Enom: $29.95/year
NetworkSolutions: $24.99/year
NameCheap: $8.88/year
Godaddy: $8.95/year
Register.com: $25/year

Do you guys know why there is such difference in prices for a simple domain name registration? Afterall, it is your name server that matters right? Is there a difference in quality of service that would affect the price this much?

Thanks.

A domain name is a domain name is a domain name.

Essentially most registrars charge whatever they feel they can get away with. Quality of service when it relates to domains is mostly the quality of customer service, and company policy when it comes to resolving disputes.

Some registrars will also offer you email forwarding, website forwarding and DNS hosting as part of the default domain package, but this is nothing special since mostly everybody offers it.

When it comes to domain names, expensive most certainly does not equate to quality. There are a lot of excellent low-mid cost registrars out there who have excellent customer service.

Personally, I've only ever had domains registered with Network Solutions and Gandi.net, and I dumped Network Solutions a long time ago because I found Gandi much more economical, flexible and they have an excellent terms of service that states in plain English (and French) that you own the domain. That is very rare. Although Gandi's interface is lacking in terms of user friendliness, I'm willing to put up with that to support a company who respects its customers. Gandi charges €12 per domain/year. While they only have email support, I feel it's better to have technically competent people responding promptly to emails than to talk to script drones over the phone.

average price of todays market is $8 - $15 (some offer for 6.49 even) it all deends on your market

they are all the same its a domain registration.

btw godaddy is 8.95 + $0.25

There is not much difference. Just some Registrars have some addon services included in the registration price.

Just like any industry or business that has more than one player:
competition. :)

It is a lot more better than having one choice: netsol, $70.... for a 2 year registration...