Discounts and priority service are added perks for domain name investors.
Last week, domain name registrar DirectNic unveiled its new VIP program, and domainers could be forgiven for having flashbacks to last decade at registrar Fabulous.
That’s because Mike Robertson, who made a name for himself in the domain name business by playing point man for many large domainers with portfolios at Fabulous, is now at DirectNic and is spearheading its VIP program.
The program includes discounted pricing, priority support and brokerage services.
Of course, DirectNic isn’t the only company with a program catering to domain portfolio holders. GoDaddy’s Premier Services is the best known. Depending on how much you spend with GoDaddy, you get a different level of support and even additional security options for your account.
While DirectNic, GoDaddy and others have formalized domainer programs, other registrars are offering similar levels of service on a customized basis.
Consider Frank Schilling’s Uniregistry, which is working with domainers on a one-on-one basis.
Similarly, DirectNic isn’t publishing VIP pricing, instead opting to work with customers individually to set pricing.
The bottom line: if you have a decent number of domain names, the domainer-focused registrars are going to cut a deal with you to make sure they don’t lose you over price. That means you shouldn’t have to pay much more than the $7.85 wholesale price for .com domain names (plus ICANN fees).
That said, price isn’t the only thing you should look for in a registrar. With low prices as a given, security and service are two other key factors to consider.
Rob Monster - Epik says
Domain investors with volume should expect to get domains at/near cost. For example, at Epik, customers with 500+ domains, they can expect to get domains at cost at Epik, e.g. $8.10 for all-inclusive .COM. This includes a lot of free features, like free WHOIS privacy, free forwarding and the ability to sell or lease domains commission-free in the Epik marketplace.