The IEDR are responsible for processing the .ie domain tld for Ireland. You would expect that since they’re the source for domain names that they would be cheaper than the many resellers of .ie domain names; but for some crazy reason unknown to myself the IEDR charge €95.59 (after tax) for the privilage of registering the domain name.
Michele Neylon, ceo of Irish webhosting company Blacknight.ie, blogged a few weeks back about a not to distant price drop on .ie domains courtesy of a price change by the IEDR. This drop will see their fee tumbling down to a retail price of €69. When you add on the VAT @21% it comes to €83.49 which is a saving of €12.10.
But how can .ie reseller companies like Blacknight and Digiweb charge €45 and 29.99 for registration? It doesn’t make any sense to me that a a reseller can sell a product cheaper than the source.
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thank you for visiting! Cormac
6 responses so far ↓
Yeah seems a bit odd to me. They openly admit it on their site.
“The IEDR recommends that you to make your application through a registered .IE Reseller. It is generally cheaper to register your .ie through a Reseller than directly through the IEDR. They will provide you with the necessary nameserver information needed for application. However if you wish to make the application directly through ourselves we will be very happy to oblige you.”
Is it a case that a reseller buys x amount of domains and avails of a cheaper price? Also it might make sense to take a hit on the domain seen as a user will probably buy hosting and domain together?
Gary,
I think that’s what Digiweb.ie are doing. They’re taking a hit on domain registrations to attract back users to their hosting packages. Not sure if it’s going to work tbh. Blacknight are passing on all price reductions to their customers but some hosters are charging approx €70 for registration
I would love to know what the official line from the IEDR is as to why their resellers are cheaper.
The IEDR, like a lot of registries, are more focussed on dealing with registrars (resellers) than end users, so they give their accredited resellers better pricing than the public.
We’ve always tried to pass on savings to clients whilst still retaining a fair margin and we really don’t want to get involved in any form of “race to the bottom”
Michele
I suppose it is much easier to focus on a Business 2 Business relationship rather than a Consumer 2 Business relationship.
I wouldn’t mind seeing a race to the bottom. €20 for a .ie domain sounds nice!
If our buy price were reduced enough then it could happen …..
Indeed sir Moylan!
Leave a Comment