Case File #002 · 2026-09-03

Renewal Shock.

First year $2.99. Renewal $18.99. The landing page sells the promo; the renewal line tells the truth. Case File #002 maps the five places a registrar's real price hides — intro, renewal, add-ons, transfer fees, auto-renew timing. The figures are illustrative by design; the structure is not.

Same domain. Different price. Different story.

Case File #002, slide 1: Renewal shock — first year $2.99, renewal $18.99 — 1 / 7 Renewal shock — first year $2.99, renewal $18.99
Fact footer: Illustrative pricing; no registrar is named. The desk's Registrar Roulette table uses fictional registrars for the same reason.

Case File #002, slide 2: Cheap today ain't cheap if they charge you forever — 2 / 7 Cheap today ain't cheap if they charge you forever
Fact footer: Registrars commonly display intro pricing separately from renewal pricing and checkout add-ons (see S1 for the one public, dated example the desk cites).

Case File #002, slide 3: Let's map the fog — intro price, renewal rate, add-ons, transfer fees, auto-renew — 3 / 7 Let's map the fog — intro price, renewal rate, add-ons, transfer fees, auto-renew
Fact footer: Total cost depends on more than the first-year price shown on the landing page.

Case File #002, slide 4: What it means — price is not value; asking is not selling; intro is not ownership cost — 4 / 7 What it means — price is not value; asking is not selling; intro is not ownership cost
Fact footer: Compare the source, the timing, and the real ownership cost before you decide.

Case File #002, slide 5: Receipt, please — first-year price ≠ lifetime cost — 5 / 7 Receipt, please — first-year price ≠ lifetime cost
Fact footer: Useful source types: pricing pages, help articles, terms, and public checkout screens — save a dated snapshot when you compare (S2).

Case File #002, slide 6: The verdict — don't judge the deal by the first date. Read the renewal line. — 6 / 7 The verdict — don't judge the deal by the first date. Read the renewal line.
Fact footer: Source-backed context beats promo language every time.

Case File #002, slide 7: Read the receipts — 7 / 7 Read the receipts
Fact footer: Fictional character · informational only · not legal, tax, or investment advice.

Receipts for this file.

source · document · date · accessed

S1 — Commission tiers by nameserver — 15% on the company's nameservers, 25% otherwise — the one dated, public pricing-structure example the desk cites in this fileGoDaddy blog, "Aftermarket alignment," Jan 4, 2023 (effective Feb 1, 2023) · accessed 2026-09-03 · source →
S2 — How to keep a receipt for a mutable web page: save the page with its date, or record a content hash; the desk records observed dates on every figure it publishesdomainregistrar.ai disclosures · accessed 2026-09-03 · on this site →

Do something with it.

Browse the shelf →Bring a buyer →List your names →

The DNS Detective is a fictional character. This case file is informational only and is not legal, tax, or investment advice. Nothing here promises value, appreciation, or a sale.