary, if you have a working credit card ready for use, before you start the purchase process. Paying for your new domain is a major part of the purchase process, so plan and prepare.

The "Buy a domain" script is simple, and doesn't allow for easy order changes, or restarts. Start from the dashboard Settings - Basic - Publishing display, and click on "Add a custom domain".

When you can choose an available domain immediately, the whole thing can be done in maybe 5 minutes. But you do have to be prepared, before you start. Once you start, don't back up, and don't restart. The screens involved don't allow either changes, or interruptions.

If you try to restart a purchase, after straightening out the credit card account, or maybe trying another credit card, you'll likely get an error
We found an existing order for this domain. Please contact support.
Now, you have but two options.
  1. Clear cache, cookies, and active sessions, and restart the browser.
  2. Wait 2 to 3 days for the purchase to expire, and try again.

Avoid the uncertainty, and plan ahead. Have an accepted and active credit card in hand, before starting the purchase.

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Comments

I recommend purchasing a single use credit card for any online purchases. This helps eliminate any possible auto-renewal fees.

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