Can reselling hosting be profitable

Discussion in 'General Business' started by capebretoner, Nov 17, 2005.

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  1. #1
    If I consider that my time is worth $25/hr and with the time it takes to run a host and market it, is it profitable? There are so many out there now, and so many running them for dirt cheap I am not sure if I want to get into it.

    What are your thoughts?
     
    capebretoner, Nov 17, 2005 IP
  2. mdvaldosta

    mdvaldosta Peon

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    #2
    It can be, sorta. If you have ALOT of clients. But, with alot of clients comes alot of time helping people get their hosting problems sorted and walking them through all kinds of annoying stuff. One newbie with a $5 a month account can take up hours of your time.
     
    mdvaldosta, Nov 17, 2005 IP
  3. just-4-teens

    just-4-teens Peon

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    #3
    if you have a lot of friends that need hosting then they can see you through the initial start, but hosting isnt something that will take off over night, it needs time for the hosting company to build credability etc
     
    just-4-teens, Nov 17, 2005 IP
  4. RectangleMan

    RectangleMan Notable Member

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    #4
    It's a money loser imho. Oh I know "some" people make money on it but it's really got to be one of the worst things to start now. You are better off getting a real world job.
     
    RectangleMan, Nov 17, 2005 IP
  5. amhso

    amhso Peon

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    #5
    i don't like the idea of resellers. You might as well get a dedicated to give off space.
     
    amhso, Nov 17, 2005 IP
  6. jellyfish

    jellyfish Well-Known Member

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    #6
    Money is in hosting services where you can provide an edge and charge a premium. Multiple class C hosting for instance.
     
    jellyfish, Nov 17, 2005 IP
  7. capebretoner

    capebretoner Well-Known Member

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    #7
    That is what I was thinking. I tried it once a couple of years ago but got burned when the company was sold, too much downtime in transfer for a reason that I wasn't told about and then lost my clients. I was thinking about getting back into it but since I have limited time and availibility I think that I will stay away.

    Thanks for everyone's posts :)
     
    capebretoner, Nov 18, 2005 IP
  8. Mayers

    Mayers Well-Known Member

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    #8
    I wouldn't buy a reseller account for hosting, but guy yourself a nice server that can handle alot of clients and offer space. If you take a look at other host see what you can do to top them. Over time, you'll see it can be very profitable.
     
    Mayers, Nov 19, 2005 IP
  9. Blitz

    Blitz Well-Known Member

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    #9
    Avoid it.

    It's a commodity these days, and it's really not worth it if you value your time at $25/hour. Only consider it if you have an original idea (http://www.mrsite.co.uk/) or if you've found a audience who you could provide templates/tailored needs for (http://www.guildportal.com/).

    To give you some idea, I used to pay $8/month for my hosting, and took up about 2 hours/month of my hosts time sorting out annoying problems. I'm guessing only about $2 or something out of the $8 was profit, you do the maths :)
     
    Blitz, Nov 20, 2005 IP