Newb friend got scammed

Ok, if the site went for less than $1k, I'm pretty sure there were no verifiable statistics to back it up, because there's absolutely no way a site with verifiable proof of $10k/month income would go for that little!

Perhaps your friend was confused - did the seller say that the site could potentially earn $10k/month, or did he claim that it has actually generated $10k/month? There's a world of difference between these two claims.

Then yes, he has been 'scammed'... in fact I wouldn't really call it a scam.

1. No one in their right mind is going to sell a site that is making them $10,000 per month for less than $1,000. Think about it.

2. You would have to be fairly naive and gullible to believe a site you are paying less than $1,000 for is going to produce you even close to $10,000/month.

3. And you should have already been taught this one but I'll give it to you again. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is!

Use your common sense why would someone sell a site-making $10,000 pm for $1000???
Yes your friend got scammed, but here is some advice: "If it looks to good to be true"... well you Know the rest.

There is an old saying, "If it seems to be too good to be true, it probably is."

I don't think your friend got scammed in the traditional sense. I think he just failed to do due diligence on a business opportunity.

This sounds very close to the story I heard. I'm a newb myself but I can't seem to shake my cold feet about auctions and bidding. I'll have to get more info from him but what you guys are saying sounds right about this. It is paid traffic too. Soon as my friend bought the site, traffic and sales stopped

Sean, unfortunately this is becoming a growing phenomenon on Flippa that is catching the newbies off-guard. There have been a rash of "potential" income sites that look really good to the untrained eye, and newbies are falling for them like lovestruck teenagers...lol!

That one little word allows sellers to get away with murder, and while both you and I know that "potential" income can be anything the seller wishes it to be, the newbies don't. Perhaps Flippa could step in and make this fact clearer for newbies, as it certainly wouldn't be good business for these newbies to run around everywhere crying scam when they purchase one of these "potential" income sites.

I just spoke to him and he says the listing didn't say potential, that the $10k per month was an actual claim.

All you have to do is post a question on ASK -- take your pick -- and find out what others say. One brain may be all you were born with, but leveraging the power of many brains is the SMART thing to do.

Yep, that what it's called. SMART and let me tell you just how smart the general population is - and I don't mean academically either. Just plain SMART but nobody really gives enough credit to themselves to start with. The few who do have an advantage over the self-doubters and the ironic thing is those few are not even the brightest bulbs in the room. Not all of them anyway.

Your friend KNEW something wasn't right, red flags were waving so why didn't he stop and tell someone - double check things better? Do you know why? I bet you do, don't you? [THIS IS ASSUMING HE DIDN'T TELL ANYONE UNTIL AFTER THE FACT]

He saw something he wanted to see and wanted to believe what he was being told and he knew others wouldn't see "hope" because that's not what friends or concerned people do. He decided to take a risk nobody would agree with so he didn't tell anyone. We have all done that and we'll do it again if we want too. And that's fine for those who can handle the consequences. In most cases, here's what really happens.

When things nobody knows about go wrong, you wrongly think everyone including friends will think you're "stupid" and laugh at you for years. If that were true nobody would have time to do anything but laugh and point at each other all day long. Now it's a big scam - you pretend shock and can't believe it - why didn't you see it coming - the ones you really don't want to find out (like your mom or spouse) ask you what's wrong with you because they know you're not stupid. There goes your bedroom privileges and home cooked meals for awhile.

So you shut them out and gravitate towards your concerned friends who think you just didn't want to bother them or you would have told them about it before it was too late. Those are your cool friends who believe in you. Do you really want family members wandering around thinking it's their fault you don't feel comfortable enough to discuss anything with them - especially poor MOM who will blame herself if you make her believe you didn't know any better.

Your spouse, on the other hand, may not ever believe that lie because now you're asking too much. You want your spouse to believe you're not that bright after all and neither are they for marrying YOU. Yeah Charlie, tell me How did you fool me for so long? You're a fraud and this marriage isn't legal .l . . and the kids! What about the kids?

Okay now it's blown w a y out of proportion and if that happens, you've got some steering to do. Just don't forget you're still dragging that "scam" boat behind you...or you'll end up like this!

I agree Caleb. However, I dare say if you went on Flippa and saw a site available for under $1000 generating $10,000 a month, you may just say "hmmm, these sums just don't add up" and then you'd check it out thoroughly before you bought it?

If it's a scam, the OP's friend needs to realise, life's just not that easy as well.