should I move my domain to GoDaddy?

[geoffrey mendelson]

On Feb 5, 2010, at 10:58 AM, ronys wrote:
>
> My son has a domain registered with them, that expired (he missed  
> the expiry
> warning due to not updating his e-mail address). A couple of months  
> after
> expiration, they hold his $5/year domain name hostage for $80, that  
> is,
> either pay them the money, or lose that domain - can't register it
> elsewhere.
>
> Admittedly, not updating the e-mail was our fault, but a x16 fine  
> borders on
> extortion. No idea how other registrars behave in this respect,  
> though.


If it had been taken by a real domain squater, it would have cost a  
lot more than $80 to get it back. There are lots of companies out  
there that sell off your domain names if you forget to renew them. The  
$80 covers the cost of the ones they keep and no one asks for. It also  
makes it painful enough that you won't do it again.

There once was a Jerusalem based domain name "bank" which was buying  
up names during the bubble and then selling them as investment  
properties. They even had raised so VC, gotten glowing reviews in the  
local press, etc. Think of it, every name the register is a potential  
sale, and the overhead was just the domain registration, no legal  
fees, trademarks, etc.

Some of the less scruplous registrars will allow you to pre-pay for an  
exisiting domain. If it expires, you get it immediately. In that case  
it's lost forever. What happens if someone else does the same thing  
with another similar service, do they fight it out?

Geoff.



-- 
geoffrey mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM
Jerusalem Israel geoffreymendelson at gmail.com
New word I coined 12/13/09, "Sub-Wikipedia" adj, describing knowledge  
or understanding, as in he has a sub-wikipedia understanding of the  
situation. i.e possessing less facts or information than can be found  
in the Wikipedia.