Buying websites isn’t easy, but we want to make it as simple as possible for everyone who visits our marketplace.
We noticed a lot of the same questions get asked and we wanted to compile them all into one resource to have any questions you may have answered. Below is a short video that explains our buyer process in full details.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ:)
Why don't you reveal the URL's on all of your listings?
We hide the niche and URL on our listings to protect the (future) buyer from additional, unnecessary competition.
We sometimes have thousands of visitors in one day to our site – some of whom are searching the web for profitable niches and websites they can copy and replicate.
While some websites are deeply entrenched as market leaders in their niche and are defensible (i.e. an eCommerce business with product sourced in China that has great press, brand recognition, etc.) others are earlier in their life-cycle and still need some months/years before they’re ready for direct competition. (i.e. an early dropshipping company that’s just starting to get a name for themselves or relying on the brands they list to drive sales)
Most of our buyers appreciate the fact that there won’t be thousands of others investigating the niche and dozens of others looking to copy or replicate the business’s success.
In some instances, we do offer fully public/transparent listings in the marketplace. These tend to attract much more attention, but these particular businesses would be much more difficult to replicate or copy. Usually this is agreed upon by the seller and is used in only rare case studies we’re performing for our blog.
How do I buy a website from your marketplace?
The first step would be to visit our marketplace to see what sites we have for sale. We flesh out all the details of the site and show various screenshots of their revenue and traffic data directly in the listing. Unless it’s a fully public listing, the URL will not be shown unless you make a (fully refundable) 5% deposit.
You can choose to either pay a 5% deposit for more info or buy the website directly. To purchase, click the Buy It Now button and send the bank wire. All sales are final and we make no guarantees, expressed or implied.
In any instance where we receive multiple deposits for the same business, we follow a “first in” policy. The first wire we’ve received gets the purchase and the others are refunded. There is a way to make sure you get the deal and “win the wire race” by leaving money on file with us. You can read more about Winning the Wire Race here.
In some cases, we allow buyers to hold funds with us for an instance purchase. If you’d like us to hold funds in anticipation of a sale, please contact us.
How do your determine a website's sales price?
During our vetting process, we look at the website’s history of earnings and traffic to make sure both are stable and have passed our verification process. Once they’ve been qualified, we list the sites based on a multiple of net monthly profit.
Here’s the formula we use:
Sales Price = Monthly Net Profit X Multiple + Discounted Assets (if any) + Wholesale Inventory (if any)
Net monthly profit is usually determined by looking at somewhere between 6-12 months of revenue, subtracting any costs (COGS, marketing/advertising, hosting, virtual assistants, content, etc.) and dividing determining net monthly profit. In some instances where the business is seasonal or has been around a long time, we’ll use a 12 month average almost always. (This will be clearly mentioned in each listing)
The multiple used can range from 20X to 60X or more depending on a wide range of variables. To get a good estimate, please see our Valuation Tool.
Here are a few examples:
Example 1: Content-based Amazon Associates site that’s made $102,000 in net profit in the last 12 months.
We’ll take the 12-month average ($8,500) and multiply by the multiple (28X for example) to determine the price. ($238,000)
Example 2: Dropshipping Halloween site that earned $900,000 in gross revenue Sep/Oct/Nov and $135,000 in net profit. It’s made $1.2 million in yearly revenue with $180,000 being the net profit. They’ve got inventory value with a wholesale value of $72,000.
Because the site is seasonal, we’ll look at the average net monthly profit earnings from 2015 ($15,000/month) and multiply that by the multiple (Let’s use 30X or $450,000). With $72,000 in inventory, that puts the price of the site at $522,000. Though it’s worth noting that wholesale inventory is not included in the initial list price on our marketplace as it is negotiated between the buyer and seller.
Example 3: Lead generation site in the education niche that earned $192,000 over the last 12 months with $100/month in hosting costs and $900/month in paid traffic.
The site has made $16,000/month in gross revenue, but we’ll subtract the $100/month and $900/month worth of costs, putting the net profit at $15,000/month. We’ll use the Valuation Tool to determine the multiple. Assuming we use a multiple of 30X, the site will list for $450,000.
Is the deposit refundable-what does it get me?
All deposits are refundable up until purchase. Paying a refundable deposit will get you the URL, detailed traffic/earning reports, etc. Sellers are much more forthcoming with prospective buyers once they’re sure someone has taken steps toward a purchase. If another prospective buyer purchases the site and you have a deposit, the deposit will be refunded back to you ASAP.
If an offer is made on a listing below list price, that offer will be circulated to other depositors during a 24-hour window. Other depositors will be notified, giving them an opportunity to beat the below-list price offer. After the 24 hour window, the wire is sent in for the agreed upon offer and all other depositors have their deposits refunded.
Who handle the migration?
We’ll handle the migration process with both you and the seller. In a Zendesk ticket, we’ll ask you for hosting details, registrar, and monetization codes if applicable (i.e Amazon Associate tracking links, Adsense codes etc.). Once you provide the required information, we’ll begin the migration process on your behalf.
Will I get to contact the site seller?
Once you’ve paid the 5% refundable deposit, we will send you the website’s URL and more information. You’re free to perform your own due diligence and ask any questions you may have about the site. We’ll pass the questions to the seller as we handle communications between both parties.
If you decide to move forward with the sale, we will put both you and the seller in direct contact when required. Once the purchase has been made you will be in direct contact with the seller and us.
Do you provide due diligence reports?
No. While we put all of the sites we list through a rigorous vetting process that includes both automated and manual checks by several of our staff, ultimately each buyer is responsible for their own due diligence on every website purchased.
You are, however, free to perform your own due diligence on websites after paying the refundable deposit and receiving all of the details about the business. We recommend Centurica as a 3rd party provider of due diligence reports, but you’re free to use whoever you’d like.
What's involved during the vetting process?
We have a rigorous, multi-step process for vetting sites that includes both the use of automated tools and manual checks by two or more people. The vetting process checks both:
The Seller
Is this a real person or a fake profile? Do they have permission to sell the business? Do they have social media profiles that match and are legitimate? Were they transparent about both the opportunity and the risks involved? Did they properly disclose traffic methods, linkbuilding, etc.?
The Business
Can we verify the earnings and that they belong to this business? Is there any paid or undisclosed/sketchy traffic sources? Do the earnings-per-pageviews match other sites in this range or industry? Is the backlink profile clean or properly disclosed by the seller?
While it is still the responsibility of each buyer to do his/her own due diligence, our vetting process ensures that you’re not wasting your time with sites that aren’t worth reviewing.
There’s more to it than we can cover here, but we go into more depth regarding our vetting process and due diligence in this podcast episode.
How recent are the website's sales prices?
We ask sellers for revenue report updates at the beginning of each month. If/when sellers have fallen behind and the pricing has changed, the buyer will be refunded any difference and/or asked to pay any increase in pricing. (If they choose not to, they will be refunded in full)
Can I sell the site later on your marketplace after I've bought it from you?
Of course! – Although any site being resold on our marketplace will have to go through the same vetting process again