Hi all,

I lost my domain name as the company I was previously with went bust and didnt re-register it.

MelbourneIT / Domains by request have since now registered the name and have contacted me and offered me the domain for 1 year at $60.

I am confused how this works. I can only buy it from them as they have it registered. What does this mean? Will I ever own the domain back? Also can I pay the $60 and then host it elsewhere?

Many Thanks

Well, they have registered it therefore they can keep it as long as they like. By them saying that you can have it for 1 year at a rate of $60, i would be very cautious.

They could mean that you run your business for a year with that domain but do not actually own it, they point the domain to your server. This means that if your company/website is a success, next year they can charge you $1,000 or even not allow you to have it anymore.

If I were you I'd contact them back and ask them more questions such as will you be able to transfer the domain or if the domain is merely being pointed to a server of your choice.

Thanks Nathan,

They have offered the following prices - 1yr = $60, 2 year $95, 5 years $105 or 10 years $150.

I will email the guy back and ask him. I am not too clued up on Domain Names however, so what would be the exact question to ask him?

Thanks

Ask him if you are able to buy the rights to the domain and transfer it to a registrar of your choice. If you're serious about this domain name then i would defiantly want the rights to it. It enables easy management for the DNS and other Domain related items.

Without the rights to your domain, you will never truly be in control of your company/website.

Just a little note: once you own a domain you can keep it for however long you want and if someone wants it from you, you can charge as much as you like.

it would be helpful to see the full whois (did it really expire/who owns it/etc) but you may not want to post that info publicly. i may be able to help you make sense of it privately if you PM me the exact details.

if not, i would figure out who exactly owns it and who is sending the emails? once you own the domain you should be free to do whatever you wish with it including moving it to another registrar.

Ok, thanks all. I have asked him to if I am able to buy the rights to the domain and transfer it to a registrar of my choice.

If you do a Who-is the name is registered to MelbourneIT. If it was registered to me via WhoIS would I be able to transfer the name to another registrar?

I don't quite understand what you mean by If it was registered to me via WhoIS would I be able to transfer the name to another registrar?

Aslong as the person agree's to allow you to transfer it, you can go to any domain registrar (search google) such as godaddy.com - you will then have full control of the domain.

I am with you now, thanks.

I will let you know what MelbourneIT say.....

Got this reply;

Yes you will be the owner of the domain outright and you can transfer if you wish. Any years you purchase will remain with the domain.

You can also host with the hosting provider of your choice.

Does that sound good? How long should I purchase for?

If you really want (or need) the domain, you should purchase it for 1 year, then transfer it to NameCheap or another domain register after 60 days so you have full control over it.

Tiffany

Sounds good. MelbourneIT are an awful registrar (just look at these tactics) and they make it quite difficult to transfer away from. But if you want your domain back. I'd certainly pay the $60 and then take my time to transfer it someplace else (but be prepared for some hassle). You might also ask them if there are any fees (from MelbourneIT) involved in a transfer to a new registrar.

Hmm, but stub, does melbourne really do this, or is this thread starter actually just in contact with a private owner who snagged the domain and regged it via melbourne?

I've never heard of a registrar itself grabbing domains and then selling them through their registrar like this. That's a pretty, eh, weird tactic for a single domain.

Sounds good. MelbourneIT are an awful registrar (just look at these tactics) and they make it quite difficult to transfer away from. But if you want your domain back. I'd certainly pay the $60 and then take my time to transfer it someplace else (but be prepared for some hassle). You might also ask them if there are any fees (from MelbourneIT) involved in a transfer to a new registrar.

I am not exactly sue of the circumstances, bet MIT is a decent registrar in my experience albeit their prices are high.

@coax - You'd need to ask the OP about this.

@kohashi - Support is non-existent. They wanted to charge me $20 just to update the contact info. I never used them again after I wrestled my domain out of their clutches.

I would transfer it and renew it at a new register. I wouldn't take any risk with them.

Ask them if they wish to rent it to you for $60 a year (i.e. point to your site) or sell it to you (meaning you have full control over the domain)for $60. Some clarification needs to be done.

Coax - Its melbourne IT that have registered it and its a MelbourneIT "web consultant" that I am dealing with.

Thanks Kohashi, I might get it for two years which gives me more time to wrestle it off them!