A friend of an acquaintance <g> recently bought some domain names and shortly afterwards had a phone call from a Verio salesman selling hosting packages. Isn't it forbidden to use domain registration information for marketing purposes?
Does anyone else do this?
How do you source or contact customers?

Actually, its more likely that he went thru a low cost registrar who sold his sign-up info. I'll find out who he registered his domains with.

Originally posted by SpocksBrain
Isn't it forbidden to use domain registration information for marketing purposes?

Not at all. In fact, ICANN *requires* all accredited domain registrars to make their registration databases available to companies to purchase. ICANN set no minimum fee, but did set a maximum fee (I'm not sure what it is) as a means to ensure that a registrar couldn't price it so high that no one would buy it.

I'm not speaking in support of the practice - merely indicating that it's required by ICANN. Many registrars (Dotster and GoDaddy among them) have "opt-out" capabilities when you register a domain, meaning you can opt out your information from being included in database sales to third party vendors. But not every registrar has that capability.

where do u buy these compilations?

where do u buy these compilations?

From your friendly neighborhood list broker; the same place where you'd buy lists of people who subscribe to TV Guide, lists of people who contribute to environmental causes, or lists of Republicans who voted in the last election and have a credit card and two or more cars.

Long ago one of my clients was a survey and market research firm that bought demographic specific lists from Dunn and Bradstreet -- at that time one of the biggest list brokers in the world. (Are you looking for people who load toilet paper with the tab out, or the tab in?) As a matter of fact, just look in the phone book, the Yellow Pages has a catagory for mailing lists.

Damn, that is bad practice imo (selling domain info)

Originally posted by Jason Ellis


Not at all. In fact, ICANN *requires* all accredited domain registrars to make their registration databases available to companies to purchase. ICANN set no minimum fee, but did set a maximum fee (I'm not sure what it is) as a means to ensure that a registrar couldn't price it so high that no one would buy it.


Are you sure about this?? I'm very surprised if it's the case!

It's sad but true - but price is rarely under $10,000 and many legal anti-spam requirments. Been discused before here in more legalize.