discuss Now the price increase for .com is starting to hit...going to be dropping lots of names

[Mister Funsky]

It seems the price increases are kicking in across many registrars as the hours tick on. Just noticed they went from 8.49 at Epik to 9.99 in the last little while.

Perhaps others could post any price increases they have/are experiencing. The thieves that run .com will soon notice a decrease in registrations. In my case, I will let 25 to 30 percent of my names drop.

 

[Recons.Com]

Not sure what this means. In order to scale I am always reinvesting.

Also, just wanted to add some clarity:

If you have 1450 .COM names and it costs you 57 cents more per name (as it does me now (Superbulk Dynadot)), then that means this increase costs me $826 extra this year. But at 1% sales, that means it eats up about $59 per sale. At 2.2% (me) its even less.

If you increase your STR (even a fraction) or slightly increase your per name price, it costs you nothing extra.
If you are already selling at a decent price, then you can eat the increase and you dont have to raise anything.

1. it means you have to do INCREMENTAL analysis to understand the consequences of events.

2. Since there was another raise just around 12 months ago, that is already $1.2 in just a year per .com

3. So if you were to buy/renew 1450 names today and compare your costs for the same if bought/renewed in Aug 2021, it is an extra $1800 that will move from your pocket to Verisign

 

[NYJimbo]

3. So if you were to buy/renew 1450 names today and compare your costs for the same if bought/renewed in Aug 2021, it is an extra $1800 that will move from your pocket to Verisign

My STR and price per name sold has gone up incrementally too. Do you factor that in ? We always pay more out, for everything. But we work at taking more in.

For instance I sell more names now for $2285 this year compared to more at $1688 last year.

This is why I dont like to talk numbers with people, you can always find something to make it look like you are losing.

 

[Recons.Com]

My STR and price per name sold has gone up incrementally too. Do you factor that in ? We always pay more out, for everything. But we work at taking more in.

For instance I sell more names now for $2285 this year compared to more at $1688 last year.

This is why I dont like to talk numbers with people, you can always find something to make it look like you are losing.

At small scale, everything is possible. Especially, if you don't factor in the value of time spent. And if the claims cannot be independently verified.

It is pretty much consensus that for the same names at the same prices STR in 2021 was higher than in 2022. So, given that it is true and you are selling for more at higher pace, it would still not be truly scalable, as you admit yourself with your small scale experimentations and small number of names being added. 30-90 a month is not much, no matter how you look at it. For comparison, I normally buy 30-50 a day.

And, yes, I can weather it as well, but I don't really like it for two reasons:

- it is a transfer of wealth from smaller investors to a monopoly with no social benefit (rather the opposite: the society has to pay more as well for the reg fee names)

- At around $15-20/name .com, excluding few true premiums, becomes not an investment grade considering the risks involved. Basically, for 95% of investors, it will mean either being out of business or effectively working for Verisign for a symbolic salary. I think it is wise to raise the alarm and flag when it is already at 20% of the path getting there rather than when it is too late.

- Even now, the situation is bad for many. 1/3 of investors were making meaningful money beyond what they'd make flipping burgers. Now, it will become 1/4 and the number will keep sliding lower with each increase. Although, many won't quit right away due to the effect of slow-cooking froggy.

 

[TASSIE]

My epik renewal price is $9.99

It was last week for me as well. $35 now. Have you checked recently ?

 

[internext]

Have you checked recently ?

Just checked. Still $9.99

 

[topdom]

Inflation is ok when there is no deflation. But there is some deflation. It won't last forever, but the world may change a lot until then. If you know how to make money out of money, domaining may not be the best method of making quick money nowadays. I wonder whether anyone made any money by selling NFTs. I mean actual NFTs, not domains.

 

[zomainhacks]

In the end inflation will hit retail domain prices too, so in the medium term I'm not very much concerned about renewal increases (unless registries are dumb but I don't believe so) .

In the short term it sucks A LOT but I don't see a downward registration trend unfolding from this.

 

[redemo]

I'm still waiting for .com renewal prices to go up. It should be a lot harder for new domainers to enter the market. If they had to pay $ 100 for each .com domain then maybe there wouldn't be so many crap .com domains being flogged in the auctions all day???? This is one time I'm voting for prices to INCREASE. I'm not a sheep, and I'm not gonna just agree with everybody else to avoid anonymous down-votes. because the truth is that .com domain name prices aren't high enough. Why are .com domain names priced so low anyway, has anybody thought about that? How about increasing .com from $ 10 to $ 100 and I.C.A.N.N. to invest in free domainer education courses for everybody?

 

[bmugford]

I'm still waiting for .com renewal prices to go up. It should be a lot harder for new domainers to enter the market. If they had to pay $ 100 for each .com domain then maybe there wouldn't be so many crap .com domains being flogged in the auctions all day???? This is one time I'm voting for prices to INCREASE. I'm not a sheep, and I'm not gonna just agree with everybody else to avoid anonymous down-votes. because the truth is that .com domain name prices aren't high enough. Why are .com domain names priced so low anyway, has anybody thought about that? How about increasing .com from $ 10 to $ 100 and I.C.A.N.N. to invest in free domainer education courses for everybody?

Who gets the extra money? Is it still going to go to Verisign, who operates .COM under a de facto monopoly via no-bid contract?

Or is going to ICANN, so they can have more unneeded funds to blow on travel and other "expenses"?
Surely their leadership needs at least a 10x raise each. Six figures is not enough, they should all be making 7 figures.

Who sets the pricing? Is Verisign going to be given the power to set it to whatever they want, what about premium renewals either based on the length of domain, quality, traffic, or other factors.

Is ICANN going to set the pricing? That opens up a massive can of worms.

I really don't think this stance is well thought out. It would open up Pandora's Box and be a complete logistical nightmare.

The problem here is Verisign does not own .COM, they are just allowed to operate it under contract.
ICANN awarded that contract.

When you start talking about drastically raising pricing, introducing premiums, etc. it creates an even larger conflict of interest that would require more oversight.

I really don't think Verisign is interested in potentially killing their golden goose. The status quo benefits them.

Brad

 

[redemo]

Think I may be wandering off-topic @bmugford but what I'm really saying is I'd quite happily pay $ 100 to grab an un-registered .com domain if it meant spending more time analysing the decision, and not registering the other nine. This is digital real estate we're talking about and it's 2022 for pity's sakes mun. Domain names are valuable and they should cost more. It would force the average Mick or Mary to do more research before they splash their cash on trash.

 

[Recons.Com]

I'm still waiting for .com renewal prices to go up. It should be a lot harder for new domainers to enter the market. If they had to pay $ 100 for each .com domain then maybe there wouldn't be so many crap .com domains being flogged in the auctions all day???? This is one time I'm voting for prices to INCREASE. I'm not a sheep, and I'm not gonna just agree with everybody else to avoid anonymous down-votes. because the truth is that .com domain name prices aren't high enough. Why are .com domain names priced so low anyway, has anybody thought about that? How about increasing .com from $ 10 to $ 100 and I.C.A.N.N. to invest in free domainer education courses for everybody?

Maybe, enough with pointless trolling?

.com is a global extension and even $20 is serious money in poor countries. And many companies need few .coms to cover their products, services, typos etc.

Again, who gets this money?

 

[Recons.Com]

Another point:

.com enjoys the de-facto default position, but that is not stupidity- and greed- proof.

Raise the price, and people will be examining their cctld, ngtld options closer.

 

[bmugford]

Think I may be wandering off-topic @bmugford but what I'm really saying is I'd quite happily pay $ 100 to grab an un-registered .com domain if it meant spending more time analysing the decision, and not registering the other nine. This is digital real estate we're talking about and it's 2022 for pity's sakes mun. Domain names are valuable and they should cost more. It would force the average Mick or Mary to do more research before they splash their cash on trash.

The problem is when you go down that path, what is the end game? You might be happy to pay $100, but what if the registry wants $1,000/year or $10,000/year or more like .XYZ for example.

Once you open the floodgates, this could very quickly turn into a situation which is essentially legalized theft.

New extensions might be privately owned by a third party.
.COM is not. That is a big difference.

Brad

 

[redemo]

Maybe, enough with pointless trolling?

Trolling? It's called having an opinion. I'm not bowing down to anybody when it comes to my principles. If 99 people turn right, I'm perfectly happy turning left.

 

[redemo]

The problem is when you go down that path, what is the end game? You might be happy to pay $100, but what if the registry wants $1,000/year or $10,000/year or more like .XYZ for example.

I think available .com domain names should cost $ 100 to register. Too many people registering rubbish domains and polluting the listings with them. Spend the money on free domainer training for everybody in the world. That's my opinion. Sticking to it. Leaving this thread now. You can all carry on agreeing with yourselves.

 

[bmugford]

Trolling? It's called having an opinion. I'm not bowing down to anybody when it comes to my principles. If 99 people turn right, I'm perfectly happy turning left.

This type of scheme is simply not possible with an extension like .COM that is supposed to be operated in the public interest.

If ICANN & Verisign tried to implement this type of crooked scheme, I would expect immediate attention from the federal and state governments.

ICANN should have learned their power is not unlimited when the California Attorney General stepped in to investigate the .ORG takeover by a private equity company -

On Heels of AG Becerra Letter, ICANN Rejects Transfer of .Org Registry to Private Equity Firm​

https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-relea...cts-transfer-org-registry-private-equity-firm

“In America, we grant non-profit organizations favorable legal and tax treatment compared to individual Americans or for-profit enterprises because, by law, they must serve the public’s interest and must be open to public examination," said Attorney General Xavier Becerra. "More and more, that premise has come under assault as those with personal profit motives see an easy opening to exploit the special tax and legal treatment reserved for nonprofits. Yesterday, ICANN, the governing body for web domains, decided not to approve the transfer of the non-profit operator of the “.org” domain (which is used principally by the non-profit world) to a for-profit, private equity firm. ICANN’s decision restores some confidence that the non-profit community may continue to be driven by a desire to serve the public, not to make a quick buck at charitable donors’ and taxpayers’ expense.”

 

[bmugford]

I think available .com domain names should cost $ 100 to register. Too many people registering rubbish domains and polluting the listings with them. Spend the money on free domainer training for everybody in the world. That's my opinion. Sticking to it. Leaving this thread now. You can all carry on agreeing with yourselves.

That's fine, but the idea of actually implementing that creates far too many other issues.

The theoretical argument that higher prices would lead to less registrations is obviously true, but I don't really agree that would be a good thing. In many parts of the world $100+ is not some insignificant amount of money.

Also, many websites are for personal use like email, hobby sites, etc. and likely make no money.

It would also be an unfair way to transfer money from non-profits to a for profit, as a result of the higher pricing.

Brad

 

[jmcc]

This is the Last New Analysis for the .COM domain names deleted in August 2022.
2022: 3.37%
2021: 55.65%
2020: 16.94%
2019: 6.71%
2018: 4.41%
2017: 2.99%
2016: 2.15%
2015: 1.53%
2014: 1.14%
2013: 0.85%
2012: 0.97%
2011: 0.62%
2010: 0.52%
2009: 0.45%
2008: 0.36%
2007: 0.32%
2006: 0.24%
2005: 0.20%
2004: 0.17%
2003: 0.12%
2002: 0.09%
<2002: 0.22%

The problem with expecting a massive drop of .COM domain names due to the price increase is that any domain names not renewed after 01 September 2022 will only start dropping in roughly 45 to 60 days time. The majority of .COM registrations are not domainer registrations. As such, they are not typically part of portfolios and most will renew.

The current non-renewal rate for first year .COM registrations is about 46%. If there is an increase in deletions due to the price increases in the pre-2020 registrations, it will be difficult to differentiate them from natural attrition due to businesses closing. (Covid and economic conditions in 2020-2022).

Regards...jmcc

 

[Mister Funsky]

So, I heard back from Dynadot. Their pre-funding prices are not that great until you reach the 5 grand level. At that point, .coms would be 9.57 per...much better than 9.99 but a pain to fund that much at one time.

I've not gotten a response regarding pricing from Epik.

Below is a screen shot of the landing page at Namesilo, but after drilling down in their site, I could not find how the achieve the 8.39 discount. If it is no longer offered, perhaps it is time for them to remove the rotating banner.

Years past, registrars would be foaming at the mouth to get a transfer of one or two thousand domains. Oh well.

 

[Recons.Com]

This is the Last New Analysis for the .COM domain names deleted in August 2022.
2022: 3.37%
2021: 55.65%
2020: 16.94%
2019: 6.71%
2018: 4.41%
2017: 2.99%
2016: 2.15%
2015: 1.53%
2014: 1.14%
2013: 0.85%
2012: 0.97%
2011: 0.62%
2010: 0.52%
2009: 0.45%
2008: 0.36%
2007: 0.32%
2006: 0.24%
2005: 0.20%
2004: 0.17%
2003: 0.12%
2002: 0.09%
<2002: 0.22%

The problem with expecting a massive drop of .COM domain names due to the price increase is that any domain names not renewed after 01 September 2022 will only start dropping in roughly 45 to 60 days time. The majority of .COM registrations are not domainer registrations. As such, they are not typically part of portfolios and most will renew.

The current non-renewal rate for first year .COM registrations is about 46%. If there is an increase in deletions due to the price increases in the pre-2020 registrations, it will be difficult to differentiate them from natural attrition due to businesses closing. (Covid and economic conditions in 2020-2022).

Regards...jmcc

You're right. The ones we are seeing now in auctions and drops are 35 to 60 days past renewal date. We should see the true result in 30 days in auctions and 55 days in drops.

Although some investors have taken stricter view at their portfolios since they found out about the increase.

 

[blogspotter]

So, I heard back from Dynadot. Their pre-funding prices are not that great until you reach the 5 grand level. At that point, .coms would be 9.57 per...much better than 9.99 but a pain to fund that much at one time.

I've not gotten a response regarding pricing from Epik.

Below is a screen shot of the landing page at Namesilo, but after drilling down in their site, I could not find how the achieve the 8.39 discount. If it is no longer offered, perhaps it is time for them to remove the rotating banner.

Show attachment 222553

Years past, registrars would be foaming at the mouth to get a transfer of one or two thousand domains. Oh well.

Yeah that is the old pricing. New bulk pricing is below:

 

[tonyk2000]

@redemo can you please share the basis of your calculations? You prefer $100, but why not $200? And, are you sure that, should your pricing idea be accepted globally, relevant parties who set the price would always /each year/ follow the same logic?

 

[redemo]

@redemo can you please share the basis of your calculations? You prefer $100, but why not $200? And, are you sure that, should your pricing idea be accepted globally, relevant parties who set the price would always /each year/ follow the same logic?

It was just an idea mate, haven't calculated anything. All the objectives have been noted. Today I will be discussing how to earn $ 100 not spend $ 100.

 

[DomainConcepts]

.com is a global extension and even $20 is serious money in poor countries.

Not really.

$20 isn't serious money, even in poor countries – not for a business that is operating internationally and therefore needs, or feels it needs, a .com domain.

For the rest, there are ccTLDs (and many people regard .com as a de facto American TLD, not an international one). And this may surprise you, but in some countries the ccTLD enjoys higher status than .com. In Germany, for example. .de is king: it accounts for 60% of registrations, .com only for 25%. Or listen to the commercial breaks on Dutch radio (on Internet radio, if you actually want to try it): you'd think the most common word in Dutch is "puntenel" (dot N L). It seems to end every third sentence.

Apologies for going OT a little.

 

[branding]

Or listen to the commercial breaks on Dutch radio (on Internet radio, if you actually want to try it): you'd think the most common word in Dutch is "puntenel" (dot N L). It seems to end every third sentence.

You're right. same goes for the UK and a lot of European countries. Dot com will always be second/third best in this regard.

I like the way how they don't pronounce the dot in Germany so they just say domain de.