New Flippa Auction - Is this legit?

51 replies
Hello everyone,

I have been reading on WF a lot recently but just made an account. I was hoping someone has some insight into how this website for sale on flippa works, and if it is legit.

This is the auction:

https://flippa.com/2810327-no-reserve-ecom-store-w-750-daily-order-1-500-monthly-profit-22k-august

It is a Shopify ecommerce store, which I am familiar with, but the seller says the orders are processed via a drop shippers merchant account and the dropshipper pays you a commision via PayPal based on every sale (between 5 - 10%).

I have been involved in ecommerce for over 10 years and have been using dropshippers since then but I have NEVER heard of this type of arrangement. It seems more like an affiliate agreement, but I don't know any affiliates that offer almost 200k products and pay via PayPal on a sliding scale of 5 - 10%.

Does anyone know of anything like this? I know personally I would build those sites all day and be happy with my 5 - 10% commissions if I did not have to worry about merchant account/customer service issues.
#auction #flippa #legit #scam
  • Profile picture of the author mosthost
    It's BS, as you can imagine. "Earn $1500+ per month on AUTOPILOT with this eCommerce MEGASTORE."

    Look at how low the traffic is at Alexa. As you said, why sell off your AUTOPILOT revenue? What possible, logical reason would you have? Do you hate recurring revenue and NO WORK? LOL
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6882003].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author onlinedeals
      Originally Posted by mosthost View Post

      As you said, why sell off your AUTOPILOT revenue? What possible, logical reason would you have? Do you hate recurring revenue and NO WORK? LOL
      Exactly... the thing is the seller even sold another site like that a couple weeks ago for $6.5k claiming it would bring in at least $750/mo on autopilot.. it's currently receiving orders BUT they haven't processed any yet because "that's not their business". They go on to say that all you have to do is plug in your PayPal account info and you will start making money within the first hour.

      What a joke, all you have do is "plug in your paypal info" to make money but they won't even plug in there own while they own the site.

      Is there anywhere to post things like this so more people will see it? I feel bad for potential buyers, especially if someone gives them $20k for it... I'd ask questions on their listing page but I'm sure they will just delete them.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6882108].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author mosthost
        Originally Posted by onlinedeals View Post

        Exactly... the thing is the seller even sold another site like that a couple weeks ago for $6.5k claiming it would bring in at least $750/mo on autopilot.. it's currently receiving orders BUT they haven't processed any yet because "that's not their business". They go on to say that all you have to do is plug in your PayPal account info and you will start making money within the first hour.

        What a joke, all you have do is "plug in your paypal info" to make money but they won't even plug in there own while they own the site.

        Is there anywhere to post things like this so more people will see it? I feel bad for potential buyers, especially if someone gives them $20k for it... I'd ask questions on their listing page but I'm sure they will just delete them.
        I doubt it. Like you said, they'll be monitoring negative comments closely. The info that Suzanne found is even more damning. They're 'estimating' their revenues!

        I'm sure there are SOME deals on Flippa, but that place is starting to take on the character of a corrupt marketplace as far as I'm concerned. There are too many scams (including obvious trademark infringements and the like) to take it seriously.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6882337].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
          Banned
          Originally Posted by mosthost View Post

          I doubt it. Like you said, they'll be monitoring negative comments closely. The info that Suzanne found is even more damning. They're 'estimating' their revenues!

          I'm sure there are SOME deals on Flippa, but that place is starting to take on the character of a corrupt marketplace as far as I'm concerned. There are too many scams (including obvious trademark infringements and the like) to take it seriously.
          I feel sorry for the sucker who paid over $6K for that one site. Same deal. Pretend, almost customers. No actual revenue. How hard would it be to pay a bunch of assmonkeys to almost buy something from the sites he's selling? Not hard at all. He's doing this shopify sites and making money on nothing but thin air. And get this ... that $6.5K site will cost the buyer around $200/mnth for Shopify hosting.

          I feel bad for the people who do so little research and just trust the listing copy to be the truth, but that's the way it is.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6882421].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author mosthost
            Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

            I feel sorry for the sucker who paid over $6K for that one site. Same deal. Pretend, almost customers. No actual revenue. How hard would it be to pay a bunch of assmonkeys to almost buy something from the sites he's selling? Not hard at all. He's doing this shopify sites and making money on nothing but thin air. And get this ... that $6.5K site will cost the buyer around $200/mnth for Shopify hosting.

            I feel bad for the people who do so little research and just trust the listing copy to be the truth, but that's the way it is.
            People always have a false sense of security when it comes to an auction site. Even though everything is sold 'as is' people expect that someone is vetting these auctions for accuracy. Of course no one is and all of it's disclaimed.

            I feel bad for any buyers buying into this crap.
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6882455].message }}
            • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
              Banned
              Originally Posted by mosthost View Post

              People always have a false sense of security when it comes to an auction site. Even though everything is sold 'as is' people expect that someone is vetting these auctions for accuracy. Of course no one is and all of it's disclaimed.

              I feel bad for any buyers buying into this crap.
              Well, he just listed a new auction and I reported both of the auctions to Flippa.

              See this on his profile:

              Possible links to:

              conglomerates ( 100% | $117K )
              sd ( suspended )


              They are warning buyers that there is a possible link to a suspended account, which often means that a suspended scammer opened a new account to continue his fraud.

              See this auction that is supposed to be a different seller
              https://flippa.com/2757836-ecommerce...back-guarantee

              Same guy. Look at the name he uses in his copy.

              Now see this auction of the suspended seller

              https://flippa.com/2663769-no-reserv...ikes-for-x-mas

              Same guy. Shopify site.
              {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6882486].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author handymoney2
    It doesn't sound that legit but you should more research.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6882099].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    Wow ... what a bunch of BS. Listen to this:

    The order screenshots that you are seeing are from customers who are attempting to place an order. Data+Design builds websites and does not fulfill orders, so the payment gateway has not been activated. This will not be activated until the new owner provides their Paypal information.

    These are "attempted orders" only and we do not have any Paypal or payment information because we have never received payment for these attempted orders. We have eliminated any orders that were duplicates from our projections. All of our estimates are on the conservative side in order to protect ourselves. If you have any questions regarding this please send us a PM and we will be happy to explain this in more detail.
    They want to sell this for $20K and haven't made a dime with it. Attempted orders? lol.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6882223].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author intergen
      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

      Wow ... what a bunch of BS. Listen to this:

      They want to sell this for $20K and haven't made a dime with it. Attempted orders? lol.
      Yeah sounds like a scam to me. I have had a couple of good buying experiences on Flippa. Also, check out the seller profile & the sellers history as it looks like a couple have done here.

      Yeah if we could get paid on attempted orders I would be hanging out in my floaties sipping a Mai-Tai in Hawaii about now......
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6882278].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
        Banned
        Originally Posted by intergen View Post

        Yeah sounds like a scam to me. I have had a couple of good buying experiences on Flippa. Also, check out the seller profile & the sellers history as it looks like a couple have done here.

        Yeah if we could get paid on attempted orders I would be hanging out in my floaties sipping a Mai-Tai in Hawaii about now......
        Yeah ... his Title Headline should be "I almost made $750 per day and you can almost make that too!"
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6882291].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author enterpryzman
          Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

          Yeah ... his Title Headline should be "I almost made $750 per day and you can almost make that too!"


          That's actually a really good one !!! Made me laugh, thanks
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6882360].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mosthost
    I guess they're doing some work then. At least Flippa is trying to mention a few red flags like the connection to the suspended accounts.

    The claims alone should scare people off: "guaranteed 1st page Google results for your top 100 products, 4 star reputation management, and a 6 month moneyback guarantee. This is in addition to our established and succesful “1.0” program."

    6 months money back guarantee? Oh, really! Good work on turning him in, Suzanne
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6882520].message }}
  • Don't waste your money. There are empty categories, links pointing to incorrect locations, etc. Alexa rank of nearly 9 000 000 means hardly any traffic and their statement of 'It currently has over 25,000 backlinks, but they have probably not even been discovered yet' says it all - what value to you think these links will have (if they exist). At best nothing, at worst they'll get the site deindexed.

    As soon as you have any doubts about auctions/transactions such as these, it's usually with good cause and it's best just to walk away and look for something else. Personally anything that says I can earn money on 'Autopilot' makes me run the other way..

    There seem to be more and more scam auctions popping up on Flippa and I'm surprised that they don't take action

    Chow chow,
    Kevin
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6884457].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Adie
    Buy now id $20K but reserved price is meet at $400? Sounds not logical to me.... Site has copied content, no revenue, no traffic, etc... I'll stay away from this auction.... This comes from lowlife sellers...
    Signature



    Moderator's Note: You're only allowed to put your own products or sites in your signature.

    Signature edited.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6884511].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Adie View Post

      Buy now id $20K but reserved price is meet at $400? Sounds not logical to me.... Site has copied content, no revenue, no traffic, etc... I'll stay away from this auction.... This comes from lowlife sellers...
      That's not really the issue. A lot of sellers will list a site with no reserve, expecting the bidding to get hot and drive the price up and in a lot of cases, it works. You can also get burned as a seller doing that, but there's nothing illegitimate about that.

      The problems with this seller are:

      1. He has two Flippa accounts, and probably had a third that was suspended, but he has two open ones now, all selling the "shopify" model. Same deal with all his listings.

      2. He has given a "Flippa" valuation based on a Flippa tool that valuates a site based on its income and he's using a fake income to perform that valuation.

      3. It all sounds like he has actual orders and sales until you read and re-read. Then you discover that they are not sales at all. They are "attempted" sales. How many sellers do you know that would disable the payment gateway of a site so that it could not make real sales, particularly when real sales are a key factor in buyers wanting a site?

      I know of no one who would do that and I can think of only one reason why they would, and that is fraud. The site has no revenue and there's absolutely no way to prove that the so called "attempted" sales were not purchased "attempted sales."

      Heard back from Flippa and they're letting it stay open, but monitoring it. I think that based on the above, and the fact that having two accounts is not allowed, there's plenty of reason not to let this guy operate, but that's my opinion only.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6884603].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Trev81
    Why don't we all blitz the comments sectiowith valid questions? I'd be happy to give him a good grilling with questions.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6884815].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mosthost
    The "attempted sales" industry just formed overnight. Imagine how high you can drive revenue if you only have to count 'attempted sales?"
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6885050].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by mosthost View Post

      The "attempted sales" industry just formed overnight. Imagine how high you can drive revenue if you only have to count 'attempted sales?"
      Yeah ... I can see it now ... a sudden rash of "attempted sales" gigs on Fiverr. Really, this flipping model is probably about to explode once others catch on to the "attempted sales" pitch. Why didn't I think of this? :rolleyes:
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6885126].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author onlinedeals
      Originally Posted by mosthost View Post

      The "attempted sales" industry just formed overnight. Imagine how high you can drive revenue if you only have to count 'attempted sales?"
      The seller posted screenshots of these "attempted sales". Obviously that proves nothing because he can be on his own website "checking out" multiple times daily by using different names and no one would know because he is not actually fulfilling any of these orders. The website doesn't even charge your credit card when you checkout so they can do this 20x/day if they want do.

      I've reported both of this "live" auctions as well. It has got to be against flippas TOS to have a listing title that reads like this "NO RESERVE eCom Store w/ $750 Daily Order - $1,500 Monthly Profit - $22K August" when it's simply not true. If that's not enough the "Reported Revenue" section is also filled out claiming the same number in sales.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6885258].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
        Banned
        Originally Posted by onlinedeals View Post

        I've reported both of this "live" auctions as well. It has got to be against flippas TOS to have a listing title that reads like this "NO RESERVE eCom Store w/ $750 Daily Order - $1,500 Monthly Profit - $22K August" when it's simply not true. If that's not enough the "Reported Revenue" section is also filled out claiming the same number in sales.
        I was under the assumption, or thought that I had heard that potential income claims in titles were no longer allowed on Flippa. That would be another rule they are violating, if I'm correct.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6885281].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Thomas Smale
    Best to just report auctions like this. Sounds like there are quite a few things that the seller is doing that break Flippa TOS. Claiming revenue in a title that doesn't actually exist is just plain misleading.

    Better to report it and stop someone getting ripped off than do nothing. Also makes life easier for legit sellers as there are less rip-off merchants selling their sites like this.
    Signature
    I specialize in selling websites over $10,000 in value. No obligation, confidential valuation here.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6885133].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Thomas Smale View Post

      Best to just report auctions like this. Sounds like there are quite a few things that the seller is doing that break Flippa TOS.

      Better to report it and stop someone getting ripped off than do nothing. Also makes life easier for legit sellers as there are less rip-off merchants selling their sites like this.
      Already reported. Flippa is not suspending his auctions.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6885140].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Thomas Smale
        Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

        Already reported. Flippa is not suspending his auctions.
        I'm sure they will do when they see this thread. Their first line of support isn't always great for suspending - you usually need to get through to Andrew or Ophelie.
        Signature
        I specialize in selling websites over $10,000 in value. No obligation, confidential valuation here.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6885167].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
          Banned
          Originally Posted by Thomas Smale View Post

          I'm sure they will do when they see this thread. Their first line of support isn't always great for suspending - you usually need to get through to Andrew or Ophelie.
          It went to the top already. Ophelie is the one who said they are monitoring, but not suspending.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6885209].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author Thomas Smale
            Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

            It went to the top already. Ophelie is the one who said they are monitoring, but not suspending.
            That tends to be their policy when they haven't had complaints from "customers" yet, despite it being a blatant misleading sale.

            If they toned down their wording a bit I think it would be acceptable, but it's stepping over the line in my opinion.

            Just my 2 cents anyway, legit sellers shouldn't be affected by scammers like this anyway.
            Signature
            I specialize in selling websites over $10,000 in value. No obligation, confidential valuation here.
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6885241].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author marketinguk
    I must say i'm shocked that you've contacted those at the top Suzanne and they've told you they're just monitoring and not suspending. Why would they act like this especially when they could easily come to this thread and see for themselves everything they need to suspend?

    Sounds very disappointing to me that Flippa would be so lenient with the vendor.

    Joel
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6885224].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Joel Ross View Post

      I must say i'm shocked that you've contacted those at the top Suzanne and they've told you they're just monitoring and not suspending. Why would they act like this especially when they could easily come to this thread and see for themselves everything they need to suspend?

      Sounds very disappointing to me that Flippa would be so lenient with the vendor.

      Joel
      Well, there are plenty of auctions on Flippa with deceptive copy. The biggest TOS violation I see here it that the guy has two accounts. I believe that is not allowed. He clearly identifies himself as the same company in this thread under the name conglomerates.

      https://flippa.com/2757836-ecommerce...back-guarantee

      Same logo and in the second paragraph of the listing, he identifies himself as Data+Design. In the profile of the suspended guy, the auctions are the same MO ... shopify and Flippa has linked the suspended guy to both of the other profiles.

      I don't know what the reasoning is for allowing this type of auction with "attempted sales" and Flippa site valuation based on "projected" income rather than real income. It's the kind of copy that will suck newbies in ... those who really don't know how and haven't learned yet the need for due diligence. Heck, most of the time, they remain blissfully unaware of how badly they've been ripped off.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6885259].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author MrMonetize
    This is shocking. How can people actually get away with this stuff. Shouldn't every auction be run through some moderators so that they can check all of the claims he is making? The fact is, these type of auctions are making Flippa look bad, a place to avoid rather than a place to look for a website. Only the naive would consider purchasing these sites which makes moderation even more important.

    Flippa could take an extra $5 from every site listing and employ people to check these sites out before they go live. Anyone genuine shouldn't have a problem with that, and Flippa wouldn't lose out as their costs are covered and their reputation would be improved.

    Anyway, this is the company that is listed in that first auction, seems like one to avoid at all costs -

    http ://dataplusdesign.com
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6885238].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author OnlineAddict
    There is an easy solution not to get scammed. When sending money through escrow, simply enter 7-10 days as an inspection period. If the site doesn't make as much money as claimed(nor nothing at all), simply cancel the transfer. If the seller doesn't agree with escrow, he is most likely a scammer.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6886096].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author OLechat
    Hi everyone -- Ophelie from Flippa here.

    As sbucciarel mentions, she contacted us over support, and I've shared it with the rest of the support team. I'm personally in touch with the seller.

    As Thomas points out, our policy is to monitor auctions like these while we communicate with the seller and with prospective buyers for the listing. We never let watched listings end before we've had a chance to verify claims and ensure there's nothing dodgy happening.

    In this case, the seller is working with us, and we'll be able to update the auction soon.

    Sometimes protecting the integrity of the marketplace is a quick fix, sometimes it's a bit more time intensive. In either case, we try to fairly represent both buyers and sellers.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6889184].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author OLechat
    Okay -- I can finally come back and give a proper update.

    All specific revenue claims have been removed from the listing, including the revenue graph.

    The seller has added Verified Analytics to his listing, and everything seems to check out otherwise. The issue here (orders were coming in, but not actually being accepted) is an edge case, which we had never dealt with before. While I don't think this seller is running a scam, the wording was misleading and has now been fixed.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6890216].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Adie
      Originally Posted by OLechat View Post

      Okay -- I can finally come back and give a proper update.
      So the duplicate account has been overshadowed by this listing.......
      Signature



      Moderator's Note: You're only allowed to put your own products or sites in your signature.

      Signature edited.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6890742].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author OLechat
        Originally Posted by Adie View Post

        So the duplicate account has been overshadowed by this listing.......
        I'm not quite sure what you mean by that.

        There was a linked account with a suspension, which was due to a non-payment of a Flippa fee. The fee was paid, and the suspension was removed.

        Did you have other questions about duplicate accounts....?
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6895909].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
          Banned
          Originally Posted by OLechat View Post

          I'm not quite sure what you mean by that.

          There was a linked account with a suspension, which was due to a non-payment of a Flippa fee. The fee was paid, and the suspension was removed.

          Did you have other questions about duplicate accounts....?
          What he means is that this seller has at least two accounts. The one we're talking about and this one below under the name conglomerates

          https://flippa.com/2757836-ecommerce...back-guarantee

          Same logo and in the second paragraph of the listing, he identifies himself as Data+Design. In the profile of the suspended guy, the auctions are the same MO ... shopify and Flippa has linked the suspended guy to both of the other profiles.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6897410].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author rohit36
    Originally Posted by onlinedeals View Post

    Hello everyone,

    I have been reading on WF a lot recently but just made an account. I was hoping someone has some insight into how this website for sale on flippa works, and if it is legit.

    This is the auction:

    https://flippa.com/2810327-no-reserv...fit-22k-august

    It is a Shopify ecommerce store, which I am familiar with, but the seller says the orders are processed via a drop shippers merchant account and the dropshipper pays you a commision via PayPal based on every sale (between 5 - 10%).

    I have been involved in ecommerce for over 10 years and have been using dropshippers since then but I have NEVER heard of this type of arrangement. It seems more like an affiliate agreement, but I don't know any affiliates that offer almost 200k products and pay via PayPal on a sliding scale of 5 - 10%.

    Does anyone know of anything like this? I know personally I would build those sites all day and be happy with my 5 - 10% commissions if I did not have to worry about merchant account/customer service issues.
    I think It's simply an affiliate website with fake proofs ...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6890781].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author WraithSarko
    don't know anything about that site but i'm ranking a site right now that sells a physical product. I have ZERO intention of fulfilling any orders, don't want to go thru the hassle of buying product, reselling, shipping and all that...its a big headache.

    the keyword was just sitting out there not being touched but with 14,000 exacts per month. why not rank it and flip it?

    some people are good at building n ranking sites, they dont want to own sites.
    Signature
    SuperExpensiveNUKE...SubmitterEnvyNUKE...SENukeXCRaptastic
    I've spent the last 59 months building 412 MFA sites. Each site averages 8 cents per day...I said average, some make up to 17 cents per day, PASSIVE INCOME! This income allows me to live comfortably and buy ANY flavor Jolly Rancher or Skittles I desire. Don't give in to fear, it CAN be done!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6890804].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by WraithSarko View Post

      don't know anything about that site but i'm ranking a site right now that sells a physical product. I have ZERO intention of fulfilling any orders, don't want to go thru the hassle of buying product, reselling, shipping and all that...its a big headache.

      the keyword was just sitting out there not being touched but with 14,000 exacts per month. why not rank it and flip it?

      some people are good at building n ranking sites, they dont want to own sites.
      Not a problem as long as that's how you list it. It's a start-up with no traffic and no revenue.

      Originally Posted by OLechat View Post

      Okay -- I can finally come back and give a proper update.

      All specific revenue claims have been removed from the listing, including the revenue graph.

      The seller has added Verified Analytics to his listing, and everything seems to check out otherwise. The issue here (orders were coming in, but not actually being accepted) is an edge case, which we had never dealt with before. While I don't think this seller is running a scam, the wording was misleading and has now been fixed.
      Thanks Ophelie for the update. I think that'll satisfy most. It's the deceptive income claims that were so misleading about this listing.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6890950].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author rohit36
        Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

        Not a problem as long as that's how you list it. It's a start-up with no traffic and no revenue.
        One Question...

        can't we sell sites which gets lots of traffic but no revenue ??

        will it worth anything... ( let's say 15,000 unique visits per month)
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6891020].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Fredbou
          Originally Posted by rohit36 View Post

          One Question...

          can't we sell sites which gets lots of traffic but no revenue ??

          will it worth anything... ( let's say 15,000 unique visits per month)
          Yes of course you can, but how to determine a price for it?

          Sites usually sell for a multiplication of the site turnover or profit. If a site has no income, what is the determining factor for a selling price?

          A potential income cannot really determine a selling price. The prospective buyer will have to make a decision about the potential of the site. It's a gamble of course, and a gamble doesn't usually attract a good price for the seller.
          Signature

          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6896061].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author OLechat
        Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

        Thanks Ophelie for the update. I think that'll satisfy most. It's the deceptive income claims that were so misleading about this listing.
        My pleasure. The seller will likely list again, and we're working with him to make sure his future listings comply with our rules and don't mislead potential buyers.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6895912].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author FIERCE IM
    Before buying anything on flippa you should do your one research. I saw some people selling a make money website who was supposed to sell craiglist PVA account. If you know a little bit how CL works now you will understand that it was a scam. But some one bought this site for 8k, unbelivable. So always do your resarch before investing that kind of money.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6890916].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author SandraLarkin
    Banned
    Never buy a site like this unless you are 10000000% sure of it's earnings.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6890980].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author BAC
    Buy verified adsense revenue sites from flippa.....no PAYPAL business sites.
    Signature

    Get Content Targeted Super Real Traffic to Boost your Adsense Revenue!

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6891008].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author OnlineAddict
      Originally Posted by BAC View Post

      Buy verified adsense revenue sites from flippa.....no PAYPAL business sites.
      Adsense revenue can be easily manipulated, the seller can just send some paid traffic for a period of time to generate clicks simply to sell his site. To get paying customers is much harder than adsense clicks. And you can always verify the seller's paypal income on teamviewer.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6896249].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author OLechat
        Originally Posted by OnlineAddict View Post

        Adsense revenue can be easily manipulated, the seller can just send some paid traffic for a period of time to generate clicks simply to sell his site.
        This is true, but as we show a full year's worth of AdSense data, and don't allow anyone to claim revenue for their site if it's under two months old, and given that Google typically suspends such sites from AdSense, it wouldn't be worth it for the majority of small site sellers.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6896839].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Tradeout
    Makes me wonder why listings are not vetted properly in the first place.

    I see a lot of users including revenue earnings in the sales copy rather than the correct section- does this fall into the 2 month rule?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6897118].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author yychung
    Originally Posted by onlinedeals View Post

    Hello everyone,

    I have been reading on WF a lot recently but just made an account. I was hoping someone has some insight into how this website for sale on flippa works, and if it is legit.

    This is the auction:

    https://flippa.com/2810327-no-reserv...fit-22k-august

    It is a Shopify ecommerce store, which I am familiar with, but the seller says the orders are processed via a drop shippers merchant account and the dropshipper pays you a commision via PayPal based on every sale (between 5 - 10%).

    I have been involved in ecommerce for over 10 years and have been using dropshippers since then but I have NEVER heard of this type of arrangement. It seems more like an affiliate agreement, but I don't know any affiliates that offer almost 200k products and pay via PayPal on a sliding scale of 5 - 10%.

    Does anyone know of anything like this? I know personally I would build those sites all day and be happy with my 5 - 10% commissions if I did not have to worry about merchant account/customer service issues.
    Hi everyone,

    I am the buyer of this website in September last year. I spent US$6.5K to buy the site. The site was forced to cease operation after a month because the staff of order fulfillment left. I am now losing all the money I invested in this site, as it is now no longer able to function.

    I should have read all your comments before I bought the site.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7736372].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Tony Marriott
      Originally Posted by yychung View Post

      Hi everyone,

      I am the buyer of this website in September last year. I spent US$6.5K to buy the site. The site was forced to cease operation after a month because the staff of order fulfillment left. I am now losing all the money I invested in this site, as it is now no longer able to function.

      I should have read all your comments before I bought the site.
      Which may explain why the vendor has not turned on the payment system

      or have the staff all moved to work on the new website being sold on Flippa?

      Yea I know, not funny really. I got scammed in my (naive) IM early days on Flippa. Paid $2.5K for a web site selling refurbished iPhones. (Proven sales and suppliers to be given with site sale). Turned out suppliers were ebay and no-one would supply me outside the US. A few weeks later an identical site was selling on Flippa by the original sellers "ex-business partner".
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7740491].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Fraggler
    Were you getting any sales before they left?

    I ran the domain through SEMRush and according to it (which I've found quite a reliable analysis) the site was never getting any organic traffic.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7736412].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author timpears
    Im I reading this right? They are claiming revenue, yet they have not plugged in their PayPal email to receive the commissions? WTF Something sounds fishy to me. I would love to have this software they are talking about.

    If you check topbrandboating.com, one of the sites they sold a few months ago, and there was nothing there. So tihs seems to confirm my suspicion of this seller claim.
    Signature

    Tim Pears

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7736528].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author yychung
      This domain topbrandboating.com is right after the time I bought, and I guess the situation is the same as mine. Without order fulfillment, the site owner may shut the operation to avoid false expectation of the visitors.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7739988].message }}

Trending Topics