Retsiger Frequently Asked Questions

Why did you become a registrar?
Date: December 27, 2000

I started a registrar as a hobby and as an escape from the underhanded practices of Network Solutions.


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What top level domains (TLDs) do you offer?
Updated: January 1, 2014

Currently, I offer registrations in most TLDs. Consult the OpenSRS list for details and contact me if pricing info isn't available on the Retsiger main menu.

Additionaly, WHOIS Privacy is available for some of the TLDs. You can also transfer domains from other registrars in the many of the TLDs. New TLDs are added occasionally.

Note that some TLDs have special requirements. It is your responsbility to fulfill these requirements as described on Retsiger's main page:

http://www.retsiger.com/


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What are your prices?
Updated: July 4, 2006

As a hobby, I'm not in it for profit. OpenSRS charges me a base amount depending TLD and potentially services requested on that TLD. On top of that, I need to pay 3.49% of the cost plus $0.49 for transaction handling fees. Therefore, that's what I charge.

A transfer costs the same amount as a new registration but does increase the registration by a year -- i.e., you are actually paying to renew the domain for an additional year.


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What forms of payment do you take?
Date: December 27, 2000

Given that I don't make money (see above), I also can't afford to do credit card processing on site. Therefore, I require payment before the domains are processed either by cash, check (less preferred), or PayPal (most preferred). If you don't have a PayPal account, sign up for one by visiting PayPal


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Which PayPal account do I send payments to?
Date: December 27, 2000

Payments should be made to paypal@retsiger.com.


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How do I get an account to use Retsiger?
Date: July 27, 2010

Visit the Retsiger main page at http://www.retsiger.com/ and read over the materials. If you agree with the conditions, contact me.

Note that accounts are only given to known entities (i.e., friends and family). Alternatively, you can use Hover and get a 10% discount from Retsiger by visiting: http://hover.com/retsiger or using coupon code retsiger.


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Are there any risks with your registrar?
Date: December 27, 2000

There are always risks, some of which include:


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What happens if I can't reach your web site?
Date: July 4, 2006

For new registrations, there isn't anything I can do about this yet. For domain management, until my site returns, you can use the OpenSRS main management site:

http://manage.opensrs.net/


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What happens if you decide to stop doing this?
Date: December 27, 2000

In the *extremely* unlikely event that I stop doing this, you will still be able to manage existing domains using OpenSRS main management site:

http://manage.opensrs.net/.


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If I plan on transferring a domain, should I wait until the domain is about to expire?
Date: December 27, 2000

No, the transfers can be done at any time and the expiration will be increased a year (i.e., you don't have to wait until the domains is almost up for expiration). However, the domain has to be current (i.e., not expired) before it can be transferred.


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How long does it take between submission of a new domain request and completion?
Date: December 27, 2000

The first step is I must process the request after verifying payment. After that is done, the domain is registered. The Internic updates whois and the root name servers over night.


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How do I add a nameserver?
Date: September 8, 2002

To add a registered nameserver:

  1. Manage My Domain for the domain of the nameserver. For example, to add ns1.example.com, manage example.com.
  2. Select 'Manage Name Servers' from main menu
  3. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see the line: "If you want to create or modify a nameserver which is based on example.com click here." Click here.
  4. In the next screen, there will be a section "Create Name Server". Enter the hostname (without the domain name) of the domain. In our example, you would enter "ns1" in the Server Hostname box.
  5. Enter the nameserver's IP address in the Server IP Address box and hit "Create Name Server",

After doing that, you can add it as a nameserver for your domain:

  1. Back at the first Manage Name Servers screen (reached after step 2 above), in the second section (titled "Adding New Name Servers"), enter the new nameserver hostname (e.g., ns1.example.com) and hit "Add Name Server".
  2. That's it, your done.

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What is the process for transferring a domain?
Date: October 21, 2015

The first step is I must process the request after verifying payment. After that is done, the transfer begins. Note that domains being transferred must not be expired, on-hold, or less than 60 days old.

The first step is the current owner (e-mail address for admin contact in whois) must approve the transfer within 5 days. Next, OpenSRS reviews the request and approves it with 24 hours. Finally, the losing registrar must approve the transfer within 11 days (each has it's own process for doing so). Delays usually occur on this last step.


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I forgot my username and/or password.
Date: December 27, 2000

There are actually multiple username/password combinations. There is a web site set which I maintain that you need just to get access to the web site. There is also a domain set used to manage the domain. I can reset the web site set once I receive a new request form, just drop me an email for more information.

I can also mail the domain set to the admin contact for the domain upon request via e-mail.


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I made a mistake/changed my mind, can I cancel an order/get a refund?
Date: December 27, 2000

Sorry, there are no cancellations/refunds once an order is processed.


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Do you offer DNS (name server) or web site hosting?
Date: September 1, 2007

Tucows/OpenSRS, Retsiger's provider, provides free managed DNS service for all domains registered under them. Contant me for more information. I do not provide web site hosting.


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I am interested in becoming a registrar myself, where do I get more information?
Date: December 27, 2000

Visit the Tucows OpenSRS site: http://www.opensrs.org/


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How do I combine multiple domains under a single profile?
Date: September 18, 2011

In this example, you have registered example.com, example.net, and example.org under three separate domains and now want to combine them under one profile for easier management. To do this, use the following steps:

  1. Pick a domain to start with as the first domain in the profile. Lets say you picked example.com.
  2. Login to Retsgier's "Manage My Domain" with the next domain, example.net, as the domain and your username and password for that domain.
  3. From the main management menu, select "Manage Profile" and then "Change Ownership of Domain".
  4. Enter the username and password you use for example.com (may very well be the same one you used for the other domains). Select the "Move to existing profile" checkbox and enter example.com as the "Previously registered domain". After hitting "Change Owner", you will be in the profile with all of the moved domains (example.com, example.net).
  5. Logout using the Logout link in the top set of links.
  6. Repeat steps 2-5 for the remaining domains (in this example, just example.org) that aren't part of the example.com profile. You can check the other domains in the profile using the link near the top that says, "Manage Another Domain: ## Total".

From now on, when you register a new domain, you will get a screen that asks to setup your domain management profile and you can select "New client" or "Existing client". Select "Existing client" and enter example.com as the "Previously registered domain name". That will keep all future domains in the same profile.


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