Our recommendation for the best broker to sell your ecommerce business is Dealflow Brokerage because of its high success rate, extensive investor network, and exit planning expertise. Get your free valuation today.
Selling an ecommerce business on your own is a complex and time-consuming task. You need to find a buyer, negotiate the deal, and go through the legal steps associated with selling a business.
Ecommerce business brokers simplify this process by doing all the heavy lifting for you. From finding qualified buyers to escrow services, exit planning, and more, they’ll ensure you get maximum value on the sale.
The Top 5 Best Brokers to Sell Your Ecommerce Business
We’ve identified the five best ecommerce brokers on the market today. Dealflow Brokerage is our top recommendation for most ecommerce sites because they help you plan your exit and find buyers willing to pay top dollar for your business. Find out what your online store is worth today.
- Dealflow Brokerage – Best for ecommerce exit planning
- Flippa – Best online marketplace to sell your ecommerce business
- FE International – Best for ecommerce sites that also do wholesale and retail
- Website Properties – Best for selling Amazon and Shopify businesses
- Empire Flippers – Best for selling ecommerce sites with multiple revenue models
Continue reading to find the best broker to sell your ecommerce company.
Match Your Scenario to the Right Broker For Selling Your Ecommerce Business
During our extensive research process, our team at Quick Sprout identified the most common scenarios for people wanting to sell their ecommerce business. If you see a scenario below that best fits your needs, you can jump straight to that section to see the best brokers for your specific needs. This is the fastest and easiest way to find the right ecommerce broker.
- You’re ready to sell your ecommerce business right now
- You need some help with exit planning for a future sale
- You want to manage the deal on your own through a DIY brokerage
- You’re looking for access to qualified and motivated buyers
- You want an accurate valuation to ensure you’re getting maximum value
You’re ready to sell your ecommerce business right now
Best Option: Flippa
If you’re ready to sell and want to get your ecommerce business listed immediately, Flippa is the fastest and easiest way to get exposure. The average sale time is one month, and your business will be on an open marketplace of over 300,000 buyers, increasing your chance to sell sooner than later. Flippa also offers free escrow services and negotiation tools so you can manage everything through a single platform.
Another Great Choice: Website Properties
The average time to sell an ecommerce business with Website Properties is six to eight weeks. This is very fast compared to alternatives on the market, especially since you get such high-quality service throughout the process. This broker doesn’t cut corners and still knows how to get your online business sold quickly.
If you’re ready to sell now, consider brokers with:
- High success rates: High success rates typically mean you won’t have to switch brokers or platforms and further extend the process.
- Quality buyer pools: Fast access to qualified buyers is one of the best ways to sell your ecommerce store quickly.
- Average sale time: While every listing differs, the average will give you a good idea of how long your ecommerce store might be on the market.
- Streamlined sales process: See how many steps you need to go through to get your store listed and in front of buyers.
You need some help with exit planning for a future sale
Best Option: Dealflow Brokerage
Dealflow Brokerage has several different exit planning options, each with a higher level of involvement from a dedicated mergers and acquisitions advisor. They provide monthly coaching services to ensure you do everything possible to set your online store up for maximum value.
This is a great way to identify both risks and opportunities in the market. The services also include a full exit plan audit, a detailed list of action items, and exit roadmapping—all leading up to the official listing and sales process.
Another Great Choice: FE International
As an M&A firm, FE International specializes in maximizing the value of your online store. They’ll handle all of this for you, so you can continue running your business while they work behind the scenes to prepare for the sale. FE International provides exit planning services along with legal structure, due diligence, strategic negotiations, and everything else you need to get ready to sell.
If you need exit planning help, pay attention to:
- Coaching: Sometimes exit planning comes in the form of a report or checklist, but the best services provide ongoing coaching.
- Timelines: It can be a red flag if the broker wants you to sell immediately instead of planning a proper exit strategy.
- Fine print: If you’re going to use a broker’s exit planning services, you may also need to use them when it’s time to sell.
You want to manage the deal on your own through a DIY brokerage
Best Option: Flippa
Not everyone wants to work with a dedicated advisor to sell their ecommerce business. This is especially true for smaller ecommerce stores and owners who don’t want to pay higher commission fees. If you fall into this category, Flippa is the best marketplace option for your ecommerce store.
The commission fees start at 10%, even for ecommerce sites sold for under $50,000. Other brokerages take 15% for similar sales prices. You can also access free escrow services with your Flippa listing package.
Another Great Choice: Empire Flippers
Empire Flippers is another excellent DIY solution for ecommerce businesses that want to go through a marketplace. They’re great at vetting buyers, so you’ll never hear from people who are just window shopping and aren’t actually interested. Beyond the DIY approach, Empire Flippers provides you with different ideas and unique deal structures to help finalize the sale. They’ll even contact your web host on your behalf once the deal goes through to ease the transition.
If you prefer a DIY approach to selling your ecommerce business, keep an eye on:
- Marketplace listings: Check the existing ecommerce listings on the marketplace to see how other businesses are positioned for success.
- Listing process: There should be a clear and guided step-by-step process for you to follow as you’re entering the information.
- Valuation tool: If you’re doing this on your own, you want to make sure you get a good valuation to ensure you’re not overpriced or leaving money on the table.
- Services: While you may want to do some of the work on your own, it’s nice to know your broker is there for support if you have questions or need help.
You’re looking for access to qualified and motivated buyers
Best Option: Dealflow Brokerage
Dealflow Brokerage has an investor network of more than one million buyers, and they’ll list your business for sale on their own platform and third-party networks. But what really separates Dealflow Brokerage from the crowd is how they actively reach out to qualified candidates instead of just letting your listing sit dormant online for people to find.
Another Great Choice: FE International
FE International has a global network of more than 80,000 pre-qualified buyers. These buyers represent more than $41 billion in capital. This broker boasts an impressive 94.1% sales success rate, so you know that they’re connecting clients with the right buyers.
If you need help finding qualified buyers, consider:
- Total exposure: Assess how many total buyers the broker has access to.
- Listing platforms: Find out how many networks and websites your site will be listed on.
- Confidentiality: If you don’t want employees, customers, or competitors to find out you’re selling, you must evaluate how the broker keeps your information private while still gaining exposure and interest.
- Success rate: The success rate speaks for itself, as it’s an excellent indication of how well a broker can actually find buyers for you.
You want an accurate valuation to ensure you’re getting maximum value
Best Option: Dealflow Brokerage
Deaflow Brokerages provides free business valuations for ecommerce sites. There’s no commitment and zero upfront cost to see how much your business is worth. In addition to getting an accurate valuation of your business today, Dealflow Brokerage will also let you know if it’s the right time to sell based on the stage of your online store and the overall market conditions. They can help you get maximum value by telling you when it’s the right time to sell.
Another Great Choice: Empire Flippers
Empire Flippers has a free and simple valuation tool to help you discover what your business is worth. They use a proven formula based on net profit and a specific multiple that varies based on other factors you provide. The cool part about Empire Flippers is the valuation tool accounts for all of your revenue channels and monetization models. But you will need to create an Empire Flippers account to get the valuation.
When you’re getting a valuation for your ecommerce business, look for:
- Methodology: Some brokers use the same formula for all valuations, while others take the time to run comprehensive audits to ensure the valuation is more precise.
- External factors: Looking at market behavior and other business sales is important, as it’s more accurate than simply looking at your company’s revenue.
- Consultation vs. DIY: You can get a valuation using a free online calculator or by scheduling a consultation with a dedicated advisor.
Brokers for Selling Ecommerce Business Company Reviews
Continue to read our in-depth reviews of the best brokers for selling your ecommerce business. Every option on our list is a quality candidate to consider, but each one stands out for a specific reason or scenario. As you read these reviews, you’ll learn more about each broker’s strengths, as well as any potential drawbacks. We’ll also cover the costs associated with each ecommerce broker.
Dealflow Brokerage – Best for ecommerce exit planning
Dealflow Brokerage is an experienced mergers and acquisitions advisory company specializing in online businesses. They boast a 93% success rate and have access to more than one million potential buyers within their investor network.
Its white-glove service makes Dealflow Brokerage stand out from the crowd. Unlike other brokers that just want to sell your business as quickly as possible to earn a commission, Dealflow Brokerage will advise you on whether or not this is the right time to sell.
If it’s not the best time to sell, Dealflow Brokerage will actively work with you to find ways to improve the value of your ecommerce business—helping ensure maximum sales value.
It’s worth noting that Dealflow Brokerage is typically a better option for well-established ecommerce sites looking to sell for millions of dollars. While they work with smaller sites, it’s probably unnecessary for you to go through this process if you’re only trying to get a couple hundred thousand for the sale. It’s also worth noting that if you do sign up for the exit planning service, Dealflow Brokerage has the first right of refusal when you decide to officially sell.
What Makes Dealflow Brokerage Great
The exit planning services at Dealflow Brokerage are second to none in this industry. So if you’re not quite ready to sell today but want to position your ecommerce business for maximum value over the next year or so, Dealflow Brokerage has you covered.
They offer three different exit planning packages for ecommerce businesses in different stages. The first option is more of a DIY approach that helps walk you through the steps for your exit plan. The second tier is a two-page exit plan that includes your existing business valuation and a checklist of action items to complete.
Dealflow’s top-tier exit planning service comes with a 20-page report and a dedicated senior advisor that will coach you through the process on a monthly basis until it’s time to sell. Once the business is ready, Dealflow Brokerage can take the reins and actively find buyers in their network.
The full exit planning service starts at $3,500 for your 20-page report and $600 per month for ongoing coaching. They’ll also take a commission when your business sells, and the percentage depends on the sales price.
Flippa – Best online marketplace to sell your ecommerce business
Flippa is arguably the most popular and well-recognized marketplace for buying and selling online businesses. It stands out from alternative marketplaces for its simplicity, reputation, and low fee structure.
For those of you who are ready to sell and want to get your ecommerce business listed ASAP, Flippa is undoubtedly the way to go.
Any online store, regardless of revenue or asking price, can list on Flippa. So whether you’re a small shop that just wants to cash out for $250,000 or you’re a big player selling for $10 million, you can use Flippa as your brokerage.
In addition to the marketplace, Flippa offers free escrow services and other useful tools, including NDAs, confidentiality agreements, legal templates, and more. The downside of using an online marketplace alone is that nobody is actively finding buyers for your business. The hand-picked buyer service is only available if your business is worth over $10 million.
What Makes Flippa Great
Flippa has become such a reliable source for buyers who want to purchase online businesses. This popularity and strong reputation are great news for sellers—since you’ll be listing your online store where buyers come first.
The marketplace has over 313,000 buyers, and nearly 275,000 online businesses have been sold through Flippa. Ecommerce is one of the most popular categories on the platform.
While nobody is actively reaching out to buyers on your behalf, Flippa’s unique algorithm does make it easier for buyers to find your listing based on what they’re looking for. You can negotiate with buyers directly through the platform as well.
Listing packages start at $39, and Flippa’s success fees range from 4% to 10%, depending on the sale price. If you find a comparable platform offering a lower success fee, Flippa will beat it by 1%.
FE International – Best for ecommerce sites that also do wholesale and retail
FE International is a global mergers and acquisitions advisor that has successfully brokered over $1 billion in acquisitions. They provide all of the accounting, valuation, and technical expertise in-house to ensure you can successfully sell your ecommerce store in a timely and efficient manner.
This is an excellent option for ecommerce sites that have complex operations or want to sell for high prices. But one unique standout of FE International compared to every other brokerage we reviewed is its ability to accommodate online stores that also operate offline.
As long as 50% of your sales are online, FE International will qualify you as an ecommerce store. If the rest of your revenue is coming from retail, wholesale, or another revenue stream, they’ll know how to position your listing to target the right buyer pool.
FE International is better suited for larger ecommerce operations that are well-established and flowing cash. If you’re a small startup or not ready to list for more than $2 million, you’ll probably find other solutions on our list a bit more fitting for your needs.
What Makes FE International Great
FE International has different buyer pools willing to invest and purchase ecommerce businesses. They know what types of businesses their buyers want and what their strengths are.
So let’s say you specialize in wholesale but also operate a DTC online store. For some buyers, those are two different businesses. But FE International can help you position yourself appropriately, appealing to the right type of buyer who knows how to handle both ends of the operation.
They can even work with you if your operation is a mix of B2B ecommerce, DTC ecommerce, consumer retail, and wholesale B2B retail. So if part of your business sells online through Amazon and Walmart and the other part is a storefront chain, FE International can still broker the deal and manage all of the complexities associated with it.
Pricing for services and commissions is not available online. But you can reach out to FE International for a free valuation and consultation and inquire about those rates during your call.
Website Properties – Best for Selling Amazon and Shopify Businesses
Website Properties has over 20 years of experience brokering online businesses. They boast an impressive 90% deal closure rate and have facilitated over $550 million in gross sales.
While Website Properties is a great broker for selling any type of online store, this brokerage specializes in Amazon and Shopify businesses. They’ve learned through years of experience that these types of businesses are in high demand from investors, and they know how to facilitate those sales.
It’s worth noting that the list of buyers they work with is a bit smaller compared to other brokerages. However, the list is much more targeted. So don’t let that throw you off if you’re just comparing those numbers side by side.
What Makes Website Properties Great
When you work with Website Properties, you’ll get a white-glove touch from their team of experts. Their small team approach takes the time to understand your needs so they can find qualified buyers.
Website Properties has a private list of 35,000 buyers that they deal with. So when they see an Amazon or Shopify business, they know exactly who to pick up the phone and contact.
This starts with a free evaluation. From there, they’ll prepare a narrative that introduces your company to prospective buyers. Then Website Properties will market the listing, find buyers, and manage the entire sales process—all while maintaining confidentiality for you and your business.
You can get a free valuation from Website Properties to find out how much your ecommerce business is worth. Commissions are based on successful sales, and rates vary based on the sales price.
Empire Flippers – Best for selling ecommerce sites with multiple revenue models
Empire Flippers is an online marketplace for buying and selling online businesses. More than $400 million in sales have been brokered through this company.
What makes Empire Flippers unique compared to similar marketplaces is its ability to provide accurate valuations for online stores with unique revenue models.
For example, maybe you’re selling products through a traditional online store, but you also make money through affiliate marketing and advertisements. Or maybe you sell subscription box services online but also sell one-off items through Amazon. Empire Flippers takes all of this into consideration when they’re coming up with a valuation and positioning your business for sale on the marketplace.
Just note that Empire Flippers does have other listings for online businesses that fall outside the scope of ecommerce. So ecommerce isn’t their only area of focus. It’s also worth noting that at 72%, Empire Flippers has a lower success rate than other options on our list.
What Makes Empire Flippers Great
When you’re going through the valuation and listing process on Empire Flippers, you’ll be walked through a series of questions related to your online store. But unlike similar tools on the market, Empire Flippers lets you account for all of your revenue models in a DIY approach.
So you’re not forced to pick just one area of your online business. All of your online sales channels and monetization methods are included.
This includes traditional ecommerce, Amazon FBA, Amazon associates, display advertising, subscription services, subscription boxes, dropshipping, and more. Maybe you offer software, SaaS, or digital products too. Empire Flippers is perfect for anyone who falls into one or more than one of these unique categories.
Commissions start at 15% for sales under $700,000. They drop to 8% between $700,000 to $5 million and are further reduced to 2.5% if your ecommerce business sells for over $5 million.
Quick Sprout Broker to Sell Your Ecommerce Business Related Content
To help assist you even further, we have some additional resources related to ecommerce brokers, business brokerages, and selling your business. Check out these guides and reviews below:
Brokers to Sell Your Ecommerce Business Guides and How-Tos
- How to Sell Your Business
- How to Buy a Business
- How to Sell an Ecommerce Business
- How to Start a Website Flipping Business
- How to Sell Your Amazon Business
Brokers to Sell Your Ecommerce Business Related Top Lists
The Top Brokers to Sell Your Ecommerce Business in Summary
The best business brokers to sell your ecommerce business help simplify the sales process and set you up for success. Some are great for simple marketplace listings, while others are better for guided exit planning and buyer outreach. You’ll even find some that specialize in specific types of online stores, like Shopify or Amazon.
Dealflow Brokerage will be the best ecommerce business broker for most sellers. They have a high success rate and offer a range of exit planning solutions to ensure you get top dollar for the sale.
