Motion Invest Review: A Marketplace for Content Websites

Most marketplaces for buying and selling websites aren’t suitable for low-valuation listings. For deals that don’t qualify elsewhere, buyers and sellers can turn to open marketplaces, but these platforms lack robust verification processes, which increases the risk of fraud and scams. 

Motion Invest is a unique platform that caters to buyers and sellers seeking the protection of a curated marketplace in a price range not supported by most competitors. Motion Invest primarily targets deals below $50,000, with most of the listings under $10,000. This Motion Invest review covers all the relevant details so you can decide if it’s right for you.

Is Motion Invest Legit?

Yes, Motion Invest is a legit marketplace for buying and selling content-based websites. Of course, any investment involves risk, but Motion Invest takes steps to prevent fraud and scams by verifying the traffic and revenue of each listing, providing an escrow service, and including an inspection period on deals above $50,000.

Related reading: Investors Club vs. Motion Invest

Motion Invest Pros

• Exclusively for content-based websites. Motion Invest’s focused approach is excellent if you want to buy or sell a content site.  As of November 2024, you can also sell Youtube accounts.
• Good selection of listings below $10,000. Many brokers and marketplaces don’t sell websites in this price range. 
• Every listing is verified and vetted. The Motion Invest team verifies traffic and revenue for each listing before publication. 
• Free migration assistance. Buyers and sellers benefit from Motion Invest’s migration assistance to ensure a smooth transition.
• Free escrow service. Motion Invest acts as an escrow agent, protecting buyers and sellers during the transaction.
• No listing fee. Sellers only pay fees if the site sells.

Motion Invest Cons

• Only for content websites. Motion Invest’s focused approach is a drawback if you want to buy or sell other types of websites and businesses. As of November 2024, you can also sell Youtube accounts.
• Lots of starter sites. Almost half the listings are “starter sites” that have little income and traffic. If you want to buy or sell established sites, the starter sites clutter the marketplace.
• Few listings above $100,000. Motion Invest isn’t an ideal platform for six-figure (or higher) deals. With more emphasis on smaller deals, they seem to have few buyers above $100,000.
• Fees on lower-priced listings are high. The success fee starts at 20% and goes down for larger sales.
• Limited confidentiality. Anyone can create a free buyer account to see the names and URLs of each site listed for sale.

If you’re looking for a platform with no selling fees, check Investors Club. 

Types of Websites Sold

Motion Invest lists content-based websites (mostly WordPress-powered sites), including blogs and niche affiliate sites, and YouTube accounts (started in October 2024). While other marketplaces list content sites, Motion Invest stands out by mainly catering to this audience.

Most of the sites at Motion Invest are monetized with display ads, affiliate marketing, or both. You’ll find very few listings monetized primarily with physical products, digital products, subscriptions, services, or sponsored content. 

As a result, Motion Invest is ideal for buying or selling sites that fit into its specific niche, but not suitable for anything beyond that niche.

Price Range

Motion Invest also stands out by selling websites that other marketplaces and brokers ignore. Motion Invest lists a $20 per month income requirement, which is incredibly low compared to its competitors. But you’ll also find listings on the site that report less than $20 in monthly earnings, so it’s unclear how strict they are on this requirement (obviously, they make some exceptions). At the time of writing, roughly 40% of Motion Invest’s listings were starter sites.

With its loose income requirements, Motion Invest is one of the few suitable marketplaces to sell low-revenue websites. Naturally, many sellers are drawn in by the low requirements, leading to a marketplace with lots of low-priced listings.

The majority of Motion Invest’s listings are below $10,000, with many less than $1,000. They do have listings with upper-five-figure asking prices, as well as some in the six figures, but those six-figure sites are the minority on this platform.

Overall, Motion Invest is best suited for websites below $10,000, and increasingly less appropriate as prices approach and pass $100,000. 

Dutch Auction

Certain Motion Invest listings use a Dutch auction approach. In this case, the listing’s asking price drops slightly every two days until it sells or reaches the reserve, the lowest price the seller will accept. Motion Invest calculates the price decreases so the asking price will reach the reserve 30 days after listing. 

The Dutch auction approach forces buyers to decide if they want to purchase the site quickly while it’s available or wait for the price to drop, with the risk of someone else buying it in the meantime. 

You can filter the listings to see which ones use the Dutch auction.

Motion Invest Fees

Motion Invest doesn’t charge a listing fee. Sellers only pay fees if Motion Invest sells the site. The success fee ranges from 5-20%, depending on the selling price.

• Under $20,000: 20%
• $20,000 – $50,000: 15%
• $50,000 – $100,000: 10%
• $100,000 – $500,000: 7%
• Over $500,000: 5%

At Investors Club, we charge no listing fee and no success fee, so sellers can keep all of the proceeds from the sale of their business. We do offer some optional marketing packages as upgrades, but it’s possible to sell your business with no fees at all.

The table below shows the success fees of each platform at various price points.

Depending on how much you sell for, this can make a big difference.

Verification and Vetting

Motion Invest sets itself apart from open marketplaces by verifying and vetting each deal that’s submitted. Their team members work with sellers to verify the income and traffic of each listing. Only those that can be verified are published on the site. 

The vetting process also involves checks for backlink issues, plagiarism, significant traffic drops, manual penalties from Google, etc. 

Motion Invest says their process usually takes about seven days, but can be shorter or longer depending on the situation and their backlog. 

Confidentiality

Most sellers prefer their listings remain confidential. Limiting the exposure of sensitive details like the website’s name and URL helps to prevent copycats and competitors from doing harm or accessing information without intent to buy.

Confidentiality is especially important for starter sites and smaller sites, as they’re easier to copy and have no established brand equity.

Although confidentiality is usually thought to be a seller’s concern, it also impacts buyers. Whoever buys a site that has been exposed to the masses may face increased competition and other threats after the purchase.

Unfortunately, Motion Invest’s confidentiality practices aren’t very strong. Business names and URLs aren’t shown publicly. However, anyone logged into a free account can see the names and URLs of every listing, plus the seller’s FAQ, which includes sensitive information about the site and strategy. With such a minimal barrier, the listing’s sensitive details are exposed to a large audience.

At Investors Club, very limited details from listings are available to the public (visitors who are not logged in to an account), while other details are visible only to members (free and premium), or only premium members. For example, only premium members will see the business’s URL and details about traffic and revenue, which helps to protect both buyers and sellers.

Inspection Period

An inspection period allows the buyer to verify that traffic, earnings, and other relevant details are as expected. Funds are held in the escrow account until after the inspection period, rather than being paid to the seller immediately. 

If traffic or revenue during the inspection period are significantly lower than expected, the buyer may be able to negotiate a lower price or cancel the sale. Inspection periods help to prevent fraud and provide buyers with improved confidence and security.

Motion Invest transactions over $50,000 include a 14-day inspection period. The site must earn at least 60% of the expected revenue during the inspection period for it to close successfully. 

Deals at Motion Invest under $50,000 do not include an inspection period by default. However, buyers can request an inspection period before making the deposit, but the seller must agree to it.

The Buying Process

Motion Invest marketplace listings include an asking price. Buyers can choose to purchase the site for the asking price or submit a lower offer. If the transaction is below $2,000, the buyer must pay the full amount upfront. If the transaction is above $2,000, the buyer must make a non-refundable $1,000 deposit. The remaining amount must be paid after both parties have signed the asset purchase agreement (APA). 

The buyer sends payment to Motion Invest, who acts as an escrow agent. Motion Invest holds the funds until the transfer and inspection period (if applicable) are complete. Finally, Motion Invest releases payment to the seller, concluding the transaction.

Motion Invest Reviews from Buyers and Sellers

Checking reviews from other users is worthwhile. The table below displays the details of Motion Invest’s ratings and reviews on a few platforms (the average ratings are based on a five-star scale).

Who Is Motion Invest Best For?

Because of its focused approach, Motion Invest is ideal in a very specific scenario: buying or selling content-based websites below $10,000. It can also be appropriate for content sites above $10,000, but other platforms may provide better options and more potential buyers at these higher prices.

Motion Invest has a unique spot in the industry. Most brokers don’t deal with lower-priced websites, and most open marketplaces don’t verify listings below $50,000. Motion Invest is one of the few marketplaces with verified, low-priced listings.

However, Motion Invest’s success fee is 20% for sales below $20,000 and 15% for sales from $20,000 – $50,000. These high fees discourage some sellers from using the platform.

Additionally, Motion Invest isn’t an option for e-commerce websites, SaaS, and other online business models. 

If you’re looking to sell an online business with no fees, Investors Club is your best option. And if you want to buy an existing site, create your account to get started.

Marc Andre

Online Business Builder & Content Strategist

Marc has been building websites and online businesses since 2007. He’s built successful businesses in several industries, including web/graphic design, photography, travel, and personal finance. Marc is the founder of Flip My Site, where he writes about buying and selling websites.

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