In the olden days of the Internet, domain registration was handled by Network Solutions. After a while, the government decided that it wasn’t fair for one company to have sole control over the domain name market. Therefore, it opened up the business to other firms. Since then hundreds of domain name companies, ranging from sole proprietorships to corporate enterprises have joined a market that generates millions in revenue every year. So, for webmasters, this means there’s no shortage of companies to select from when they register their domain.

Yet, what happens if they register with one domain name registrar, but decide later they want it to be operated by another company? Fortunately, they are able to do this by transferring the domain. This is when a domain owner gets another registrar to handle their domain name. All payments are forwarded to the new registrar, as the old registrar is no longer in the picture, (at least when it comes to the domain name). If the registrar is handling the webmaster’s web hosting, they still need to make the necessary payments to ensure their website stays in tact.

The actual process involved with a domain transfer will depend on the registrar that the webmaster is working with. For instance, if they charge a payment for domain transfers, this fee must be received before the domain can be transferred. Otherwise, the process begins as soon as the webmaster makes a request to do so. Some domain name registrars may require a webmaster to send a notarized letter informing their intent to transfer. Other domain name registrars may allow the request to be made online. Once the registrar accepts the transfer of the domain, it will take 1 to 7 business days for the process to be completed.

Sometimes a domain name may not be transferable. This could be for several reasons such as legal issues with the domain name itself or the original domain name registrar. An example of the former could be trademark issues. For the latter, problems include bankruptcy and/or issues with scamming. There is also a possibility that a domain registrar simply refuses to transfer the domain name.

How can a registrant prevent these types of problems? The best solution involves reading any fine print the original domain name registrar offers. The purchaser should also check with the Better Business Bureau to make sure the domain registrar doesn’t have any outstanding legal issues associated with it.

In conclusion, if a person wants to switch domain name companies, there is the option of doing a domain transfer. If it is successful, the domain will work as it originally did, with the only difference being who is managing it. However, if a domain name cannot be transferred, the webmaster must stay with the original registrar or consider a URL redirect service.

With a URL redirect service, the original domain name becomes masked by a new domain. It is not as good as an official domain name transfer, but it is still better than nothing if transferring is not an option.

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