Domains Get Cheap!

BulkRegister.com is a low cost alternative to Network Solutions for registering .COM, .NET and .ORG domain names. When I first received one of their flyers, the prices looked suspiciously low, and I continued registering domain names through Network Solutions. Eventually I got brave, tried BulkRegister.com, and I have indeed saved a lot of money.

The Pitch

Unfortunately, the marketing pieces I've seen from BulkRegister.com read a little like slippery scam pieces. "Important confirmation: You are eligible to register domain names for as little as $10 per year."

The numbers are attractive. "Remember -- our prices start at a low $19 per domain per year, and go all the way down to just $10 per domain per year." For those of us who have grown used to Network Solutions' standard $35 per year with an initial 2 year commitment, this does sound very attractive.

The actual price you pay for each domain name registration is generally determined by the number of domain names you register in a month:

1-10 $19 each
11-50 $15 each
51-250 $14 each
251-1000 $13 each
1001-2000 $12 each
Over 2000 $10 each

Specials are sometimes offered, such as one in effect from August 1 to September 30, 2000 offering all new domain name registrations for $10 each per year, with further discounts for multi-year registrations, such as 5 years for $35.

The Catch

The catch is that there is a one time membership fee of $79 required to set up an account with BulkRegister.com. To their credit, they do make this relatively conspicuous rather than burying this important detail in fine print. If you are just planning to register a very small number of domain names, this is a killer, and you'd be better off cost-wise to use almost any other registrar. However, for people who register many domain names, the $79 membership investment is recouped very quickly as domain names are registered for $10-19 each per year.

The BulkRegister.com Web Site

BulkRegister.com has a fairly simple, clean, functional web site that provides all of the tools needed to get a domain registered on your own. As of this writing, the site has always worked reliably for me, though instructions and explanations are a bit weak. Still, without too much extra effort or confusion, a person who has a very basic understanding of the general domain name registration process should be able to effectively use the site.

The Process

Step 1: Establish an account. This requires a credit card, which will be billed for the $79 one time membership fee. Visa, MasterCard and American Express cards are accepted. The credit card information you enter will become the default credit card information for domain name registration charges when you actually register domain names, and can be overridden or edited at any time.

Step 2: If you haven't already verified the availability of one or domain names you would like to register, you can look up as many as 5 names at a time (including the .COM, .NET and .ORG variations of each name) using a simple and quick text box search function provided in the site.

Step 3: For each name you wish to register, you can choose either a one-step registration process, using all of the default information in the account you have already established, or a simple 6-step process in which you can manually enter appropriate information. The 6-step process allows changing the registration period, up to ten years, DNS servers, contacts, etc.

Step 4: Wait for confirmation by e-mail and in the BulkRegister.com web site that your domain name registration has been completed. BulkRegister.com does an excellent job with e-mail notifications of domain registration status, and my experience has been that they are very prompt. I've never had a registration take more than 48 hours total.

Transferring Domains

If you already have one or more domain names registered through Network Solutions, BulkRegister.com has made it convenient and simple to transfer them so that they become registered through BulkRegister.com. The BulkRegister.com web site provides a simple form for submitting a list of domains to transfer. BulkRegister.com handles all the behind-the-scenes processing, sending an e-mail message to the domain name's Administrative Contact of record for confirmation that the transfer is authorized. It is a very simple process, and my experience has been that it takes about 5 days from start to finish.

When transferring a domain name, the current registration period is extended by 1 year. $12 covers both the transfer process and the one year registration add-on.

Customer Service

I have required customer service help twice. My expectations were that customer service would be non-responsive and canned due to the deep discount pricing. Once I had a minor problem with a DNS server change not showing up in their database. I contacted them by e-mail, and got a reply and solution within 24 hours. On a second occasion, there was a snafu with my credit card charge. Neither the card issuer or BulkRegister.com could figure out what was causing the problem with the automated transaction. The BulkRegister.com people were courteous and helpful, and eventually they processed the transaction manually without a problem. Overall, the customer service I have received has been excellent, a very pleasant surprise!

Overall

I highly recommend BulkRegister.com for registering numerous domain names. It is ideal for domain name speculators and service providers who register domain names for their customers. BulkRegister.com claims to be the #2 registrar behind Network Solutions, and from my experience I'd say they've earned the #2 spot. Don't be surprised if the #1 spot changes hands at some point in the future.





Recommended: Yes