[Alan Mater]

This is a question that could bring up some very interesting answers. Obviously we work hard on building backlinks, generating traffic, earning PR, etc. Heck, we may even be bringing in some sales every now and then too, or maybe A LOT of sales.

At what point would you consider selling your website? This would be to assume you're not making the kind of income you like to be making.

The reason I'm bringing this up is because I've now had two offers to buy my website. The first one I dismissed and am currently doing a link exchange with their network of sites, also in the "work from home" niche.

I just received another offer yesterday and thought I'd just ask how much they'd be willing to pay, out of sheer curiosity. Well, the quote I received was a little astonishing and not one to take lightly. I must think hard about it and really consider if it's something I want to do.

I've already been conjuring up thoughts for a new website in a different niche. This could keep me going for quite a while until my new site is turning a decent profit.

Although I am making money with my site, including a PIPS sale and occasional CPA and Adsense earnings, the amount of income that I want just isn't there.

This brings up the idea of flipping websites. It's easy to setup a blog and then sell it soon after for a decent profit. Could make a full-time business out of it.

Anyway, thoughts on this?

Oh, if I do decide to sell, I may need some help about transferring the domain and what not. You know, all the technical stuff as I've never done that before.

Thanks, and I'll keep you posted.

Alan

[lianwei]

Maybe you would like to reveal alittle about the quotation and let's see if its worth the sale?

[Alan Mater]

I figured someone would ask

I was quoted $7,000.

[Alan Mater]

Here's what I'm thinking. I did some research using DNScoop.com, and my site really is worth $7,000. Kind of surprised really.

I'll negotiate and get it higher. If they're only interested in the domain and not the content, subscribers, etc., I'll just buy a new domain and transfer my files to the new domain. Sound good? I'll get my subscribers up on the new domain, change links, work on changing article links, etc. A lot of work, but it can be done and I won't lose anything.

Ideas? How hard would this be to do? It shouldn't be hard to get the new domain ranking well.

[Trent Brownrigg]

I'd be very careful Alan because I was offered $7000 yesterday for my site as well. I can only assume it was from the same people. Seems strange that we would both randomly be offered the same amount for our sites on the same day.

[Trent Brownrigg]

This brings up the idea of flipping websites. It's easy to setup a blog and then sell it soon after for a decent profit. Could make a full-time business out of it.

Anyway, thoughts on this?

That is actually a good idea. I have been looking into doing this too. Already started on a few of them. Not full time but as an extra income stream.

[Alan Mater]

Originally Posted by Trent Brownrigg

I'd be very careful Alan because I was offered $7000 yesterday for my site as well. I can only assume it was from the same people. Seems strange that we would both randomly be offered the same amount for our sites on the same day.

Very strange indeed, Trent!

I am curious more than anything at this point. Doesn't hurt to see how far they'll go

[Alan Mater]

Originally Posted by Trent Brownrigg

That is actually a good idea. I have been looking into doing this too. Already started on a few of them. Not full time but as an extra income stream.

I'm not sure it's something I would want to do either, but it's an option.

I figure, though, if you can start a blog and be making a decent profit month after month, you'd be stupid to sell. Just start up another and another. Endless income streams on autopilot.

[Suzanne Morrison]

Hi Alan,

Some people do website flipping for a living - they just continue creating sites and then selling them.

I wouldn't sell any of my main sites. I have 5 sites that I regularly update, make a good income from and I am kind of personally attached to them. However, I have a whole bunch of other sites that I don't care as much about. I make an income from them, but not as much as I do from the other sites. Maybe I will look into selling them some day.

I once read an ebook on website flipping (by Tim Phelan) and it was very informative. It outlined various ways to value websites, usually related to the income from the website, the traffic, the content, age, page rank or a combination of these things.

One formula for working out the worth of a website is:

(12 x (Net Income Average)) + 12 x (Unique Visitor
Average x Unique Visitor value)) x 1 plus the content
value = Highest Value for Website

This is just one method though.

A lot of these tools give wildly inaccurate estimations for a site's worth. personally if I was buying a site I would want to see proof of traffic and proof of income first.

Good luck with whatever you decide and be careful.

Cheers,
Suzanne

[Michael Gentry]

I think anyone would sell anything if the price was right.(business of course)

[Matt Helphrey]

Interesting thread Alan.

I like to think that everything of mine is for sale...that is if the price is right. But Im sure if you did sell your site, youd be able to get one up and running in much less time considering the knowledge you have now compared to when you first started.

I've read a lot about flipping sites and it seems decently profitable for the amount of work required.

Let us know how the whole process ends up.

Matt

[Trent Brownrigg]

Originally Posted by Alan Mater

Very strange indeed, Trent!

I am curious more than anything at this point. Doesn't hurt to see how far they'll go

True, it doesn't hurt to see.

However, they might be going around asking a bunch of people if they want to sell their sites and are planning to scam any takers somehow.

Not saying they are but it does look a little suspicious.

And the email I got wasn't very professional either. You'd think anyone willing to spend that kind of money on a site would write better emails.

[Trent Brownrigg]

Oh and keep me updated on what they say next.

[eSeM]

i only have 1 real main site, its been my baby for quite a while off and on, never steady. but i would never sell it lol.

[Stephen Meyer]

Hmmm, I've had a couple offers also, but mine was more :p

I do believe it is a scam in the making. No one in their right mind will offer you what an online program says your site is worth. They can't make money buying sites at the highest possible price.

Site flipping like a lot of things sounds great. Unfortunately everyone and their brother is selling a program, school, or mentoring group on how to "Site Flip". So, the market is getting saturated with newbies seeking to flip low cost sites they have put minimal effort into building. You can find the sites at many of the for sale websites such as SitePioint and they go for $10. and up. If you can build them, keep them around a couple months while you promote the heck out of them and build traffic and revenue to them then you could make some money. But then you probably wouldn't want to sell it. Site flippers usually don't see the value in long term residual income. They want immediate gratification.

[Kym Robinson]

Well I say be careful - thats the most important thing!

If you decide to go ahead and sell then my advice is to use paypal or escrow and dont give over even one thing until you see the money!

On the main page of sitepoint, you can purchase a legally binding "website sale contract" if you feel you need it.

Also - the site point forums (buy and sell sites area) is purely dedicated to info on this subject.

The use of those estimators is very unreliable!
I had estimates to my sites value from 2000 to 26500!!!!!!
whats up with that!

Im thinking the true value is what someone will pay and if the offer is genuine and you want to go ahead - its not a bad price!

But take care to do your due diligance and fully suss out the person making the offer - then cover your butt by using paypal or escrow.

Good luck with it all.
Kym

[kowulz]

I have bought domain names that I liked, thrown together a site in less than an hour (rather than parking them) and sold several for between $250 - $600 without developing them at all other than setting up a graphic header, keywords, metatags, and a title. Not a bad turnaround even if I kept it two or three years. Not reliable income, but nice when they pop up.

[Alan Mater]

I think anyone would sell anything if the price was right.(business of course)

Yes, but the price is usually never right. Contrary to the game show

But Im sure if you did sell your site, youd be able to get one up and running in much less time considering the knowledge you have now compared to when you first started.

You got that right, Matt. I'm planning on putting this to the test when I roll out my new niche blog. I can't wait!

Not saying they are but it does look a little suspicious.

And the email I got wasn't very professional either. You'd think anyone willing to spend that kind of money on a site would write better emails.

I totally agree. The email was not professional at all. I get very professional emails from people wanting to do a simple link exchange. I did some research on the company and I guess they ask to buy websites quite often. Not sure for what purpose, though.

Oh and keep me updated on what they say next.

Will do. Haven't heard back yet.

i only have 1 real main site, its been my baby for quite a while off and on, never steady. but i would never sell it lol.

A lot of people wouldn't, and I can understand that because you spent so much time developing and marketing it.

Hmmm, I've had a couple offers also, but mine was more :p

I do believe it is a scam in the making. No one in their right mind will offer you what an online program says your site is worth. They can't make money buying sites at the highest possible price.

Site flipping like a lot of things sounds great. Unfortunately everyone and their brother is selling a program, school, or mentoring group on how to "Site Flip". So, the market is getting saturated with newbies seeking to flip low cost sites they have put minimal effort into building. You can find the sites at many of the for sale websites such as SitePioint and they go for $10. and up. If you can build them, keep them around a couple months while you promote the heck out of them and build traffic and revenue to them then you could make some money. But then you probably wouldn't want to sell it. Site flippers usually don't see the value in long term residual income. They want immediate gratification.

I do believe you're right. After getting several now, and one from an honest guy who owns a whole network of "work from home" sites which I now do a link exchange with instead, I'm just plain curious.

Agreed! I'm in it more for the long term residual income.

If you decide to go ahead and sell then my advice is to use paypal or escrow and dont give over even one thing until you see the money!

Absolutely, Kym. I would never hand over anything until I received the money in full. I agree, PayPal is the best. You gotta love PayPal!

I have bought domain names that I liked, thrown together a site in less than an hour (rather than parking them) and sold several for between $250 - $600 without developing them at all other than setting up a graphic header, keywords, metatags, and a title. Not a bad turnaround even if I kept it two or three years. Not reliable income, but nice when they pop up.

Very impressive, Rock. Care to share any pointers on this?

At this point I'd be stupid to sell. Put too much time into it. Plus, I got two new newsletter subscribers and one Responsive Data lead just now.

But, I do like to hear different responses, and the site flipping ordeal is interesting to say the least.

[Alan Mater]

Still haven't heard back. Not my loss by any means.

Overall I guess it depends how much you value your website, or how much value (money) it provides you. Whichever the case may be.

[Jeff Schuman]

Alan,

I have studied blog flipping recently and am pretty sure I could make $50-$75K a year doing it. Maybe more once I got the hang of it. BUt I do not have the time or real interest in it right now.

Read "The Blog Flipping Fool" I believe it is called. The writer had a WSO on it not that long ago. Flipping blogs seems easier and you could probably outsource some if not all of the set up and content.

PM me if you do not find it online. I have it saved on my hard drive on my other computer.

[Matt Belock]

Alan,

If you are thinking of flipping websites, you can find a bunch of underdeveloped websites on ebay. You can very easily turn them into profit with the knowledge you have.

[Stephen Meyer]

A lot of the underdeveloped sites on eBay and elsewhere are site flippers. Build them fast, hold on to them a couple months and sell them off, fast and easy.

[muzzi]

I get offers for my sites all the time. But it's usually stupidly low, or offers for sites that I don't want to sell because they're my focus projects or passion right now.

[Sharon Lambkin]

Selling it is better than losing it out of stupidity - which is what I did, but I learned a few things (expensive lesson)

I receive so many renewal notices that look like the real thing - so I received a renewal for my site and thought it was one of those scams - I did not check it out - The day my renewal was delinquent, it was gone -

I did some checking and found out that someone had put a $100 deposit on my domain and anytime it was renewed it was sold. I had no idea that they did this.

I ran a Google and Yahoo search and found there were 21,000 links back to my site - 10 years of marketing this site - gave someone a very good start on their new domain - I checked it out - it is someone that has many affiliate links and runs off of commissions only - smart on their part - dumb on my part - keep up with those renewals.

I was fortunate to have another site (not as popular) but was able to transfer all my info to that site - now the marketing begins. I lost a lot.

[Alan Mater]

Matt and Steve, thanks for the tips. I'll keep them in mind if I venture into site flipping.

Sharon, I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Thanks for the heads up, and hopefully no one else will make that costly mistake.

[Craig Fenton]

Hi Alan:

Hope you are well. Let us take the best scenario. The person or company that wants to buy your website is totally legit and honest. If you took the offer would the dollar amount be good two ways:
1 The total check be something that you feel is good to excellent
2 The check being good to excellent after you subtract the expenses you put into the site/business thus far and the time.

If you are leaning toward the sale how long and about how much money would you have to invest to get a site to the point where once again somebody would offer you 7000 or more?

How are you feeling about the site at this time? Are you okay with the long haul if the time/money is good or do you feel restless and even if you made a great profit need new motivation and drive to go to the next level?

Hope that helps. Best of luck!!!