Where To Buy Online Businesses: 9 Best Digital Platforms Ranked & Reviewed (2024)

Are you searching for high-quality solutions to boost your online revenue streams without building digital estate from scratch?

Most freelancers and part-time employees find it challenging to move past countless side gigs and progress to owning a business online.

Consider investing in established online businesses with regular website traffic and an assured monthly net profit.

If you’re looking for where to buy online businesses, our tried-and-tested suggestions may unlock your doors to financial freedom.

An Overview of Websites that Sell Online Businesses

Here’s a brief on digital businesses and the best platform for selling online businesses:

What Does Buying Online Businesses Mean?

Buying an online business that conducts its buying and selling operations and communication on the internet may translate to regular monthly profits.

Since pre-built digital assets like eCommerce businesses, content sites, or educational domains offering courses already have a framework, purchasing them can kickstart your side income journey.

Proper due diligence when studying market trends and potential customers can ensure profitable online businesses.

You can also perform proper due diligence when studying markets to become a day trader.

Why Is It Important to Buy Online Businesses?

Buying online businesses is essential since online entrepreneurs can eliminate the need for physical store visits and enable rapid brand awareness.

You can convert existing side projects to a dream business model by relying on global customer engagement and easier scope of scalability.

It’s simple for small business owners to manage pre-built affiliate sites since such assets already own a recurring audience base and hold guaranteed monthly income.

Do I Need to Buy an Online Business?

Buying an online business can improve your income if you optimize the existing online storefront or service-based offerings to increase your asset’s online footfall.

To profit from a particular business that already exists, consider taking cover and implementing an online store with paid ads, a secure sales channel, and website hosting with add-on features.

All in all, buying online businesses can fill your pockets with astronomical profits compared to brick-and-mortar companies.

The Best Website Selling Online Businesses At a Glance

Here’s the best website selling digital businesses and a little on what makes it a premium choice for side income enthusiasts:

What is the Best Website Offering Online Businesses On Sale?

Flippa leads the race for the best website selling online businesses for sale.

The platform deploys an advanced customer-to-business matching mechanism combined with the perks of smart valuation metrics and competitive pricing offers and schemes.

Besides selling domain names and noteworthy SaaS companies, you can even buy an eCommerce store of your choice and make consistent money online.

Flippa also ensures to suggest organizations with a proper business license.

What is Flippa?

Flippa is a diversified marketplace for buying and selling digital businesses, boasting 600,000+ investors and buyers.

Its open marketplace has transformed into successful sales for small, medium, and large online businesses, along with offering variations on the selling price.

If you’re looking for high-value side projects online, Flippa’s business model of accepting the sale process of websites at 20x their monthly income beats the pricing fluctuations of similar platforms.

Features to Look for in Websites Selling Online Businesses

Here’s a free buyer’s guide to shortlisting platforms offering digital businesses for sale by choosing a website with the following features:

1. Study Incoming Monthly Traffic

Online entrepreneurs looking to purchase digital estate often assess the monthly traffic of online businesses in their due diligence process.

The more monthly visits, the higher income from ads, affiliates, free to paid customers, and the higher monthly revenue.

Buyers can study the monthly footfall to analyze better monetization gateways for customers who only visit but don’t spend.

2. Calculate Expected Maintenance Expenses

Online business opportunities require a careful assessment of the expected expenses for marketing material such as blogs and graphics.

Added expenses like ad budgets, website development costs, or bank financing for licenses and remote employees can also exist.

You may pay for taxes, due diligence expenses, updating digital assets as required, and growing working capital.

Use free valuation tools to choose legitimate businesses with clear-cut expense calculation sheets.

3. Ask Reasons for Sale

Since there’s less professional guidance on decoding why an app or site owner wishes to sell their digital assets, prepare a questionnaire for the seller.

Unless dealing with dedicated brokers who match customers to the right business, potential buyers must double-check whether the asset struggles with unprofitability, high bounce rates, low conversions, or other setbacks.

Ensure you can run the business from home and consider studying the Google Analytics reports before investing.

4. Determine Accurate Pricing

Whether an established business is on a public or private listing, regardless of the authority of the business broker, always verify the price online companies quote.

Determine the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) or use the Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE) method to lift the lid off of the online business’s profitability.

Request a discount if the platform selling your preferred online business presents insights showing poor marketability or annualized expenditures munching into your profits.

5. Verify the Reputation

Study the asset’s established customer base when purchasing an online business.

Potential buyers can research and chat with existing customers to confirm whether the service met their buying or navigational intent.

While an eCommerce business may offer exceptional UI/UX performance, the customer service quality may be poor.

Similarly, other internet businesses for sale may show high sales but shocking product return requests.

Buyers can negotiate the final sale price or suggest appropriate business valuations by pointing out faulty business models.

Best Websites Selling Online Businesses: Our Top 3 Options [Ranked & Reviewed]

Websites with high-quality listings and regular premium buyers offer a broad pool of digital assets for sale.

While some specialize in selling domain names or affiliate sites, others help secure a SaaS business or eCommerce website with proven potential.

We’ve shortlisted three worthy choices for websites that allow users to buy and sell online businesses.

These options are chosen based on listed assets with an applaudable business model and guaranteed cash flow.

1. Flippa: Our Pick

Flippa takes the leap in customer satisfaction by directly bringing in deals from the source owner.

Their added collaborations with leading SaaS companies like Quickbooks Online, Admob, and Shopify smoothen the user’s experience.

Users can choose from a string of low-to-high budget options, with digital assets worth $2,500 up to $500,000+.

Either choose minimal-maintenance dropship and content sites or invest in anti-recession choices that promise consistent income over the years.

From eCommerce websites generating massive numbers to iOS and Android applications with thousands to tens of thousands of downloads, Flippa leaves no stone unturned for online entrepreneurs seeking various profit margins.

The platform helps sew 10,000+ deals offering recurring annual revenues with the help of free and paid advisory services.

Take advantage of game-changing tools like deal rooms for conversations, legal support, immediate benchmarking data, and more.

Key Features of Flippa

• Multicurrency Support: Flippa supports global transactions with 14 currencies to enable cross-country business purchases and sales.
• Buyer Fund Verification: Sellers can reduce scam offers by engaging with buyers with verified funds.
• Premium Integrations for Simplified Functionality: Buy and sell online with data-centric acquisition choices using Flippa’s integrated eCommerce, accounting, and financial integrations.
• Enhanced Connectivity: Find brokers easily and streamline your search for an online business with high-end prospecting for a profitable business.
• Escrow Services or FlippaPay: Protect your finances with Flippa’s escrow service supporting popular currencies.

Pros of Flippa

• No-cost Valuation: Free valuation services reduce overhead costs for buyers and sellers.
• Free Podcast Access: Trademark podcast “Exit” for stories on online business entrepreneurs making millions.
• Data-intensive Support: Leverage endless data on traffic, conversions, niche popularity, income, expenditure, and more.

Cons of Flippa

• Many Scammers: Scammers find loopholes in Flippa’s seller section and set up traps with fraudulent data reports and websites.
• Poor Vetting Process: Flippa’s website vetting process is almost absent, needing buyers to filter the clutter carefully.
• Less Buyer Protection Facilities: Amateur buyers are susceptible to scams owing to a poor buyer protection framework.

Flippa Pricing

If you’re a buyer, expect no registration fees, but be ready to pay a 10% commission on the purchase price.

For sellers posting business listings, there’s a 5-10% success fee based on the price you sell online businesses.

Conclusion: Should You Choose Flippa

All in all, Flippa’s extensive features for investing in online enterprises give it a deserving tag as a top choice for buying an existing business online.

Features such as its AI-driven recommendation engine and 23 reputed online business categories make it an excellent starting point for side income gigs.

2. Empire Flippers: Runner-up

Empire Flipper’s (EF) team of global merger & acquisition (M&A) geniuses have continually cemented exceptional deals for investors to earn a fortune by taking over an existing online business of their choice.

With 5 Inc 5,000 awards under its belt, the platform steals the tag of premium providers for online business enthusiasts.

Their comprehensive offerings range from personal business brokers to site promotions and consultations refining your buying journey.

Create site comparisons to assess insightful data metrics and niche specifics, fueling your online investment accuracy.

Dodge scams through Empire Flipper’s superior vetting process and enjoy fraud-free valuation and migration assistance.

The platform’s record-breaking sales volumes in the industry are credited to its reliance on offering a range of digital assets as opposed to only high-end online enterprises.

EF also prevents overvaluing future returns to offer authentic valuations for inexperienced teenage businessmen and experienced online entrepreneurs.

Key Features of Empire Flippers

• Experienced Sales Team: Sales team mediates conference calls, manages escrow, migrates websites, and constructs profit and loss (P&L) statements.
• Proof of Funds for Viewing Complete Website Details: Secures customers from scammers hoping to copy websites and seep into a niche as a competitor.
• Seller Interviews to Verify Authenticity: Detail-oriented seller interviews to avoid low-quality listings with inaccurate data (Listen on Empire Flipper’s podcast – Real Money, Real Business)
• Hidden URLs: Keeps copycats at bay, only allowing verified buyers with evidence of their liquidity.
• Combination of Marketplace + Brokers: EF’s business brokers offer support to build buyer-seller confidence and also recommendations when purchasing an online business.

Pros of Empire Flippers

• Low Escrow Fees: Pay minimal fees for financially secure transactions with a 1% commission on the final selling price.
• Multiple Amazon Assets: Choose an established business from Amazon Associates, Amazon FBA, Amazon FBM, Amazon KDP, and Amazon Merchant.
• Empire Flippers Capital: Invest in a section of a portfolio of sites and earn quarterly distributions.

Cons of Empire Flippers

• High Sale Multiples: Some eCommerce stores and business listings charge approx. 50x the asset’s monthly earnings.
• Competitive Investors: Experienced investors quickly identify, buy, and sell established businesses, making it competitive for amateur investors.
• High Commissions: EF’s commission structure charges 15% for assets up to $700,000, 8% for between $700,001-$5,000,000, and 2.5% for higher values.

Empire Flippers Pricing

Empire Flippers houses a commission structure charging 15% for assets up to $700,000, 8% for between $700,001-$5,000,000, and 2.5% for digital properties priced above $5,000,001.

Conclusion: Should You Choose Empire Flippers

Since Empire Flippers charges no listing fee, enables customers to buy and sell online companies with clearly explained business listings, and offers fully-managed business sales, users can expect minimal due diligence and more results.

3. FE International: Also Great

FE International is renowned for its flexible buyer and seller model, adept at selling large-scale online enterprises such as SaaS businesses, content and eCommerce sites, and more.

The platform publishes buyer resources through market reports, SERP audits, multimedia content, and podcasts educating customers on online business trends and data.

Their commitment to serving varying risk appetites and funding facilities makes FE International a leading broker for online enterprises.

Along with their top-shelf M&A advisory abilities, users are rewarded with a comprehensive understanding of online markets to reap high returns.

Every year, the presence of auto-generated market reports makes it simpler to decode opportunistic trends in several online business categories.

Users are guaranteed post-sale success, provided they leverage the in-house guides on uncovering interventions and implementing optimizations for better reach.

If you’re hesitant about owning a digital enterprise, consider getting paid to test such products before taking the leap.

Key Features of FE International

• Scalable Solutions: Customers can enjoy personalized support and achieve their investment and periodic return goals.
• Interconnected Network of Qualified Buyers: Thousands of buyers are pre-qualified to become prime investors for popular assets.
• End-to-End M&A Services: Maximize online business growth possibilities with high-end M&A services for integrated solutions, accounting, and niche-specific advisory support.
• Extended Services: Simplified online business success with tactical negotiations, smart legal solutions, post-sale guidance, etc.
• Prioritized Security: Evaluate a potential business with extra security and without revealing excessive information.

Pros of FE International

• Transparent Insights: Study niche insights and income, traffic, and visitor data before buying an online business.
• Seasoned Project Managers: Experience reduced downtimes in deal acquisition and legal paperwork processes.
• Buy from International Buyers: Bid farewell to law and compliance worries when selling to international buyers.

Cons of FE International

• Many Low-quality Sites: Broadened availability of digital assets increases the number of poorly managed sites.
• Lower Inspection Period: 5-day inspection period is lower than the two weeks Empire Flipper offers.
• Paid Support After 20 Hours per Month: Buyers may pay the seller for additional support after a month.

FE International Pricing

Buyers on FE International pay a maximum of 2.5% of $1000 as a transaction fee when buying an online business.

Conclusion: Should You Choose FE International

FE International is an intelligent option for side income enthusiasts looking to pump money into medium-to-large scale companies for a regular profit.

The organization nullifies the discomfort caused by poor asset quality by performing extensive due diligence on all business listings.

Notable Mentions: Other Websites Selling Online Businesses to Check Out

Despite the presence of these leading platforms for selling and buying an online business, other platforms remain in the competition.

Collectively, all platforms continue to support the online gig economy business by enabling the sale of low-to-high-value online properties.

Here are six notable mentions of other websites selling digital businesses:

4. Quiet Light Brokerage: Best for Helping Sellers Exit with Large Profits

Every advisor at Quiet Light Brokerage either sold, purchased, or developed their online business from scratch.

Their overall expertise has fine-tuned the platform’s data-driven approach to online business acquisition.

Right from the user’s valuation call to a comprehensive interview covering topics such as cash vs. accrual, manufacturing, marketing, and more, businesses from 3 to 30 years are listed with precise information.

Why is Quiet Light Brokerage a Great Option?

Not only their free valuation service but the migration support post-purchase and extra focus on pushing Shopify stores and affiliate websites make them stand out.

Quiet Light Brokerage performs high-quality marketplace-readiness assessments to clear the clutter of deceiving valuations and provide 100% transparency to users.

The platform lets online entrepreneurs readily invest in digital ventures and make money through their laptops.

Drawbacks to Quiet Light Brokerage

If you’re looking for smaller content sites, this platform may not fit your bill. Business owners also find it cumbersome to offer tweaks on functionality aspects through the platform’s support system.

Lastly, they present exclusive contracts that limit you from listing your online business in additional marketplaces.

Quiet Light Brokerage Pricing

Quiet Light Brokerage charges commissions from 3-10% based on the commodity’s sales.

5. SideProjectors: Best for Investing in Incomplete Online Side Projects

Your one-stop shop for viewing and shortlisting incomplete side projects, SideProjectors, is a wise choice for low-budget investors scraping the web for vacant digital assets.

Access their constantly updated list of co-founders and find a partner to build an online business that boosts your side income.

SideProjectors also lets users bookmark projects through the collections feature.

Why is SideProjectors a Great Option?

With its Slack integration and saved search abilities, buyers can view showcased projects to understand their utility range better.

Scroll across their “classifieds style” format and pay nominal prices to own business verticals with promising potential.

Their collaborator engine simplifies interactions between compatible buyers and co-founders. Even better, there’s no fee for buying, selling, or listing side projects.

Drawbacks to SideProjectors

The shortage of high-value projects and e-assets with a clear roadmap to financial success makes it difficult to confirm any returns on your investment.

Users may have to invest extra finances in development, deployment, and marketing costs.

SideProjectors Pricing

Pay $3/monthly to enroll as a SideProjectors member and gain privileges such as access to Stripe, ad-free displays, real-time project alerts, direct messages to members, and more.

6. Digital Exits: Best for Purchasing or Selling Online Tech Businesses

Digital Exits makes the mark if you want to take over side projects abandoned by online entrepreneurs.

The founder’s track record in building shareholder value and creating profitable opportunities for buyers and sellers when entering or existing investments makes the platform a suitable choice.

Why is Digital Exits a Great Option?

The 3-step process to owning a digital business includes formulating a business valuation with elements like traffic trends, user personas, and overall profit, after which an agency agreement mentions clear-cut terms and conditions.

As the last step, the platform uses its strategic marketing systems to identify relevant buyers from its diverse network of investors.

Drawbacks to Digital Exits

Since Digital Exits plays the role of an independent-broker company, there may be lags in closing deals.

Even the financial barrier poses high requirements since only businesses with a $200,000 yearly profit are eligible to post their listing.

Digital Exits Pricing

There’s no specific commission or pricing on the company website, but our research states the commission fee ranges between 10% and 12%.

For make-money-online enthusiasts who do not like such high commissions, consider signing up for sites and applications to get free side income.

7. Latona’s: Best Filtering Options for Investors to Shortlist Assets with High Relevancy

Besides its high-end filtering systems, Latona’s is developed with an innovative payment plan calculator to make economical financial choices.

The free valuation service offers pretty accurate estimations for sellers wondering how to price online businesses when selling sites.

Buyers can leverage Latona’s intellectual property lender feature for financial assistance.

Why is Latona’s a Great Option?

Latona’s serves a unique feature in its micro-filtering architecture, allowing users to hunt for online companies offering an SBA loan potential.

Side income enthusiasts with a shoestring budget for investing can rely on the platform’s sectioned listings for online properties under $300,000.

Drawbacks to Latona’s

Latona’s acts more like a brokerage platform than an online marketplace uploading business listings. For users with barely any experience in website brokerage, the lack of user-friendliness makes this platform a secondary choice.

Latona’s Pricing

The platform charges a flat 15% commission on each sale.

8. Website Properties: Best Referral Program for Selling Online Assets

Whether for SaaS businesses or eCommerce stores, online business brokers at Website Properties feature many business types for sale.

Sellers can create personalized buyer lists and collaborate with proven sales experts, whereas buyers can enjoy secure payments, seller mediation, and a life of self-employment.

Why is Website Properties a Great Option?

Their valuation process accounts for website traffic, the brand’s historical information, customer reviews, growth trends, and more.

With a success rate of 85%, no listing fees, and a free valuation with in-depth research, the small staff of six at Website Properties has performed consistently well.

Drawbacks to Website Properties

Since Website Properties typically work with large online companies displaying a high net worth, newcomers to investing in online estate may require extra effort to find suitable investment channels.

Website Properties Pricing

Website Properties charges a commission of around 6%, depending on the business value.

9. Acquire: Best for Buying Online Startups

Known for its brand positioning as a startup acquisition expert, Acquire enables online entrepreneurs to own their dream startups.

This relatively modern digital asset marketplace brings forth added functionalities like quick generation of letters of intent (LOIs) and Boopos financing.

Why is Acquire a Great Option?

Acquire takes pride in its distinct offerings like Chrome extensions, micro-SaaS projects, and side ventures.

Their 0% commission fee structure and interruption-free buyer-to-seller communication channels make negotiation and profile access straightforward.

Take advantage of features like the premium buyer badge, instant email notifications, and Escrow integration.

Drawbacks to Acquire

The high cost of registration fees makes it slightly unaffordable for newcomers to the online investment scene.

Acquire Pricing

While the basic plan is free, the premium and platinum plans are $390 and $780, respectively.

Other Options Relevant to Buying Online Businesses

Here are three alternative money-making ideas for selling online properties.

Each of these make-money-online (MMO) opportunities demands lesser time and monetary investments.

• Start a Clothing Business: Learn how to buy wholesale and start a small-scale clothing business for a profit margin of 7%. With 1/10th the costs of buying online ventures, side income enthusiasts can make significant income from the rapidly-growing fashion industry.
• Buy in Bulk and Sell Individually for Profit: Such business models offer perks of unlimited scalability and branding opportunities. Compared to splurging money in online businesses, the overall capital for storage space, a sales platform, and shipping materials are lower in this MMO business.
• Launch Trending Businesses: From business consulting to food trucks and real estate to copywriting, trending businesses in 2023 can be a reliable source of income. Consider offering digital products such as ebooks, sticker designs, and AI-generated music, or start a dropshipping company for extra monthly revenue.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are common questions side income enthusiasts may ask about buying businesses online:

Wrapping Up

Side income enthusiasts can easily use a chunk of their savings to invest in an online business with growth prospects.

There are many platforms available for this purpose, but we highly recommend Flippa and Empire Flipper.

The former’s multi-functionality integrations and multicurrency payment systems and the latter’s podcast facility and minimal escrow fees are a steal.

Since buying online businesses depends on the existing enterprise’s traffic and income metrics, among others, Flippa and Empire Flipper’s supreme quality listings are an excellent choice.

The presence of a buyer-friendly interface and multiple awards for high performance make these options better than other platforms selling online businesses.

Find trustworthy brokers and choose wisely between applications, niche content websites, and marketplaces.

Don’t forget to verify the seller’s authenticity and whether all business licenses are in place.

Drop your comments below and share this resource to help make-money-online enthusiasts earn a living from pre-built digital businesses.