Frequently Asked Questions

How does the transfer after a sale work? Please see this page for details on the purchase and transfer process with various options. Also, I published at NameTalent an article on domain transfers in general.
Are certain extensions favoured in Google search? Google have stated that they do not give preference to domain extensions in their search engine. You tend to see most results from legacy extensions simply because they have been around a long time and have built up domain authority and because the majority of websites are on those extensions.
If I buy through the a third party marketplace like DAN or Dynadot Marketplace do I pay a commission? No, they do have a commission fee but we pay that out of the funds we receive for the domain. If you purchase through Undeveloped and move the domain name to your preferred registrar then normally that registrar will require you to add one year of registration at the time of purchase, and they will charge you for this. You will simply have prepaid for a year of registration though, so it is not a fee for the domain per se. For example, let’s say we have the domain name at Namecheap and you buy it through Undeveloped and want it to to be held at GoDaddy as registrar with some other domains you own. If the domain is currently registered until January 2019, then GoDaddy will charge you one year of registration at the time of transfer, but now it will be registered until January 2020.
How do offers work? Several of the ways we sell domains provide the provision to make an offer at a price less than the buy it now price. The simplest is probably Undeveloped. Just enter your price (as long as it is at some minimum that we set) and it will be transmitted to us. We will accept or respond with a counter offer, and so on. You can also make an offer directly to us on any domain in our portfolio through our make an offer form on this site.
Are alternative TLDs as valid as .com? Early on there were just a few top level domains (TLDs:) .com, .net. .org, .edu plus those for specific countries. Before long the best names had been taken, and a few years ago a decision was made to make many other TLDs available. In terms of uniquely pointing to a website, these are every bit as valid as the popular early TLDs. While about half of actively used domain names are .com, and there is no doubt about their value, the new domain extension offer a chance for a name that is more representative of what your organization does. That being said, surveys show that the general public have limited knowledge of new domain names and have some concerns about whether alternative domains are more susceptible to spam, phishing or other practices. The actual abuse of many of the new extensions are similar to the legacy extensions (some are worse, some are better) so the perception is somewhat in error.I expect that gradually that will change as more websites utilize a new domain name.
How popular are new gTLDs? About 25 million new global top level domains (new gTLDs) have been registered at the current time. You can get current statistics on how popular the different top level domains are here.
Why are prices so different? The price of a domain name reflects how valuable we regard the domain name to be as well as the time period it is currently registered for. You should regard digital assets such as domain names as you would real estate - prices vary widely depending on a number of factors, and prices of the same item may change dramatically over time. Generally in the industry domain prices vary significantly. Top domains sell for millions of dollars and some domains sell for less than $10!
Do all domains renew for the same amount? No, each registrar sets the rate for both initial sales and renewal of domain names. Sites like Namecheap.com list the renewal rate for each TLD when you do a search. Registrars sometimes offer deals on renewal rates. I wrote an article on renewal costs that ends with some tips - you can read it here.
Does one purchase or rent a domain name? Well, the common terminology is that you buy domain names, but in one sense really you are renting the rights to use the name for a set period of time (a year usually). The period we have a domain registered is clearly marked in the Marketplace listing. The owner of a domain is entitled to renew it as long as that is done before it expires, so in that sense you own it and once you have made the initial purchase you can keep it forever as long as the registration annual fees are paid.
Does owning a name give you the rights on the name as a trademark term? No, trademark is a totally separate process. You must not infringe on the registered names and trademarks of others.
I never understood about whether www is part of domain name. The domain name you purchase does not have www. Normally it is set up so that the name either with or without the leading www will take you to the website. For example, you can click on http://namesthat.win or http://www.namesthat.win and both reach our site.
A name I was watching here is gone. What does that mean? It probably means that it has been sold - see our list of recently sold domain names here. The other possibility is that we decided not to renew the name on expiration. All domains that we have currently for sale are listed here. Of course it is always possible it just somehow got left off our list, so feel free to contact us to inquire about a name.
What are some good places to register a domain name? I maintain links to some of the main registrar companies on my Domain World Info site. Among the companies that I deal with and recommend are Dynadot, Epik, GoDaddy, Moniker, Namecheap, Name.com, NameSilo and Porkbun. If you have register premium domain names or many domain names a subscription to Domain Cost Club can easily pay off.
What is the 60 day ICANN delay period? The organization that regulates domain names, ICANN, set a period of 60 days (normally) after an initial registration, or a transfer of ownership, during which another transfer can’t take place. This is to provide some stability and to prevent those trying to hide identity by many rapid transfers. This only is a restriction if you want to register at a different registrar that where the domain name is currently held. You can purchase one of our domain names through the Namecheap Marketplace and have it transferred to your name without this restriction having an impact. You could later transfer it out to your account at another registrar (but not until 60 days after your purchase of the domain name).
What web hosting service do you recommend? I have recently (or currently) used Namecheap, HostPapa and Eco Web Hosting and have been pleased with all three. We don't recommend that you use multiple web hosting services - there are historical reasons why we used more than one (although it does allow us to compare service). If you are planning to set up multiple websites, be sure that the service you sign up for allows that with the plan that you select. I would go with a company with an established reputation for reliable service. While control panels are similar across most companies, see what reviewers say about how easy the system is to use and the response of customer assistance. I currently have this site hosted at HostPapa. Their 3 year plans are well priced and they offer LetsEncrypt SSL integration.
How long does it take to get a website up after I buy a domain name? Most of the hosting companies have some sort of web builder software and with that you could be operational in just a few hours with a basic website.
Can I resell the domain name if I change my mind? Yes. You can either sell it privately, on a domain buy/sell site, or directly on a registrar marketplace. Obviously some domain names are much more liquid than others, and in general the probability of a domain name selling in any one year is low.
What does it mean to 'push' a domain name? The simplest way to move a domain name from ownership by one party to another is for both parties to have accounts with the same registrar (such as Namecheap) and essentially just change the ownership records on the domain name. The 60 day time delay does not enter into this sort of transaction. If you do want to move the name to a registrar other than Namecheap this can be done without cost (other than the new registrar asking you to pay for an additional year of registration), but there are several steps including unlocking the site and obtaining an authorization code. I have written about both transfer and push in my article at NameTalent on domain transfer. You also can get information from the transaction page on this site.
How long is the domain name currently registered? This information is shown on the whois record and/or the marketplace listing. As a buyer this is important information, since the remaining period is transferred to you.
Does the time already registered go with the domain when it is sold? Yes, normally (note there are some exceptions with country code domain extensions). So if you see a domain with 4 years remaining that is the time you will have before needing to renew. The reason some of our domains have higher prices is because we have them registered for many years.
If I use the Namecheap Marketplace do I need to pay for another year at time of purchase? No. That is one advantage of using the Namecheap Marketplace, rather than doing a direct purchase and transfer to some other registrar.
What domain areas do you mainly deal in? Among the topics are biotechnology, space, education, science, nanotechnology, bikes, physics, technology, outreach, investing, sports, acronyms, apps, family life, psychology, mental health, happiness, environment, design and writing. We don't try to be a general purpose domain name shop, but rather look out for good domains at reasonable purchase and renewal costs. Definitely our portfolio is strongest in science and science related technology.
I don't find what I want here. Where else can I look? We have links to the main sites useful to those buying and selling domain names on our associated Domain World Info site. This includes links both for new purchases of domain names and some of the common resell sites and information services.
It sounds like too much hassle to create a website. Is there another choice? If you already have a page or site, and don't want to bother with registering a new domain name, but do want to market using a simple domain phrase, you might consider using a domain phrase expression that redirects to a portion of your existing website. For a set time period you "rent" an expression, and we handle directing that expression to your existing page or site. No technical work is required on your part.
Do you make money from advertising and affiliate links on this website? Yes (well a little!). The ads you see here are from Google Adsense and some domain and web hosting affiliate programs. Thank you for giving business to our partners when you find that their service is of value to you. We are open to those who might want to advertise on one of our pages.
So who are you? This site is run by one person (Bob Hawkes) located in Victoria, BC, Canada. My graduate degrees and experience are in science research, teaching, and science outreach, and in retirement I have developed domain names as an interest.. I have owned domain names and hosted websites for a decade and a half, and ran a small photographic products service as well as travel websites. I am not a web developer professionally, but created and maintain this website (and others). You can contact me for more information.
Are you a business? We have the domain names registered personally (as a sole proprietorship). The actual business of the transaction (obtaining your payment, changing the name and address on ownership of the domain name) is handled by third parties such as Namecheap or Undeveloped, from us as one owner to you as a new potential owner of the domain name.
Why did you choose this domain for your website? We believe in the value of the new gTLDs, so wanted to model that by using one of the new gTLDs for our own website. We strongly believe that the first step should be to consider what your goals are, and how you will evaluate a 'win' in meeting those goals. You can read more about our choice of name here.
Tell us about this website. Our website is hosted on Hostinger. using their shared hosting plan (so if wondering how responsive their shared hosting plan is, you can see it in action here). We developed this website ourselves, using the RapidWeaver software. If you use a Mac, we highly recommend their product, which in our opinion offers a nice compromise between power and simplicity. It has a strong developer community that provide add-ons.
What value do you add to obtaining a domain name? We have searched extensively to obtain what we regard as good and inexpensive domain names within the niches that we operate. For example, if you want a name related to CRISPR biotechnology you can come here and have multiple choices in different extensions, including simply the exact acronym in various extensions including .science. We also have created some clever domain name phrases that we see as well suited to marketing campaigns.
Why are many of your domain names so inexpensive? One of my founding principles was to offer good domain name value. I find domain names at attractive prices, and offer them to you at a reasonable markup from that.
Many domain name sites don't list prices, but you do. Why is that? I respect those who prefer to operate without prices, and negotiate the price of each domain name, but that is not us. I never like the idea of bargaining for items, and simply prefer to set a reasonable price and that is the price. Do you really like to haggle for a car price? I don't. I think the same should be true for domain names. That said, if you really feel we are asking too much, you can always submit an offer to see if we will lower the price for you.
Do you deal in adult names? No, I will never handle names dealing with adult issues. I also do not deal with names we regard in poor taste, or that encourage discrimination against people based on their backgrounds or choices. Nor do I sell domain names that support the tobacco, marijuana or alcohol industries. I realize that it is totally legal to sell these domain names, it's just not what I want to do. I want to feel proud sharing any domain name that I own with any family member.
What is your vision for domain names? I want to do my small part to set up an easier way for organizations, indiviudals and businesses to select an innovative domain that will help them share their story to the world. I want to support the use of domain name expressions or phrases in internet promotion. I feel domain names can be a force for a more positive and inclusive society, which is why you will see Ihandle domain names encouraging diversity, environmental awareness, positive attitudes and the value of education and fun. On the home page is my vision for domain names.
What is your privacy policy? I will never use your email address for any purpose other than to respond to your queries or provide information on products that you have purchased or rented from us. I will never share your contact information with any third party. Read more here about the privacy policy.
Can you briefly describe how the domain name and website process works? You first need to purchase rights to the domain name, (and thus have that name registered in your name), select a web hosting service where your actual web documents reside, and set the DNS records to point to your website. An excellent explanation of the process for domain purchase, DNS listings, and web hosting is given by Christopher Heng at https://www.thesitewizard.com/archive/registerdomain.shtml.

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This page last updated Mar 15, 2022

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