Who gets the money when you buy a Domain name?

Question

Prices seem to vary between providers, but who do they actually buy the domain name from?

And if the prices they charge are just for their services in procuring the name, is it possible to apply for a domain name yourself without incurring these costs?

Answer 1

Nominet is the Internet registry for .uk domain names (so they say).

http://www.nominet.org.uk/

Registration Fees

Nominet UK's registration fees cover a period of two years, after which a renewal fee is payable (at the same rate) for each subsequent two year period.

Registering direct with Nominet

Nominet charges £80 plus VAT per direct domain name registration, which must be paid in full in advance.

Registering via a Nominet member

Nominet offers its members a discount on registration fees. Registrars, including Nominet members, usually combine the domain name registration fee with charges for other services that they provide to end users. Prices therefore vary widely in the commercial marketplace and you should shop around in order to find a deal that suits your needs.

The members' fee is given in return for members undertaking some of the administration associated with bulk registrations, including end user billing, which would otherwise be carried out by Nominet.

Answer 2

The vendor whom you bought the domain name from. Say you bought a domain name from GoDaddy, or Yahoo, even Freewebs, those hosts would receive the money you give them. I personally don't really understand how it all works, though.

Answer 3

the person that owns the domain.