[TaylorGood]

On the opposite end, I've had continual bouts with HugeDomains.com. Specifically, I have a theory that they buy domain search queries from Registrars. A handful of times I'll search and click on an available domain, and if I don't buy immediately, HD has registered the name in just hours. Poof! A landing page appears that it is for sale at $2,300 and can be financed monthly. I've searched through DreamHost and LeanDomainSearch and almost exclusively.

Note: I love Dreamhost, and have used them for 13+ years. The CEO responded to my tweet saying they do not sell queries.

[0x0]

If you are just checking availability, just cut out the middle-men and do a whois query directly.