End of Domain Tasting

[googli]

Recently ICANN changed the rules for grace deletions of new domains. For every domain registered, Registrar needs to pay a $0.20 fee to ICANN. Domains registered July 4 or earlier can still be grace deleted for free.

This marks the end of domain tasting.

Here is the GNSO council report to ICANN regarding domain tasting - http://gnso.icann.org/issues/domain-tasting/domain-tasting-board-report-gnso-council-25apr08.pdf

It applies to COM, NET, INFO, ORG, MOBI, ASIA, NAME TLDS

 

[domaingenius]

Well thats good for the little guy I guess as he will not find all the domains scooped up en masse, and bad for the large guy because he cannot use it as cheaply anymore. All in all I think it is a good idea that it is stopped.

DG

 

[Gregcyber]

Agree...

 

[incka]

Doesn't mean end of tasting - just means end of automated tasting. Good for small guys like us as we'll be able to test a lot of trafficed domains for only a small amount extra that previously would have been taken because they were auto tested.

 

[zangief]

Very nice step imo , cause all of the dropping domains were catched and left if not sold to the sea without paying a penny.
I even had a domain that was catched and dropped with a three day period.Now the small ones like us will have some more chance.(I catched it yesterday

 

[domainduck]

It's about time.

 

[draggar]

I think this is a very good call. The $0.20 fee is reasonable, especially for those who register the wrong domain, it won't break the bank to get a "mostly refund" from it (think of it as a 2% restocking fee).

But, companies who gobble up millions of domains only to test them and spit out the garbage to the little people, it will cost them a good amount of change.

It helps level the playing field so us little guys have a chance at some good domains.

 

[touchring]

snapname's down, i guess they are affected?

 

[krossat]

How would this affect the auction houses?
wouldnt they have to have a more refined inventory, now that they have to pay a fee for every registered domain? And they cant just drop it if it doesent sell?

 

[edbri871]

Any idea when this begins, seems Dynadot doesn't charge 20 cents yet.

 

[thevirtual]

1. This does not mean an end to domain tasting. Tasters will evolve and find more economical methods of tasting and become even more determined.

2. This will, however, put more money in ICANN's pocket.

 

[draggar]

I'm wondering what kind of affect this will have on aftermarket companies like Pool, NameJet etc.?

A lot of times I see them "sell" domains that they've gotten though their drop service and it is usually 5 days. Do you think they were taking advantage of the 5 day rule? Now with this $0.20 fee, will they stop doing this and only attempt to get names that they have someone interested in or will they raise their rates to offset all of the lost $0.20 fees?

 

[techepic]

ICANN is referenced as a non-profit sector in wikipedia. Unlike most formally legal activities, they find a way to "tax" it as a discouragement.

It's a sorry excuse as an industry leader and needs to make it's money somehow, by way of corporate welfare or by other means.

The only benefit I see from this is to make people think twice, at .10 cents a thought, about registering worthless names.

 

[sashas]

so this means that we can actually scoop up some traffic names for reg fee now? What time exactly do they drop?

 

[Theo]

Amen.

 

[handytraffic]

I see that in the drop Enom is buying all the domains, more than 30k every day and he is keeping more than 2000 domains after the 4 days tasting period. It's funny as was enom and network solutions to propose the tasting fee and now they are building an huge porfolio. Just 3-400 domains every day are sold via namejet...

Andrea

 

[ksinclair]

Enom was buying 30,000 domains every day? That is so huge.

It seems so unfair.

 

[WebsiteTraders.Com]

its very imp of domainers to be united......i cant imagine what these corporates would have done if domainers didnt have a strong community......

 

[VirtualT]

its very imp of domainers to be united......i cant imagine what these corporates would have done if domainers didnt have a strong community......

large registrars like enom don't give a flying f**k about what domainers think, and we are too fractured to have any real voice anyhow

 

[accent]

I see that in the drop Enom is buying all the domains, more than 30k every day and he is keeping more than 2000 domains after the 4 days tasting period. It's funny as was enom and network solutions to propose the tasting fee and now they are building an huge porfolio. Just 3-400 domains every day are sold via namejet...

Andrea

If this is true then in a few years Enom will control a large portion of the .com market (assuming they stick to .com) and can push prices of modest domains very high. And I doubt that they will be the only ones doing this.

I have thought such a thing possible for several years - essentially a buy-out of all usable .coms. It would take some serious money, but for $640M you could double the number of .coms registered. - Probably gain control for a lot less. Would sales offset renewals? Perhaps, more likely in later years as the market expands.

There are perspectives that make the current domain market, as a whole, appear highly underpriced.