Any suggestions on whether purchasing my domain registrar's privacy option is worth it? (same cost as what i paid for the domain name)
Thank you!

This depends on the pricing of it. Some providers like NameCheap provide it for free for the first year while others like Directi, NetEarthOne, Stargate/UK2 and their resellers provide it without any charges.

Whether it's worth it, if there's a cost, depends on you. While there are people out there who say that privacy means you have something to hide, I think that privacy can sometimes mean no more than that you prefer not to have your contact info sprayed all over the Internet. That's legitimate, I say.

I would find a registrar that doesn't charge for it. There are many. I think it's worthwhile to hid your personal data. It reduces spam and helps to guard you against scams.
Think of it like this. Would you like your address, telephone, and other contact info to be posted on a billboard along side the highway? Didn't think so. :)

Thanks for the info guys! Definitely helps.

Transfer your domain to Name.com. Their privacy is good and free.

Personal use, yes; but for businesses (e.g. web hosting company), hiding your whois info does NOT help AT ALL, to say the least.

if you tend to forget your registar, you better not use it.

(same cost as what i paid for the domain name)
It's not worth.
For 7 - 10$ which you would pay for this additional service you can transfer domain to registrar which don't charge domain privacy and that way get extended domain registration for one year + free whois privacy. Some people suggested name.com which offer this service for free and there are also some others.
Why would you pay every year additional 7 - 10$ if you can can get this for free with other decent registrars.
As some people already suggested you for business purpose don't use whois privacy because many people consider that decent company have nothing to hide from customers.

It's generally not worth the extra cost, but some registrars such as name.com (which I have had positive experiences with, and stub recommended) do provide free privacy.
Note that at name.com, you do need to actually turn on the privacy; it's off by default until you change a control panel option, from what I recall.
-mike

>>Personal use, yes; but for businesses (e.g. web hosting company), hiding your whois info does NOT help AT ALL, to say the least.<<
Why is this the case? People can still contact you, right? They just don't know your name, home address, phone number, etc. They go through the registrar and you get it. Isn't this just understood in the industry? (see 'something to hide' below)
>>As some people already suggested you for business purpose don't use whois privacy because many people consider that decent company have nothing to hide from customers. <<
Isn't the problem not that people think you have something to hide, but that you don't want people/companies/spammers calling/phoning/emailing you?
I mean, it's your info out there only for the whole world to potentially see, right? How is this okay?

I personally don't think Whois Privacy is worth the cost of domain. IMHO, it is a great service but shouldn't be over charged. For personal domains I use NetFirms I haven't had any problems and whois privacy is free like name.com.
All the best,

Why is this the case? People can still contact you, right? They just don't know your name, home address, phone number, etc. They go through the registrar and you get it. Isn't this just understood in the industry? (see 'something to hide' below)
Isn't the problem not that people think you have something to hide, but that you don't want people/companies/spammers calling/phoning/emailing you?
I mean, it's your info out there only for the whole world to potentially see, right? How is this okay?
Why would you use your home address?
As a BUSINESS, your business contact info SHOULD be publicly available anyway. And being spammed is part of Internet/business life, something that you'll HAVE TO get used to.
The bottom line is, when your potential clients don't feel comfortable with a "mysterious" "company", they won't ask for your concern but simply walk away; and you lose the business without even knowing it.
Simple (and affordable) solutions: get a decent business address like a business center account (or even a PO box), a separate business phone number with voicemail, and a stricter spam filter. To be honest, if you can't even afford that, you may reconsider starting a business.

Any suggestions on whether purchasing my domain registrar's privacy option is worth it? (same cost as what i paid for the domain name)
Thank you! If your website is not popular there is no need to buy privacy protection!

Thanks for all the advice. It really helps!
As far as the business address: I think some people look at PO boxes as a little mysterious. I'm not familiar with a business center account. I googled but didn't find anything as far as establishing an address.
It's definitely not a matter of being able to afford these things. Again, I appreciate the input.

Those are sometimes called virtual offices and you pay a fee for the services. Some are elaborate with a receptionist and others a less so with just an address and mail-forwarding.

Thanks for the info!

Any suggestions on whether purchasing my domain registrar's privacy option is worth it? (same cost as what i paid for the domain name)
Thank you!
if you want to protect your whois information (personal address, phone, email, etc) it's a good idea... most individuals do this...
businesses, not so much.

Is there a list of registrars not charging for privacy? Couple of names were mentioned in this topic. Any more out there?

OpenSRS (Tucows) offers whois privacy for free, but it's up to individual resellers whether to pass this down to their end-users.

Any LB platform registrar should provide it free of charge too, UK2-Resell.biz / RC / NetEarth One

Those are sometimes called virtual offices and you pay a fee for the services. Some are elaborate with a receptionist and others a less so with just an address and mail-forwarding.
Good point. They can sometimes be a little pricey (often $100-$300 per month), but there are some bargain options out there. And as you mentioned, some of the simpler options are very inexpensive.
-mike