What is Flippa?
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Flippa is an online marketplace that helps people buy and sell websites, domains and even mobile apps. The website is designed to help website owners sell their websites and also help others buy established websites, domains and mobile apps through the platform.
There are different types of domains, websites and mobile apps available for purchase on Flippa through either a fixed price listing or an auction style format.
Owners can list their website for sale and disclose all the relevant information about their website and experience running it.
Websites are listed based on the category and niche they are in.
Website Categories and Niches
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Flippa offers three different categories of online assets which you can purchase and sell under. They include:
- Websites
- Apps
- Domains
Their “Collections” section is a list of their websites, domains and apps that are either hand selected by their staff or ranked by marketplace popularity.
The different websites, apps and domains are broken down by their respective niches and the different types of websites that are available for sale.
Flippa Websites
If you browse the different types of websites that are available for sale you will see some of the different categories in which they fall under.
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As you can see the main website types fall under:
- eCommerce
- Content
- SaaS
- Service
Let’s checkout some of the different types of content websites that are available for sale so you can gain an idea of how they are listed for sale, the amount of visitors they receive, how much money the website makes and how much you can expect to buy and sell them for.
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You can see that the website at the top is an electronics focused website which is monetized through affiliate sales and makes $1,970 per month with an asking price of $80,000.
That is quite a hefty price tag, but it’s worth noting that some websites can fetch some insane numbers depending on their value and uniqueness in the marketplace. Later on we will discuss all the relevant details for websites.
Flippa Apps
Next we have Flippa Apps, which are split up between IOS apps and Android Apps.
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Apps are listed in similar fashion to websites and can also sell for high multiples. Managing and buying an app is a bit different than purchasing and selling a website due to the different technology platforms that are used.
As a result it’s important that you have some baseline knowledge in the app space before you decide the purchase one. Below are sample listings for some IOS apps and some Android Apps.
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Flippa Domains
The process of buying or selling a domain name on Flippa is much less involved than buying or selling a website or app. There is less information and data to transfer and facilitating payment and transfer is much easier.
Checkout some of the different domains that are available for sale.
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Buying and Selling Domain Names on Flippa
If you have an interest in either buying or selling a domain name on Flippa there are some important things to consider and be aware of before you decide to do so.
Buying domains on Flippa
The process of buying a domain name on Flippa is pretty straightforward. Let’s assume you are interested in purchasing the domain name below, “InvestorWorks.com”.
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The first step is to first review the details of the domain such as:
- Age of the domain
- Current price of the domain
- The Feedback of the seller ( good if the seller has previous transactions)
- Reserve price of the domain ( minimum price the seller will take for the domain)
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After you have reviewed the following and you want more information you can ask the seller in the comment section.
Common questions include the payment method they prefer, backlink profile of the domain and how they value the domain.
What To Do If You Win an Auction For a Domain
After you win a bid for a domain on Flippa, you and the buyer make the arrangements for payment and transfer.
It’s recommended that you use a third party service to facilitate payment and transfer of the domain so one party doesn’t get scammed. The most commonly used third party for these types of transactions is Escrow.com.
Selling Domains on Flippa
Listing and selling a domain name on Flippa is very straightforward. Simply click on the “Sell Now” button at the top right and fill out the details about your domain.
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After that you will have to specify your domain name and some key information about selling it such as:
- How you would like to sell it (Auction, Classified)
- Duration
- How much you would like to sell it for
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After that you will have to pay a Flippa fee for listing the domain name for sale which will vary based on the type of listing you decide to do. Once you have decided on your listing type you will have chose how you want to get paid for the domain
And finally you will have to verify ownership through an authentication process with your domain name registrar.
What To Do After Someone Buys Your Domain Name
After someone purchases your domain name you will have to perform a domain name transfer from your domain name registrar to theirs. Below is a quick video to show you the process.
Buying and Selling Websites on Flippa
Buying and selling websites on Flippa is a bit more of an involved process because it requires you to vet the actual website that you will be buying. It’s also a bit more involved if you plan on selling it since it requires you to transfer all your website files and properties.
Buying Websites on Flippa
One of the most important things about buying a website on Flippa is knowing the central focus of the website. Does it sell products, create informative content or provide a service.
There are a ton of different types of websites available for sale on Flippa, but when it comes to buying one you have to find one that you understand and want to own. Below is a screenshot of some different types of websites available for sale on Flippa.
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You can see their different monetization methods along with the asking price of the website. Obviously, the more money a website generates per month in revenue, the more it will go for.
Once you click on the actual list you will be presented with more information and it’s important that you thoroughly review it before you make the decision to bid on it. Let’s take a look at www.ipcfy.com.
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Vetting Websites on Flippa
From the details we can see the monthly traffic statistics which are verified by Google Analytics and we can also see the primary monetization method is through Adsense. The website earns approximately $896/month in revenue and receives roughly 60,171 page views per month.
This is a good starting point, but it’s important you look at the website further to verify everything. If this is your first time looking for a website to buy on Flippa, we recommend only bidding on websites in which the seller has previous transactions. In this case, this seller has no previous transactions and we would avoid this one.
Continue exploring other websites for sale and look for ones in which the seller has previous transactions.
Below is a website in which the seller has many previous transactions. Take a look below.
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This is a trustworthy seller who has 75+ previous transactions totalling over $1,145,000. This is a website worth exploring further.
We can see that it’s a content based website which offers android tips.
The website doesn’t look like anything special, but the traffic statistics are verified by Google Analytics, the buyer has previous transactions on Flippa and they have also submitted proof of their earnings.
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These are all good signs and this is a website that we would feel comfortable bidding on. After you win a listing it’s important to make arrangements with the seller to transfer all the website files and domain over to your hosting. This is the longer part of the process and can take about 24-48 hours and we recommend buyers use escrow.com to facilitate the transaction.
Selling Websites on Flippa
If you are a website owner that wants to sell their website on Flippa, it all starts with creating the listing.
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The process is pretty straightforward when making your listing and it’s important that you are as thorough as possible so potential buyers have the necessary information to make an informed decision. If you want to sell your website more expensive, you can drive its organic traffic with the help of seo backlinks
Some of the important website related information you will need to disclose includes:
- Where the website is hosted
- Who is the domain name registrar
- How long you have had the website
- Google Analytics verification for your traffic
- The reserve price
- The type of website it is (content, ecommerce, SaaS)
- Monetization source and method
- Preferred Payment method
- How much support you will offer the buyer
This is important information that the buyer needs to have in order to make an informed decision about biddingo on the website.
Common Flippa Seller Fees
Flippa has a few different fees and it’s important that you are aware of each one so you can make the best choice as a seller. They include:
- Success Fees
- Listing Fees
- Listing Upgrades
- Additional Services
You can take a look at a full breakdown of their fees on their website here > Flippa Pricing
Things to Watch out For on Flippa
There are bad apples out on every platform and Flippa is no exception. As a buyer it’s important that you fully understand the risks involved with purchasing a website. These can include:
- Website traffic fluctuations
- Revenue fluctuations
- Website not performing as advertised
- Seller scamming you
There have been plenty of reported instances of sellers simply scamming newbie buyers on the platform. As a result it’s important that you perform full due diligence on the website and verify all earning claims and traffic claims to protect yourself.
Conclusion
We hope that after reading our guide you are more informed about the process of purchasing or selling a website and some of the things you need to consider before deciding to use Flippa. It can be a great resource for your to sell your website or find an amazing online asset that can make your money for years to come.