Just an idea to create a new forum where users can specifically go to buy/sell hosting clients.

Is there that much of a demand for that?

There isn't at this time, and that would go under Related Offers & Request.

I would be quite pissed if I received an email from my host, telling me that they sold me to hosting company x for a profit.

Maybe sell clients on ebay? :D Highest bidder gets them!

New addition to the tos:
14. Provider reserves the right to sell you without warning at providers discretion. Provider may choose to sell you at a loss if you prove to much of a burden for our support team. At no time will provider disclose your current market value to you. You are not allowed to sell yourself while you are our client. While you are our client you must concider yourself our property and it is at our discretion only if you are to be sold or kept.

Originally posted by Pilgrim
I would be quite pissed if I received an email from my host, telling me that they sold me to hosting company x for a profit.

Maybe sell clients on ebay? :D Highest bidder gets them!

New addition to the tos:
14. Provider reserves the right to sell you without warning at providers discretion. Provider may choose to sell you at a loss if you prove to much of a burden for our support team. At no time will provider disclose your current market value to you. You are not allowed to sell yourself while you are our client. While you are our client you must concider yourself our property and it is at our discretion only if you are to be sold or kept.

From past experience, companies/webmasters that sell their clients to other web hosting companies are doing so because they can no longer handle the support for their clients.
Therefore, selling their clients to larger companies would then actually better them.

As for the sarcastic "new addition to the tos", clients would not be treated like property. Would it be better for a client to get no support from someone that only sells hosting as a part-time job? or for the clients to be told, find a new web host by next month or lose your site?

Yes, sorry for being sarcastic about it but to me this is a sarcastic subject. Don't be offended by it, it's not personal.

But your opening post had the line a forum where users can go to buy/sell hosting clients. in it.

Forgive me, but the first image this called up in my (crazy) mind was that of a 18th century slave market :D
And I pictured it very vividly. I saw the customers in chains standing on the platforms being auctioned off to a bunch of bidding webhosts.

I know it is common practise, I know it is done. (not talking about the chains thing) I have seen the advertisements in the advertising forum selling customers. Still the whole idea still looks rediculous to me. Hence the sarcasm.

In fact this subject has kept my mind busy. I was already in bed when I suddenly thought of how you would approach your new customer for the first time. I thought of the line:

Hi, I am Pilgrim. I just bought you on ebay.

Yep, sarcasm again ;)

Therefore, selling their clients to larger companies would then actually better them

I will decide what is better for me. And if I have to move webhosts I'll darn well decide which host I'll move to. I do not need anyone to take that decision for me thank you very much.

Would it be better for a client to get no support from someone that only sells hosting as a part-time job? or for the clients to be told, find a new web host by next month or lose your site?

If I was with a host that went out of business I'ld expect him to act in a professional way. To me this means:

1. Find a quality hosting company that is willing to take my clients over with their current contracts (space, bandwidth, monthly price and guarantee that for at least one year.

2. Give me that as an OPTION. Give me a timely warning (30 days will do) and tell me "well we have selected host so-and-so who is willing to take over all our accounts. If you want we can transfer your site over there for you. If you do not want to make use of this offer please make sure you move your site over to a new host before (insert date) as we will shut down our servers after this date."

Although I doubt that a host with poor support will go through all this trouble. What you'll usually see is they just shut down their servers, their email and their answering machine overnight.

But all this didn't come up in your first post. You talked about a forum for selling and buying customers. (darn, there is that image again...)

I'm going back to bed. I never should have gotten up in the first place :crap: