Marketplace fees compared: what you keep on a $5k, $15k and $30k sale

Headline fees are hard to compare. One marketplace charges a flat fee, another a percentage, and a third a monthly fee plus a percentage. This guide puts them side by side as dollar amounts for three sale prices, $5,000, $15,000 and $30,000, so you can see what actually reaches your bank account.

Every fee below comes from the marketplace's own pricing page, read on 2 November 2026. The arithmetic is shown so you can check it, or rerun it for your own price.

The fees, as each marketplace states them

Money Nomad (sell page): "One-time $297 listing fee. No commissions. Keep 100% of your sale price." The FAQ adds that there are "no monthly fees, no success fees, and no commissions," and that the fee is refunded if your listing isn't approved.

Flippa (pricing): fees depend on asking price. Under $10K, the cheapest package is Entry at "$29 Flat Fee" for a 60-day term. From $10K to $49.9K, the cheapest is Standard at "$49 per 6 months". Both carry a "10% success fee". Flippa says listing fees "are payable regardless of whether a business sells."

Acquire.com (seller pricing): "For asking prices below $250k 8% closing fee when you sell... Plus $25/mo to list." The closing fee is "a percentage of the total purchase price (or transaction value) and is due in full at closing."

Motion Invest (sell a site): "We charge $0 to list your site on our marketplace. We only receive commission once your site has been sold." Its commission is 20% under $20,000, 15% from $20,000 to $50,000, and 10% from $50,000 to $100,000. Motion Invest only handles websites and YouTube channels.

Microns (pricing): "Pay only for a successful exit 10% From $1k, 8% From $10k, 6% From $100k. No listing fees." Microns only accepts profitable projects that are at least five months old and have paying customers.

What you keep: the table

Assumptions behind every row:

• The sale price equals the asking price, and the asking price sets the fee band.
• For Flippa, the cheapest self-service package for the band, sold within one term.
• For Acquire.com, three months listed (3 × $25 = $75). Fewer or more months changes the figure.
• Payment processing, escrow, wire transfer, tax and legal costs are not included. See the next section.

The arithmetic

Money Nomad: $297 at every price. $5,000 − $297 = $4,703 · $15,000 − $297 = $14,703 · $30,000 − $297 = $29,703

Microns: 10% from $1k, 8% from $10k. $5,000 × 10% = $500 · $15,000 × 8% = $1,200 · $30,000 × 8% = $2,400

Acquire.com: 8% closing fee plus $25 a month, assuming three months. $5,000 × 8% = $400 + $75 = $475 · $15,000 × 8% = $1,200 + $75 = $1,275 · $30,000 × 8% = $2,400 + $75 = $2,475

Flippa: listing package plus 10% on self-service sales. $5,000 (sub-$10K band, Entry $29): $29 + $500 = $529 $15,000 ($10K–$49.9K band, Standard $49): $49 + $1,500 = $1,549 $30,000 (same band): $49 + $3,000 = $3,049

Motion Invest: 20% under $20,000, 15% from $20,000 to $50,000. $5,000 × 20% = $1,000 · $15,000 × 20% = $3,000 · $30,000 × 15% = $4,500

What the table leaves out

These costs are real but excluded, either because they depend on the deal or because the marketplaces don't publish a figure:

• Escrow. Acquire.com says it pays for escrow. Money Nomad doesn't handle the transaction and recommends escrow for larger deals, so on Money Nomad that cost is yours or the buyer's, depending on what you agree. Check the escrow fee on the provider's own site before you agree who pays it.
• Payment processing and wires. Motion Invest's terms say fees may include payment processing fees but don't give an amount. Bank and wire charges vary.
• Relisting. Flippa's Entry package lasts 60 days and Standard lasts six months. If your business doesn't sell in time, you pay again. Money Nomad listings don't expire.
• Add-ons. Flippa sells extras, such as an NDA add-on listed at $199 (included with Premium). Upgrading your package raises the listing fee.
• Tax and legal costs. These depend on where you live and how the business is held.

Reading the numbers honestly

Percentage fees look small until you turn them into dollars. On a $15,000 sale, the difference between Money Nomad and Flippa in this table is $1,252. Between Money Nomad and Motion Invest it's $2,703.

That said, the cheapest option isn't automatically the best one for you. What the extra fees pay for differs from one marketplace to the next:

• Motion Invest vets the site, writes the listing and handles the sale process. It also says its average time from listing to sale is 12 days. That's its own figure, not one we've checked.
• Acquire.com includes escrow.
• Flippa has a large open marketplace and optional paid visibility.
• Money Nomad reviews your listing and puts it in front of buyers. Negotiation, due diligence and handover are up to you and the buyer.

So the real question is whether the service you'd get is worth the difference to you. If you're comfortable running a sale yourself, a flat fee keeps the most money in your pocket. If you'd rather hand most of the process to someone else, a percentage may be worth paying.

Is there a free Flippa alternative?

Not quite free, but there are cheaper models. Motion Invest and Microns charge nothing to list and take a commission only if you sell. Money Nomad charges a one-off $297 and no commission, which works out cheaper than a 10% fee on any sale above $2,970 (and cheaper than an 8% fee above about $3,700). Selling privately has no platform fee at all, but you have to find the buyer yourself.

Some marketplaces we looked at, such as SideProjectors, don't publish fee figures on their pricing page, so they aren't included here.

If your business makes more than $2k a month in profit, Empire Flippers, Money Nomad's sister marketplace, handles larger sales.

Ready to compare listings? Browse what's for sale on Money Nomad or list your business.

FAQ

What are Flippa's fees? Flippa charges a listing package fee plus a success fee. For asking prices under $10K, packages start at $29 for 60 days. From $10K to $49.9K, they start at $49 for six months. Self-service sales carry a 10% fee.

Which marketplace lets me keep the most on a small sale? Using each platform's published fees, Money Nomad left the most in every case we worked out, because its fee is a flat $297 with no commission. That excludes escrow and payment costs, which you arrange yourself on Money Nomad.

Do I pay Flippa if my business doesn't sell? You pay the listing fee either way. Flippa says listing fees "are payable regardless of whether a business sells." The success fee applies only if it sells.

Does Acquire.com charge sellers monthly? Yes. For asking prices below $250k, it charges $25 a month while you're listed, plus an 8% closing fee if you sell.