Seems everyone warns for the small registrar. they take your domain, it is not safe bla bla..

I think it is what the big companies wanna hear so they can sell you expensive.. as I see it domain names are commodity. if you get a standard interface that goes directy to an icann registrar, its just ilke you get discount from the big company.. and you are safe by that registrars rules.. small registrars may not be able to give you own service so they always have the cheapest alternative.. that is not the case with a bigger registrar..

just take a look at ALL their prices, some hope you don't see a renewal is a lot more expensive. At WWD resellers at least , you are guaranteed the renewal price can't be higer than $2 compared to the original price.. so they aren't a company that try to cheat you...

is there a question, or just commenting???

well feel free to give your view on this.. and what options a small serious registrar has.. there seems to be there are as many resellers as thare are domains.. almost..

Your question of how you survive as a small registrar is pretty much the same question that all small business owners are facing today. The answer is that you have to differentiate yourself from the other guys (big and small).

For example, you might specialize in a specific industry. Say you had a former career as a florist. You probably would know all the lingo and what customers would be looking for online. Thus, you could help existing florists that are not yet online to get on the web and come up with a great domain name. And then you could sell them GoDaddy's Website tonight and other "accessories." If you found a florist who is just starting to realize that they should be on the web, you might be able to sell this package for $250 a year! This versus the $7.85 per domain name that you are currently getting. The florists would be paying for your expertise as well as a domain name.

I've found that if you compete on price, there will always be another nut willing to sell for less. For example, you are touting your $4.95 .us names on your website, but 1and1.com is currently selling them for $2.99.

And, as WWD reseller, you basically offer the same interface and the same options as all the other WWD resellers out there, so WHY should the customer entrust their domain transaction with you versus some guy selling for even one cent less?

To survive and prosper, you need to stand out. Look at NameCheap and RegisterFly (both resellers of enom). They have prospered because they invested in better interfaces than even enom has. Plus, RegisterFly has been on the forefront of offering extra features (like FlyProtect and SpamFly). They give more value to the customer and thus, they have more customers... 345,000 claims RegisterFly.

Yes, you are right that, to some extent domain names have become a commodity... but then why do some people pay more than a dollar a bottle for water? It is the perceived value of what you are selling and HOW you market that commodity.

Just my two cents...