Cost of a .ie domain

h0stn0tf0und

Could someone please explain the high cost of .ie domains? A .ie is far more expensive than any of the other (.net or .org for example.) domains. Why is this? I dont want to jump to any conclusions such as it being another example of rip off Ireland so it would be great if someone could explain. I am looking to register a domain but if it is a rip-off I'll not be going with a .ie.

Thanks

ozt9vdujny3srf

Its a good thing they are so highly priced otherwise we'd have the usual assortment of squatters and useless websites clogging .ie domains.

h0stn0tf0und

Alina Spoiled Nachos wrote:

Its a good thing they are so highly priced otherwise we'd have the usual assortment of squatters and useless websites clogging .ie domains.

Ok I understand what your saying but from what I've read its hard to get a .ie, you must have a legit claim to it, which I think is a great way of policing the ie registry. This would seem to be a good way of blocking the problems you pointed out. This still isnt imho a good enough reason for the price. One thing I have noticed that a lot of local businesses go with a .com, some I've asked stated the cost. I am just trying to get a clear picture of what the situation is.

jmcc

h0stn0tf0und wrote:

Could someone please explain the high cost of .ie domains? A .ie is far more expensive than any of the other (.net or .org for example.) domains. Why is this? I dont want to jump to any conclusions such as it being another example of rip off Ireland so it would be great if someone could explain. I am looking to register a domain but if it is a rip-off I'll not be going with a .ie.

It is a classic example of what is wrong with Ireland. However there are two problems here - a: the fact that .ie pricing is a ripoff and b: protecting your brand online. The first few reasons explain why .ie domains are expensive but the last two explain why you should get the .ie if you are serious.

1. IEDR is a largely manual "managed" registry rather than a professional automated registry with a registrar network. The "managed" part means that there is some element of checking done by IEDR before they allow you to register a domain. With .com/net/org/info/biz there is no proof of entitlement checking.

2. Its domain accounting and domain record keeping accuracy over the past few years have been dubious to say the least (this is part of the legacy with which it is currently dealing). It is trying to sort the mess out.

3. The mismanagement of .ie cctld by IEDR and the legal cases taken against IEDR resulted in the Minister bringing IEDR under the control of ComReg. This gives ComReg some interesting powers including the power to put the technical operation of the .ie cctld out to tender.

4. There is an element of entitlement about a .ie domain. You have to prove that you have a claim to the domain whether as a registered business name (an extra 30 Euros from the CRO) or as a company name. The process of checking entitlement has been automated somewhat in that apparently IEDR has now uses the CRO search facility (http://www.cro.ie/search ). IEDR previously used to use the Irion site which lagged by about 3 months. CRO is updated daily I think.

5. The high price compared to the .com/net/org/info/biz is due to the small number of .ie domains registered (approximately 40K) and the fact that the fee is basically funding IEDR's operation and employees. It is the difference is between an international tld that has tens of millions of domains and one that barely has 40K operational domains.

6. Get the .ie and the .com/net/org/info/biz If you are serious about doing business in Ireland, a .ie will effectively include your website in the "sites from Ireland" section of most of the major search engines. There is only one Irish search engine anyway and there is no need to worry about that.

7. Safeguard your brand.

Regards...jmcc

jmcc

h0stn0tf0und wrote:

Ok I understand what your saying but from what I've read its hard to get a .ie, you must have a legit claim to it, which I think is a great way of policing the ie registry.

It is not hard to get a .ie domain. All you have to do is to register the business name with the CRO. If you are a sole trader, you would have had to do this anyway.

Regards...jmcc

mneylon

.ie is not overpriced .com's are currently be sold at below cost by many companies (or very close to it)
If you have a look at the pricing of IE domains in comparison with a lot of other ccTLDs you will find that it is cheaper than some and more expensive than others.
You should consider your domain name as an integral part of your online identity and paying as little as 50 euro per year for that is hardly going to bankrupt you.
Have you ever heard of an IE domain being hijacked by a p0rn merchant?

jmcc

blacknight wrote:

Have you ever heard of an IE domain being hijacked by a p0rn merchant?

Not exactly a porn merchant but I remember a case a few years ago where a .ie site was redirected to a breast reduction surgery clinic due to non-payment of a hosting fee.

Regards...jmcc