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registrars Why do domainers use shitty registrars ?

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Kate

Domainosaurus RexTop Member
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Hello,

After so many years doing domaining and attending this forum I have noticed that domainers seem to be complacent and willing to use subpar registrars.

But domainers are supposed to know better. They are demanding customers with large portfolios and specific needs, so they should pay more attention than the average person.
Because things can go wrong sometimes.

Let's revisit History:

As early as in 2006 we told you that Registerfly was not a reliable registrar and was best avoided, because of their bugs, security holes, and deficient CP.
You didn't listen, Icann had to intervene and improvise a transfer process that didn't really exist at the time.

Back in 2008 we told you that Estdomains was an unsavory registrar associated with nefarious activity, and even run by a criminal.
You didn't listen, Icann had to step in again.
The funny thing, is that some people were so fond of that registrar that they even blamed Icann for initiating termination proceedings. Come on...

Then again, in 2018 we told you that Alpnames was not a good registrar and seems to exist only as an enabler of abuse and illegal activity.
You didn't listen, Icann had to intervene again (becoming routine), now pray for your domains if they are even worthy anything.

Told you so !

Then again, we have been telling you for a long time that Network Solutions is not good registrar. You know it.
OK, this one has been around forever and is unlikely to go down. But you know they are not trustworthy, and difficult to deal with. You want below-cost pricing but at some point those savings are gonna cost you. Time is money. Peace of mind is precious. Mental health is not an option.


Maybe you're thinking that in a worst-case scenario, Icann will intervene and organize a bulk transfer to another registrar.
But what if you have expiring domains that cannot be renewed in time ?
Or if whois data escrow is not reliable ?
Or something else does not go well ?

As a result of the bulk transfer your names may land at another difficult registrar, that you didn't choose.
Many problems could have been avoided if domain holders had paid attention to the early warning signs.

Bottom line:
  • if you have valuable names renew them for a few years ahead and use a decent registrar
  • do not assume that Icann or somebody will always save you, or act in time
  • trust your instincts and move your domains if you see unseemly stuff
  • if you sleep with dogs you'll catch fleas (quote is not mine)
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
Hum It is very bad that demand for pre owned domains is so low that domainers are feeling it necessary to register for much less than $9 or $8, down to $1 each.
Perhaps one day these giant promotions and loopholes will be less common as shitty registrars die off or become more sensible.
Or these domainers probably fall away eventually from lack of real industry; good thing as they will not be spamming each of hundreds of google results begging to buy their $1 domain, or believing that domaining is able to make them wealthy by ripping off both Registrar and End user, with practically zerorisk.........
 
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Hum It is very bad that demand for pre owned domains is so low that domainers are feeling it necessary to register for much less than $9 or $8, down to $1 each...
This is not so much a demand side issue, as profit to risk calculation. Call it greed, if you like. As much as many here preach otherwise, domaining is a numbers game. The bigger your portfolio, the more sales enquiries and more sales! :xf.grin:
Or these domainers probably fall away eventually from lack of real industry...
Yeah, dream on! Shhhh... let me bring you in on a secret: domains hand registered for $1 are no more or less viable than those you hand register, paying full reg price on :dead:

Registering hundreds, never mind thousands, of domains requires very good planning. Those who are able to formulate such a plan, perform a profit to risk analysis plus take advantage of promos to register domains at such high numbers, usually know what they are doing, have a coherent business strategy in place and hence hand register better names, fitting in with their strategy. Ergo, are less likely to fail than others (y)

And at $1 a pop, there are many different strategies, mostly "with practically zerorisk" as you put it... paying a fraction of first year's reg fee doesn't hurt... hard not to make things work! :ROFL:
...good thing as they will not be spamming each of hundreds of google results begging to buy their $1 domain, or believing that domaining is able to make them wealthy by ripping off both Registrar and End user, with practically zerorisk.........
Seriously? So what are you doing here? Domaining is speculation at its finest. If buying low and selling high is against your principles, then... run as far and as fast as you can! Otherwise you'll wake up with a much depleted wallet soon enough...

Or were you just blowing off a little steam here, because you've missed the party? Haven't been able to partake in our little NetSol fest? If so, relax... last I've heard, the party is still on, even if a little slowed down :xf.wink:

Good luck if you decide to give it a spin!

Andrew
 
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I agree with your post @Kate. I think, there are many reasons for domainers to use this type of registrars like pricing, awareness & quality.
 
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I think the answer will be the same as is the reason of why you Ms Kate as a domainer always looks for a cheaper deal. Why do we always try to negotiate in any deal. No offence intended though.
 
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I used to use namecheap for a while as a godaddy expat. But I got sick of namecheap's CP and tried NameSilo.

I love NameSilo's CP, but they worry me with their low pricing. So I tried Dynadot and their CP is just as bad as Namecheap's, if not worse IMHO. So I'm still hanging on to Namesilo. But it worries me.

I still use namecheap for .CC domains ($5.88!) then transfer to Namesilo. But it worries me.
 
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they worry me with their low pricing
How's that?

Try NameBio and InternetBS. Low prices and okay interface. Also Epik can give you a special NP member price tier if you PM Rob.
 
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they worry me with their low pricing
Can you explain what you mean? I generally LIKE low pricing (if other things are good). Do you mean you worry that their pricing is too low to be sustainable, or do I totally miss your meaning?
 
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Namesilo's 1 domain vs 5000 domain pricing are almost the same (almost always a $0.60 difference). Furthermore they're almost the same as GoDaddy's discount club. Which means they are the cheapest possible.
This tells me Namesilo is not making a lot of money on domain registrations, renewals, transfers, and certainly not privacy... Plus, they offer dirt cheap first time registrations (they lose money).
They are obviously trying to acquire customers and I hope for ya'll that they never raise prices once the boat is full.
@golan @Bob Hawkes
 
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Can you explain what you mean? I generally LIKE low pricing (if other things are good). Do you mean you worry that their pricing is too low to be sustainable, or do I totally miss your meaning?

Yes. The "We're cheapest" marketing model rarely works for most businesses unless they push related products that have a healthier profit margin. NS doesn't sell anything but domains (but they do have some sort of marketplace thing where they receive commissions when you sell).

I'm not bad-mouthing NS BTW. I love them and their CP, but their marketing model worries me.
 
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But surely we can say the same about the get your first for $0.99 at GD? They obviously need enough people to stick around and pay the larger prices later as they lose a lot on these. Or the registries that discount below probable costs in year one?

I agree that being the cheapest is a hard strategy to make long term profitable in domains, and most money is in other parts like hosting, etc. I would not be surprised to see those added at some point now that they are under new ownership.

It is relatively easy to move domains, if prices later increase, so I am not sure I accept the logic to avoid a registrar if they have good prices that are near to (or even below) their costs. I avoid those that combine this with tricks like a fee to transfer out and high renewal fees, but that does not apply to NameSilo.

Yes, I agree prices will not always stay this competitive there. They undoubtedly are trying to grow fast, I seem to recall doubling in about a year.

Bob

(by the way, not promoting NameSilo or anyone else - I have a few domains there, but use a number of other registrars too.)
 
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I'm probably too conservative and risk-averse in my own dealings. I recall the Registerfly fiasco. Fortunately, I did not have domains there but man, that was a mess!

It comes down to $ signs and us mostly being creatures of habit.

Personally, I've always used Namecheap and Dynadot, with a smattering of other registrars. I am a creature of habit and could probably land a better deal somewhere else, but if it ain't broke... Places like Godaddy drive me nuts with the upselling.

At the end of the day, a lot of these registrars are cheaper because they're cutting corners (costs) somewhere. I would say web hosting is a close cousin. Most people will opt for spending less money to take a chance on something. It's all about ROI.

I've learned this being on both sides of the equation, but cheap customers can often be the most demanding. This often factors in to not only under-performing revenue for the company, but also upping the overall support costs.

Bottom line is that if people think they can increase their chances on ROI, they'll make riskier choices, ceteris paribus.
 
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I'm probably too conservative and risk-averse in my own dealings. I recall the Registerfly fiasco. Fortunately, I did not have domains there but man, that was a mess!

Namepros saved me from Registerfly. I had all my domains with registerfly and then I found Namepros. Read threads about them and got scared and transferred out to Godaddy (not many other options I knew of or felt comfortable with at the time). Transfers took a while as it was a painful process. But I got all my domains out before the SHTF. Wheeew! Thanks NP!
 
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I remember the RegFly fiasco as well. Had a couple of hundred domains with them. When they folded GD arranged to take over their domains and accounts.
It was really a much smoother and quicker transition than I thought it would be.
GD was very professional about it and I didn’t lose a single domain.
Always had respect for them for the way they handled that and did most of my business with them for several years after that. But thay got upsell crazy and couldn’t take the interface anymore. As well their pricing got raised unless you chased coupons. I was finding better pricing for no cost at reputable registrars where I wasn’t paying for “Domain Discount Club”.
GD is who they are and I have no issue with that...just do very little business with them anymore.
But I won’t forget how they handled the RegFly fiasco.(y)(y)
 
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Thanks for the sound advice @KateI also wonder what people think of using multiple registrars. I know it is awkward, and I do it partly to learn about them for writing, but I sort of like that my domains are spread across 10 domain names, so even if there is a difficulty with one, most of mine are somewhere else.
I amusing 5 registrars and sych it all to a spreadsheet.

They all seem stable and have good interfaces but I think I like Dynadot most as they have a quick customer service, grace deletes and a really nice interface.
 
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