Help a first time domain buyer

[top]

Hello!

I don't have my own domain yet. I live in Europe and possibly my site will be hosted by European company (today its at VirtualAve).

Is it possible to register a domain name on some US/or other company (for example: http://weblaunching.net ).

I have no idea how this thing works. Whats registrar, registrant(me?) etc.

Is there some downsides if I register a domain name at US company or is it just the same if I buy it from a local company?

Registering a domainname in my country costs from 35 to 90$ so I'm very interested in buing one at 12$!

Thanks!

[Mrh0ax]

well for 15$ at register.com

dotster.com

just go to google.com and type in Domain Registering

[Chicken]

Originally posted by top
Is it possible to register a domain name on some US/or other company (for example: http://weblaunching.net ).

Yes, it doesn't matter. Save yourself some money.

I have no idea how this thing works. Whats registrar, registrant(me?) etc.

Registrar is the place you are registering at, or the place *they* are getting domains through. Don't be confused by this, but places such as weblaunching.net buy domains through tucows (which would be the *actual* registrar, if you want to get technical).

You, are the registrant of the domain.

Is there some downsides if I register a domain name at US company or is it just the same if I buy it from a local company?

None, it's the same.

[top]

ThankS a lot!

But I'm still curious on this thing shown below. I got an advertisment of this new service and this is taken from their FAQ. What is local NIC fee? And doesn't it really matter at all where I buy my domain name (strange becaude the prices vary so much)? What would be a good place to buy one (Chicken already suggested weblaunch in some other topic).

"What costs are involved in registering a domain name?
There are typically TWO costs involved when registering a domain name. The first is the Speednames fee and the second is the local NIC fee.

Speednames fee:
Speednames charges between $59 and $200 for initial domain name registration depending on the top level domain. The price is displayed during the search and register process. Speednames charges $29 each subsequent year, to cover administration costs.

Local NIC fee:
Most local NICs charge a fee between $25 and $50 per year. Speednames will collect this fee from you and submit payment to the local NIC. "

>>>>>>>>plus
If I continue using a free service for a while is it possible to use some kind of a domain redirection for free? Are these things available on all companies that sell domains. Or does it cost more?

And do I get http://www.mydom.com and mydom.com at the same time?

I'm asking a lot!

[Edited by top on 12-12-2000 at 09:09 AM]

[Cheap Bastard]

i'm not sure about your domain redirectioning to a free host (but i think you can do it with DNS) but as to where to buy one, gkg.net is the place to be. Good service at $9.99/yr... (tax included)

[Chicken]

Originally posted by top
If I continue using a free service for a while is it possible to use some kind of a domain redirection for free? Are these things available on all companies that sell domains. Or does it cost more?

And do I get http://www.mydom.com and mydom.com at the same time?

Forget about that Speednames thing you got. There is no such thing as a local nic fee, and their price is ridiculous. CB mentioned gkg, and people seem to like them on the boards. $10 and it's a done deal.

Yes, you can register your domain and put the nameservers (ns1.something.com, ns2.something.com), of one of the following companies:

http://www.mydomain.com
http://www.centralinfo.net
http://www.mydomain.com / mydns.com
-or one of the locals here, which you'd have to look for a bit. It's been talked about before and should be *somewhere* below this thread.

It is not available for free through *all* domain registrars. For $15, redirection.net and similar companies offer both. But you could go with gkg and the URL's I mentioned about as well.

When you register, you are registering the 'domain.com' and to get the domain to resolve at all there has to be some sort of DNS set up (by you, or a host, etc.). This is how yo get both http://www.domain and domain.com to work (DNS issue, not really a registrar issue, unless they provide DNS services as well).

[Scott]

Some decent registrars:

http://www.register.com --> $35.00/yr. US ( a bit pricey, but has user friendly control panels )
http://www.dotster.com --> $15.00/yr. US ( has a holiday special for $12.00 per registration)
http://www.joker.com --> 12 EURO/yr (site may look questionable, but Joker is a core re-seller so they are legit)