as you can see from my other post i have not been very lucky with getting into the world of hosting.
I dont really know much about it and need some help finding a new reseller host account.
When i look at all the features i get confused, i initially dont want to spend a fortune, so want to start small and as i build up my customer base increase the size etc.
Currently i host all my web sites which is nearly 2GB in disc size and i have 1 paying customer with just 1 web site that isnt very big.
What specs reseller hosting should i look for as a starter?

Also i am never sure what to offer as packages what is the normail type packages to offer as bronze, silver, gold, ultimate etc?

any advice would be appreciated

Thanks

I would suggest about 5GB webspace and 50GB bandwidth with a budget between $15 to $20 per month.

If I were you I'd go with Trexhost. They offer loads for $19.99 a month and the support is first class and brilliant they really know their stuff. I've been with them nearly a month and I'm really happy with them I've had questions and queries answered within mintues sometimes live on there support. They also have the ffmpeg installed on their servers which is quite rare.

The main thing when looking for hosting is not to be fooled by huge offerings. Find what you actually need and is in your budget. If you expect a lot of growth then make sure your host has a good upgrade path so that IF you grow, you'll be able to do so with no hassle.

Generally speaking, hosts who offer everything under the sun should be avoided because its a matter of time until their servers become overloaded. Just get what you need and you'll be fine.

You should also consider whether you want a host that allows their resellers to oversell their account resources as this can impact the profitability of your reseller account.

i am looking at this ones any opinions?

TrexBabyRX1 Package-Bandwidth- 100,000MB
-DiskSpace- 20,000MB
-Email Accounts- Unlimited
-Domains- Unlimited!
-WHM/Cpanel+Fantastico2!/RvSkins
-$9.99/Month
-Free ClientExec

Yeah, thats the thing. Do you really need 20 Gigs of space and 100 gigs of transfer? If you are currently using only 2 gigs (10% of that), then go with a host that offers it within your price range, but that has a good upgrade path in case you need more later.

To be honest i was only interested as the Price sounds good and i havent found anyone lower than $10 a month yet.
If anyone knows of one less than $10 a month please let me know

Be careful with reseller plans that are less than $10 /month. The majority of them are either going to be on cheap servers, or are going to be overloaded (or both).

If you find a plan for less than $10 /month, it may be ok as long as it isn't too big. Its hard to be specific on that, but I would say no more than 5 gigs of space for that price, and that is really pushing it. Only a very experienced host would be able to safely offer such a reseller package, and even then you would have to carefully consider it.

Look at it this way: How much do you spend for your internet connection? For one meal at an average restaurant? Aren't your customers worth more than that?

In the long run, you will suffer many fewer headaches if you can raise your budget a little, and probably retain customers long enough that it will more than compensate for spending a few extra bucks per month. (Not sure what you are going to charge for your bronze plan, but just one of those should be enough to make up the difference.)

does this sound about ok?

Dediwebspace
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I've never used them, so I can't say for sure, but their domain was registered less than a year ago, so I'd say they probably are pretty inexperienced. It seems like more than you need at less than you should be able to afford. Then again, I've never used them, so I don't know for sure.

What I do know is that you should be willing to spend a little more if you are serious about getting into this business and being successful.

Without getting into a debate on the merits or not of an uptime guarantee. :)

One thing that would concern me would be the 99% uptime guarantee as this could equate to 7 hours downtime per month and still achieve the guarantee.

I've never used them, so I can't say for sure, but their domain was registered less than a year ago, so I'd say they probably are pretty inexperienced. It seems like more than you need at less than you should be able to afford. Then again, I've never used them, so I don't know for sure.

What I do know is that you should be willing to spend a little more if you are serious about getting into this business and being successful.

Ok can i ask your opinion as i said i want to host my web sites of approx 2gb and i want to do hosting as well.
As a starter package what price and web space/bandwidth should i be looking for?

Boggle, I would go with the Trex plan you had listed above. I'm planning on doing the same thing. Normally though, for $10 or less, expect to get about 3 or 4GB space at the most, and only get around 30-50GB transfer.

Everity.com also has a nice reseller package from what I can tell. Both Trex and Everity have good reviews, so I think either one would be able to help you out.

--adam

Good point Kintallon.

Boggle, let me give you some advice that most people starting out don't take until its too late. Getting into hosting can be stressful, or it can be easy, fun, and rewarding. You are at that fork in the road right now.

Most successful hosts who have been doing this a while will tell you that they get a big percentage of new customers from referrals. While there are millions of customers to go around, there are also thousands of hosts from which to choose. If you want to travel down the easy/fun/rewarding road, you need to be one of the hosts that people are choosing. People listen to their friends when picking a host. Their friends aren't going to recommend your service if it is slow or frequently unavailable. Either your customers will send referrals to you, or they won't. If you want this to be easy, your service has to make the grade.

As a reseller, you are very much at the mercy of the host you choose, as it is really their service that you are providing under your name. Customers want more than just good support and lots of features. They want their web site up at all times, they want it to load fast, and they want to feel safe with your (meaning: "your host's") service.

If you go the cheap route, you will face one headache after another. By your own admission you "have not been lucky." If you are relying on luck, you are choosing a very stressful path.

On the other hand, you can almost eliminate your risk if you'll raise your budget a little. Spending an extra $5 or $10 /month could, COULD, down the road, result in an extra $500 /month in income if you choose a service that makes your customers happy, that actually gives you an edge over the other resellers who are taking the cheapest route they can find and wondering why they don't have many customers.

Sorry for the essay. Normally I wouldn't go into so much detail, but it sounds like you are taking this more seriously than a lot of new resellers do, which is great! :)

I would also add to Everity's post that until you have been with a host for at least 3-6 months and are happy with the service then NEVER pay for more than 1 month at a time.
Make the host continue to prove month after month that they are worthy of your money. :)

Personally I would always pay monthly to give me that easy option of walking away if things turn bad without taking too much of a dent in my wallet :D

can i ask what the advantage is of paying for a dedicated IP address?

I've never used them, so I can't say for sure, but their domain was registered less than a year ago, so I'd say they probably are pretty inexperienced. It seems like more than you need at less than you should be able to afford. Then again, I've never used them, so I don't know for sure.

What I do know is that you should be willing to spend a little more if you are serious about getting into this business and being successful.

Hi

Just to clear up something there, Yes our domain was registered in December 2006 but we have previous experience in this buisness and have worked for previous companies.

can i ask what the advantage is of paying for a dedicated IP address?

One of the most common reasons for a dedicated IP these days is for using an SSL certificate on your website for secure ordering.

Hi

Just to clear up something there, Yes our domain was registered in December 2006 but we have previous experience in this buisness and have worked for previous companies.

Thanks for clearing that up dediwebspace. :)

Thanks for clearing that up dediwebspace. :)

Never judge a book by its cover, or in this case, a host by its whois date. Every host was 1 month old at one point in time. Just because someone hasn't been a host for 7 years doesn't mean they aren't dependable, it just means they haven't been a web host for 7 years.

Annex, thats very true. But I didn't make any judgments, now did I? I just said that based on their whois date they seemed inexperienced. I didn't say for a fact that they were. Sometimes companies change names. Before posting that, I also checked archive.org, to make absolutely sure.

Every host has to start somewhere, this is true, and some hosts that are only a month old have great intentions and may even be able to see them through.

But there are certain historical trends that need to be taken into consideration with regards to each situation. In this situation, the OP is not a designer or someone with a network of sites, but someone who is going to be directly competing with other hosts. Therefore, as many things as possible need to be taken into consideration, as the choice made here could determine whether or not the OP is successful. One of the most important factors is experience level.

One of the most common reasons for a dedicated IP these days is for using an SSL certificate on your website for secure ordering.

Do i presume that if i will be using paypal for payments that i wont need ssl or am i understanding wrong what an ssl certificate is for?

Correct. If you use only PayPal then you will not need an SSL certificate.

Although adding an SSL certificate shows you care about privacy, We only accept PayPal but still have an SSL certificate. Its just one of those things, Customers who dont see an SSL "seem" to think your unproffesional and that you dont care about privacy, Weird I know but from experience that is what I can tell you ;)

So for the sake of $14 you can get a RapidSSL certificate and a dedicated IP and install it on your billing system ;)

Just my $0.02 :)