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Is everyone a fraud?

by jcb123
30 replies
Hi there,
I am looking at purchasing my first website thru flippa and have come to the conclusion that there seems to be a lot of fraudsters out there wanting your money and making false revenue claims. Is the whole industry like this? Or are there better places to go to buy a easy to run money making website?

Also why is there so many people selling sites for $20 -$50 that claim you will make $500+ per week? If this was the case why wouldn't they create 20 sites for themselves and retire?

Thanks
#fraud
  • Profile picture of the author Sillysoft
    Yep, sometimes you have to wade through the crap to get to the good stuff. As I said many times in the past I hate flippa because people use the site to steal ideas by copying sites that are successful. I sold one site for 5 figures, after the auction was done a dozen of copy cat sites popped up.

    I want to sell some additional sites but I again am concerned over copy cat sites. I have a couple of sites that make 5 figures by themselves per month. I dont want to increase my competitors, especially if I end up not selling the site.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve L
    Originally Posted by jcb123 View Post

    Hi there,
    I am looking at purchasing my first website thru flippa and have come to the conclusion that there seems to be a lot of fraudsters out there wanting your money and making false revenue claims. Is the whole industry like this? Or are there better places to go to buy a easy to run money making website?

    Also why is there so many people selling sites for $20 -$50 that claim you will make $500+ per week? If this was the case why wouldn't they create 20 sites for themselves and retire?

    Thanks
    If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I've never bought or sold a site on Flippa, but you definitely want to do your research.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    jcb123 you raise an excellent point. If more newbies would use your logical way of thinking, maybe more newbies would be successful online - instead of being sucked into pie in the sky numbers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alan Eight
    Originally Posted by jcb123 View Post

    Also why is there so many people selling sites for $20 -$50 that claim you will make $500+ per week? If this was the case why wouldn't they create 20 sites for themselves and retire?

    Thanks
    You took the words right out of my mouth..... I have never bought or sold anything there....but something just doesn't feel right about some of the claims that webmasters make.
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  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    If "everyone" is a fraudster, I assume that would also include you?
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  • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
    Yes, everyone is a fraud in dis industrie.
    Accept NOT me!!!

    Please buy my WSO, me luv yu long time if u doo.
    Also yu make lotz of muney. More than yu can cownt!
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  • Profile picture of the author Sweetcheeks12354
    If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck...
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  • Profile picture of the author MyNewMama
    Usually people will not give something away that's truly making a solid income. No one would sell a site that makes $500 a day for only $20.

    The person may sell it due to retirement, moving into another business venture, etc., but the price tag for a $500 a day site would or should be $10,000 plus.
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  • Profile picture of the author tomerep
    you just have to be intelligent enough to know fraud from the right one. reading the forums will help, for you to know which one will really pay out, BUT im not saying reading forums is the solution. you still have to be wise enough to know that who you are dealing it wont just eat your money.
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  • Profile picture of the author MartinPlatt
    Originally Posted by jcb123 View Post

    Hi there,
    I am looking at purchasing my first website thru flippa and have come to the conclusion that there seems to be a lot of fraudsters out there wanting your money and making false revenue claims. Is the whole industry like this? Or are there better places to go to buy a easy to run money making website?

    Also why is there so many people selling sites for $20 -$50 that claim you will make $500+ per week? If this was the case why wouldn't they create 20 sites for themselves and retire?

    Thanks
    You have to do your due diligence - find out how old the sites are, and what other sites are reporting as the revenue.

    What did the people who made $500+ per week do to make that money? If they're selling sites, they have to be selling them for more than that in some cases...
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  • Profile picture of the author vjboc
    You definitely have to be careful what you purchase on the internet. But if you buy a ready made site, I would assume it would be up to you how you market it.
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  • Profile picture of the author TheInternet
    The best way to buy a money making site is with your time and effort. Buying on Flippa is like Russian roulette. You don't know what's been done to the site before you got your hands on it. Maybe you'll get a nice, profitable site. Maybe you'll get a site that was making the claimed income just before it was banned by Google and put on all content filter blacklists.

    No way to tell unless you build it yourself.
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    • Profile picture of the author KevL
      Originally Posted by TheInternet View Post

      The best way to buy a money making site is with your time and effort. Buying on Flippa is like Russian roulette. You don't know what's been done to the site before you got your hands on it. Maybe you'll get a nice, profitable site. Maybe you'll get a site that was making the claimed income just before it was banned by Google and put on all content filter blacklists.

      No way to tell unless you build it yourself.
      It's only like Russian roulette if you don't do your due diligence. I see some REALLY good sites selling on flippa - and I can usually see straight away which ones are not quite right. It's really not difficult to spot which ones are dodgy.
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      • Profile picture of the author jcb123
        Thanks kevL,
        I agree that not everyone selling on flippa is a fraud, people like yourself with a lot more experience than me could tell the good from the bad. With bugger all experience I cannot do this. Is there a service that helps people like me to purchase websites? I know in the real estate industry you can employ a buyers agent. Is there such a thing for websites?

        Thanks
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        • Profile picture of the author Enfusia
          60 minutes made a living exposing fraud so it's not any one industry.

          2 major (name brand) bread companies were recently investigated. One came out with a high fiber white bread. Turns out the fiber was wood pulp. The other was using plaster of paris as a thickening agent.

          Millie Vanillie lip synched, the baywatch babe has enough silicone to make her namesake cooking spray blush with lubricating envy.

          Don't even get me started on .Gov cause we could be here a while.

          Every industry is fraught with fraud. Oh what, the media tells the truth? Yeah, er, um, right.

          Yes, website sales have challenges but the biggest online auction house just cleaned house a little bit because only 1 out of 4 watches being sold were real. And they never even made a dent in it, it's now maybe 1 in 3 are real instead.

          So, be careful out there because the only thing in life you know for certain is that you never know!

          Patrick
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        • Profile picture of the author KevL
          Originally Posted by jcb123 View Post

          Thanks kevL,
          I agree that not everyone selling on flippa is a fraud, people like yourself with a lot more experience than me could tell the good from the bad. With bugger all experience I cannot do this. Is there a service that helps people like me to purchase websites? I know in the real estate industry you can employ a buyers agent. Is there such a thing for websites?

          Thanks
          Hmm, not sure. having said that even if there is an agent, you'd need to put in your due diligence with them too, to make sure that they are truly qualified to help you - so probably just as easy to put in the time yourself to learn what you need to, I'd say just be cautious and keep your wallet firmly in your pocket until you're totally satisfied.
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  • Profile picture of the author KevL
    No. I am not a fraud. Send me $10,000 via western union and I shall prove it by giving it straight back to you

    Joking apart - you can't tar everyone on flippa with the same brush. Sure there are some people on there who would appear to be liberal with the truth, but not everyone!
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    • Profile picture of the author FreshAndThemes
      Originally Posted by KevL View Post

      Joking apart - you can't tar everyone on flippa with the same brush. Sure there are some people on there who would appear to be liberal with the truth, but not everyone!
      My sentiments exactly
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  • Profile picture of the author Malcolm Thomas
    Here's how I look at it.

    There are good people in the world.

    And there are bad people in the world.

    You can't lump or group every single person into one group.

    Not all people is bad and not all people is good.

    It's simple really, you just each person individually by their merits.
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  • Profile picture of the author craigslistleedz
    Some people are suppliers versus doers. That doesn't make there sites any less legitimate. If you didn't know how to build a website, it would cost you up to $500 just for a plain Wordpress site from a local designer.

    Purchasing from flippa is a cheap alternative and saves time. Plus, even if you bought an income producing site, you would still have to work it.

    To the sellers with fake revenue, that's a whole different story.

    Originally Posted by jcb123 View Post

    Hi there,
    I am looking at purchasing my first website thru flippa and have come to the conclusion that there seems to be a lot of fraudsters out there wanting your money and making false revenue claims. Is the whole industry like this? Or are there better places to go to buy a easy to run money making website?

    Also why is there so many people selling sites for $20 -$50 that claim you will make $500+ per week? If this was the case why wouldn't they create 20 sites for themselves and retire?

    Thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author zoomsixx
    I like to use Flippa to do my research on starting my own sites. Who needs to buy other's. With that said most sites on there are junk. Just weed through the garbage.
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  • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
    Or are there better places to go to buy a easy to run money making website?
    See that could be your problem right there. You're looking for a shortcut. It would be rare for someone to sell a profitable website that is making money and will continue to make money for super cheap.

    Also why is there so many people selling sites for $20 -$50 that claim you will make $500+ per week? If this was the case why wouldn't they create 20 sites for themselves and retire?
    Exactly so use common sense.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    There's a big difference between a listing that proves revenue and a listing that claims "Huge potential - Make $blah blah blah".

    I'd personally ignore all claims of "potential". It's a made up number and nothing but hype. Check my guest post on Flippa on due diligence for some of the things to look out for.

    Guest Post: the Domaining Diva on Due Diligence | Flippa Blog | Buy & Sell Websites
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  • Profile picture of the author Rbtmarshall
    simple solution: do not believe a single revenue claim with anything related to internet marketing to base buying decisions on. Take their claims out of the equation and then you'll be closer to the true value of the item being pitched.

    Unless it's an established business of course. not the crap you commonly see in the IM or MMO market
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  • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
    I can honestly say that I'm not a fraud.

    I tell it like it is. If people are smart enough to see that, then they'll be learning from someone that can actually help them, and not just take their money and run.

    We need more honesty and integrity in this business.

    I try my best to do my bit.

    It's late, (5am) I'm either tired or tooting my own trumpet, or both.

    G'nite.
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  • Profile picture of the author seobro
    There is a sucker born every minute. - P. T. Barnum

    Would you like to buy the Brooklyn Bridge my fine fellow, because there is a chance you might get the deed soon. Flippa reminds me of this clip in star wars.

    "Mos Eisley Spaceport - you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious."
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    • Profile picture of the author KevL
      Originally Posted by seobro View Post

      There is a sucker born every minute. - P. T. Barnum

      Would you like to buy the Brooklyn Bridge my fine fellow, because there is a chance you might get the deed soon. Flippa reminds me of this clip in star wars.

      "Mos Eisley Spaceport - you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious."
      If this is your opinion then you're missing out, imho. Sure there are some "wretched" people everywhere, but there are generallly more good people than bad, everywhere too - in my experience anyway. I've met some brilliant people on flippa so far, both suppliers and clients
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  • Profile picture of the author Ben Gordon
    Unfortunately Flippa has become a really bad marketplace with a lot of people selling websites with fake and unrealistic earning claims and selling it for a tiny fraction of the site. Worst of all, legitimate websites cannot even stand out and actually sell their businesses. That's why I quit using Flippa.
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