Reseller Hosting PlansReseller hosting is a form of web hosting wherein the account owner has the ability to use their allotted hard drive space and bandwidth to host websites on behalf of third parties. The reseller purchases the hosts services wholesale and then sells them to customers, possibly for a profit. A certain portion of hard drive and bandwidth is allocated to the reseller account.

The reseller may rent a dedicated server, or VPS (Virtual Private Server) system from a hosting company, or resell shared hosting services. In the latter case, the reseller is simply given the permission to sell a certain amount of disk space and bandwidth to their own customers without renting a dedicated server.

The typical web hosting reseller might be a web design firm, web developer or systems integrator who offers web hosting as an add-on service. Reseller hosting is also an inexpensive way for web hosting entrepreneurs to start a company. Most reseller hosting plans allow resellers to create their own service plans and choose their own pricing structure. Resellers can set up and manage customer accounts via a web interface, usually point and click "Control Panels." In many cases, resellers are able to establish their own branding via customized control panels and servers.

Reseller hosting does not require extensive knowledge of the technical aspects of web hosting. Usually, the data center operator is responsible for maintaining network infrastructure and hardware, and the dedicated owner or operator configures, secures, and updates the server.

A reseller is responsible for interfacing with their own customer base, but any hardware, software and connectivity problems are typically forwarded to the server provider from whom the reseller plan was purchased.

Being a profitable reseller firm usually involves extensive advertising to get customers. While the monthly fees with major hosts are only a few dollars a month, it can be a low margin business, and resellers should devote large advertising budgets to compete with established competitors. However, web hosting is one of the biggest online businesses, because every website needs hosting.