Dotster enters fierce battle with GoDaddy
Wednesday, March 30th, 2005
When Dotster launched its domain name registration service in 2000, it radically changed the domain registristration market by offering registration for around $15. I was one of the first to flock to Dotster (I think my receipt number was something like purchase #21). The market has changed since then, as domain registration has become a low margin business and add-ons make most of the money for registrars. Dotster has been undercut by lower-priced registrars like GoDaddy. I personally transfer domains away from Dotster to GoDaddy before they expire to take advantage of lower pricing.
Dotster has bled enough, and is offering a special to customers that transfer domains away to GoDaddy. In the past they sent a message to people as they transferred a domain away, stating that they could renew the domain being transferred at a lower price. But now they are offering permanent lower prices to select customers. It’s unclear what triggers these lower prices, but at a minimum it involves transferring domains to low-priced registrars. It might require a number of transfers before the new prices kick in. The prices are $8.95 for new registrations, $8.95 for renewals, and $6 for domain transfers. That compares to their regular prices of $14.95 for new/renewals and $8.95 for transfers.
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Dotster has bought 000domains? The 000domains website was revamped March 30 and now has the same support phone # as Dotster.
It appears that they either own 000domains.com now or 000domains is a reseller. You can tell this because after you enter domain names you are taken to Dotster’s API address, registerapi.com.
FYI: 000domains support confirms that dotster and now 000domains are owned by Baker Holdings http://www.bakercapital.com