Domain reseller pricing rarely fits one public number. Registration can be an acquisition offer, renewal must protect margin, and transfer pricing may follow a separate agreement. Add different wholesale relationships for agencies, hosting partners, and high-volume customers, and a single TLD price is no longer enough.
The clean solution is a customer price list: keep the regular domain catalog for guests, then reveal the negotiated registration, renewal, or transfer price when an assigned reseller signs in.
Why Domain Pricing Needs Three Operations
A domain is not sold only once. Its commercial lifecycle includes at least three operations:
- Registration: the first purchase of an available domain
- Renewal: extending the domain before or after its expiry window
- Transfer: moving the domain from another registrar or provider
The cost and commercial strategy can differ for each operation. A low registration price may win a new hosting customer, but copying that discount to every renewal can erase margin for years. A transfer may include a renewal period depending on the registry and TLD rules, so it deserves its own price rather than an assumption.
A Practical Reseller Pricing Structure
Start with a public retail price and add a small number of deliberate partner tiers.
| Tier | Typical customer | Pricing goal |
|---|---|---|
| Public | Guests and direct customers | Standard retail margin |
| Partner | Agencies and IT consultants | Reward recurring referrals |
| Reseller | Hosting or domain resellers | Sustainable wholesale margin |
| Strategic | High-volume contracted partners | Negotiated exception |
Avoid creating dozens of tiers before volume justifies them. Every tier becomes a promise your support and finance teams must understand. A simple priority model lets the strategic agreement override a broader reseller list only where necessary.
How to Set Domain Contract Prices
- Create an internal price list such as “Hosting Resellers 2026”
- Assign the approved partner customers
- Set its priority below any customer-specific exception
- Select each relevant TLD
- Enter registration, renewal, and transfer prices independently
- Leave an operation blank when it should use the regular TLD price
- Sign in as a test reseller and complete a checkout review
For example, you can offer a partner a €5.00 .nl registration while leaving renewal blank. The customer receives the acquisition price for registration, and renewal continues to use the regular catalog price.
Protect Margin Before Publishing
Calculate more than the registrar's current wholesale amount. Domain margin can be affected by registry price changes, currency conversion, payment processing, failed-payment work, taxes, support, and the cost of renewal notices or recovery.
For each TLD and operation, document:
- Registrar or registry cost and billing currency
- Expected payment-provider and platform fees
- Minimum gross margin in money and percentage
- Whether tax is included or added
- The agreement review date
- What happens after an upstream price increase
Do not silently change an already accepted subscription or order. New checkouts can use a revised list, while existing recurring agreements should keep their price until your contract and notification process permits a change.
Prevent Private Prices From Leaking
A secret URL is not access control. Reseller prices should require an authenticated customer who belongs to the same business as the price list. Checkout should calculate the price again on the server instead of trusting what the browser displayed.
Guests must continue to see the regular public catalog. If a reseller forwards a product or domain link, the recipient should receive only the price they are entitled to after their own authentication.
Domain Price List Review Checklist
- Test registration, renewal, and transfer separately
- Test a blank operation and confirm the public price is used
- Confirm the intended list wins when a reseller matches two lists
- Review setup fees, taxes, and currency rounding
- Check margin after registrar and payment costs
- Test as an assigned reseller, an ordinary customer, and a guest
- Set a calendar date for the next contract review
Give Every Reseller the Right Price
Domain price lists let a hosting business keep one public catalog while honoring partner agreements automatically. They reduce manual credits, prevent checkout disputes, and make it possible to change new-business pricing without rewriting existing subscriptions.
See PayRequest Custom Pricing for product and TLD price lists, read about billing for hosting businesses, or start free and assign your first reseller.