ccTLD Extension of the Week – India’s .IN and .CO.IN

I am going to start writing one post each week dedicated to an existing ccTLD extension.  This week I will be focusing on the .in and .co.in Indian ccTLD’s.

The .in and .co.in registry has been open for domain registrations since January, 2005.  It wasn’t until late 2007 when I really started to see a growing popularity for investing in Indian ccTLD’s.  Directi allowed registrars like Mitsu.in and Whiz.in to start running some really cheap promo deals around this time allowing domainers the chance to start registering new .in and .co.in domains for around $4 each (of course renewal’s would be $14-$16 but who thinks about that when you are having fun registering for a fraction of that!).  These promos probably spurred the buyout of LLL .in domains, a buyout that didn’t hold.   However, many domainers still value premium letter combinations, as they should IMO.  This was the only short domain niche that I failed to make any money in.  In fact, I have lost money investing in LLL.in domains, but I do still have a couple I’m hanging on to.

Even though I have not yet sold a .in or .co.in domain to an end user I still keep my eyes peeled for good, generic Indian ccTLD’s to invest in.  I recently grabbed the domain Backpack.co.in which I am very pleased with.  Last year, I was also able to secure WebBrowser.in, I am going work on developing this one into a nice minisite.  I do hear about good sales in the .in and .co.in space every so often, earlier this week it was reported by a member at namepros that he sold whistle(.)in at sedo for $3,000.  Many investors (including me) think that as the vast population of India finds its way online that .in and .co.in domains will be in demand.  I had that thought while I was investing in a bunch of LLL.in domains, then when I didn’t make a sale in the first year I was forced to liquidate or renew lots of speculative names at $15 each.  That is why I am now only really investing to strong, generic, .in and .co.in  keywords that I can easily develop.

There were a handful of .in ccTLD’s in the Moniker/DOMAINfest auction.  Unfortunately, the results were still a good indicator of the liquidity of .in domains still right now in 2010.  Below is the list and the reserve range, none of these were sold:

247.in ($2,501 – $5,000)
Dividends.in ($2,501 – $5,000)
Foreclose.in ($1-$500)
Liquidator.in ($1-$500)
Many.in ($1-$500)
Muffler.in ($1-$500)
Ownership.in ($1-$500)
Renter.in ($1-$500)

If you are looking for the best place to register .in domain names, I know that my great sponsor 101domain.com has .in and .co.in domain names for only $3.99.  Also, Dynadot.com is running a special for $2.99 .in registrations and Godaddy has just started selling .in domain names as well.  The lowest price I could get at godaddy for a .in using a coupon is approx $12.  I don’t believe either dynadot or godaddy are offering .co.in registration though.  Of course Mitsu.in is also still running it’s $4 registration promo for .in and .co.in as well.   If you are going to try out investing in Indian ccTLD’s I think you should certainly invest with patience.  Don’t expect too many quick flips from your .in and .co.in domain names, but don’t be too discouraged, I still think there are good Indian ccTLD domains to be registered.