Flippa has significantly influenced the online mergers and acquisitions (M&A) industry. As an open marketplace, Flippa accepts listings to sell almost any type of online business regardless of details like business model, age, or profit.
This article covers specific stats and figures related to Flippa and its users, providing insights into the popular platform.
Flippa Basics
- Originally founded by Mark Harbottle and Matt Mickiewicz as the SitePoint Marketplace
- Flippa launched as a separate website in 2009
- Based in Melbourne, Australia
- North American headquarters in Austin, Texas
- 44 employees
- CEO: Blake Hutchison
Flippa Statistics
Here are stats and figures found through various sources.
1. Flippa Publishes 3,000 New Listings Each Month
On average, Flippa publishes 100 new listings per day. The company also reports that they perform 4,000 valuations each month.
Flippa’s extremely high volume of listings can overwhelm some buyers and sellers. Sellers face a challenge to stand out in the crowd and buyers may have trouble browsing through so many listings to find what interests them. If you’re looking for a Flippa alternative that focuses on each individual listing, consider Investors Club.
2. Flippa’s Listing Fees Range From $29-$999
Flippa has a complex fee structure with several different types of fees for sellers (we have an article covering Flippa’s fees in detail). The non-refundable listing fee starts at $29 for listings priced below $10K. Flippa offers several different packages plus a series of optional upgrades. A success fee applies to every listing that sells.
3. 67% of Flippa’s Listings Are Below $50,000
Although sellers can list websites in many industries and all sizes on Flippa, most listings fall into the lower price ranges. The table below shows the data we found by analyzing listing prices in March 2024. We included Investors Club numbers to give you an idea of how our marketplace compares to Flippa.
Price Range | Flippa | Investors Club |
Less than $1K | 8.3% | 0% |
$1K-$5K | 14.6% | 0% |
$5K-$10K | 13.5% | 3.1% |
$10K-$50K | 30.4% | 46.8% |
$50K-$100K | 10.9% | 18.8% |
$100K-$250K | 10.7% | 15.6% |
$250K-$500K | 4.4% | 6.3% |
$500K-$1M | 2.8% | 3.1% |
Over $1M | 4.3% | 6.3% |
4. 51.8% of Flippa’s Listings Are E-Commerce Businesses
When we analyzed Flippa’s listings to see which types of websites and businesses were the most common on the marketplace, we saw that roughly half of the listings were e-commerce sites. Content sites accounted for over a quarter of the listings. The table below shows the breakdown by percentage of total listings.
Business Type | Flippa | Investors Club |
E-Commerce | 51.8% | 12.5% |
Content Sites | 28% | 87.5% |
SaaS | 8.1% | 0% |
Other | 12.1% | 0% |
Related reading: Flippa Review for Buyers and Sellers (Is It Legit?)
5. More than 300,000 Digital Assets Have Sold on Flippa
Since the platform’s launch in 2009, it has facilitated the sale of more than 300K domain names, websites, and online businesses globally. More than 12K websites and online businesses sell on the marketplace each year.
6. Flippa Earns $70+ Million in Annual Revenue
Flippa is a privately owned company and doesn’t disclose its revenue or profit numbers. Growjo.com estimates Flippa’s annual revenue to be $22.6 million, and RocketReach.com estimates it at $5 million. However, both of those estimates appear to be very low.
It was reported in 2015 that Flippa expected to generate $70 million in revenue over the next 12 months after acquiring Domain Holdings. Flippa has grown, increased fees, and added more optional services since then, so it’s reasonable to assume the company’s revenue exceeds $70 million per year.
7. Domain Name Sales Account for 7.5% of Flippa’s Transactional Value
Domain name sales represent a very small part of Flippa’s business, even though there are thousands of domain names listed for sale. As a result, Flippa’s marketplace and services cater to website and online business owners, rather than domain sellers.
8. Flippa’s Buyer Pool Exceeds 2 Million Companies and Individuals
In 2023, Flippa reported that its buyer pool exceeded 2 million. With listings ranging from under $1K to more than $10M, it’s not surprising that Flippa’s audience includes a few different types of buyers. Flippa noted that larger deals typically sell to companies, while individuals buy more of the smaller deals.
- 67% of transactions over $1M sell to companies and institutional buyers
- 63% of transactions $250K – $1M sell to acquisition entrepreneurs and side hustlers
- 84% of transactions under $250K sell to acquisition entrepreneurs and side hustlers
The table below shows the buyer types of deals above and below $1M.
Buyer Type | Above $1 Million | Below $1 Million |
Company | 66.67% | 15.96% |
Entrepreneur | 33.33% | 26.99% |
Side Hustler | 0% | 57.05% |
From the same article, Flippa lists each buyer type’s preferred deal size.
Buyer Type | Preferred Deal Size |
Company | $830,000 |
Entrepreneur | $110,000 |
Side Hustler | $20,000 |
9. The Average Multiple Is 3.03x Monthly Profit
Valuations and multiples are important details for both buyers and sellers. In 2023, Flippa reported the average selling price was 3.03x monthly profit, which was down from the platform’s all time high of 3.2x in the second half of 2022.
The table below shows much more detail regarding multiples for different asset types and price ranges.
Price Range | Asset Type | Profit Multiple | ||
Median | Mean | Highest | ||
$250K+ | Content Site | 2.4 | 2.8 | 5.9 |
Ecommerce | 2.3 | 2.3 | 3.7 | |
Marketplace | 22.8 | 22.8 | 22.8 | |
SaaS | 3.3 | 3.6 | 4.5 | |
Service Business | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | |
$50K-$250K | App | 1.8 | 2.1 | 3.9 |
Content Site | 2.3 | 2.4 | 3.8 | |
Ecommerce | 1.6 | 1.6 | 4.4 | |
Marketplace | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.3 | |
New & Emerging | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4. | |
SaaS | 1.4 | 1.7 | 2.8 | |
Service Business | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.3 | |
Under $50K | App | 2.7 | 7.1 | 41.7 |
Content Site | 2.0 | 4.1 | 49.7 | |
Ecommerce | 0.2 | 0.7 | 33.3 | |
Marketplace | 0.9 | 3.4 | 20.8 | |
New & Emerging | 0.1 | 0.7 | 5.0 | |
SaaS | 0.6 | 2.9 | 49.9 | |
Service Business | 0.1 | 1.0 | 33.2 |
One of the noteworthy sales reported by Flippa was a content site, trading-education.com, that sold for 5.93x annual profit—the highest multiple for any content site on the platform in 2023.
The highest multiple for an ecommerce site in 2023 was 4.7x annual profit. This was a 19-year-old hair loss prevention site with an incredible 96% profit margin.
The highest multiple for a service-based business in 2023 was 5x annual profit. This was a growth marketing agency that sold for $2.7 million.
In addition to asset type and price range, age also impacts the multiple. Flippa reported businesses less than 3 years old sell for an average multiple of 2.58x, while businesses over 3 years old sell for an average of 3.15x.
Related reading: How Does Flippa Work?
10. The Average Age of Businesses Sold on Flippa Is 2.5 Years
Flippa’s marketplace includes everything from starter sites to assets over a decade old. According to Flippa, the average age of sold listings is 2.5 years.
11. More Than 50% of Successful Listings Sell Within 30 Days
Flippa reported that the average time from listing to closing varies significantly depending on the transaction size. Overall, more than 50% of successful listings close less than 30 days from the listing date. However, that number is somewhat skewed by the fact that smaller listings make up the majority of the marketplace.
The median closing time by deal size is:
- Below $50K: 15 days
- $50K -$250K: 49 days
- $250K+: 73 days
12. Flippa’s Website Attracts 1.3 Million Visitors per Month
Similar Web provides insightful data related to Flippa’s audience. The United States accounts for the largest percentage of visitors. The top five are:
- United States: 34.55%
- India: 6.77%
- United Kingdom: 5.35%
- Australia: 5.08%
- Spain: 3.67%
According to Similar Web, 67.82% of Flippa’s website visitors are male and 32.18% are female.
The most common age range of Flippa’s website visitors is 25-34 years old. The table below shows the full breakdown.
Age Range | Percentage of Website Visitors |
18-24 | 11.37% |
25-34 | 34.38% |
35-44 | 23.12% |
45-54 | 15.9% |
55-64 | 9.82% |
65+ | 5.41% |
13. Flippa Users Represent 193 Countries
Flippa attracts a global audience. According to the company, 67% of deals on the platform involve buyers and sellers in different countries.
14. In December 2023, Flippa Acquired BitsForDigits, a Platform With 50,000 Buyers
BitsForDigits, a Berlin-based company, is a popular European M&A platform targeting online businesses that make at least $100,000 per year. In the acquisition announcement, Flippa reported that BitsForDigits closed 238 deals in 2023.
15. Flippa Has 15 In-House M&A Advisors and More Than 200 Third-Party Brokers
Flippa offers sellers the option of a DIY listing or a brokered service (for listings above $250,000). Flippa also has a program for third-party brokers who want more exposure for their listings, providing another option for sellers. Broker services involve additional fees for sellers.
16. The Largest Transaction Was $35,000,000
In 2022, a portfolio of Singapore-based mobile apps sold on Flippa for $35M, which is the platform’s largest transaction to date. Flippa wrote about the deal in a blog post but noted that both the buyer and seller preferred to remain anonymous. The listing was private, which Flippa offers as an upgrade for sellers. According to Flippa, the deal took about six months to complete.
17. Buyers and Investors Make More Than 600,000 Searches Each Month
Flippa’s website receives more than 600K searches each month from visitors looking to buy digital assets. Flippa also provides some insight into the most popular search phrases. The top five include:
- SaaS
- Blog
- Shopify
- AdSense
- Amazon
18. Flippa Received $11,000,000 of Funding in 2021
The Series A funding round was led by VentureOne, but also included Andrew Walsh (former Hitwise CEO), Flippa co-founders Mark Harbottle and Matt Mickiewicz, 99designs, Catch.com.au founders Gabby and Hezi Leibovich, RetailMeNot.com founders Guy King and Bevan Clarke, and Reactive Media founders Tim O’Neill and Tim Fouhy.
Flippa planned to use the funding to develop technology to match buyers and sellers.
Sources
- https://flippa.com/blog/insight-report-june-2023/
- https://flippa.com/services/broker-program
- https://flippa.com/about
- https://flippa.com/blog/portfolio-of-apps-sold-on-flippa/
- https://flippa.com/pricing
- https://flippa.com/sell
- https://flippa.com/blog/flippas-acquisition-of-bitsfordigits-press-release/
- https://www.similarweb.com/website/flippa.com/
- https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/20/flippa-raises-11m-to-match-online-asset-and-business-buyers-sellers/
- https://domainnamewire.com/2015/05/20/flippa-acquires-domain-holdings/
- https://growjo.com/company/Flippa.com
- https://rocketreach.co/flippacom-profile_b5c295bef42e0ec8
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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