Ten years ago today, I registered my first domain name.   At the time, registrations cost $70 for two years.   Check out the scan of the invoice below.   Also, you did not have to pay right away.   You could actually register a name and they would send you a bill in the mail.   This resulted in the earliest form of “domain tasting” where someone could “register” a name and then try to sell it before they had to pay the bill.   If they sold it, they would pay the bill when it arrived and transfer the name to the buyer.   If they did not sell the name, the would simply not pay the bill.

Also, in case you are wondering, the domain I registered is one I use for my personal email address.   I still like it, but it does not have much resale value.   I didn’t start registering more valuable names until a few years later.