Comments on: Fee Squeeze At Flippa

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:33:54 +0000

There are a lot of assumptions being made here which I’m hesitant to perpetuate, however I do understand that feeling of needing to ‘make sense of it all’.

I see no connection at all between the personnel change you mention and a strategy to only focus on the high end auctions. If that were so I wouldn’t have thought an entire post on Flippa’s blog about purchasing a start up site would be the way forward.

By: E. Fire

E. Fire — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:43:52 +0000

I think Mark hit the nail on the head. The silence on Flippa’s part – and all this coinciding with an apparent personnel change(?) – would indicate a change in their marketing strategy, that being to focus on high end, high ticket web properties where they can collect a nice-sized success fee.

Realistically – looking at it from Flippa’s perspective – it might not be great PR, but it would likely be more cost effective – and profitable – to focus on high-end sales and let the thousands of “starter” and lower-priced sites fall by the wayside – 80/20

It would be good to know Flippa’s intentions here… but they don’t appear to be speaking.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:37:27 +0000

Thanks Kiran.

Yes, we are going to be looking for ways to improve our sites and services to become more desirable to potential buyers….and what does that do to the Flippa marketplace? Improves it of course. Great outcome but only if we can create those improvements and services at the same time as preserving our profit margins.

By: Kiran

Kiran — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:06:14 +0000

Great post Michelle.

I’m glad you posted this, because it just gives us all a different angle to work with. Change will always happen, it’s just how you adapt.

A positive we can take out of this is, that we can look at more ways of improving our sites and service to be more desirable to potential buyers.

Look forward to your next posts.

Cheers!

Kiran

By: Michelle

Michelle — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:59:25 +0000

As you’ve quite clearly shown, alternative marketplaces are a dime a dozen, each of them with their own set of pros and cons. (I warn anyone considering any of the above sites to give due diligence to assessing the pros and cons/risks of those marketplaces.)

I’ve had great success with the Flippa marketplace and just because I’m vocal about their policies does not mean I suggest walking away from them. They are an industry leader and their impressive results speak for themselves.

Flippa Stats As At Dec 4 2009:

* 1,117 ListingsOpen Now
* 1,137 BidsLast 7 Days
* $186,770 SalesLast 7 Days
* 40% Listings SoldLast 3 Months
* $28,643,898 SalesOverall

By: Sakana

Sakana — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:41:36 +0000

Well…Flippa is not the only game …

A quick G search and here is a list where one could leverage

SitesIndeed.com

DealaSite.com

BizBuySell.com

VotanWeb.com

BuySellWebsite.com

WebsiteAuctionHub.com

WarriorForum.com

Webmaster-Talk.com

Forums.Digitalpoint.com

By: Michelle

Michelle — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:15:34 +0000

Mark I still think Flippa are interested in the lower end to a degree however some of their decision making seems haphazard which certainly makes for a bumpy ride. Yes I could start a marketplace just for low end sites but that isn’t something I’m considering at this stage.

By: Mark Mason

Mark Mason — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:11:29 +0000

It is pretty clear to me that Flippa is not interested in the low-end part of the business. Maybe you should consider starting a site just for that.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:35:59 +0000

True, however there are a lot of reasons to persist with them too.

By: E. Fire

E. Fire — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:28:36 +0000

More reason for developing options outside of Flippa.com

By: Michelle

Michelle — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:20:07 +0000

Ruth I’m certain we’re not alone in our feelings on this issue. Ranting is tempting isn’t it but best we concentrate on our circle of influence, the things we can change rather than the things we can’t.

Your initial listings sell through quite well so hopefully you won’t have to face this additional cost burden too often.

By: Ruth - Web Career Girl

Ruth - Web Career Girl — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:13:15 +0000

You know how I feel about this relisting being taken away, I think it's terrible. I could write a massive rant about this now, but I'll stop. As for what's the best way to go about selling, I liked your comment response. I am like you and want to get it done quickly! Look forward to your next post!