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How to Buy and Sell Websites: The First Steps

2010 August 23
by buddy

The whole processwhen you buy and sell websites can be quite complicated for the uninitiated and while on my blog I have written a number of posts already on specific aspects of website flipping, this is the first time that I am going over the process in detail. This article specifically covers the preliminary steps that both parties undertake once they buy or sell a website.

Step 1:  Buyer and Seller Reach an Agreement

Before the transacting parties (buyer and seller) can start the process, they first have to reach an agreement. Of course, it all begins with the seller auctioning off his website, then the buyer showing interest, and finally, they agree on an acceptable price.  The process may be done through reputable marketplaces such as Flippa.com or privately through direct contact.

Step 2: Choosing the Payment Method

Once the price details are ironed out, it’s time for them to choose the most appropriate payment mode. There are a couple of options here: direct payment or let an escrow service handle payment. If you decide to have the buyer pay directly, you are further provided with more paying options – PayPal, bank transfer, and check or money order. If paying via escrow is the agreed payment scheme, there are some things things you might want to take into account.

Using Escrow

Not all transactions have to be done through an escrow service. There’s no specific policy for this, but if possible, transactions that go beyond $1,000 should use escrow. A widely-used escrow service which has even been integrated into Flippa.com’s system is Escrow.com. If you think Escrow.com’s fees may be a bit steep (although certainly worth it I should say), there are alternative services you can tap such as SafeFunds.com.

Whichever company you choose what’s important is that you make sure you are at ease working with that service. Next, register an account with that escrow service. I’ve used both Escrow.com and SafeFunds.com in the past, I’m aware that that registering with either of these two is easy and free. No matter how rarely you plan to flip a site, it’s always advisable to have an account beforehand so you’ll already have an idea of how an escrow service can assist you.

So how exactly does it work? Going over the process quickly, it goes like this:

As soon as the terms of the deal are ironed out and are acceptable to both buyer and seller, the buyer then places the funds into the escrow account. The escrow service checks the veracity of the source of funds and confirms this to the seller.  Upon verification, the seller must then right away initiate the transfer of the site to the buyer, who then takes a close look at the “goods”. If the transfer goes without a hitch the buyer gives the go signal to the escrow service and the seller gets the funds.

While it all sounds pretty clear-cut, some disputes may arise such as the buyer alleging that not all the goods have been delivered as per terms of the agreement. In such situations he can submit a dispute claim through the escrow service’s dispute resolution system.

As you can see, the first basic steps in buying and selling websites can be easily handled even by those new to the business, and with the assistance of escrow services when needed, there’s no reason why you can’t flip websites for profit.

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