Buying domain names

[Bud_Bundy]

How do I buy one?
What are the steps that I need to go through?

[Lisa]

First, you need a name that you want to register. Second, you need to go to a registrar or a reseller and buy the domain. The registrar will be able to tell you if the domain is available and may be able to suggest alternative names if it is not.

Here is a listing of registrars:
[internic.net...]

[kevinpate]

FYI: so far as I know, purchasing yourdomainname.com for
$8.00 a year will work exactly the the same as paying
40.00 a year for the same name somewhere else, so do shop around.

If I'm wrong about this, someone please educate me and save the original poster some grief in the process.

[Lisa]

I don’t like to show favoritism toward any registrar or reseller, so I try never to recommend one. All registrars are not the same though, look for value adds that other registrars don't offer. Those features could be DNS management, email shielding from Spam, URL Forwarding, parking page, etc…

Here is a site that shows Registrar Stats [registrarstats.com] (I am affiliated with this site indirectly). It shows what market share each registrar currently has. Look for registrars that have market share. The smaller the market share and the lower the registration fee the more susceptible they are to a shake up. All registrars pay the same $6.00 wholesale fee to Verisign Registry for .COM domains. So keep that in mind. You should be able to locate a good registrar for $15 or less now days.

Things to avoid: Ultra-Low prices because they offer little or no customer service. Look for things like phone numbers on the site and how easy it is to contact with them with questions after you own the domain. They all make it is easy to buy in the beginning as they can but contacting a real person later for support may be more difficult.

After you own the domain you are free to switch to any other registrar at any time. Feel free to do this if you are not getting the service you expect. Your new registrar will add an additional year to your domain expiration and charge you for that year. But you will keep all the time you have previously paid for.

[Bud_Bundy]

The thing is, I want to get a domain name that is currently up for sale by the owner.
He wants me to pay either by check or cc. And after I pay him, what do I expect him to do?

[Lisa]

That is a completely different thing.

Generally you put your money in escrow, he changes the admin email to your contact information, you transfer to another registrar to be sure he can change the details back using his reseller account, then the escrow releases the money to the seller.

This can vary a little, sometimes they will ask you to open an account with a registrar they are currently with, then they will push the domain into your account.

Unless you really really trust the person it is best to use an escrow service. Or to have the other person complete the transaction first. Then you know you are covered. Sometimes I complete the transaction first, then I usually send the person a contract and have them sign it and fax it back. I trust a person more if we have a signed contract.

[digitalbrain]

i suggest you pay upfront 50% of the agreed amount and pay 50% after the domain is transferred. also i recommend not to do any paperwork , if the domain is registered at enom just ask the owner to change all the email addresses to your email and to remove the protection . once this is done you transfer the domain name to you.
After all if your business model is strong you can earn more money on the domain name rather than delaying the full process using third party tools like escrew etc. but if you are not intending to start the site instantly you can give a thought to it! After all Delays are not good for business.
Anyway after all your money and your busienss...mine is just a suggestion. :)