My Domain Registry

You're a Domain Registrar?

That's right, I'm a domain name registrar. Really, I'm a client of OpenSRS, a project of the people who brought you TUCOWS. OpenSRS is a co-op domain name registrar for the big three (.com, .org, and .net), for people who aren't any more sanguine about being ripped-off by the wannabe thieves at the new commercial registries than they were about being mugged by the old thieves at NSI.

Please read at least the main body of this, and at least glance through the FAQ, before registering a domain with me. It's not that much.

I can register domains in the three classic commercial TLDs: .com, .net, and .org. You can register a new domain through me, of course. You can also transfer the registration of your existing domain to me. Please note that I am not open for business to all comers: I will register domains for my friends, and for people my friends will vouch for as being both trustworthy and technically competent. If you're not in one of those camps, I'm sorry but I just can't help you.

Let me put that a different way: I operate my registry on a very low profit margin, largely as a community service. For that reason, I can only afford to do business with customers who do not require technical support.

I am of course available for consulting on domain-related technical issues; my rate is $250 per hour.

If you need a registrar who can offer more handholding than I can, I recommend Domain Direct, the retail arm of OpenSRS. They also register many TLDs I don't.

If you do fit those criteria and want me to register a domain for you, here's the deal: Pricing is according to how long you want to register a domain for. Transfers cost the same as new domains: there is no transfer fee per se, but just as a new registration is for a minimum of one year, a transfer extends the existing registration by a minimum of one year. (And no, if it's not clear from the chart, registering eight domains for 1 year each is not the same as registering one for eight years. One domain for 8 years is $112; 8 domains for 1 year each is $160. Clear?)

Note new pricing effective 1 May 2003.

If you find anyone offering better discounts on 5+ year registrations, please drop me a note.

Years   1       2       3       4       5       6       7       8       9
Price 20.00   35.00   49.00   62.00   75.00   88.00  100.00  112.00  124.00

Do your research. (If you don't know how to use whois you're not qualified to use me as your registrar.) Read the registration agreement and the ICANN policy, then send me mail with the following information:

For a transfer:

• Name(s) of the domains you want to transfer
• The number of years you want to extend the registration by

(Note that for a transfer, mail will be sent by OpenSRS to the administrative contact in the current whois record requesting they go to a web page to confirm the transfer. Some registries (including NSI) will also send mail requesting confirmation; in such cases, both confirmation steps must be taken for a transfer to go through.)

Once you mail me that info, I'll register your domain(s). We'll deal with the money later. Send me mail if you have any further questions.

For a new domain:

New registrations require rather more info:

• Name(s) of the domains you want
• Your name, snail address, and phone number
• An "organization" name --- yes, this is really a required field; if you don't tell me something I'll just combine your first and last names.
• The email address you want to use for the whois record for the domain(s)
• The primary and secondary nameserver for the domain(s). (See FAQ 4 below.)
• The number of years you want to pay for up front

---Alex

FAQs

1. Do you take paypal?
   Sorry, I no longer take paypal. I discovered that if you ever actually need customer support from paypal, you're screwed. I do now take c2it, citibank's paypal-like service. Unlike paypal, they charge their fee to the sender. Also unlike paypal, for whom I was never able to find a customer service number, they list a phone number on their web site where you can reach a human being if something goes awry. I'm looking for a volunteer to be the first to send me money with c2it; if you feel like it, let me know. I'll give you enough of a discount to make up the fee.
2. If I transfer a domain, what happens to the time remaining on my current registration?
   Nothing --- the transfer extends your domain's expiration date by one year beyond whatever it is currently. For some reason a lot of people think that if they transfer a domain, they lose the time remaining on the registration.
3. Do you provide name service?
   No, sorry.
4. So, I can just set up a couple of name servers and have you register my domain with them as primary and secondary, right?
   Um, no.
   There's a bit of a bootstrapping problem setting up nameservers for a new domain: the primary and secondary nameservers used to initially register your domain have to already be known nameservers (where "known" essentially means "shows up as a nameserver in some existing domain's whois entry"). If you don't happen to already control some nameservers, or have a friend who does, this is a problem.
   (There used to be information here about a free DNS provider, granitecanyon. That information is out of date, and I have removed it. If anyone has current information on a good free DNS provider, I'd be glad to include it here.)
5. Once I've registered my domain, how do I change the whois info?
   You have direct control of your domain's whois entry, via an encrypted web interface at manage.opensrs.net Not only do you not have to ask me to make changes, I can't make changes. You'll need a password for manage.opensrs.net; I'll set one initially when I create your domain. I don't like to communicate passwords in-band, so you should phone me or talk to me in person to get your initial password, Also, remember that password, as it will the one I use to set up any new domains for you in the future.
6. Suppose I register five domains with you. What happens if/when you get out of the business?
   OpenSRS remains in business --- which means your registration stays where it was. Before renewal time, you need to find another registrar to deal with, either an OpenSRS member or not, your call. Once I've registered you, I have no control over your domain; you do. (Well, once I give you the password to manage your domain and you change it.) Once you're in whois, you're in until you expire (or some dispute process takes control of the domain away from you, which is also not my problem.)
7. What happens if OpenSRS goes out of business?
   Presumably IANA apportions their domains to other registrars and notifies you. The expiration date of your registration would not be affected.

Spontaneous Endorsements!

The left column is from a zephyr conversation I stumbled upon one night. I nearly fell out of my chair laughing, because it reminded me so much of those horrible sexist commercials for cleaning products when I was a kid. You know, the ones that always featured the cheerful housewife who just loved to clean?

Quoted by permission. Slightly abridged, and I've taken some liberties with the formatting.

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