Sometimes it's easier to just keep renewing domains without thinking about the price, and sometimes it's well worth your while to investigate.

I offer "dot com" and "dot us" domain names for around $A20 per year, whereas Melbourne I.T. (the largest domain reseller in Australia) offers them for $A75.60 -- per year (yes, that's $55.60 MORE per year!). That's a huge mark-up, and one which most folks aren't aware of.

So - how easy is it to transfer domains to save you a chunk of money? Let me explain how easy it is once you know what's required.

If you decide to transfer your name to a different Domain Registrar:

• it's always easiest to go to the NEW registrar's website to start the Transfer process
• you'll need your EPP Code from your current registrar (can generally be found in your Domain account)
• you'll also need to UNLOCK the domain so it can be transferred (can generally be found in your Domain account)
• if you can't find the EPP or UNLOCK buttons/links, contact your current domain registrar and ask them to help
• before you start the transfer process, check to see how many email names you have for your domain - you will probably need to update the email settings on your computer once the Transfer is complete
• if your domain name points to a website, you will need to update the DNS settings once you've moved your domain so that it 'points' to your website.

That's the brief overview, and it's not so scary once you know what's involved.

Let me know if you have any tips or suggestions you'd like to share with the readers.