Time is running out: .com prices go up on November 1

The price increase comes from Verisign’s wholesale rate, not from any single registrar. At $10.97 plus ICANN’s 20-cent fee, the new wholesale price is about 7% higher. Registrars that sell near cost, including several low-cost and at-cost providers, will likely pass most or all of that increase to customers.

Renewing or transferring a domain before November 1 postpones the higher price. Because a domain can be renewed for up to ten years, a registrant who acts now can pay today’s rate for the full term. That is a straightforward way to defer the increase, though it means paying years in advance for a service that may not be needed that far out.

The source notes that Verisign can raise prices an additional 7% in each of the next three years. That makes the current renewal window more meaningful: a ten-year renewal today would avoid not just the November increase, but likely the scheduled increases after it. The main risk is opportunity cost, not the registry’s pricing power.

Transfer specials this month may offer prices below Verisign’s current renewal fee. For registrants holding domains they expect to keep, moving a domain to a registrar with a discounted transfer price can reduce the cost of adding years. The trade-off is that transfers extend the registration term by one year, so the math depends on the registrar’s renewal price after the promotion ends.

What is still unknown is how each registrar will set retail prices after the wholesale increase. Some may absorb part of it; others may use the increase to raise prices beyond the wholesale change. Registrants should compare renewal prices at their current registrar against transfer offers, and decide whether prepaying for multiple years fits their plans for the domain.