"Mom and Pop" domain resellers

[Hurley4540]

Ok, I have just been wondering about this today.... so I thought I would ask.

So many of you know there are many domain resellers from the bigger companies, ex: Godaddy, etc. In which anyone that buys it can somewhat run their own domain service without having to be an actual registrar. They can set their own prices, (I have never been a reseller, so I don't know how the pricing goes etc) but my question IS this:

WHY should I use your own reseller instead of a big time company like: Name.com(my favorite <3), namecheap.com, godaddy.com(sucks, but many people use it), and more of the more famous ones that people can actually trust (not so much godaddy :p).

So.... instead of buying a dot com for 5.99 over at Name.com, why should I use your reseller company that are priced at $8 or more? I saw some that are as high $13!!.....???

Another point is that no one knows about your domain unless heavy advertising unlike Name, Godaddy, Namecheap, etc.

The only real reason I can think of is that the reseller owner is a friend and you are helping them out??? OR the prices are 5.99< but then you would be losing money....

Someone please explain to me .

 

[bloggernoob]

good questions, i understood why someone would become a reseller. i guess it's to make money off of noobs

 

[Hurley4540]

So are you really only counting on people who do not know of Godaddy? Because even people I've met and know that have do not domain or are a webmaster know what Godaddy is. "You can get a .com address there" ...

 

[[email protected]]

I think when a person / co. / reseller charges more money, it's more of a commitment of providing fast service , cheaper running cost (maybe like a local vendor for you) and renewal trackings (sometimes in advance / credit - goodwill)

I am from India and Calling GoDaddy to US is an expensive thing/
So, if i take a huge portfolio, i will prefer taking resellers UNLESS it is a PREMIUM prtfolio

 

[soggyindo]

i thought those things were set to autopilot - any purchases went through godaddy's system (for the same godaddy price)

you earned your commission just by having an extra fishing pole out there for godaddy - but i guess there are all sorts of schemes out in the webs

i can still remember before someone first told me about godaddy and before i realized "oh gee, you can get a .com under $15?". those guys play to that market, i guess

hey, i know i should try name and am still with dynadot/ GD - we're all fools to some extent

 

[cache]

if you sell hosting for example, you can make a few dollars and provide your customers with one stop shopping by offering domain reg.

 

[Hurley4540]

Thanks for your replies guys

 

[Coopey]

I have a GD one, I always kept all the prices at the lowest they could be (there is a minimum amount the system will let you put as a sales value) and opt into every sale (although I've actually just put .com up to $7.99 pa from $6.95 on mine).
I don't expect domainers to use mine though, except for when it's cheaper than the other main registrars- e.g. at the moment .tv is $19.99, the link's in my signature and a few people have registered, if there isn't a renewal sale I can opt in to next year, I expect all will transfer to eNom for $24.95 (which is what I'll probably do with mine!)
Most of my sales come from word-of-mouth referrals mostly amongst people I know here in the UK- even at $7.99 I'm cheaper than all the UK registrars who price at £8.99 ($19). I know I'm never going to compete with the likes of GoDaddy (especially with their own reseller service)- so I don't expect to.

So in summary, my reseller offers you as a domainer the occasional super sale (such as the $19.99 .tv), backed by GoDaddy. But for domainers, especially flippers, I agree that you'd want to stick to the big few- as prices are predictable and cheap and most domainers will already have existing accounts there.

 

[weblord]

it might be you want something automated for people to do it themselves but it has to contain your branding, even if you own a name.com account it's illegal to give access to your account to any people just to register their domain.

 

[Dean]

Well GD does take like 24 hours to respond to a support ticket so I guess if a reseller has faster support it might be an option.

 

[Hurley4540]

Well GD does take like 24 hours to respond to a support ticket so I guess if a reseller has faster support it might be an option.

Yes but you are not going to pay $10 for a domain you could get for $6 just in the rare case you need critical support fast...

 

[deet]

My experience with a domain reseller account was not great. I actually lost out pretty good that was back in 2002 but I also only advertised online I did not try anything local & I think that is where I messed up. Many people who offer a particular service such as a web designer will use a reseller account because they already have the customer base.

Local clients will often buy more because they feel safe knowing they are with a local company & usually they never know you are a reseller. imo

Expanding your customer base is important for the growth of a company.

 

[maxeaus]

I think resellers had the best of it a few years back, now im not sure if it would even be worth trying to be one, competeing against the big names.

As for Enom, i find them not at all special in regards to service or security for that matter. Why would you pay $24.95 a name at Enom, when Godaddy has them for $7.95 ? Its a bit like setting fire to $1.00 bills. A .com is a .com, the fact it comes from Enom dose not make me want to pay more for it.

I admit Godaddy has it's bad points, but so dose Enom.

 

[Dean]

Yes but you are not going to pay $10 for a domain you could get for $6 just in the rare case you need critical support fast...

You cant really get a domain for $6, that was only a name.com promo which is about to end in a few days. $7 is the cheapest, unless their is some unknown registrar who is cheaper but I wouldn't trust them anyway, and there are resellers who sell for around that price as well.

 

[Zona]

What kind of profit margins are there for resellers when domains are purchased through them? Is it the same for the intial purchase and the renewal?

 

[Dean]

it depends, most resellers get 6.99$ or 6.73 if through GD so there arent very high profit margins.

 

[Hurley4540]

it depends, most resellers get 6.99$ or 6.73 if through GD so there arent very high profit margins.

I was going to post "Yeah but name's .com reg is 5.9...no more!


But GD will probably raise prices...