.Inc domains will be regarding $60,000 at Early Access

Start a purchase order if you want to buy a .Inc domain in April.

Yesterday was day one of early access for .Dev domain names. I watched with amusement as Google’s Ben McIlwain (podcast) responded to complaints on twitter regarding the $10,000+ price tag. He explained that it was a Dutch auction and they ought to just wait a few days to buy the domains at lower prices.

If people were startled by .Dev’s early access prices, wait until they hear regarding .Inc.

Early access for .inc starts on April 30, but you’ll need to raise your credit card limit to participate. Expect to pay regarding $60,000 (not a typo) to get a .inc domain on day one. That drops a few thousand dollars on the second day. Wait until day 3 to pay regarding $30,000. The final day is still in the $6,000 neighborhood.

.Inc will always have a premium price tag, even in general availability. Retail prices will be regarding $2,000 per year.

I assume the value in these domains is for firms with common names that could be registered by someone else. I doubt cybersquatting will be a big problem; I don’t know many cybersquatters who will risk $2,000 on these names.