Flippa is an online marketplace for buying and selling domain names, websites, mobile apps, and other online businesses.
Since Flippa lets sellers enter their listing information, revenue, and traffic numbers, these numbers may be overinflated leading to unhappy buyers. Sellers listing their sites on Flippa might be inexperienced, so it can be frustrating to deal with problems as they figure out how to transfer their website’s ownership.
Though Flippa has many active users and offers a good selection of websites to purchase, you might find it lacking in quality and other ways. If you’re looking for a Flippa alternative, check out these three proven online business brokers.
1. Empire Flippers
Empire Flippers is one of the most trusted companies to buy and sell websites because they only deal with established websites. They’re a Flippa alternative, but they’ve carved out space for themselves in the online marketplace by focusing on quality listings and superb customer service.
I’ve personally transacted over $100,000 with Empire Flippers, and have nothing but good things to say. You can read an in-depth review that I wrote as a buyer and seller.
Overview
Any site listed on Empire Flippers is going to be worth at least $30,000 or greater, which can be a good thing if you’re looking to purchase a business already making decent money. If you’re looking to buy a less expensive website, though, Empire Flippers may not be the best choice (however there are other options below). Empire Flippers analyzes and vets a site’s traffic, revenue, seasonality, backlink profile and much more before agreeing to list it. This process helps prevent scammers from profiting off their platform while maintaining quality control.
Their platform asks for an unlock fee to access any listing in an effort to keep URL’s private, but the deposit is refundable. If you’re listing your site to sell, you’ll have to pay an up-front vetting fee. Money Nomad readers don’t have to pay this vetting fee, click here or the button below. This isn’t a huge deterrent because Flippa also charges a listing fee. Empire Flippers also does all of the work of transferring the website between owners, so it’s worth the fee and selling commission…trust me!
How It Works
Empire Flippers lists new businesses for sale every Monday. You can see how many new businesses were listed on their homepage and how many listings they have total. A business preview shows you the monthly net profit along with the listing price. You can search by niche or listing number if you know it, or you can pick categories from a dropdown menu.
Each listed website has an overview page that explains a bit about its background, including how long it has been in business. There are other details like what they sell, how many addresses are on their email list, and if any social media accounts are included in the sale. Some businesses include contract workers who will continue with the asset, and a skills category will let you know what knowledge will help you run the business and how many hours a week you might be putting in.
You can see graphs showing monthly gross revenue, net profit, page views, and unique users. A summary at the bottom of the page gives lists of opportunities to grow the business, balanced by risks you’d be taking by purchasing the site.
Remember, while Empire Flippers is one of several sites like Flippa, it specializes in quality, high performing businesses.
Purchasing an established business and getting a customer base, cash flow, and social media outlets can save you years worth of work on the front end.
Pros
- Traffic and revenue verified before listing
- Ample positive reviews
- Empire Flippers takes care of transferring ownership
Cons
- $297 fee to list your site, with no guarantee it will sell
- Unlock fee required for listing’s access
2. Money Nomad
Money Nomad is more than a Flippa alternative. In addition to an active website marketplace, it has tutorials on starting a website, making money selling on Amazon, how to be a freelancer, and more. It even has quality information about saving and investing your money.
As the owner of Money Nomad and Money Nomad Marketplace, I created this marketplace to assist the underserved market of website buyers and sellers in the $5,000 – $30,000 range.
Overview
Money Nomad Marketplace shows you listings with their category and sale price as the title, and the date they listed the business for sale. The detailed listing page includes an overview screenshot of the site’s analytics and a breakdown of the price, profit per month, and pageviews.
A summary of the business gives more details about when it launched and what market it serves. Money Nomad double-checks the businesses facts for accuracy but still includes a disclaimer that buyers should perform their own due diligence.
Money Nomad oversees the broad transfer of the website’s ownership, but the buyer and seller must do all of the account transfer work themselves.
How It Works
If you’re interested in one of the businesses listed on Money Nomad, you can take steps towards purchasing it immediately. Unlike Empire Flippers, which requires you to pay a fee to unlock a listing, Money Nomad has an NDA you download, sign, and submit with your request for more information. They also ask for proof of funds.
Money Nomad will then email you back all of the information about the business so you can perform due diligence. While you’re doing so, you can email any questions or make an offer. Keep in mind, someone else may purchase the business while you’re evaluating it because listings aren’t marked as sold until the wire transfer has gone through.
While the company is not as hands on with the migration as say Empire Flippers, they serve an ever growing market.
Do you own a content website, FBA business, SaaS company, ad website, or some similar online business?
Now might be a great time for you to get top dollar for your digital asset.
Pros
- Detailed information provided upfront
- No need to pay to learn more about a listing
- Sites are affordable and show a steady income
- 10% selling commission
Cons
- Site seems hands-off throughout the buying and selling process
- Uses a third-party platform to complete sales
3. Motion Invest
The founders of Motion Invest started the company because they were having too many problems with Flippa. That’s a vote of confidence for this site filling in the gaps that Flippa missed. They buy websites they list in their portfolio, so you know it’s verified as a high-quality site. Instead of buying from an anonymous seller, you can buy directly from Motion Invest.
There is also an active marketplace on the site, where you are still buying from a seller, but Motion Invest helps facilitate the process. They research each business and hold them to the same criteria, whether it is for their portfolio or to list on the marketplace.
Overview
Motion Invest focuses on niche sites with organic traffic, so they don’t accept just any type of business. They focus on sites with monthly incomes between $50 and $2000, so you won’t have to have a large investment to get up and running.
Motion Invest doesn’t just list the sites for sale; it takes part in every step of the transaction. If they’re buying your site for their portfolio, they might complete transactions in as little as 48 hours if you meet Motion Invest standards. There’s also no listing fee or commission on selling your site, so you get all the profit from the sale.
How It Works
You can view Motion Invest’s marketplace online. The business’s brief overview categorizes the company and lists the sale price. Further details include how long the company has been in business, the profit per month, the visitors, and the domain authority ranking.
To see a full listing, you have to sign up for a monthly subscription. This fee lets you view all of the sites for sale, instead of just the one in which you were initially interested. The subscription can be a financial benefit in the long run because you can compare and contrast several sites at one price before committing to a purchase. You can also cancel your subscription at any time.
Pros
- Lists quality sites for under four figures
- Buys sites, so you can deal directly with Motion Invest
- No fees or commission if you’re selling a site
Cons
- Sites for sale have limited monthly revenue
- Focus on niche content websites
Final Thoughts
It’s important to know what you’re looking for when trying to buy a website, domain name, or established online business. You’ll want to work with a company that has an excellent reputation, like the three outlined above. Verification of key metrics like traffic, revenue, backlink profiles, and associated assets is critical.
There are several sites like Flippa, so try them out and see what company will work best for you.
