Most website marketplaces and brokers are built to sell running businesses, and they price those businesses as a multiple of annual profit. A dormant website with real traffic, earned links and a brand that still ranks, but no current profit, does not fit that model: some platforms will not accept it at all, and on open marketplaces the profit-based pricing gives it little to work with. That is not a criticism of the marketplaces. It is what they are designed for, and for a profitable, running site they are usually the right place to sell.
How do marketplaces and brokers price a website?
Almost all of them start from profit. Empire Flippers states its formula directly: listing price equals 12 months of net profit multiplied by 1.7 to 5 or more. Flippa publishes average multiples by asset type in its 2025 insights report: on Flippa in 2025, ecommerce stores sold for about 1.4x annual profit on average and content sites about 2.6x.
The arithmetic is simple. A profit multiple applied to zero profit is zero. A closed Shopify store or a shut-down app may still have hundreds of visitors a month and press coverage from its launch, but the model these platforms use has no line for that.
What do the main platforms require and charge?
The table summarizes each platform’s published figures as of October 2026. Always check the live page before listing, because fees change.
| Platform | Who it is for | Entry requirements | Seller fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flippa | Open marketplace, all sizes | None stated for self-serve listings | Listings from $29, plus a success fee shown as 10%; closing payments add roughly 1% or more |
| Empire Flippers | Curated marketplace | At least $24,000 net profit a year and 12 months of consistent revenue | 15% on most sales under $700K, $10,000 minimum |
| Motion Invest | Profitable content sites and YouTube channels | Profitable assets | No upfront fee; 20% commission on small sales, falling to 5% above $500K |
| Acquire.com | Startups and SaaS | Check with the platform | Small monthly listing fee and 6% to 8% only if it sells |
| FE International | Advisory broker | Check with the broker | Success fees only, no upfront listing cost |
Sources: Flippa pricing, Empire Flippers sell page, Motion Invest and its affiliate page, Acquire.com seller pricing and FE International.
Why does a dormant site rarely qualify?
Each platform’s model points the same way, for good reasons.
Empire Flippers requires $2,000 a month in profit for a year, sustained over 12 months of consistent revenue, and ad and affiliate sites must have been on the same domain for the prior 12 months. A business that stopped trading cannot meet that, and the $10,000 minimum commission only makes sense on a sale well above it.
Motion Invest focuses on profitable websites and channels. Its commission of 20% on small sales and its falling-price auctions, where the “price drops every 48 hours until sold or reserve is met,” work for assets with income a buyer can underwrite.
Acquire.com and FE International serve startups and established online businesses. A shut-down startup’s website without the product or the revenue behind it is a different asset from the businesses they usually sell.
Flippa is the most open. You can list almost anything, and some buyers there do look at traffic and history. But pricing still tracks profit, smaller deals trade at lower multiples ($10K to $100K sales averaged 1.8x in 2025), and content site sales fell about a third on Flippa in 2025 while SaaS volume rose sharply. A listing fee plus a success fee on a low sale price can leave very little.
Time matters too. Empire Flippers’ scoreboard reports an average of 130 days to sell, and Flippa says mid six-figure deals take around 90 days to close when the books are clean. Meanwhile, a dormant site still has renewal dates and hosting bills.
What do the fees look like on a small sale?
Fees that are reasonable on a large sale take a bigger bite out of a small one. Illustration: suppose a dormant content site attracted a buyer at $15,000. Empire Flippers would not list it, because it does not meet the profit minimum. On Motion Invest, the 20% commission for sales under $20,000 would come to $3,000. On Flippa, if the 10% success fee shown on its pricing page applied, it would be $1,500, plus the listing plan and roughly 1% or more in closing payment fees. Escrow, if used separately, adds its own fee, which the two sides agree how to split.
None of these fees is unfair for the work involved. They simply assume a sale price set by profit, and a site with no profit often struggles to reach a price where the fee is a small share.
When is a marketplace or broker the better choice?
Say it plainly: if your website is profitable and the business is still running, a marketplace or broker is usually where it belongs. They bring a large pool of qualified buyers, they price on the profit you have proven, and on Empire Flippers the typical, non-distressed business sells for about 2.2x annual profit, against about 1.1x for distressed ones. Selling while the business is healthy almost always beats selling after it stops.
A broker is especially worth it when the business has clean books, a year or more of steady profit and a value high enough that the commission is a small share of the result. Our comparison of a website broker versus a direct buyer covers fees, speed and certainty for that decision.
Where does a dormant website fit instead?
A site from a closed business still has value in its organic traffic, its earned authority links and a brand people still search for. Our pillar guide on what a dormant website is still worth explains why “no profit” does not mean “no value”.
The realistic routes are a direct buyer or a lease-to-own arrangement. Our lease-to-own terms are roughly $300 to $500 per month per site, paid monthly until the agreed price is paid in full, with an outright cash purchase possible for the right asset. We take over hosting, renewals and upkeep from day one, and everything is in a written agreement before any transfer. The monthly route pays a higher total than our cash offer; the comparison of lease-to-own versus an outright sale sets out the trade-off.
What we look for is specific: still indexed, at least 500 monthly organic visits as estimated by Ahrefs, at least two or three strong authority links, a brand that still ranks for some keywords and a domain you can transfer. We do not buy parked, expired or dropped domains, hobby blogs without a business behind them, or penalized or hacked sites. Our side-by-side of marketplaces versus leasing shows how the two routes compare on fees and timing.
What to do next
- If the business is still profitable, start with a marketplace or broker while the numbers are strong.
- If it has stopped trading, check whether the site meets the minimums above using free tools.
- If it does, send us your site for a free valuation and compare the offer with any marketplace route.
Frequently asked questions
Can I list a website with no revenue on Flippa?
Flippa is an open marketplace, so you can usually create a listing, starting at $29 for the entry plan. The question is what buyers will pay. Flippa's own 2025 data shows sale prices tracking annual profit, so a site with no current profit has little for the usual pricing method to multiply. Some buyers do bid on traffic and history, but expect a small field and a low price.
Do website marketplaces charge me if my site does not sell?
It depends on the platform. Flippa charges an upfront listing fee plus a success fee when the sale closes. Acquire.com charges a small monthly listing fee and a closing fee only if the startup sells. Motion Invest and FE International say they charge no upfront fees. Empire Flippers shows no listing fee on its sell page and takes a commission at sale. Check the live pricing page before you commit.
Should I try a broker before looking at a direct buyer?
If the business is still profitable and running, yes, a broker or curated marketplace is usually the stronger route, because they bring many qualified buyers and price on profit you can prove. If the business has stopped trading and the site has traffic, links and a brand that still ranks but no profit, a direct buyer or a lease-to-own arrangement is usually the more realistic option.
What profit multiple would a closed business website get?
Usually none in the standard sense, because a multiple needs current profit to multiply. For reference, Empire Flippers reports distressed businesses selling at about 1.1x annual profit against 2.2x for typical ones. A site with no profit is often valued instead on its traffic, links, brand and history, which is the kind of asset some direct buyers look for.
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