What is a domain name?

A domain is an Internet address, where potential customers, business partners and friends can find you. It comprises of the domain name of your choice and the domain extension such as .pl, .eu, .com, .net, .co.uk, .fr and a whole lot of others. Just like there are no two street addresses that are exactly the same, domains are also unique in the whole Internet.

It is therefore important that a person who wants to visit your website, online shop or blog, is able to easily remember the address which they are supposed to type in the browser. It is best for the domain you choose to be obviously associated with you or your company, reflect the scope of your enterprise and correlate to the industry of you which you are a part.

In Poland, domains with the .pl extension are the most popular. You can also choose one of the functional suffixes, such as .com.pl or .shop.pl, or regional ones, such as .warszawa.pl. Globally, .com domains are the most popular, distantly followed by .net and .org. Throughout Europe, .eu has grown quite popular. It is also possible to own several domains with the same name and different extensions, such as premium.pl, premium.com, premium.eu.

Even if you don't plan to open your own company just yet, it might be a good idea to secure a good domain, because it can also be a good investment. If you end up not using the domain for your own ideas, it can grow more valuable over time and attract interest from potential buyers who can offer significantly more than what you originally paid.

Who needs a domain?

To mark your presence on the web and build your online image, you need a domain. It is necessary for big corporations and small businesses, news portals and bloggers, shops and institutions. By registering or purchasing your very own domain, you can become visible on the Internet. The website you establish on your domain is the gateway to your current and future users. Remember that over 5 billion people are connected to the Internet, including close to 30 million in Poland. With the proper use of your web address, you can reach millions!

To better promote your brand and enhance visibility of your company, it's best to secure a domain containing your business name.

If you specialise in an uncommon craft, try to buy a domain name describing your specific niche, for example millinery.com. If the industry is broad and you focus on some products, look for domains matching these products' names, like flip-flops.com.

Another way to build your web presence is looking for a domain that sounds original, metaphoric but can be associated with your business or industry. A catchy phrase such as "bells and whistles" for a design company or "abracadabra" for kids' shop corresponds with the website's content while also being easy to remember and promote.

Why should I invest in a domain?

The pool of available domains is shrinking every day, and most of the short, catchy names are already taken. If you want your website to stand out, you should invest in a good domain. Internet users often intuitively type an industry or product related address directly into the browser rather than use a search engine. I you own such a domain, you can be sure they visit your website first. Domains like that are the best investment.

It becomes less and less likely that you find an attractive domain available for registration, that's why the search for a good domain often leads to a domain marketplace. Here you can find interesting domains containing the name of an industry, product or service, but their prices can vary quite a lot. By investing in a good domain, you can hope to sell it for a higher price in the future. The best .com domains are sold for several million dollars, but even the .pl market saw some 7-figure PLN sales, such as that of co.pl. An example of a 6-figure sale is gg.pl. We mention these two domains, because they were both acquired as an investment a couple yers prior, for a much smaller price.

New domain investment opportunities arise all the time, that's why we recommend to closely monitor the market for new offers.

How much should a domain cost?

Any product or service usually costs what the buyer is willing to pay fot it. It happens in retail, real estate, automotive, and it's also the case on the domain market. The investment in a domain is the investment in an address. The more prestigious the address, the more it usually costs. Depending on where you set up your business, customers might wander about searching for an obscure location, or they could easily find you right in the city center. That's why domains are often called virtual realties.

The price of a domain is highly dependent on its name and extension. English words in .com are the most valuable, with domains such as sex.com or property.com selling for over 10 million dollars. In Poland, .pl is the most popular and Polish words in .pl reach the highest prices, for example saturn.pl sold for 600.000 PLN and urlopy.pl (vacations) sold for 400.000 PLN. If the .pl domain of your choice is not available or is priced outside your budget, you can consider cheaper (for Polish words) alternatives, such as .com, .com.pl, .eu and others.

Not every good domain is priced at hundreds of thousands. In your search for the perfect name for a company or a product, you can find attractive domains priced way lower. For example blonnik.pl (fibre) was sold for 30.000 PLN and cukierki.pl (candy) for just 15.000 PLN.

Which purchase option should I choose?

At premium.pl, we offer you many purchase options. If you find a perfect domain and it's priced within your immediate budget, just click Buy Now and proceed to checkout. Within minutes you will be the sole owner of your new address!

If the price is right but you don't have the money at hand, it doesn't have to be the problem - many sellers offer instalment payments. It's a great way to spread the cost over time while using the domain from day one. No formalities or documents needed - it's not a bank product! Just click the button, select the duration and pay the first instalment, that's it. As long as you keep paying consecutive instalments, you can use the domain and it's is guaranteed to be yours after the last one is paid. You can also stop at any time, the domain goes back to the original owner and you have no debt or obligations.

If you really like the domain but feel the price is a bit too step, you can negotiate with the owner, provided they enabled this option. If you see a Make Offer button, feel free to do just that. They might accept your price, counter it, or simply reject it, so keep that in mind and don't send silly offers or you might lose the opportunity to buy the domain cheaper. Once either of you accept the other's offer, the procedure looks just like with Buy Now.

For some of the domains you can also find the option to lease it. It can be a great option if you need the domain for immediate use but don't have future plans for it. Or if you have plans but they are not set in stone. Or if you simply want to take it for a test drive. It works very much in the same way as instalments, only the domain doesn't change the owner at the end, but on the other hand, leasing is usually much cheaper as well. If you, however, want to be able tu purchase the domain after some time, it is also possible - ask the seller to set a buyout option, this way the buyout price will be guaranteed for the whole duration of the lease.

Whom am I buying from?

The domains available at premium.pl have different owners, be that companies or natural persons. Usually you can check the owner on the web (www.whois.pl for .pl domains), but for natural persons the details are hidden due to GDPR. However it doesn't necessarily matter who the owner is, because premium.pl guarantees that the domain is transferred to you right after you pay. You will also receive a VAT invoice from us. We offer a full escrow service for every transaction made through our marketplace, so you can shop without worries!

How can I pay?

In order to take ownership of the domain, you must first pay for your purchase. There are a few methods to do that. You can send a wire transfer to your individual account number specified on the proforma invoice and in the transaction summary. Remember to include the proforma number in the transfer title! After the money reaches our account, you will get an e-mail confirmation and the transaction will be finalised. You will also receive a VAT invoice for the payment.

We are also connected to payment providers PayU and PayPal. If your bank is integrated in PayU, you can pay by instant online transfer. Otherwise you can pay with BLIK, with a credit card (at both providers) or using your PayPal balance. This way you can finalise the transaction much faster and become the new owner within minutes.

You can find more details about each of the payment providers on their respective websites.

Can I treat domain purchase as a cost?

Despite the domain being a virtual good, it can be treated as a company cost just like any other goods. Just send our invoice to your accountant. The specific rules can vary between countries, so in case of any doubt, contact a local tax advisor. Remember to provide complete and accurate data for the invoice when creating the account! Changing these details after the transaction might be hard or even impossible!

Who will issue an invoice for the domain?

Every domain that you find at sklep.premium.pl is sold with an invoice from premium.pl. It doesn't matter who the owner is, we act as an intermediary in every transaction and we provide the invoice, so you don't have to worry about any of that. Each phase of the transaction is guaranteed, from securing the domain after the sides agree on the price, to the owner change after, and only after, the successful payment. For every purchase at the shop you will receive a Polish invoice from premium.pl Sp. z o.o., inclusive of VAT if it's applicable.

How can I manage my domain?

After a successful payment and domain ownership change, you will receive a detailed e-mail with further instructions. It will contain a link to log in and set your password, after which you will get full access to the domain panel. There you will be able to change the nameservers, set dns records, redirect your domain, or get the transfer code if you choose to change the provider.

When will the domain expire?

As a happy domain owner, you must remember to regularly pay for its renewal. Most domains are registered and renewed for one-year periods. The current expiration date is always displayed in your panel, but you can also check it in independent sources, such as the whois database. For Polish domains it can be checked at the registry operated www.whois.pl

Domains that fail to be renewed are released to the public pool and anyone can register them again. If the domain is attractive, you cannot count on it to remain available for long - such names are usually re-registered within milliseconds by domain investors or backorder services. It is therefore of utmost importance to pay the renewal fees on time!

You don't need to worry that a domain purchased for a few thousand dollars will incur the same cost year after year. The renewal fee depends on the domain extension, but is usually about 100-150 PLN per year. So if you only have a couple of domains, it's not a big cost, but even if you have dozens - don't worry, we offer attractive bulk pricing as well!