Bulk Domain Transfers Usually Go Wrong Before the Transfer Even Starts (1.Viewing)

I’ve come to think that most bulk transfer problems aren’t really transfer problems at all. They usually start earlier, when the portfolio itself is already messy. Mixed registrars, inconsistent contact details, domains locked for different reasons, renewal dates landing too close together, and nobody quite sure which names are tied to which client. By the time someone says “let’s move everything,” the real issue is that the structure was never clean in the first place.
Would be interesting to hear what people here think is usually the biggest pain point in bulk moves: timing, auth codes, billing, ownership records, or something else.

I think the issue also starts with people not knowing how to map fields using CSV.

Download the losing registrars CSV map the fields properly with the winning registrars CSV and upload.

Then again everything goes to hell in a handbag if the losing registrar does not allow downloading of the transfer codes.

I remember GoDaddy did this the best for me, I was able to download with or without the transfer codes. In my opinion GoDaddy had the best bulk transfer tools and that is saying a lot because I'm not a huge Godaddy fan but their bulk tools always worked for me and I have yet to see any that work as well.

MapleDots said:

I think the issue also starts with people not knowing how to map fields using CSV.

Download the losing registrars CSV map the fields properly with the winning registrars CSV and upload.

Then again everything goes to hell in a handbag if the losing registrar does not allow downloading of the transfer codes.

I remember GoDaddy did this the best for me, I was able to download with or without the transfer codes. In my opinion GoDaddy had the best bulk transfer tools and that is saying a lot because I'm not a huge Godaddy fan but their bulk tools always worked for me and I have yet to see any that work as well.

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You nailed a big part of it. Bulk operations only work when the boring parts are handled properly. That is the part many registrars still underestimate.

Or if you use a registrar such as @bmetal - I'd just email their support and they'd take care of it. It's not rocket science, its just two fields... domain & authcode, as well as the registrant profile you want to apply to the whole lot. And I could send it to baremetal in literally any format and they'd be able to reformat it in seconds and even run the transaction for me. They're linux whizzes and based on my experience over the past 20 years, I'm pretty sure they can transact every part of the registrar business from the command line - they're not bound to the hassles and limitations that a web interface creates. So if you ever have a bulk transfer issue, ask @bmetal . They're one of the few registrars that I know of that doesn't use a registrar-in-a-box platform (which they will then have a real hassle customizing and running outside of a web interface).

However, the real problem is getting the auth codes from the losing registrar(s) in bulk. Most aren't going to make it easy for you to do.

Some technical background information that may make things even more complicated, especially when there are ccTLDs involved:

Some ccTLDs only provide/create auth codes on a temporary basis, meaning they have to be requested from the registry (or can be set by the registrant through their registrars) and then they may have an expiry date. This serves to make things more secure.

As a good practice registrars should really at least update the auth codes after domains are transferred in, but some of them do not do so.

FM said:

As a good practice registrars should really at least update the auth codes after domains are transferred in, but some of them do not do so.

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That’s one of the scariest things I’ve ever heard of! I cannot believe that a registry themselves wouldn’t enforce an epp code reset after every successful transfer.

In fact that’s the reason I insist on a full transfer over a push when buying a domain, I don’t want the old auth code to still be viable.