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Choosing a Registrar

The ISP-WebHosting list debates where to register domain names.

[April 18, 2000]

On the ISP-WebHosting list in March, GM posted this question about picking a domain registrar:

"Other than price, I'm wondering what would make this list choose one registrar over another?"

A number of respondents replied that price was the major consideration in opting for a registrar:

[RF wrote] "In all honesty, pricing is the main concern in my choice in registering domains for clients and myself."

[FH agreed] "A) price, b) price, c) price, d) an entity that doesn't hit on our clients for hosting, web design, etc.; e) gives the option of both us doing invoicing and you invoice, and f) provides a turn keyoption which links the client to our site and we pay referrals. D) is the number one consideration."

[CJS added] "I want someone who is not competing with me. Since Network Solutions went with a pre-payment plan, we tried to have clients register their own domains. I sent two clients to them to do that and, in both cases, the clients ended up having NetSol host their sites because it was cheaper. Since then we changed our policy and register the names on the client's behalf."

[JP liked Network Solutions] "I use NetSol because the company has been around the longest and I trust it will stay around, and it has an email-based modification system that works when I need to do mass changes. I just wish I had registered the number of domains required to join their partners program."

Another list member raised the issue of customer service:

[GP wrote] "If you love their customer service as well, go for it. Registrars.com is faster, cheaper, they answer their phone, plus they have the email modification system you talk about."

However, this post kicked off a small argument:

[MS fired this opening volley] "I have yet to have a pleasant experience with Registrar.com, or any registrar other than NetSol. Every customer we have had who transferred in via Registrar.com has taken ages to get the domain transferred. NetSol works with automated email templates end-to-end. All other registrars want you to mosey on over to their web site and 'mouse-and-click' to do anything, which is okay if you're doing one or two domains a week. But if you're doing 10-20 domains a day, these methods are useless."

[WW parried] "There is no reason for the customers not to be actively involved in the registration process. Have you checked out OpenSRS? You can write your own interface to their system for domain registrations and integrate it right into your administrative or sales interface."

At this point, however, the issue of price returned:

[ACC wrote] "But OpenSRS is a little bit expensive! I use Joker.com. It costs only $12 per domain and if you pay in advance, you can get an email interface to register new domains."

—End