Getting a good deal on domain names

[Countrymun]

Hi,

we have been trying to find a good (for that read ...cheap!) deal on domain names. We want to buy at least 40 domain names - probably both .com and co.uk versions for each.

I have seen lots of ads for domain names from £1 for a year but this only applies to the first name you buy - all others are minimum £4 for a year. There are some offering a two year deal where you can buy them at £1 for this year if you sign up to a two year deal (the second year is £7).

Just thought there might be someone here who has bought domains in the past and knows of good places for bulk offers etc. I tried the bulk offer page on godaddy but still, after adding first ones it then jumps to £4-6 for all the rest.
Thanks for any info.

 

[Scott@KarmaContent]

You might want to factor in purchasing the shorter .uk as well as the .co.uk. It's not really took off yet (and it might not) but it's something you may want to consider (I'm presuming you are purchasing free to register domains and not ones already registered).

I'm not too sure on the .com side but with .co.uk (and .uk) domains, the registrars themselves only get these for £3.75. Daily may be worth a look, you can bulk buy domain credits which can bring prices down.

https://www.daily.co.uk/domain-names/domain-credits.html

 

[Countrymun]

Hi Scott,
Thank you for this. I have now read that Fasthost also offer domain credits - although rather unhelpfully, their page with info on credits doesn't show any prices. I have emailed them for info.
I have looked at daily - pity that .com and co.uk are in different categories for credits
Really appreciate the help.
Many thanks

 

[Alan]

The problem is, essentially, the wholesale price for UK is £3.75 and for .com approx £6.28 ( rates vary due to exchange rate )

So any one selling you domains for less than this can't sustain that pricing and need to make it up in other ways ( like increasing the price after a year or two)

 

[webhostuk]

[QUOTE="So any one selling you domains for less than this can't sustain that pricing and need to make it up in other ways ( like increasing the price after a year or two)[/QUOTE]
which they do and double to price to recover the amount they lost.

 

[ecenica]

So any one selling you domains for less than this can't sustain that pricing and need to make it up in other ways ( like increasing the price after a year or two)

This. Plus aggressive up-selling during and after your purchase -- something we do not do as we know it's not what our users want.

As Alan says, all Nominet Channel Partners, including ourselves, have to pay the same 'wholesale' price for .UKs. Therefore anything below this price is a loss-leader, or is absorbed into the package price somewhere along the line.

 

[Brennerz]

I'd suggest looking at domain name 'resellers' where you will get probably the best possible price without having to pay to become a partner etc.

As others have said, anyone selling the domains for that little would be loss-leaders - having said that they usually offer domains for FREE or X amount IF you BUY hosting or something - in the end would probably work out more than going direct to a reseller.

It has been years since I used nominet for .uk - but from memory to deal with them directly you have to pay something like £500 upfront ( don't quote me, my knowledge is 10 years old).

look at someone like reseller.netearthone.com they claim no upfront fees, if you do bank transfer they don't charge card fees - no idea if they are the cheapest.

 

[Xtm_Mike]

Be wary of web hosts offering domains for £1, they generally have quite aggressive pricing.. the 2nd year pricing will rise to higher than average.

What type of discount are you looking for? We may be able to help you out, though as stated above, it wont be any lower than wholesale. Don't hesitate to reach out if you want to discuss further.

 

[stender]

watch as well for charges to move the domain elsewhere.

 

[ChrisRM]

Namecheap.com are relatively cost effective.

From my experience they tend to have low prices overall rather than £1 first year and then much higher in the years beyond.

Worth including in a comparison exercise.

 

[wevet]

You need to be certain that you are actually buying the domain name outright and that it will be registered in your own name. There are some companies who retain ownership and then in year 2 jack up the renewal price and you are stuck having invested in promoting a domain name.

 

[Reba]

You need to be certain that you are actually buying the domain name outright and that it will be registered in your own name. There are some companies who retain ownership and then in year 2 jack up the renewal price and you are stuck having invested in promoting a domain name.

Didn't know you could actually buy domains outright. I've only ever seen them sold on X amount of years at a set price before they need to be renewed, if you forget to renew you lose the domain. Can you provide a link for where and how much it cost to buy a domain outright please?

Unless you mean some hosting companies won't let you transfer to other provider?

 

[wevet]

Some hosting companies/ domain name dealers are actually and remain the owner of the domain name and allow you to use it whilst you use their services but you cannot transfer sell the domain no, in some cases use a different hosting provider.

Wheras if use LCN or godaddy you are actually doing a deal through them with nominet and you can move that domain wherever you wish or indeed transfer ownership. Yes you do have to pay the renewal fee but that does not escalate the way some dodgy comanies up their prices to continue use of a domain name.

remember that having a proper title to a domain name is essential as that forms part of the goodwill of your business.

 

[Scott@KarmaContent]

You can't actually 'own' a domain name, you merely pay for the right to use it for a period of time.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

Just buy them from a reputable provider you can trust instead of trying to cut corners and potentially leaving yourself open to price hikes or worse.

As others have said, there are wholesale prices involved. They might sell you domains at a loss at first, but they need to make some profit otherwise there's no point.

And they might loss-lead with one or two domains, but not 40. That means they would be immediately down £60-100 or more with no guarantee of making it back.

Plus, if prices suddenly went up one year and you decided to transfer them, it's always a risk. A domain name just needs to be unassigned for a few hours and then someone else can snap it up.

Considering the small sums you would save, I don't think it's worth the hassle at all. Just find a solid provider with consistent renewal fees and keep them there.

 

[Countrymun]

Wow, thanks for all the helpful info and advice everyone