Go Daddy now makes you pay for transfers-in after winning non-GD names !?

[angel69]

Another sign YoDaddy truly wants to rule the domain world,

1) They mess with the WhoIs so that now info on MoDaddy names will just not display if doing a search using any other WhoIs (except Domain Tools but you have to be logged in there and it takes a while sometimes to reflect recent updates, plus the info displayed on DT isn't as thorough as others) And GD gets away with it ! ICANN, anybody minding the store for a change ....?

2) They continue to also get away with that registrar lock for 60 days after you make the smallest change in your domain, although now they have an email address where you can send a request to have that lifted but it's up to them and may take time

3) And now will you believe this ! I won a name regged at another registrar in a NoDaddy auction and when paying for it I see a charge for a transfer to GD in the cart attached to the domain cost. I tried removing it but you can't. If you delete that item the payment for the domain won also gets deleted emptying the cart. I tried several times. Are these people serious ?.... What if we're OK with the registrar the name is with and/or the thing has 9 yrs left until exp ?.... Now I get an extra yr like it or not ?

Soon there'll be just one registrar, you know who. I was reading recently that one day Google may be the equivalent of what the internet as a whole is today as we know it. At first it sounded far-fetched but come to think of it and given all the things that arise from their searches it might just happen one day. And Go Daddy will be all domaining has. We'll reg names there, buy/sell in the aftermarket there, monetize w/them (I'd love to see that improved !), domains will be born and die within BloDaddy.... scary...

ainkiller:

 

[manyagem]

Ah, so it's not just me who spotted that and winced. I was about to move about 40 names registered elsewhere so that I could take advantage of a GD feature, but backed out when seeing the charge.

Then again, if you get another year's registration free, maybe that's not unreasonable. The real test will come when all these new gTLDs with a $69 renewal fee annualise. Wonder if anyone's tried that yet?

 

[atomic]

Yep, just noticed this also. Up[sell]Daddy has all the tricks up their sleeve.

Yeah, that would be VERY scary. But, let's be honest people. What better registrar is there? Maybe people could make an argument for Name.com or Enom.... But, who else?

 

[katherine]

What better registrar is there

Quite a few

Personally I have always been happy with Dynadot.
Enom: I don't trust them.
Name.com: no particular opinion, but they sound OK
Fabulous are okay too but I am not fond of their interface. But if a good UI is important to you (and I'm sure it is) then nodaddy is automatically disqualified.
To be fair, many registrars are worse than gd, but you need to shop around. Also consider foreign registrars. US registrars are not the safest, especially for certain types of domains.
For example poker domains when Kentucky state officials are in a lunatic mood.

There are more than 800 accredited registrars on the Icann list, so I can't believe there is not one single alternative that will work out for you.

 

[atomic]

Quite a few

Personally I have always been happy with Dynadot.
Enom: I don't trust them.
Name.com: no particular opinion, but they sound OK
Fabulous are okay too but I am not fond of their interface. But if a good UI is important to you (and I'm sure it is) then nodaddy is automatically disqualified.
To be fair, many registrars are worse than gd, but you need to shop around. Also consider foreign registrars. US registrars are not the safest, especially for certain types of domains.
For example poker domains when Kentucky state officials are in a lunatic mood.

There are more than 800 accredited registrars on the Icann list, so I can't believe there is not one single alternative that will work out for you.

Agreed, I personally prefer Dynadot over UpDaddy also. Yeah, managing names at UpDaddy suck....

 

[angel69]

ManyAGem, I think it matters cuz it's often an expense that's not needed on top of what you got the name for. If the domain is about to expire then yeah, GD is the preferred place unless the name is really valuable. But I wanna have the choice, not GoDaddy. Other registrars are acceptable, and like I said, what if the name still has 3 or 7 yrs left before exp ?..... it is insane to pay yet another yr just cuz YoDaddy forces you

IceDude, I agree. I've been called a moron for continuing to use TheDaddy after the really low things they've done to me, trust me they were real bad, lowest blows. But who else is out there that can give you all you get when you have most of your portfolio at GD ? Easiness of selling their own domains on their aftermarket for one. Very few, maybe one or two. Some are good registrars but expensive, Dotster is kinda OK but unless there's a good promo I don't touch them, and then move the name out a yr later cuz the renewals would be thru the roof ? Enom is just not affordable, it's never been in the running for me (unless you got a lot of names and/or are a reseller of theirs) Mid-size registrars like Dynadot, Name.com, Namecheap are OK .... Dynadot is too expensive, they do not give you bulk unless you got > 300 names there, and their $2 privacy is pseudo-privacy, ie your full name (and your co's full name) still gets fully displayed which defeats its own purpose. And Name.com is now in bed w/good old Enom, it is OK, prices are moderate but they can't handle ccTLDs well, they screwed up a bulk transfer-in and security is less than optimal...and I find Namecheap to be real good but even as Enom's largest reseller they still face some limitations (dashboard is somewhat limited, etc)

So then you have Moniker (no comment....), NetSol and Register.com which no one can pay, oh well. For guys with a lot of names that are not good enough to be sold at Sedo for ex (due to $60 minimum sale and $50/20% min commission for MLS) GD is the right choice even with its common lowballs. GD bought Afternic so your Afternic names now show on GD. And now that Web.com bought SnapNames (parent co of NetSol and Register.com) who knows what that kind of marketplace that will become. So as much as I agree you don't get the highest prices with GD Auctions it's a must in most cases for most domainers who buy/sell avg names. GD's fee is just 10%, and it gets LOWER for sales > $1K. And many buyers favor auctions where the domain is already regged at GD....so ?... we gotta put up with it for some time to come....

 

[atomic]

The main reason I keep my names at GD is for end users. I do not know the exact numbers. But, I would be willing to guess that 95% of small to medimum size busineses have their names at GoDaddy. And, I have lost a few sells from trying to explain to an end user that "ABCRegistrar" and GoDaddy are too different registrars and you have to wait 60 days to transfer the name or I have to give you the auth code, etc... etc.. etc...

 

[angel69]

I've heard before ppl having problems with BloDaddy's "bloated interface" like some call it or bad UI or they don't like their API. I seem to be one of the few here who like GD's interface, I always have. It has become painfully slow but that was just after the recent upgrade (whether I use a Mac or Win same thing, I favor Chrome, so it must be snailpace for all users) Someone said here GD did it on purpose to deal w/bots (make it slower), well..... they overdid it. Try sorting a list in Auctions or sort the domains in your DCC, it literally takes a minute and my PC has great memory and a real fast chip (at 1st I thought as always that it was my PC, but same thing with Mac) But that was only after the last redesign, before it wasn't bad

And although I don't defend their upsell practice I must say it doesn't really bother me, it never has, you just decline or ignore and move to the next page. It is when they preset the # of yrs for your reg or renewal to 2 or 5 yrs (knowing full well I ALWAYS go for just 1 yr) that they annoy me. That's sneaky to say the least. I find the DCC really complete and there are actions you can perform (related to market listings you have, etc) and files and docs sharing, requests for files in a certain format, it gets pretty resourceful if you have a big portfolio. Most registrars just do not have the $ to build such complex CP

...... But if a good UI is important to you (and I'm sure it is) then nodaddy is automatically disqualified......

 

[manyagem]

I'm fairly new to this game and ended up registering most of my new domains with United Domains after clicking through from sedo. They don't seem to have got web forwarding sorted out. I reported it as a fault and got the reply: "Oh, yeah, a few people are getting that problem, we're working on it". Well, it doesn't seem to be a priority.

 

[katherine]

The thing is, domainers have special needs. The mainstream registrars are for retail customers, while a few specialize on small biz or corporations with large portofolios and IP needs.

Blowdaddy doesn't have the kind of flexibility that I need.
Please tell me how can I set a default name server ? Each time I win an auction I have to log in to perform that simple change.
But this is not the most irritating thing.

I like Dynadot because the UI is smooth and uncluttered. I realize I am paying an extra $1 per domain, because they are not the cheapest on the market. But convenience has a price.
For me it's no big deal because it's a business expense, and if you have good domains they deserve a good home. Don't be stingy, the margins on your domain sales should be high enough.

Some registrars are okay when you have just a few domains with them, but when you need to handle hundreds of domains in bulk the requirements are not the same.
Nodaddy is not a registrar made for domainers, in fact they are not so domainer-friendly. If they were, they would have a dedicated plan like and spare you with the moronic 60-day lock.

 

[Gerry]

Enom: I don't trust them.

Ditto

 

[atomic]

Blowdaddy doesn't have the kind of flexibility that I need.
Please tell me how can I set a default name server ? Each time I win an auction I have to log in to perform that simple change.
But this is not the most irritating thing.

Yeah, this pisses me off too, even though I have default name servers set, they always set GD default.

But, Dynadot has a few things I dislike also. I hate how when you sell a domain in the marketplace, it does not count towards your spending limit, even though they have no withdrawal method and you have to spend the proceeds there. When I win an expiring auction and the registrant renew, I don’t get a refund and it is credited to my account balance, it would suck to tie up $xxx or $x,xxx. And, even though the lowered the lock time for auctions, I still hate that they lock the names and you can not transfer or anything before they are unlocked.

But, overall Dynadot is solid and better than GoDaddy for domainers. But, if anyone asked me who is the #1 registrar, I would say Name.com, hands down. Great UI, easy to manage, and when you buy names from their marketplace, they go right into your account after checkout.

 

[angel69]

katherine & gerry, when you say you don't trust eNom it must've been some bad experiences you had with them. I once read an article claiming their security was lame but I don't often hear things about eNom's security, good or bad. It must be OK to good, otherwise domainers would be all over the place with that. I simply haven't used them much cuz no one can pay those prices. Their retail rates rank almost up there with NetSol and Fabulous, designed to keep commoners away and lure in the elite big buck clients. On NP a guy was saying recently he loved eNom's magic folders, they're OK but I'd never go to eNom just to use their magic folders lol. In the same discussion on NP I was telling that guy the probable merge of eNom and Name.com (both owned now by the same co) should be fun to watch, Name being hip and all, and eNom rather conservative.

Name.com is OK, even very good in some areas, IceDude. I've used them a lot over the yrs. I liked prices, API, even Support. Do you have the Verisign double-authentication system for your Name.com acct ? Assuming they still offer that you should get it. I'll PM you about a vulnerability as to security, you may know this and not find it important but it is. And they're just not ready for primetime, I hate to say it but it's true. They were not ready to handle some of the ccTLDs they introduced, it was embarrassing. And on another thread here I read they had a cyberattack and had to resort to 1und1=0 for support...?! Dynadot is known for great support, security. I don't think the UI is something to die for, but the reason many don't go there is prices. Too high, like Dotster. Try Namecheap, you'll be surprised in a good way, trust me.

That's right, there's no way to pre-select default servers with TheDaddy, you'll either get the ones the seller was using or GD Cash Pkg servers. And you can't sort your list of domains according to DNS, which I think only Moniker offers (yeah, Moniker, kudos to them for a change ! no joke) so if you wanna see which names you have with Voodoo you have to do an advanced search, so you still can get that another way. With Afternic now in BloDaddy's biggggg bed that leaves SnapNames with a big "and now what ?" and Sedo. You just can't be a serious domain trader and avoid GD, you simply cannot. When you buy a name there's a good chance it'll be at GD, and when you sell a name regged elsewhere many ppl will insist to bring it to GD, a good buyer of ours goes further. If the name is NOT with GD at the time he won't even make an offer. But this change that makes you pay for unwanted transfers into GD did bother me a lot. I'll find out if you can be refunded and leave the name where it is (Funny, I always felt MoDaddy was always designed for beginners/younger 'mainers in mind, I know many businesses use it but I've always found their UI easy to use, and kind of friendly and fun......despite the upsells so many here detest)

 

[Focus]

Moniker has the easiest bulk management, best no bullshit flat price is my enom reseller account at $8.95 and that does not go up. Godaddy has some amazing promos and it's true that it's really the best registrar for reselling names because 9 out of 10 buyers have accounts there and want to transfer it there anyways. Having the domain at GD already is highly convenient and does close deals as well as save a lot of transfer headaches with inexperienced buyers. Stay away from Network Solutions whatever you do, if you have names there get them out now. One word for netsol NIGHTMARE lol

 

[katherine]

katherine & gerry, when you say you don't trust eNom it must've been some bad experiences you had with them. I once read an article claiming their security was lame but I don't often hear things about eNom's security, good or bad.

Not a personal thing per se, but I think it's just business to them, and not about persons or ethics.
As for security, other registrars are lacking too. Apparently Moniker/Snapnames are still storing passwords in plain text, which is a no-no in 2014. And sure enough they were hacked at least once. Doesn't mean nothing bad happened at other registrars, just because it was not reported.

It must be OK to good, otherwise domainers would be all over the place with that.

I'm not so sure.
Back in the day I was among those warning people to get away from registerfly when I started to see the glaring holes in their systems, but people tend to dismiss the bad news until they get stung personally and it's too late, because they are creatures of habits and lured by the low prices or just procrastinating.

You just can't be a serious domain trader and avoid GD, you simply cannot.

I indeed opened an account at GD when I started trading with fellow domainers many years ago. Prior to that, I hardly knew what nodaddy is (it could have been the name of a porn magazine if you asked me). I know it sounds odd, but if you don't live in America it's perfectly normal to have domains at some other registrar, and not even know about nodaddy.
I buy domains at GD on a regular basis, but I always transfer out.

No registrar is perfect, but with the API you can develop your own thing and make up for the features you think are missing.
I think domainers often get the lousy service they deserve, because they are stingy and willing to waste a lot of time or put up with abuse just to save one buck on a domain. It's something I could understand from a domainer living in a Third World nation.

I hear that nodaddy remains attractive to domainers because of the coupons, yet there are gotchas and limitations, and you always have to watch your back, make sure nothing else was dropped in your shopcart, and the not so competitive renewal price may very well neuter the deal.
I have not found that keeping names outside GD is is a big obstacle to sales, because I don't think the buyers pay a lot of attention to where the domain is registered, and you always have to guide them one way or the other.