Where do I start?
My next big project for Webmasteredge.com is to offer hosting services. Now, I do not have the money or technical expertise to buy and run my own server so I have been looking at reseller hosting. This is where I hit a snag, bit of chicken and egg!
I found a decent package which has no set up fee, unlimited domains, etc. for £50 per month. Now I can't afford £50 per month at the moment but I guess I would only need about 20 customers to pay for it. Trouble si how do you get the customers without the host!?
How did some of you guys start considering I have a very limited capital?
zollet posted this at 14:03 — 27th October 2002.
He has: 1,016 posts
Joined: May 2002
There are different kinds of reseller hosting. There is bulk where you buy X amount of space and bandwidth and you can create your own packages (freedom) or you can resell existing packages which means you only pay for the packages you sell. I suggest you start out with a small reseller package, why pay £50/mo when it's going to take you weeks or maybe months to profit from that account. Start with a ~£10/mo reseller package and upgrade later when necessary.
Good luck.
openmind posted this at 14:17 — 27th October 2002.
He has: 945 posts
Joined: Aug 2001
I see your point Zollet.
The package I came across is here and it strikes me as a pretty good deal. The thing is I haven't found any other reseller packages offering the same for much less. Where this company wins is that they are UK based and I am also in the UK making support very attractive, local call rates etc.
The other problem is if I set up a reseller with a different company and then upgraded to a different reseller, wouldn't that cause a lot of problems for those who purchased hosting, ie. repoint domains, transfer files, etc.?
I think what I might do is wait until I am making at least £50 per month through over revenue streams on the site and then use those profits to setup an account. That way I'll be in profit straight away with the hosting when someone purchases a plan.
Any other ideas would be welcomed though Zollet
openmind posted this at 14:25 — 27th October 2002.
He has: 945 posts
Joined: Aug 2001
Doh! I just checked out your site Zollet for the reseller packages and it looks like you might have solved the problem!
Basically I just need to making at least $19.95 per month and I break even. I'm going to give it some serious thought and do some number crunching.
One other question, does my domain and files need to be hosted on the reseller account or can they stay where they are?
Thanks Zollet!
zollet posted this at 15:57 — 27th October 2002.
He has: 1,016 posts
Joined: May 2002
Take a friendly advise and STAY AWAY from FastHosts. You won't beleive how many resellers I've seen being kicked out by them and they all lost their files. They are not a recommended web host.
To answer your questions, if you singup with a web host that offers different reseller packages, you can upgrade to a bigger package without any changes on your side (they will only raise your limits). However, if you move between 2 different resellers then you'll need to move your customers' accounts as well.
You can host your own website on a different host/server. You'll get access to our reseller control panel where you can create/delete accounts.
openmind posted this at 15:59 — 27th October 2002.
He has: 945 posts
Joined: Aug 2001
Thanks for the advice Zollet, I'll give it some serious thought.
Want to join the discussion? Create an account or log in if you already have one. Joining is fast, free and painless! We’ll even whisk you back here when you’ve finished.