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Reseller Hosting - Advice and Experience

by OnlineStoreHelp
7 replies
Hey everyone. I am hoping I could get some feedback from some of you that do reseller hosting. I currently do a lot of offline client work here in Honolulu including informational and ecommerce websites. For info sites (blog, corporate, etc) I tend to just purchase an individual shared hosting account (Hostgator) for customers and mark it up. I don't do that for ecommerce as I normally used hosted carts or buy specialty ecommerce hosting.

Given the better markup, billing systems and easy of maintenance, I am thinking of switching over to reseller hosting. The research I have done has led me to three different hosted resellers. At least two of them are OpenSRS resellers (which is what Media Temple is) so I am assuming good quality servers, uptime and customer service as well as access to domain reseller services, WHM, etc.

So I am curious if any of you use these resellers, what your experience has been with them. Also, what do you tend to price out your hosting, and how many sites can you run on a standard starter (50GB and 500GB Bandwidth) reseller system. What happens if you go over on your bandwidth and/or file storage. Do you still have server resources hog issues?

How is CS handled if there is an issue? Does it go through me or does the reseller whitelabel their customer service? I need a host that can deal with a non-tech like me. Do you then host your own various websites there as well?

Before anyone tells me HostGator or Bluehost, I get it. I use Hostgator right now but with their recent purchase I am weary of continuing with them and no, I wont use Godaddy (wild west). I am also curious if anyone uses Cloud based reseller programs (i.e. rackspace or others)

Site 5: OpenSRS reseller. Would most likely use their Dallas or maybe Phoenix server locations
StableHost: Read some good reviews but not as good a value as Site 5
Arvixe: I know a couple people that use them but not sure how their reseller pricing is.
Liquilayer - Not as good a value but I don't want to be penny wise and pound foolish.

Any input from those that have used them or other suggestions I would appreciate it. I don't want to use 1and1, hostgator or dreamhost.
#advice #experience #hosting #reseller
  • Profile picture of the author BeechHill
    Running a successful hosting service for your clients really depends on establishing a baseline for their requirements. Are most of these simple info, or blog sites, or are they involved in ecommerce?

    First, I'd suggest that you go over to webhostingtalk.com and get some good advice from those who are doing it as a primary business.

    As for my recommendation, you can start with a reseller account, but if you have more then just a few dozen clients of any size, or growth potential, you may be better off to begin with at least a VPS, if not a Hybrid server. Two I can personally suggest that are really well respected are WiredTree.com and KnownHost.com. I use them.

    Bottom line, these are already your clients, so you should have their trust. Don't go cheap, you can't compete on basic services for that anyway. Do offer exceptional value and support for your proprietary products as well as the hosting service.

    I would add that the above providers are fully managed, but you will have to handle CS. Just pass the server tech stuff onto your providers staff and relay it back to your clients. Provide a good FAQ and knowledgebase. There is nothing wrong with keeping normal business hours for CS since your clients are in your time zone anyway.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kingfish85
    Originally Posted by OnlineStoreHelp View Post

    Hey everyone. I am hoping I could get some feedback from some of you that do reseller hosting. I currently do a lot of offline client work here in Honolulu including informational and ecommerce websites. For info sites (blog, corporate, etc) I tend to just purchase an individual shared hosting account (Hostgator) for customers and mark it up. I don't do that for ecommerce as I normally used hosted carts or buy specialty ecommerce hosting.

    Given the better markup, billing systems and easy of maintenance, I am thinking of switching over to reseller hosting. The research I have done has led me to three different hosted resellers. At least two of them are OpenSRS resellers (which is what Media Temple is) so I am assuming good quality servers, uptime and customer service as well as access to domain reseller services, WHM, etc.

    So I am curious if any of you use these resellers, what your experience has been with them. Also, what do you tend to price out your hosting, and how many sites can you run on a standard starter (50GB and 500GB Bandwidth) reseller system. What happens if you go over on your bandwidth and/or file storage. Do you still have server resources hog issues?

    How is CS handled if there is an issue? Does it go through me or does the reseller whitelabel their customer service? I need a host that can deal with a non-tech like me. Do you then host your own various websites there as well?

    Before anyone tells me HostGator or Bluehost, I get it. I use Hostgator right now but with their recent purchase I am weary of continuing with them and no, I wont use Godaddy (wild west). I am also curious if anyone uses Cloud based reseller programs (i.e. rackspace or others)

    Site 5: OpenSRS reseller. Would most likely use their Dallas or maybe Phoenix server locations
    StableHost: Read some good reviews but not as good a value as Site 5
    Arvixe: I know a couple people that use them but not sure how their reseller pricing is.
    Liquilayer - Not as good a value but I don't want to be penny wise and pound foolish.

    Any input from those that have used them or other suggestions I would appreciate it. I don't want to use 1and1, hostgator or dreamhost.
    Hi there,

    I'm glad to see that we're a runner up in your choice for a new hosting provider!

    Regarding customer service - with a reseller account, you would be interacting directly with your customers. Should a problem arise with one of the resold accounts, you can work with the host to get the issue resolved. Most of the time this would be with a server side issue or possibly minor site troubleshooting.. meaning, if your site has major coding issues, as a hosting company, we won't re-code the site.

    Reseller hosting is similar to shared hosting with the exception that you have the ability to create & manage multiple cPanel accounts. You'll get a stripped down version of WHM (web host manager) that has limited functions that you'd be able to use to manage your accounts that does not require root access.

    To add to BeechHill's comments, webhostingtalk is the largest web hosting community & offers an exceptional amount of information.

    As far as domains go, we offer an Enom reseller account with all reseller hosting plans as well as whmcs (Layer 2 & higher), StoreGrid daily backups, SendGrid premium email delivery etc etc.

    With that being said, among our competitors above, the only one I'd recommend would be StableHost.

    Hope that helps, & if you have any questions about LiquiLayer be sure to let me know or through the contact form on our website.

    -Brent
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  • Profile picture of the author kpmedia
    You really need to have a goal for your service. Because being just another host -- "me too, me too" -- won't get you anywhere. We see new hosts die in 6-24 months all the time at WHT. Most are kids, but not all. And price isn't where to compete. You need to have a real service, goals, a mission (not "statement" but a mission), etc.

    Who are you?
    Why do we care?
    Why use you?
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    FAQ: Need a Site5/Arvixe/Hostgator alternative? And who is EIG?
    Reviews:     Need a good VPS, dedicated server, or unlimited host? (This is NOT a fake "top 10" list!)
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    • Profile picture of the author OnlineStoreHelp
      Hey Everyone,

      Thanks for the input. Just to follow up and answer a few questions.

      I am actually looking to make this easier for me as any offline clients I have, would come to me for any server issues they might have. That being said, I haven't had any, YET. They will all be very simple wordpress type sites for restaurants, cafe's, a few personal blogs, etc. Nothing complicated, nothing more advanced then wordpress.

      Ecommerce for most offline clients I tend to put on hosted solutions just due to ease and the fact that it will do 90% of what the open source carts will do with a shared SSL, etc. I have only had one client that has needed anything more complicated and in that case I put them on dedicated servers, with Opencart or Prestashop.

      Mind you, I am not looking to create a whole new hosting service, just the ability to make things easier to manage while still creating a separate "account" for them, make my billing easier, not create a spreadsheet of hosting logins, etc. This would only be used for the most part on clients I have that I do marketing for and a few that I will just do websites for.

      I will check out the webmaster forums but also realize that I am not looking to be a full host so much as using it as a streamlining tool for my clients.
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      Learn how to set up a powerful, functional yet easy to use e-commerce website at cartprep.com.

      Not sure what ecommerce solution to use? Watch my video walk through of popular shopping carts.
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      • Profile picture of the author Kingfish85
        Originally Posted by OnlineStoreHelp View Post

        Mind you, I am not looking to create a whole new hosting service, just the ability to make things easier to manage while still creating a separate "account" for them, make my billing easier, not create a spreadsheet of hosting logins, etc. This would only be used for the most part on clients I have that I do marketing for and a few that I will just do websites for.
        Hi there,

        The sites you describe shouldn't be a problem with any of the providers you're looking at including us. As for billing, you could actually take advantage of the WHMCS software which is typically used for web hosting billing however, it can serve as a billing system for pretty much anything.

        Your clients would have a portal that they could log into, submit tickets, pay invoices due as well as manage their services. Should they need cPanel access, there's a handy little button where cPanel can be opened right from their portal.

        Also with a reseller account, you wouldn't need to create a spreadsheet with logins as you can always just reset the password. From within the WHM (web host manager) control panel, you can also access all of your cPanel accounts while logged in with your reseller credentials without having to enter a username/password combo for each account. Your clients can also reset their cPanel passwords from within the WHMCS software as well.

        Hope that helps!

        -Brent
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        • Profile picture of the author OnlineStoreHelp
          Originally Posted by Kingfish85 View Post

          Hi there,

          The sites you describe shouldn't be a problem with any of the providers you're looking at including us. As for billing, you could actually take advantage of the WHMCS software which is typically used for web hosting billing however, it can serve as a billing system for pretty much anything.

          Your clients would have a portal that they could log into, submit tickets, pay invoices due as well as manage their services. Should they need cPanel access, there's a handy little button where cPanel can be opened right from their portal.

          Also with a reseller account, you wouldn't need to create a spreadsheet with logins as you can always just reset the password. From within the WHM (web host manager) control panel, you can also access all of your cPanel accounts while logged in with your reseller credentials without having to enter a username/password combo for each account. Your clients can also reset their cPanel passwords from within the WHMCS software as well.

          Hope that helps!

          -Brent
          Are you colocated in the Raleigh area? Where do you back up to? (The risk manager in me likes seismically inactive areas and those not prone to hurricane!)
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          Learn how to set up a powerful, functional yet easy to use e-commerce website at cartprep.com.

          Not sure what ecommerce solution to use? Watch my video walk through of popular shopping carts.
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          • Profile picture of the author Kingfish85
            Originally Posted by OnlineStoreHelp View Post

            Are you colocated in the Raleigh area? Where do you back up to? (The risk manager in me likes seismically inactive areas and those not prone to hurricane!)
            You are absolutely correct about the hurricanes! They actually don't really make it this far inland to do much damage however.

            We're provisioning new services in Dallas Texas and will be looking to bring additional services back here to the Raleigh/Asheville area in the next year. While the RTP is in the general area on the hurricane map, as I mentioned, they really don't get this far inland to do much damage other than some high wind & rain.

            Thanks,
            Brent
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            |~| VeeroTech Hosting - sales @ veerotech.net
            |~| High Performance CloudLinux & LiteSpeed Powered Web Hosting
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