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Website Flipping – What’s It All About?
By Derrick | September 26, 2009
Website flipping can be a quick way to make money online. The term comes from the real estate industry, where “fixer-upper” homes can be purchased at discounted prices, renovated and then “flipped” to another buyer at a higher price.
With websites, the process is similar. You can buy and “re-hab” an existing site, or you can build a brand-new site with the intention of selling it quickly. Some website flippers prefer to add content and backlinks so that their sites build in value over a period of a few months before selling them.
Like most things in life, it’s a little more difficult than it sounds. You’ll need to do some market research to find topics that people are willing to spend money on. If you don’t know how to set up a hosting account or register a domain name, you might want to start by building sites on free services like Weebly or Squidoo.
There are a number of sites on the Internet where you can buy and sell websites. A few are free; most charge a fee of some kind – either a listing fee or a success fee or both. Some of the sites make it extremely difficult to find out what fees are actually charged.
Here’s a short list:
- eBay.com – eBay is quite popular, although bid prices tend to be on the low side. Try the regional sites,eBay.co.uk, eBay.ca and eBay.com.au as well. eBay has a complicated system of listing fees and success fees, which I won’t get into here – there is no listing fee for the first 5 items in a 30-day period.
- DigitalPoint forumYou need to be a member for at least 14 days and have made 25 or more posts before you can post in the Buy,Sell or Trade Forum.
- The Warrior Forum has a sub-forum called Websites For Sale. There is a $20 listing fee and you must be a member of the WAR Room to post offers ($37 once-off).
- ViperSelling – geared towards selling viable online businesses older than 6 months. No listing fee, 10% success fee.
- SiteDeal – currently no listing or success fees.
- WebsiteAuctionHub
- Webmaster-TalkNo listing fees.
- WebmastersMarketplace – $5 listing fee, no success fees.
- WebsiteBroker.com – 90 day standard listing fee is $9.95. No success fee.
- Flippa – a spinoff from the SitePoint Marketplace. They charge a listing fee of $19.00 and a success fee of 5%, which can be split between the buyer and the seller.
Other resources:
SitePoint’s Ultimate Web Site Valuation Guide
Justin Brooke’s excellent (and free!) “Easy Website Flipping” report.
Topics: Online Business | 84 Comments »
September 27th, 2009 at 9:44 am
Finally read about something I didn’t know much about. I know how that sounds, but this is not done often nor written about often
Thank you
Rick
September 28th, 2009 at 8:08 am
Derrick, you might also want to try the “Hive” from performancing as well. It’s a pretty good community that offering some nice opportunities!
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September 28th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Website flipping is really going to work for me.fantastic list given here. i will keep use of those. thanks.
September 28th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
eBay.com, nothing else, jus ebay
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September 29th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
thank you for info.
September 29th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
website flipping is wonderful. i really like this concept. thanks for the list.
September 30th, 2009 at 6:18 am
Really wonderful piece of information and I appreciate it that you share something so useful with the readers of this blog.
September 30th, 2009 at 11:25 am
website flipping is amazing and i appreciate it. you share something so useful .thanks.
October 1st, 2009 at 9:35 am
website flipping is really great and i didn’t know about it.thanks for the list ,useful and helpful as well.
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October 1st, 2009 at 10:59 pm
I used to use Warrior Forum a lot but I’ve seen a bit of a drop in the buyers because of the new $37 membership fee to keep out spammers.
Its a great forum but it has slowed down some.
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October 2nd, 2009 at 12:10 pm
I Guess it depends on how much traffic your site is getting as to how much you can get for it
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:31 pm
I am really glad that I found your site.. Thanks so much for the helpful information.It’s a pretty good community that offering some nice opportunities!
thanks
October 3rd, 2009 at 8:31 am
An insightfull post. Will definitely help.
Thanks,
Steve
October 4th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
This sounds very new to me. I haven’t thought that it’s possible and I haven’t heard website flipping before. Though it sounds difficult as you’re taking the risk of doing something but you don’t know if the process will work. But this is really interesting.
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October 5th, 2009 at 7:56 am
Nice article, thanks.
October 5th, 2009 at 11:06 am
this sounds new for me. great to know about this.it will definitely help me a lot.
October 5th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
great one and i didn’t know about it.something so useful with the readers of this blog.
October 5th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
I have to agree with one of the commentors above about Ebay. Ebay’s reputation when it comes to selling reputable products is second to none unless your considering a site like Amazon and I don’t believe they have an area for you to sell websites on.
I’ve had some decent success flipping sites on Ebay and plan to continue doing so in the future hoping one day I’ll get lucky and hit the big one.
You know what the big one is don’t ya? That is the one where you sell it, move to a beachfront home and then start flipping websites from there.
Hehe. Good luck to you all.
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October 5th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
wonderful to know this.i have not heard about it before its looking something new and will help me. thanks.
October 5th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Thanks for the brilliant concise & very intresting description.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:25 am
I like the article, and am considering buying a few websites myself. I’d appreciate your advice on the topic. Do you use any tools for research?
October 6th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Thanks Derrick… very helpful info on the subject of “flipping”. Something I’d certainly like to look into when I get a chance.
Thanks
Joe
October 7th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Very helpful information, liked it and so Stumbled it to share with my friends, thanks
October 8th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Website Flipping is like playing a game that has the potential of enormous profits, sure, but it’s always been the thrill of the chase that keeps me interested. Ever since I started buying and selling web sites about four years ago, one fact has remained constant: web sites are undervalued assets. Flipping a site involves the following steps: 1. Identify a property to purchase.2. Evaluate, negotiate, and complete the sale. 3. Add value to the property.4. Find a buyer and sell the property.
October 9th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Ita really very nice and appreciable.
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October 11th, 2009 at 4:25 am
Wow!!! I am an affiliate marketer and I have never heard of “website flipping”. It really sounds interesting. I like to learn more.
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October 12th, 2009 at 6:50 am
many of them r looking a way to make money online ur information ur listing is very useful for many of them…
thanks for the valuable listing…
October 12th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
It is quite interesting. It gives profit to our business and our site. Website flipping is also new thing for me.
October 14th, 2009 at 5:29 am
Website flipping? It’s my first time to heard of it. Interesting.
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October 14th, 2009 at 6:32 am
Great post with Great stuff!!!
October 14th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
i really love the structure of ur site keep up the good work
October 15th, 2009 at 2:15 am
I didn’t know this. Thanks for the post. Maybe i will try to flip website.
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October 20th, 2009 at 6:29 am
I think it depends on your website traffic and bounce rate also.
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October 20th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Thanks for the list. I’m sure it will help soon.
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October 21st, 2009 at 8:32 am
I think you are discussing something which is useful for most of the people.
October 21st, 2009 at 7:53 pm
I did it for a long time until I got to a point where I had several successful websites so that I did not need to do it anymore.
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October 22nd, 2009 at 9:52 am
Very innovative! thanks for sharing the tips which will prove to be very helpful in future as well…
.-= Whitby Cottages´s last blog ..North Yorkshire Moors Railway host ‘Railway At War Weekend’ 16-18 October =-.
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:50 am
this is Really wonderful information and I appreciate it that you shared something so useful with the readers of this blog.
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October 22nd, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Improve function and improve traffic! Then you have added value to the site and can probably make a few bucks.
Thanks for the post!
MAS
October 23rd, 2009 at 6:11 pm
Thanks so much for the helpful information.
October 24th, 2009 at 1:02 am
Website flipping…..finally something new…never heard of….got to try it. Would’nt hurt to make some money and at the same time improve some traffic to the site.
October 26th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
I enjoyed reading youe blog…Thanx….
October 27th, 2009 at 3:21 am
Apparently site flipping can bve extremely lucrative at times. Just like any other profit opportunity, it is the singles and doubles that make it a business, not the home runs. But those HRs are so sweet, aren’t they?
Are there any rough guidelines about how much sprucing up a flipper should do to maximize the profit? Like how many backlinks or pages added?
October 27th, 2009 at 4:01 am
There is some money to be made in flipping websites. I have actually set up several of my own then sold them off to those who want a site but do not have the no how to get one going themselves.
October 27th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Very innovative! thanks for sharing the tips which will prove to be very helpful in future as well…
October 27th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
I hadn’t realized ebay bought/sold sites. I will look the next time I’m in ebay to see prices, etc. I haven’t yet flipped any sites. Only aff. marketing for now, but figure I could flip one of my more profitable sites for an extra burst of cash.
I also liked the comment from one of your commentators about what happens when he “hits the big one” flipping sites–he will move to the beach and flip sites from there.
October 28th, 2009 at 6:13 am
I am impressed with the content of the article. I have been trying this method and I have seen some real improvements. This method is very useful.
October 29th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
even i wanna know about it…
October 29th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
I am amazed with the post. It’s being clearly discuss. Thanks for the post. I will bookmark this for reference.
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October 30th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
I am really glad that I found your site.. Thanks so much for the helpful information.
October 30th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
website flipping is fantastic ,i haven’t heard of it before.pretty innovative
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October 31st, 2009 at 9:42 am
Website flipping is very interesting job.I am doing the same it so cool task alone from crowd and public.
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October 31st, 2009 at 10:59 am
website flipping is very interesting job i am doing this and i am glad that i found your site regarding this got some key points here thanks to you.
October 31st, 2009 at 12:13 pm
I think this is really very interesting to know about the flipping. Website flipping is a nice idea to make money online, now i can try some thing different. Any ways keep sharing and keep it up.
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October 31st, 2009 at 3:57 pm
I really enjoys website flipping.Its a good task.It enhances your web capacities and increase contacts.
October 31st, 2009 at 9:48 pm
This is not as easy as it sounds. Now setting up a website is so easy anyone can do it. Now the site you are selling must have some value like ranking or a premium url.
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November 3rd, 2009 at 9:54 am
You seem to be reading day and night looking for good stuff to post lol
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:26 am
Website flipping can be a quick way to make money online. The term comes from the real estate industry, where “fixer-upper” homes can be purchased at discounted prices.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:24 pm
I’ve owned a few sites for a while but they have no traffic. Is it possible that a site can sell for good money even without traffic?
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November 4th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Its a nice blog keep blogging in future as well….
November 4th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Got an answer from here. I will bookmark this for future reference.
November 6th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Website Flipping topic with have good info in this article is very nice….keep it up this nice sharing….
November 11th, 2009 at 8:26 am
I too enjoyed the Website Flipping.Its very interesting and I am practicing it since 2 years.
November 11th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Very interesting post. Website flipping is really great way of buying, improving and selling websites. You’ll find that the most crucial aspect with regards to website flipping is the selection of a niche, so keep this in mind, as choosing the right niche will determine how much income you can possibly generate.
.-= Laguna Realty´s last blog ..Laguna Beach Has Highest Number of Price Reductions in O.C. =-.
November 15th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Oh I love flipping sites at Flippa.com. Sometimes I flip blogs, other times static pages but it’s awesome. All you need it get a bit of traffic to your site, make a few $ of income and the site can be flipped for a nice sum of money.
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November 19th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
a lot of people do not want to spend time and or effort in building and promoting a site so they prefer buying one instead. This “build and sell a site” is an interesting business to startup with just because of that reason.
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November 20th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
I tried to sell a site once at Digitalpoint. I found that most people there are scammers that bid up sites of friends.
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December 1st, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Thanks for posting someone mentioned website flipping to me the other day and you explain it well! thanks for posting
December 26th, 2009 at 2:35 am
The more I read articles like this the more I understand that the principles of traditional business apply online…
Similarly, the equivalent notion of location, location, location is SEO…
December 30th, 2009 at 10:48 am
It’s a precise and informative article. Things are formed symptom less. Get to know lot’s of artifact which were unbeknownst to me. It’s truly one of the most facilitative article I get ever read. Thanks for to percentage sensing for author from you.
January 4th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
I’ve got loads of adsense sites that I built on wordpress that I just haven’t had time to promote or build links too. Would it be best to sell them on sitepoint/flippa on an individual basis or group them all in one deal? I have 30 sites all bring in about $1 a day that I want to get rid of so I can concentrate more on the ones that are already making ten times that. Any advice appreciated! thanks, bp
January 5th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
You blog is eye-catching. I get pleasure from it. Thanks for sharing this beautiful piece of writing with me.
January 8th, 2010 at 11:21 pm
That is a great idea out there. probabaly a good side business to get into. Thanks for sharing teh info.
January 16th, 2010 at 9:03 am
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January 19th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
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January 23rd, 2010 at 7:35 pm
Yes, you absolutely can still make money flipping websites. I did it for a long time until I got to a point where I had several successful websites so that I did not need to do it anymore.
January 29th, 2010 at 11:25 am
Overall it depends upon the traffic of visitors visiting the website and the earning of website from these visits…
January 29th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Website flipping is having the skill of an entrepeuner and visualizing opportunity where others dont.
January 30th, 2010 at 10:50 am
Great post,thanks for this. I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice post.
February 4th, 2010 at 8:10 am
At first I had difficulty believing this…then I tried doing it for a couple markets (junk removal and computer repairs) and now I’m making decent money
March 11th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
I’d only encourage domain flipping where both parties benefit, as opposed to ransoming some companies recently patented technologies domain for hundreds of thousands for example.
March 12th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Domain flipping has been increasing in frequency lately, so both parties to the transaction must be benefitting.
March 12th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
Au fait post! I am enchanted to know your valued acumen. It will offer me huge help.
March 19th, 2010 at 7:25 am
It is a wonderful article, I like it, Thank you very much!