I know there are lots and lots of websites who sell domain names. Obviously the market is lucrative and the competition is high.

How does one find out how to go about being the person who can sell these domain names?

I.e. 123reg.co.uk sell domain names... how do you set yourself up to do so?

Cheers

DB

Wouldn't the the first port of call would be to ask www.nic.uk for advice ?.

I would have thought that, but they only deal with .uk domains and I'm thinking the whole shibang!

Dunno then mate ... I guess there has to be some central governing body.

You could just tell www.nic.uk what you want to do and ask their advice and if they can refer you to the appropriate people ....

They've been pretty helpful with me in the past.

I'll drop them an email.... I know that www.icann.org has something to do with it, but the setup charges are astronomical.

I just wondered if there was a more simplistic way round.

Ah well if anyone else has any ideas... drop em my way!

Try one of the affilliate schemes to dip your toe in the water and get into the google rankings.

I'm confused. Are you looking to sell some of your domain names? Or are you looking to start a business which lists domain names for sale? Or something else completely?

Something like www.123reg.co.uk

People come to my site to register domain names.
As you know I'm rebranding mobile unlocked (new name new design etc) and I want to spread out from just the cellular industry.

My new site will cover a broader spectrum including web hosting and domain name registration.

The web hosting I've got sorted... the domain name part is still a mystery to me.

DB

For .uk you need to become a Nominet member and tag holder.

For .com / .net / .org you can use an ICANN acredited registrar, e.g. Enom or Tucows.

Enom provide a reseller service, on a prepay basis. The more domain you sell the cheaper they become. They also have an API if you wish to integrate with your site,

I host sites but encourage my clients to register their domain names through 123-reg.co.uk.

Nominet membership is, I believe, about GBP 400 a year.

The reason why I don't wnat to be in that side of the business is that it's too much hassle for too small a margin. Unless you can compete with the prices that are offered you'll be spending a lot of time for little money, unless you build an automated system.

You'll also be responsible for all the fun and games when transfers take place!

I do register domains for my clients if they ask me to, usually at cost, but it's not something I regularly do and as soon as I get tehm registered I ask my client to set themselves up a 123-reg account so I can transfer the domains to them. That way if they DO want to change hosting companies (no one has done so far!!) it's an easy job for them and no hassle for me.

Joe

Ok.. thanks for clarifying that you're looking at a service to provider domain name registrations.. (re-selling your own domains is a whole other kettle of fish)..

For my 10penneth worth I got a reseller account with OpenSRS (Tucows) for all my .com/net/info/org domains and use a ukreg.com account for all the .??.uk domains..

The OpenSRS system is a bit of a mare to get setup initially and you do have to go through a training system before they'll let you on the system live but it's well worth it and I'm saving an absolute packet for myself and my clients... especially with the dollar exchange rate so heavily in favour of the pound right now...

It's probably one of the most competitive things you could possibly do online. Unless you are offering a service that the thousands of other sites don't then I can't see how it would be a success.

On another note, why is it that when I register a co.uk domain for £2.99 after 2 years Nominet send me a letter explaining that if I want to renew it will be £79.95? I just renew it for £2.99 at the place I originally registered it with.

On another note, why is it that when I register a co.uk domain for £2.99 after 2 years Nominet send me a letter explaining that if I want to renew it will be £79.95? I just renew it for £2.99 at the place I originally registered it with.

It's to prompt people who's domains have expired to renew them. We send out emails a month in advance (then two weeks later) warning people that their domains are expiring, you'd be surprised how many people don't think it's important enough to answer 'til they get the £80 letter from Nominet, then phone us to renew within minutes.

Nominet are non-profit, & 99% of stuff can (& should) be handled by your registration company. Therefore when people get in touch & they have to do something directly they charge impressive admin fees, more to get people to use Nominet tag-holders than anything else.

Hi..,

Just do a search for "domain reseller account" and if your serious setup an account with a hosting company.

Have a good look around because there are a lot of them out their all offering different features and benefits. Not all of them are the same, and not all of them are a good price. But all of them will want a monthly/yearly fee.

It also depends on what market you are offering you services... if its the cut throught "i'm the cheapest domain in the land" don't bother.... if its to add value for clients that haven't got the time/skill to do it themselves they will pay a premium.... I charge £12.50 inc vat for a .co.uk for 2 years plus webspace charge... no way near the cheapest, but not the dearest either.... and £6.50 a year not one of my clients argues at the cost.

Its a bit of a learning curve, but once your up to speed, its easy.


Some companies send out letters that look official, just to get unsuspecting punters to pay them, and not the person who did it the previous time.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Steve

ps try heartinternet

I know there are lots and lots of websites who sell domain names. Obviously the market is lucrative and the competition is high.


The competition is very high & it's a service that can be almost totally automated, therefore the margins are very slim. You have to do a lot of volume in a crowded market to make any money, if registering domains is your only business.

The easiest way to get into it is as a reseller for someone else, as the other posters have said.

To become a Nominet member & tag holder, to be able to register .uk domains at cost price, it's a £400 joining fee, and a £100 yearly fee to maintain your membership. That enables you to register .uk domains at £5+vat for 2 years. Some of your competition have prices as low as £6 inc vat for two years, so they only make a few pennies on each registration & they have their membership fees and other overheads to pay from that.

You'd be better off trying to find interesting domains to register for yourself, if you can find some interesting ones that haven't been registered yet, that you'd be able to resell. If you own a domain that somebody else wants, you can make quite a lot of money.