Reseller Police, by Alec Kopman

A hunt for a host can be an intriguing proposition. It has become easier and easier for individuals to create reseller accounts with their web hosts and up sell their plans at a profit for themselves. A big fraud which is now public was the massive reselling of Super.Nu automated hosting packages. Their purchasable reseller bots required virtually no work on the part of the reseller. All they had to do is whip up a catchy website and pretend to be a friendly host. It worked, but only for a short while.

To avoid being trapped by a reseller with bad intentions, it is vital that you perform as much research on the host as possible. The basic WHOIS check can easily uncover a reseller. Whenever the web hosts's URL and DNS server addresses differ, you should suspect foul play. If their address is a PO BOX or includes an apartment number - you know you are not dealing with professionals. A good tool for checking WHOIS information is http://www.domainwatch.com. In addition to your basic whois search, they offer server spec checks which can be ran on any domain. You can tell which PERL modules they are running, what version of Apache is installed, and more. Furthermore, domain watch.com offers a trace rout service. You can actually see the network a domain is located on. The less hops involved - the better the server.

Forums such as Web Hosting Talk and Site Point Forums are incredibly helpful when researching a host. Testimonials from fellow webmasters are the ideal sources for finding out more about a web host. So are hosting directories such as HostingCatalog.com. Check out our 'reseller' category on the side panel and read the reviews of our resellers. It may just save you a big headach.

So next time you are uncertain about whether a certain host is a reseller, a scam or a genuine and solid provider, make sure to exhaust all the possible resources before making your final decision.