discuss .com prices going up at Verisign

[lambo.com]

With dotcom prices starting to head up, are you operating a large portfolio? What steps will you take?

Personally I paid a bill to renew my top domains until 2031 today. This will lock in good pricing and peace of mind for me.

I'll consider how to handle the middle section of the portfolio I run after, in the 100-200 name range.

source:
https://domainnamewire.com/2021/02/11/breaking-verisign-announces-com-price-hike-to-8-39/

_____

 

[F.C.]

Then I would rather renew the domain myself every 10 years, because if prices increase Epik may cancel the deal anyways, very uncertain.

Many posts have been moved to another thread, because this thread was hijacked to promote Epik by @Rob Monster The new thread is at https://www.namepros.com/threads/epik-promotion.1242873/

This is to clear confusion for everybody, why some posts do not make sense anymore. Hope everybody understands. Thanks @NamePros for cleaning up the threads.

 

[bmugford]

Brad arent you part of the ICA?

So much for fighting for “registrant rights.” unless it’s not in your best interest, I.E. forcing Godaddy or the other industry Regist to same.
Forever registration is thing. Dont take digs.

Samer

Please. I have done about as much as anyone when it comes to that...From fighting against the .ORG private equity takeover to the Brent Oxley situation...and many things in between.

The Brent Oxley situation certainly did not help GoDaddy. Did I care? Not really, because they were in the wrong IMO.

This is not perpetual ownership. It is paying $399 for a promise that can easily be canceled.

If you want to talk about actual perpetual ownership, I am certainly not against that. As the ICANN policy is written now major registries like Versign would not even be able to agree to this.

On top of that I would actually rather see the COM/NET contract put up for public bid. It would drive the prices down which would be far more beneficial to registrants.

Brad

 

[oldtimer]

@Alfa Mod Team
@Bravo Mod Team

Where are you guys?
You deleted member's post because of "off topic" in the thread but why do we let this guy turned the topic
.com prices going up at Verisign

into an Epik spam/hijack thread where the CEO promoted and make it an Q/A thread for his company?

Please be fair. If an CEO violated the rules then you need to delete the posts and give him a warning too like you did with any other members.

In the interest of fairness lets see what happened here:

With dotcom prices starting to head up, are you operating a large portfolio? What steps will you take?

Personally I paid a bill to renew my top domains until 2031 today. This will lock in good pricing and peace of mind for me.

Lambo indicated his concerns over the price increases and asked what steps everyone was going to take in regards to this problem, he also indicated that it would bring him peace of mind by renewing his domains for 10 years in advance which would lock in the renewal fees at the current rates.

1. Forever domains .....

2. .. bulk transfers .....

The Versign price increase is not good news. Epik will do its part to try to soften the blow!

Then Rob offered a solution which directly related to the problem that Lambo was concerned about.

"Forever domains" are not a thing without the registry itself on board. .....

Just know what you are actually paying for.

Brad

Now Brad brought up some good points and tried to make everyone aware of the risks that were involved with the forever domains

The economics of the $399 Forever domain are as good as ever for two reasons: (1) .COM prices are going up and up, and (2) Nobody really knows what a dollar will be worth in 1 year let alone 10.

Rob replied with a reasonable response indicating that it might still be in the interest of domainers to take advantage of the forever domain service (and at a later post also indicated that this might not be for everyone)

Yeah, you are basically making a good argument why the model is unsustainable without the registry on board. .....

The bottom line is you are paying for a promise from Epik to renew the domain, regardless of price, in perpetuity with no actual guarantees.

Brad

Brad kept on warning people about the forever domains which although was somewhat justified, but Rob took that as an attack on him and Epik and then everything started going downhill from there once the atmosphere turned negative.

Now what's the use of engaging in a discussion on the forum if it always is going to end up in a fight.

If there are going to be debates amongst Rob and Brad (and others) who are considered to be intelligent members of the forum shouldn't the focus be more on finding a solution rather than ending up with a negative and destructive conversation that is not going to help anyone here.

_ _ _ _ _

The bottom line is that Lambo was concerned about the price increases.

Rob offered a solution in the form of forever domains and special transfer rates

Brad saw flaws in that solution and warned everyone about them

So now the logical thing to do is to come up with some ideas to fix those flaws to the point that domainers can feel safe enough to want to use the forever domain service and find it in their interest to do so even with all the risks that are involved.

In my opinion being able to get a full refund incase that things don't go as planned is a positive factor and another thing that can help is for the domains to be guaranteed to always have a 10 year renewal in reserve so that the domain owners don't get caught off guard if some unforseen events happen.

It might also be necessary to increase the insurance to much higher amount (like a million dollars) to protect the domain owners against any neglect, malice, or unforseen events that might put their domains at risk.

IMO

 

[NickB]

.com prices going up at Verisign

Seriously - only a handful of posts on here are about this - skimmed through most of the forever off topic crap.....

You can't reason with Zealots......

 

[Future Sensors]

I hope the total registration numbers drop significantly the year after the increase.

Well, hope is good, but that never happened in the past. And especially these price increases should be no surprise to domainers. It's described and even restricted/capped in their (VRSN) contract.

 

[F.C.]

I don't think a lack of "store front" should be any concern whatsoever - it is the way businesses are going.....More of a concern should be how they conduct themselves and if they deliver on their promises/business objectives over a period of time - at least for me anyway....

I mean Coinbase submitted their S-1 listing and under their address put "not applicable" - expect to see more of this going forwards.....

I would rather trust a registrar who has a real address and also how they conduct themselves ethically (ex: not spamming, or having a manipulative and unprofessional CEO), security is also very important and a registrar who has great deals to protect against price increases from Verisign. The only one I like at the moment is NameCheap, until proven otherwise of course. So it is a combination for me.

 

[Lox]

icann & registry agreement

Everything above relates to Registries.

The registrars are free to have their own ToS / business rules, and if they want, they can sell you a "service" - f.e. prepay renewal (10, whatever extra years) but RDDS will always be the registry max 10 y.

Example NetSol Service: Protect Your Domain Name Registration Into The Next Century.
Link

 

[MasterOfMyDomains]

Who knew a 50 cent.com increase would cause so much controversy. Thanks for sharing

 

[bmugford]

I hope the total registration numbers drop significantly the year after the increase.

There is a theoretical case to make that even a minor price hike will lead to more quality domains expiring.
The more it goes up, the more will drop, but it will find an equilibrium point.

Honestly, almost everyone (including me) has a lot of garbage domains that need to be dropped.

Brad

 

[NickB]

WOW! Thanks @Grilled now I don't trust Epik or Dynadot at all anymore.

I don't think a lack of "store front" should be any concern whatsoever - it is the way businesses are going.....More of a concern should be how they conduct themselves and if they deliver on their promises/business objectives over a period of time - at least for me anyway....

I mean Coinbase submitted their S-1 listing and under their address put "not applicable" - expect to see more of this going forwards.....

 

[Chris Hydrick]

You are simply paying for a promise with no guarantees.

Cant the same be said / applied to the majority of terms of service or agreements, irrespective of industry? And while there may be no service guarantee, legally, per the ToS, it appears there is degree of a money back guarantee.

If by no guarantee, we are exploring a Gerald Cotten (QuadrigaCX) scenario where Rob runs off with all the moneys and crypto keys, forcing an epik bankruptcy, then doesn't the question turn to: is epik's market value / does epik have enough IP or AUM, to pay off any creditors, refund forever domain customers, and or any other outstanding debts?

As much as I disagree with @Rob Monster 's Inc., there are many more shadier registrars online. Albeit, these shady registrars aren't out there (to my knowledge) copy catting the forever registration model, but even if they were, I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable with such a promise if a registrar didn't have as much of an open online presence as Epik. Though, in the same regard, I'm not so sure how much I trust the promises of businesses (Dynadot included) who don't have a physical location, and opt to use a UPS storefront/mailbox instead.

Whereas GoDaddy, the offices are so big, a herd of elephants could walk right through their doors, and stage a sit in should their big asses please. Perhaps that's why (too busy navigating through such a large building) GD CEO @AmanBhutani has yet to get a grasp on how domains work, or what namePros is, and seemingly only exists as GD CEO as a grandstand cover up as an international appeal to clean up the lingering reputation damage caused by Bob Parsons, which neither former GD CEO Blake Irving or former GD CEO Steve Wagner was able to accomplish. Furthermore, (imo) it seems @AmanBhutani #1 priority is to milk or deceive the GD customer base for all its worth, while adding little to no value to GoDaddy IP, or to the open internet as a whole, to include registrant rights.

Deceive might have been a strong word. I guess opinions may vary on GD business practices, and since other registrars over charge or milk customers, some lawyers may argue upselling/overchanrging is just how business is done, and is what keeps the lights on. Nonetheless, the company is so large they can set just about any standard they see fit, yet they appear to be too busy playing grab ass with profits, and are unable to address expired auction renewal double standards such as ChicagoPizza.com,

https://twitter.com/x/status/1373124788080803841

as their current CEO Mr. Aman Bhutani is too self-centered while making keynote speeches, and CNBC appearances, that he's too pompous to address questions from other registrar CEO's to better the industry in fireside chats/follow-ups.

Concluding, until proven otherwise, it's my opinion that @AmanBhutani is essentially nothing more than a glorified actor, willing and ready to drop any operational issue, at a moments notice, just to make a CNBC appearance and sell to any investor who believes in the growth of the internet, even though apparently @AmanBhutani doesn't give two shits about the growth of the internet, or providing/developing value. He seemingly only cares about (a) the godaddy stock price AND (b) the golden parachute that awaits.

@Joe Styler / @Paul Nicks .... You guys obviously have more important things to do than defend your CEO in a meaningless forum discussion, though if time/interest permits, I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

#FireAman #HireAWoman

 

[Future Sensors]

For me personally, it's a combination of factors that are relevant.

- It's the accumulation (periodic compounding) of many price increases we've seen, not only this one.
- I'm based in the Netherlands, so I've seen huge fluctuations in the USDEUR exchange rate.
- There are taxation (VAT) differences between registrars I'm using, it makes a difference.
- Price increases often help me to make better decisions, especially with a growing portfolio.

I can still carry the burden. But at the same time I oppose the Verisign price increases, because I know that with these economies of scale the infrastructure can be run much cheaper (by others).

 

[Samer]

"Forever domains" are not a thing without the registry itself on board.

.COM domains can be renewed for a max of (10) years with the registry, where it actually matters.

You are paying $399 for the promise that Epik will pay for the renewal fee in perpetuity, regardless of price.

Obviously this could become unsustainable depending on what happens with pricing over time or Epik as a company long term.

Verisign, the actual .COM registry, is not a part of this agreement. There are no guarantees.

Just know what you are actually paying for.

Brad

Stuck in that “rent payers” mentality, Brad.

These are assets, treat them like one.

Yes, from personal experience, GDDY stock inflated, couldnt care less if public company.
— I actually prefer my Registrar to be Private. We have ICANN for the regulation, hinder BS.

maybe Blackstone or Appollo wants Registrar, and buys Godaddy we all know how well VC mix with Domains... (imo)

Samer

 

[Samer]

Then I would rather renew the domain myself every 10 years, because if prices increase Epik may cancel the deal anyways, very uncertain.

Or fight for perpetual ownership.

Brad arent you part of the ICA?

So much for fighting for “registrant rights.” unless it’s not in your best interest, I.E. forcing Godaddy or the other industry Regist to same.
Forever registration is thing. Dont take digs. — Anticipate future growth as reduced cost, despite the topic (up 7% each of next 4 years) The topic of this thread is all the more reason to put aside our differences, and try, for once, to let perpetual dpmain ownership be a thing? Go epik! and @Rob Monster. Trailblazers.

Samer

 

[Chris Hydrick]

Dynadot Offices:
San Mateo (hq)

If they do have a public HQ office in San Mateo, then it's not a public address. I'm less than a 30 minute drive to that San Mateo USPS. Perhaps I could buy a mailbox, and then say, our HQ is in the same offices as Dynadot HQ

 

[Lox]

If they do have a public HQ office in San Mateo, then it's not a public address. I'm les than a 30 minute drive to that San Mateo USPS. Perhaps I should buy a mailbox, and then say, our HQ is in the same offices as Dynadot HQ

Show attachment 193222

home office / hq - I guess, there's an PO bcos they don't want to have a walk-in without appointments.

 

[Mister Funsky]

Since my post was moved to another thread, I would like to answer the primary question posed in the OP again. I hope I have not said too much...I removed the last paragraph of my original post and removed anything that could be considered promotional.

With dotcom prices starting to head up, are you operating a large portfolio? What steps will you take?

My portfolio is too large...lots of okay, many good and quite a few really good names...only a handful I would call great.

Those in the great category, along with those intended for my personal/professional use, will be renewed for a few years taking advantage of the excellent pre-fund pricing at (redacted).

 

[Samer]

Adds fodder to put .com contract up to tender.

Like to add: Still Wont buy their stock (VRSN)

Lock-in renew best domains at the current rate

Samer

 

[bmugford]

icann & registry agreement

Show attachment 193126

Everything above relates to Registries.

The registrars are free to have their own ToS / business rules, and if they want, they can sell you a "service" - f.e. prepay renewal (10, whatever extra years) but RDDS will always be the registry max 10 y.

Example NetSol Service: Protect Your Domain Name Registration Into The Next Century.
Link

Exactly. The registry is not on board. You are simply paying for a promise with no guarantees.

Brad

 

[Samer]

Who knew a 50 cent.com increase would cause so much controversy. Thanks for sharing

They must be VRSN or GDDY stockholders.

wouldnt touch either of those stocks if was $5.

Believe in innovation.

Samer

 

[Chris Hydrick]

I don't trust any of them, after the Brent Oxley thingy... NameCheap is my preferred right now, until proven otherwise too...

That situation also turned me on to NameCheap. + @tamar seems like a responsive rockstar!

Any idea how NameCheap plans to handle the verisign price increase?

 

[F.C.]

Many posts have been moved to another thread, because this thread was hijacked to promote Epik by @Rob Monster The new thread is at https://www.namepros.com/threads/epik-promotion.1242873/

This is to clear confusion for everybody, why some posts do not make sense anymore. Hope everybody understands. Thanks @NamePros for cleaning up the threads.

So to go back on "track" and stay on topic... what does this all mean for us that Verisign's .com prices are going up?

 

[F.C.]

Its quite funny if you read the entire thread back to front, or top to bottom, top is bottom on this thread. $5.99 .com at namecheap, that save some money before price increase

That would help to renew lots of domains for the long run to protect against the future price increases of Verisign.

 

[DOMAIN ILLUMINATI]

Have a good laugh, thanks for staying off topic, as none of your comment has anything to do with .com price increase.

Thanks have a look at the posts I made to realize that they all have directly or indirectly to do with the price increase of Verisign's product (com (which is not top)), I bolded the parts that will help to understand it and greyed out the rest:

- This thread doesn't include spam.
- The OP made a good decision renewing his top domains.
- I have and renew only a few .com's because .com. it is not .top.

Verisign knows that .com. is not .top. and they will try to keep this unchangeable fact out of the public's mind for as long as possible, their price hikings are the result of their unconsciousness fear from this new reality.

Not really, top is top - even when it is at the bottom (like (it was) in this thread), and this circumstance should always be considered before registering / renewing a com since a com is always at the bottom (in comparison to a certain TLD) - even when it is at the top (in terms of reg. numbers).

As for my last post with the laughing emoji, it was a reaction to your (and another member's) action (dislike / disagree (which both was a reaction to my opinion)) but if the goal is to consider every side-thought that does not directly refer to the thread's topic (but to an action of someone within the same thread) as offtopic, then it could indeed be seen as offtopic.

It's up to the moderators decision if they will give such a little / short reaction weight enough to directly classify it as offtopic or to classify it as "part of an (heated) debate".

For me, at the end, it has indirectly but clearly very well to do with this thread's topic (otherwise I would not have posted it) since it was, as I wrote, simply a reaction (opinion) to your (and another member's) action (...))) to this threads topic - in other words, the root cause was this thread's topic and this is also the case with this post now, thread's are chains of reactions, chain reations.

+++

That being said (explained), I always deliver top quality and Versign seems to be aware of that, maybe my posts are a reason for their price increasings who knows ...