Home

›

Business Marketplaces: Buying and Selling Online Businesses

Business Marketplaces: Buying and Selling Online Businesses

By Owen Abbott · Updated
Two hands pass a small glass greenhouse containing a plant across a table with a contract and pen.

Business marketplaces let you buy and sell websites, SaaS products, apps, newsletters and other online businesses. Some are open listings where anyone can post; others are brokers that vet each business, find buyers and manage the sale for a commission. For an eSide hustler, they’re both an exit, a way to sell something you built, and an entry, a way to buy an income stream instead of starting from zero.

See all 18 Business Marketplaces listings

In this guide

  1. What business marketplaces are
  2. How buying and selling works
  3. What selling really costs and pays
  4. The kinds of business marketplaces
  5. How to choose a platform
  6. Your first steps
  7. Costs, taxes and risks
  8. Red flags to watch for
  9. How to build your skills
  10. Recommended resources
  11. Owen’s take
  12. FAQ

1. What business marketplaces are

Many eSide hustles create an asset: a blog with traffic, a small SaaS with subscribers, a newsletter with readers. Business marketplaces turn that asset into money by connecting you with buyers.

They also work the other way. Some people buy a small, established site or app, improve it and either keep the income or sell it again later. This is often called flipping, and it’s closer to small-scale investing than to a side job.

Prices are usually set as a multiple of profit. A business that makes steady profit, has documented income and doesn’t depend on its owner’s daily work sells for more than one with patchy numbers.

Who buys online businesses

Buyers range from first-timers looking for a small income stream to experienced operators building a portfolio and funds that buy dozens of sites a year. Some want a hands-off asset they can grow; others want a product to add to an existing business. Knowing who is likely to buy yours helps you prepare: a portfolio buyer cares about clean numbers and easy handover, while a strategic buyer may pay more for customers, technology or a brand that fits what they already own.

Building something to sell

If you’re running an eSide hustle that creates an asset, a few habits make it sellable later. Keep the business’s money separate from yours from day one. Record revenue and costs every month. Use accounts and tools that can be transferred, rather than personal logins. Write down how things work as you go: where the site is hosted, which suppliers you use, how customers are handled. None of this takes long, and it can make the difference between a quick sale and a business no one will buy.

2. How buying and selling works

The process is similar on most platforms.

  1. The seller prepares. Revenue, profit, traffic and costs are documented, and the business is described honestly.
  2. The listing goes live. On open marketplaces, the seller writes it; on brokers, the broker vets the numbers and writes it.
  3. Buyers ask questions. Serious buyers request access to analytics, payment dashboards and accounts.
  4. An offer is agreed. Price and terms are negotiated, sometimes with part paid later.
  5. Escrow and transfer. The buyer pays into escrow, the seller hands over domains, code, accounts and content, and the money is released once the buyer confirms.

Brokers manage most of this for you; open marketplaces leave more of it to buyer and seller.

3. What selling really costs and pays

What you receive is the sale price minus the platform’s fee, which varies a lot by model.

  • Open marketplaces often charge a listing fee upfront plus a success fee when the business sells.
  • Brokers usually charge no listing fee but a larger success fee. Empire Flippers, for example, charges 15% on the first $700,000 of a sale, with lower rates above that.
  • Some marketplaces charge sellers little or nothing and earn from buyer memberships instead.

A few patterns hold:

  • Clean numbers sell. Verified revenue, a simple cost base and a clear history raise the price.
  • Owner dependence lowers value. Businesses that run without you are worth more.
  • Niche matters. SaaS with recurring revenue usually sells at higher multiples than content sites, which depend on search traffic.

How valuations work

Most small online businesses are valued as a multiple of their average monthly or yearly profit. The multiple goes up with age, steady growth, diverse traffic sources, recurring revenue and low owner involvement. It goes down with declining numbers, dependence on one platform or one customer, and anything the buyer can’t verify. Brokers usually give a free valuation before you list; it’s worth getting one even if you choose an open marketplace, because it shows how a professional sees your business.

4. The kinds of business marketplaces

Open marketplaces

Anyone can list, from starter sites to established businesses.

SaaS and startup marketplaces

Focused on software and recurring revenue.

Brokers

Vetting, valuation and a managed sale for a commission.

Niche marketplaces

Selling software to customers

  • AppSumo, where software makers sell deals to a large audience of entrepreneurs

5. How to choose a platform

Ask five questions first.

  1. What are you selling or buying? SaaS, content sites, newsletters and ecommerce each have specialist platforms.
  2. How big is the deal? Small projects suit open marketplaces; larger businesses justify a broker.
  3. What does it cost? Compare listing fees, success fees and any buyer fees.
  4. How much help do you want? Brokers do the work; open marketplaces leave it to you.
  5. How are buyers vetted? Proof of funds and identity checks protect sellers; verified numbers protect buyers.

6. Your first steps

If you’re selling:

  1. Gather twelve months of revenue, profit and traffic data.
  2. Separate the business’s accounts, emails and payments from your personal ones.
  3. Write a short handover guide covering hosting, code, domains and suppliers.
  4. Choose a platform that fits the size and type of business.
  5. Answer buyer questions quickly and honestly.

If you’re buying:

  1. Start small, with a business you understand.
  2. Verify everything: payment processor access, analytics and bank statements.
  3. Use the platform’s escrow, never a direct transfer.
  4. Plan the first ninety days before you pay.

The handover

Once the money is in escrow, the real work starts. Domains, hosting, code repositories, email lists, social accounts, payment processors and supplier contacts all need to move to the buyer. Agree a checklist and a timeline before you sign, and include a short support period where the seller answers questions. Buyers should change every password and confirm that each asset is in their name before releasing funds.

7. Costs, taxes and risks

Fees. Listing fees, success fees, escrow fees and legal costs reduce what you keep or add to what you pay.

Due diligence. Buyers rely on numbers they can verify. Faked screenshots and inflated traffic are real risks.

Platform dependence. A content site can lose most of its traffic in a search update; an app can be removed from a store. Check where the income really comes from.

Taxes. Selling a business is usually taxable, often as a capital gain or business income depending on your country and how long you owned it. Get advice before large sales.

Earn-outs. Deals where part of the price depends on future performance carry risk for sellers.

8. Red flags to watch for

  • Screenshots instead of access. Real sellers give view access to analytics and payment accounts.
  • Requests to pay outside escrow. Always use the platform’s or a trusted escrow service.
  • Sudden traffic spikes. They can mean bought traffic or a one-off event.
  • Revenue that can’t be traced. If you can’t see it in the payment processor, don’t count it.
  • Pressure to close fast. Good deals survive a few days of checking.

9. How to build your skills

  • Learn basic valuation. Understand profit, multiples and what moves them.
  • Learn to read analytics. Traffic sources, trends and engagement tell you what you’re buying.
  • Learn due diligence. Checklists for revenue, costs, traffic, code and legal ownership protect you.
  • Learn to grow what you buy. SEO, email marketing and pricing are the usual levers after a purchase.
  • Watch sold listings. Marketplaces publish recent sales that show real prices and multiples.

These are listed in our Resources section.

11. Owen’s take

Business marketplaces are where eSide hustles become assets. If you build something, build it as if you’ll sell it one day: clean accounts, documented processes and income that doesn’t depend on you. If you buy, buy something small that you understand, verify every number yourself and assume the first ninety days will take more work than the listing suggests.

FAQ

How much is my website or SaaS worth?
Most online businesses sell for a multiple of their annual profit. The multiple depends on age, growth, risk and how much work the business needs.

Should I use a broker or a marketplace?
Brokers cost more but do the vetting, marketing and negotiation. Open marketplaces are cheaper and suit smaller sales.

How much does Empire Flippers charge?
Empire Flippers charges sellers 15% on the first $700,000 of the sale price, with lower rates above that.

Is buying a website a good side hustle?
It can be, if you understand the business and verify its numbers. It’s an investment with real risk, not a guaranteed income.

How do I avoid scams when buying an online business?
Get direct access to analytics and payment accounts, and always pay through escrow.

Sources

All 18 Business Marketplaces listings