Transcript
Memo Part 2 of 6. Marketplaces. First half, four focused platforms in depth, then the second tier worth monitoring. Fit ratings are for one specific search, a first-time individual buyer, $1 million to $2 million cash flowing, semi-absentee or manager run. For each platform, what it specializes in, typical size, buyer cost, vetting, and fit. Biz Buy Sell.
Specializes in Main Street and local, services, retail, restaurants, light manufacturing, typical size, median close deal, $350k in 2025, higher cost, free to search and contact, optional edge as low as $14.99 a month, vetting, none by the platform. It is a marketing platform, not a brokerage, and the financials are whatever the seller or broker reports. Fit 4 out of 5. This is the primary channel for this search.
Acquire.com specializes in SaaS and startups, typical size, 5 to 7 figure deals, with access tiers set by trailing 12 month revenue. Buyer cost, basic is free. Premium $390 a year covers startups up to $250k of trailing revenue. Platinum $780 a year covers any size. Vetting, moderate. Curated listings, synced metrics, ID and linked in checks, but the financials are still seller provided. Fit, 4 out of 5, for micro SaaS and digital deals only. Empire Flippers.
Specializes in curated digital businesses, content sites, e-commerce, SaaS, and agencies. Typical size, about half of listings are priced below $300k. Buyer cost, no buyer fee and no subscription. Access is gated by identity and proof of funds verification and buyers unlock listings up to their verified liquidity band. Vetting, the strongest of the digital marketplaces, with pre-listing revenue, expense, and analytics verification. Fit, 4 out of 5 for a first digital deal. Website closers.
Specializes in broker digital deals. Amazon FBA, SAAS, e-commerce, agencies. Typical size, mostly $1.2 million and up, with a sampled page running to $24 million. His buyer cost, no buyer fee published.
The seller pays a success fee only, and the percentage is not published. Vetting, broker led. NDA plus proof of liquid capital before the CIM, and the broker prepares the valuation and qualifies buyers. Fit, 3 out of 5. Real process, but most inventory sits above this buy box. Flippa. Specializes in digital volume. Agencies, SaaS, apps, content, YouTube. Buyer cost, free for buyers.
Premium, $49 a month or $490 a year. Escrow from about 1%. Vetting, the weakest of the group, opens self-listing with opt-in verification badges. Fit, 2 out of 5. Worth alerts, priced as unverified unless the data is connected. The second tier, worth monitoring, not primary channels. BizQuest, the sibling of BizBuyCell, with roughly 17,000 main street listings and heavy overlap. Businessesforsale.com, an international main street board whose U.S. section is a useful second sweep.
Axial, a private advisor-only network for deals at $5 million to $250 million of revenue. Too large for this search, but its workflow is worth copying. And specialist digital brokers such as FE International and Quiet Light at the higher end. And Latonis, Motion Invest, and Microns for small content and micro SaaS deals. The deep dives on each platform follow in the next parts.