I started with using NetSol "YUCK" and have had nothing but trouble. I think this is a REALLY important decision and I want to be sure I can trust the place that holds my name along with getting the services I need. I am sure others wonder this now too.

I have read tons O' Posts on Registrars here, some dating back over a year and I am sure things have changed over that time. I figured a poll would be best to figure what the current mood is.

I also figure if I missed anything or is something REALLY stands out, others will add their 3 cents worth here (inflation yanno).

Thanks in advance for the help,

looks like godaddy and stargate had same numbers of votes

I also saw quite a few threads with http://www.namecheap.com mentioned too. I was going to put them in too, but I was cross-checking the names I heard with the ICANN accredited list and I didn't see them on it so I missed adding them.

I wish I knew the names of the "OTHER Registrar - OpenSRS type" that people selected so I could look at them too.

OpenSRS is a wholesale domain Registrar, and has several hundred (thousand?) resellers.

Many OpenSRS resellers operate in order to supply domains for their hosting businesses - and will sell domains on the side only rarely.

Many OpenSRS resellers operate their businesses primarily as domain registration businesses.

Most OpenSRS resellers follow a high standard of business conduct - though there are exceptions of course.

OpenSRS itself takes the high ground on virtually every issue, and rarely ends up on the receiving end of bad business complaints. There are certainly exceptions, but in general, they are well thought of in the business. They continue to be #2 in domain sales behind NetSol - but again, this is through a very large reseller channel.

Resellers all offer different levels of service. Some offer domains at low prices, some are very high. Some offer DNS services, some offer forwarding, some offer hosting or domain parking. All the individual business models are different.

This makes a category like OpenSRS really not particularly helpful in a poll like this one :).

-t

I also saw quite a few threads with http://www.namecheap.com mentioned too. I was going to put them in too, but I was cross-checking the names I heard with the ICANN accredited list and I didn't see them on it so I missed adding them.

Namecheap is an enom reseller. If you like them, simply vote for enom since they're the ones that make it easy for resellers like namecheap to offer great service at great prices. I like them a lot. Needless to say, I voted for enom. :D

I like GoDaddy. Some people say GoDaddy isn't good because it doesn't include features like URL/e-mail forwarding or other stuff, but that's not the point of a registrar! GoDaddy lets you easily modify contact information, change name servers, add and remove name servers, and transfer ownership, which is really all that is needed, and the price is right.

I looked at a number of the sites and there were some great features for all. I hope this info helps others with finding a registrar that has what they want. I actually decided to go with stargate for now and here's why;

1. They're ICANN accredited

2. They are in the U.S. With all the legality issues and hijacking talks I just felt a registrar in my own country may be easier to work with in case of legal issues. I could be wrong, but.... JMHO

3. Extra's

3A. Cloaking/Masking. I wondered if this may help in hacker attacks at first. Kind of one system between my actual site.

3B. 1 Page free. I could register and hold it there while I get a site ready.

3C. Email address. Something I could use again while I get the site(s) ready. From GOdady that was an extra $20.00

4. Price. By doing more than one. I was under $9.00 each. The price of transfers were extremely reasonable too.

The only thing I saw was a a little bit negative was, they charged for the Namelocking and some gave it away.

This is all JMHO as I am still sorta a rookie. It was a tough choice actually. Most all of them seemed to have great offerings but those are the reasons I chose Stargate for now. I am not saying they are the best, just the best choice for me at this point in time.

I will try em and maybe transfer other names to them that I've held forever at a more expensive place.

Thanks all for the help so far. Keep voting and adding your 3 cents because I know this is important decision.

Gandi.net offers email forwarding and other features included in the domain registration. Their price is just a little more than Godaddy that charges for this service....