UK-based domain registrars

gaekwad · 2020-06-01 10:42:41

It’s looking likely the transition period for the UK leaving the EU will be done at the end of 2020.

I have all my work domains managed at Gandi, a French domain registrar. I am happy enough with their service, but it’s time for me to switch over to a UK-based domain registrar that has a UK VAT (sales tax) number. I’m long past the days of managing domains across multiple registrars, so the fewer, the better.

Question: if you use a UK-based domain registrar, who do you use? Would you recommend them? Anything else you’d say about them?

Thanks in advance for any input!

colak · 2020-06-01 13:25:19

Hi pete, I wish I could help but I have no idea about UK registrars. I’m just replying to bump the thread:)

bici · 2020-06-01 16:34:14

gaekwad wrote #323458:

Question: if you use a UK-based domain registrar, who do you use? Would you recommend them? Anything else you’d say about them?

Thanks in advance for any input!

would this list be of any help? Nutty and GoGoGo struck me as something I would checkout further .

gaekwad · 2020-06-01 16:46:05

colak wrote #323461:

Hi pete, I wish I could help but I have no idea about UK registrars. I’m just replying to bump the thread:)

Thanks for being my street team, Yiannis!

bici wrote #323464:

would this list be of any help? Nutty and GoGoGo struck me as something I would checkout further .

Thanks, bici – I have seen that list, but it’s just too overwhelming to be useful, unfortunately. I’m more interested in user feedback than a Yellow Pages kind of thing, to be honest.

I have found Porkbun in my r&d today, who a) seem to tick most of my domain boxes; b) are cheap; c) don’t charge me sales tax; and d) have fun pig branding.

bici · 2020-06-01 17:03:30

gaekwad wrote #323465:

Thanks for being my street team, Yiannis!

I have found Porkbun in my r&d today, who a) seem to tick most of my domain boxes; b) are cheap; c) don’t charge me sales tax; and d) have fun pig branding.

Dont poke around any further— you have found a great stuck pig.

gaekwad · 2020-06-01 17:05:28

bici wrote #323466:

Dont poke around any further— you have found a great stuck pig.

I reg’d a burner domain today to see what the process is like, very straightforward. Liking Porkbun.

I also checked out the GOGOGO tag registrar you mentioned, their website is a wonderful time warp: www.beepdomains.co.uk/

bici · 2020-06-01 18:58:31

gaekwad wrote #323467:

I reg’d a burner domain today to see what the process is like, very straightforward. Liking Porkbun.

pulled pork sandwich

I also checked out the GOGOGO tag registrar you mentioned, their website is a wonderful time warp: www.beepdomains.co.uk/

Very cool… BeBop cool …

gaekwad · 2020-06-07 19:54:11

gaekwad wrote #323467:

I reg’d a burner domain today to see what the process is like, very straightforward. Liking Porkbun.

Not liking Porkbun so much today. The burner ($0.99 domain with one of the new raft of obnoxious TLDs) had default Porkbun name servers set at creation, I’ve added A, AAAA and CAA records…and after 5+ days the DNS changes haven’t propagated around the world. Most regional name servers checked using www.whatsmydns.net/ are just showing red crosses.

Sigh. So I’m looking for another registrar, and I’ll be moving the few .com domains I’d started drip feeding into Porkbun out again. I can’t be messing around with 5+ day DNS propagation. Sigh. Annoyingly, I’d transferred a vanity .com in that I wanted to start blogging with…and I hope I’m not tied to a 60-day transfer cooling off period with Porkbun. Sigh.

Bloke · 2020-06-07 20:13:46

D’oh. 5 days is ludicrous. Are registrars not under some kind of obligation to initiate propagation as fast they can?

gaekwad · 2020-06-08 10:58:47

Also – ALSO – today I found out Gandi only charge VAT on orders of EU origin, so if when January 1st 2021 rolls round and the UK has completed the Brexit transition period, I won’t be charged VAT on my orders…so I don’t actually need to find a new registrar after all.

But I do have to wait another 55 days to transfer the domains back from Porkbun to Gandi. Hooray for colossal wastes of time!

On the plus side, Porkbun has a nice selection of burner TLDs to play with, so there’s maybe scope for future stuff…if the bloody DNS actually works.

phiw13 · 2020-06-08 11:58:43

gaekwad wrote #323618:

Also – ALSO – today I found out Gandi only charge VAT on orders of EU origin, […]

that is a bit surprising. You don’t need to pay sales tax on that sort of transactions in the UK ? (or is everybody betting on a no-deal-with-complete-chaos Brexit and don’t botter with handling the UK ?)

gaekwad · 2020-06-08 12:31:17

phiw13 wrote #323624:

that is a bit surprising. You don’t need to pay sales tax on that sort of transactions in the UK ?

For tax purposes, the UK is still part of the EU, this year is a transitional period. When I buy a domain from Gandi, I buy it essentially tax-free because I provide a validated VAT number assigned to my business. I was under the impression that, as of Jan 1st, I would have to pay the full whack price with VAT and not be able to claim it back. Evidently this is not the case, and had I spent a bit of time checking first instead of getting grumpy over it, I would’ve saved myself hours of time.

From docs.gandi.net/en/billing/vat/index.html –

Only Gandi accounts/organizations with an address in the European Union or Taiwan are charged the VAT. USA and the rest of the World are not charged the VAT.

So, right now, a €10 domain costs me €10 as the VAT that would have been charged is refunded at time of purchase by my VAT number. As of Jan 1st 2021, a €10 domain will still cost me €10, because the UK will have left the EU fully and VAT is no longer applied. The more you know, etc.

(or is everybody betting on a no-deal-with-complete-chaos Brexit and don’t botter with handling the UK ?)

It’s a fun ride living in the UK sometimes, I tell you. That’s all I’ll say on that. For now.

Also, it’s surprising how few nerd-friendly, UK-based domain registrars there are with a wide variety of TLDs beyond the usual runners and riders. I found some whacky-looking places out in Ukraine, but there’s definitely an opening for a UK-based domain registrar with:

a wickedly-optimised, automated set of processes to minimise human interaction
a biiiiig selection of TLDs over and above the usual suspects
a domain management API
priced accordingly

Seriously, someone get this in place and you can have my money. The registrar’s money is usually made in hosting, not domains, so I’m not expecting much to happen. Maybe one day when I get rich and have some time I’ll make the damned thing myself.

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#1 2020-06-01 10:42:41