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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
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    Somewhere I belong
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    211

    eNom vs. Directi vs. GoDaddy vs. others?

    Hi there,

    If you guys compare eNom, Directi, GoDaddy and other domain registrars, which one would be your choice and what's the reason of choosing it?

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    Although I haven't used their reseller interface yet, I've read more
    than enough to know that enom's the most preferred choice for
    reseller solutions. I'll take them up when I'm ready to handle such
    responsibilities.

    I've used DomainSite, and I enjoy their low price and somewhat
    understand their interface. I haven't any issues with them yet, so
    it's too early to say.

    But I have used Go Daddy, and I won't use them for the following
    reasons:

    1. Lots of ads.
    2. Hidden charges they should explicitly state in their fine prints.
    3. Their numerous transfer restrictions.
    4. Their strict anti-spam stance.

    I don't blame them for numbers 3 and 4. I just don't agree.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Posts
    633
    Enom as a reseller very easy to use, flexable, decent support

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Kuwait
    Posts
    10,620

    Re: eNom vs. Directi vs. GoDaddy vs. others?

    Originally posted by Dark_Coder
    Hi there,

    If you guys compare eNom, Directi, GoDaddy and other domain registrars, which one would be your choice and what's the reason of choosing it?

    Thanks!
    as end user or reseller?
    Bashar Al-Abdulhadi - KuwaitNET Internet Services Serving customers since 1997
    Kuwait's First Webhosting and Domain Registration provider - an ICANN Accredited Registrar

    Twitter: Bashar Al-Abdulhadi

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Scotland
    Posts
    919
    Directi - registrar of choice for various reasons, price, support but terrible interface

    Enom - best interface, crappiest support and attitude to an etp

    Godaddy - not with a bargepole, for the same reasons as Davezan and also back in around 2000 for spamming my customers within minutes of registering their domains and now has the cheek to have an anti spam stance.
    Nil illegitimi carborundum
    I'm getting old and don't do drugs. I get the same effect just standing up fast.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Madurai, India
    Posts
    218
    yes enom is best
    directi is weak in support I think they are not quick to respond for support

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Somewhere I belong
    Posts
    211

    Re: Re: eNom vs. Directi vs. GoDaddy vs. others?

    Originally posted by Bashar
    as end user or reseller?
    As for reseller, I mean.

    Now I am choosing domain registrars to become a reseller. That's why I've come up with this question.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Boise, ID U.S.A.
    Posts
    3,499
    In terms of trying to be a reseller, I have no experience. I have some domains registered with Godaddy and Namecheap, and they have been good for me so far. Since Namecheap is an Enom reseller, that could be sort of relevant to your question. At least Namecheap shows that it is possible to be an Enom reseller and to be competitive on price and quality of service.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Location
    The OC
    Posts
    2,094
    I never tried WildWestDomains because I just don't like GoDaddy's philosophy of forcing the end customer to endure offer after offer just to try to register a domain. By the time they've arrived at the final checkout... they've had too much time to rethink the purchase. Heck, they probably forgot why they wanted that domain name in the first place!

    I tried Directi a while ago, and while their system and prices have potential. I still find that they are having reliability problems.

    Finally, I just love my eNom reseller account. The interface is clean and simple. I can pop in and register a name or two and be out in, literally, seconds.

    I would suggest that you sign up for both Directi and eNom. Bashar has $8.95 reseller accounts for free and you used to be able to sign-up with Directi for free.

    Of course, to actually buy any domains, you will have to fund the accounts with a deposit. But at least you can look at the interface and kick the tires to see which you like better.

    You might also checkout www.AWBS.com which is a turn-key system that works with both Directi and eNom.

    Good Luck!
    You may delay, but time will not. --- Benjamin Franklin

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Kuwait
    Posts
    10,620
    as reseller, enom is your best option with the endless features to run as reseller.
    Bashar Al-Abdulhadi - KuwaitNET Internet Services Serving customers since 1997
    Kuwait's First Webhosting and Domain Registration provider - an ICANN Accredited Registrar

    Twitter: Bashar Al-Abdulhadi

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Posts
    83

    ?

    When you all are talking about comparing enom vs. directi for instance, are you talking about enom's pdq or registry rocket, etc. I recently upgraded to a reseller account with enom but just have a link right now to a RR page with my logo.

    It looks like I can make about twice as much with directi though I have never tried them. Here's an example:

    I get domains for 8.95 with enom. If I charged 12.95 after fees and such I end up with about 2.66 per domain. Since direct i is free with only a minimal deposit for domains, assuming paypal as the payment gateway I could end up with 5.2? for each domain net profit since their buy rate is about 2.00 cheaper than with enom. Guess I'll just have to try both and see how things go.

    For those of you who are enom verterans or ETP's, is it really more beneficial to pay the 99.00 for a PDQ site vs. a free RR page?

    I had considered WWD a long while back, but after a lot of research and some bad experiences, I had decided against. I thought about taking another look recently and saw that they not only went up on their pricing from 6.75/domain to 7.75, they still have the 99.00 fee for their BASIC package AND NOW they aren't even upfront about their transaction fees, sales fees, and revenue share % like they were before. Sounds like their ethics are going downhill fast in the name of the $. I love the fact that enom and directi don't strip you of any profit like they do.

    David

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Location
    The OC
    Posts
    2,094
    To Skyview:

    Directi has great prices and a promising future...

    BUT... they have reliabiity issues. You can't make money on domain name registrations if your Directi website isn't working or resolving correctly. And think how that reflects on your web hosting and other services. The customer thinks - "If they can't keep their own website up, how will they keep mine working?"

    You are right about the $8.95 eNom price, though. Tough to make a buck there. That's why you need to invest the money to get to $6.95 pricing.

    As far as PDQ... I think it's more cost effective to go for the www.awbs.com option in the long run. RegistryRocket needs to have it's look updated in my opinion.
    You may delay, but time will not. --- Benjamin Franklin

  13. #13
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Dubai
    Posts
    150
    Directi is my opinion
    •••AESERVER UAE Hosting & Domains [www.aeserver.com]•••
    United Arab Emirates' Premier Webhosting & Domain Name Registrar.
    •••ae Domain Administration (aeDA.ae) accredited registrar | Register your .ae today!•••

  14. #14
    If all of these is true:
    http://www.directi.com/resellers/comparsion-chart/

    It seems Directi would be the best option. Why so many prefer eNom? Could anyone explain me what are the real differences?

    In any choice between eNom and Directi, do you need to use their brandable sites? Or can you have your own site with own look and feel, etc.? Do they provide APIs that allow to create a whole new site on top?

    Also, how does the eNom reseller accounts from ETPs work? Does anyone know any good respectable ETP to get an eNom account from?

    Thank you very much.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Posts
    83
    Originally posted by eehost
    Also, how does the eNom reseller accounts from ETPs work? Does anyone know any good respectable ETP to get an eNom account from?

    Thank you very much.
    Hi. There are at least a few eNom ETP's here on this forum. I know I have seen in their sig. so you might just look around the Reseller and Domain Name forums and you're bound to find a few. You can also get a free reseller account from several hosting providers as well with an account.

    4solutions is right, it's probably best to get the better pricing with eNom, but I simply don't have $6K+ to invest in something like that, especially since you would have to do a tremendous amount of business to break even on that investment, let alone make a profit.

    David

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    134
    Here is a place with independent reviews of different Registrars:
    http://www.namepros.com/forumdisplay.php?f=86

  17. #17
    Could anyone confirm or deny why directi could be the best option to resell domain names or not? It seems from this url that it is:
    http://www.directi.com/resellers/comparsion-chart/

    Also, are there any other options to enom, directi or wild west domains?

    Thank you.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Location
    The OC
    Posts
    2,094
    Originally posted by eehost
    Could anyone confirm or deny why directi could be the best option to resell domain names or not? It seems from this url that it is:
    http://www.directi.com/resellers/comparsion-chart/

    Also, are there any other options to enom, directi or wild west domains?

    Thank you.
    If you go to WWD's comparison, you will see that they think WWD is the best. I mean you have to realize that no registrar is going to say that their competitor is better, right? You have to take these comparison charts as the sales propaganda they are meant to be.

    If you do a search on WHT, you will see that almost every week, someone asks which is the best reseller program. And usually the majority (me included) recommend eNom. This is because:

    (1) eNom provides a reliable platform. First and foremost, if your website can't connect to the registrar and complete the registration process, then your customers will quickly go elsewhere. Directi is very attractive pricewise and they make a lot of promises... but I have tried them twice and they still suffer from reliability problems.

    (2) eNom provides a flexible platform. They offer the free registry rocket service (no you don't pay $99 a year like Directi and WWD would have you believe) even though, quite honestly it is kind of plain jane. But they also offer a dynamite API interface that huge successes like RegisterFly and NameCheap have built into huge businesses... In fact both of these eNom resellers respectively have/are becoming ICANN accredited registrars. And yes, eNom also has the PDQ service for $99.00 if you want that, too.

    (3) eNom is cost effective. That old saying that people buy the sizzle and not the steak is true. eNom includes all these bells and whistles like free URL frame forwarding, free dynamic DNS service, free email forwarding, free mini-website, etc. etc. Customers like the word FREE. They don't like to hear that WWD has limits on forwarding or that you have to pay extra for each of these services (if even available) with Directi.

    Bottom line is that you have to pick what works for YOUR business model. Right now, eNom is working for me. When Directi gets their reliability problems solved, then I'll look at them again, too.

    This is a fast paced quickly changing business that is VERY competitive. You need to constantly be looking at what the other provider is offering and doing. And you NEVER believe what one wholesaler is telling you about the other.

    You also might checkout www.AWBS.com , www.WhoisCart.net and www.ModernBill.com which are turnkey solutions to the domain registration and/or hosting business. Another provider of domain registration is www.OnlineNic.com where a long time ago I had some support issues... maybe they have a better staff now.

    Good Luck with your venture and be sure to check back with us and provide any first hand information that you may learn.

    Last edited by 4solutions; 07-27-2005 at 11:42 PM.
    You may delay, but time will not. --- Benjamin Franklin

  19. #19
    That's a lot of info. I was expecting someone like you to jump on board that would know better to clarify this matters. =)

    WWD says they are better but don't put same amount of proof that Directi seems to be pushing on their comparison.

    So, the only difference if you are going to use the API is that eNom requires more advance payment to get to the price of 8,95? And still is a higher price but more reliable service?

    When was the last time you tryed Directi? Could they have improved by now?

    Thanks a lot for the help!

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Location
    The OC
    Posts
    2,094
    Originally posted by eehost
    WWD says they are better but don't put same amount of proof that Directi seems to be pushing on their comparison.
    I heard that WWD just recently changed their pricing structure and they finally dropped their requirement for a 25% revenue sharing charge... so maybe they are worth a second look now. But, quite frankly, I don't really like the look of their websites and the way they keep asking the customer if they would like to add this that and the other service on the way to checkout... I find it annoying and disrespectful to the customer. Just my opinion.

    Originally posted by eehost
    So, the only difference if you are going to use the API is that eNom requires more advance payment to get to the price of 8,95? And still is a higher price but more reliable service?
    Yes and no <-- don't you hate answers like that. If you want to get the account direct from eNom, then yes, you have to play by the rules and pay the price. However, you might look into the three "turnkey" solutions like AWBS.com, WhoisCart.net, and ModernBill.com. They used to have $7.95 eNom reseller accounts that came along with their software. I don't know if they're still doing that, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

    Actually, I tried Directi several years ago when they first started reselling domains (I think I was reseller # 211 or something and now they have like 26,250). But I gave them another good try again about three months ago and I still encountered connection and reliability issues. They have great ideas... but they are growing so fast that I think they are having trouble keeping pace with their growth.

    You could always get a free $8.95 enom resellers account from someone here on WHT like eSology, Bahar, kohashi etc... and also get a Directi resellers account and you can then look at the interfaces and how they are set-up before actually funding them or putting up any money... of course, you have to deposit money in order to register any domain names.

    But if I HAD to make a decision, it would be to buy the www.AWBS.com website solution because they have a module for eNom OR Directi and I think it is a very professional looking website compared to the WWD site design. Plus, it is basically a one-time payment versus paying WWD every year.

    BTW... don't expect to make a whole lot of money in the domain name business. With 1and1 and everyone else offering $5.99 domains as a loss leader for their hosting business, and DomainSite registering domains for $6.99 RETAIL... it IS a competitive business and you pretty much have to be selling something like hosting on the side in order to make ends meet.

    Just my two cents...
    You may delay, but time will not. --- Benjamin Franklin

  21. #21
    I guess my question was more if I would need to pay the service on a yearly basis or not. I've just answered that question by reading their FAQ, and as I'm basically planning on any solution I choose to be using their API, I would have to pay only the price of the domain I get by the amount of money I have on my account with them.

    From that I've camed up with a new question, heh.. How do eNom pays me my commissions if I use their merchant services instead of mine?

    AWBS seems apealing, but the fact is I'm probably building it all by myself. I don't know how well does the skinning of this solutions work, but I feel more comfortable by creating my sites from scratch and having my own brand.

    Do you know if I would have to sign up with an eNom reseller to play with their API? Could I then be directly under eNom if I want?

    My main plans are about hosting offers, but I'd like to have a one-stop shop for those customers that don't want or know how to be dealing with different providers. So I need to have a domain selling solution as an added value to them. It probably won't be my main business.

    Thank you again!

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Posts
    83
    4solutions is right. WWD recently changed their plans so that you don't have to pay the 25% of your profit to them anymore. Their domain buy rates are higher than they used to be though. When WWD started out, their domains were $6.25 - $6.75, now they are $7.00 for the super resellers and $7.75 for basic resellers, along with the yearly fee that runs between $99 - $229 depending on what plan you choose. I used to think their plan was great but after a lot of research and questions that I didn't like the answers to, I never did signup with them. They make it pretty easy in terms of your effort, but the annoying sales tactics are not very nice. It would be fine if they allowed each reseller to turn that on or off with a checkbox or something but they don't.

    Annonying Ads: On/Off __

    I have a free $8.95 enom account, but the free $7.95 account from AWBS looks nice. I don't think their solution would do me much good though since I believe I will be going with an H-Sphere provider.

    David

  23. #23
    And why did you choose eNom instead of Directi?

    As I will be using their API and don't need all the extra stuff for now I think I'm going to try with Directi first.

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Posts
    83
    Good luck with directi. I decided against based primarily on recommendations from people who are more experienced in dns issues than I. It sounds like they have some reliability and performance issues. Maybe they will get things worked out in the long run but I would prefer something more stable.

    David

  25. #25
    We are using eNom. We was using Directi, best prices, but the interface for us is horrible.

    Regards,

    Jonathan

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