Comments on: Why I Now Think Flipping Is A Bad Idea

By: Blog Flipping

Blog Flipping — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:02:21 +0000

This was a great post, and I can see where you are coming from. However, I disagree. Blogging in general isn’t a given, it’s no more risky to sell the sites than keep them. What if 5 years from now some new form of media comes out and replaces blogs. Your left holding a worthless domain with some content on it. I understand the chances of that happening are small, but they still exist.

I flip sites for cash flow while building other sites for long term equity. The key is the same as stock market investing, diversify. I have short, medium, and long term investments but they all work together to make me money now, while saving some for the future.

By: James Swanson

James Swanson — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:58:12 +0000

I agree with you guys but I think we miss one important component in all of the above: creating brand new sites and flipping them.

It’s an interesting (and profitable!) twist to the same argument. Personally I don’t mind if my buyer makes 1K/month from a site that took me a few hours to build and flip. He/she had to do a lot of work to make it so profitable. I am more of a fast-cash kinda guy. Make’em flip’em …move on. I prefer it like that as i get less but faster cash in my hands and I do not get bored.
At flippingwebsites.net I talk more about it if you want to comment but the idea is simple.
-JD

By: Peter Davis

Peter Davis — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 03:08:33 +0000

I think it takes a certain mindset to succeed with flipping. Typically, the serial entrepreneur type. For example, I tend to get interested in new projects very quickly. Rather than let the old projects die out through neglect, why not flip them? As a solo entrepreneur, it’s necessary to realize there are limits to how much you can successfully manage even with freelancers to help. Buying and selling websites can create a great revenue stream that supports longer term projects also. Tons of different reasons for people to try their hand at flipping. Plus, it’s fun. I get a real thrill out of chasing down the next deal.

By: Tim Phelan

Tim Phelan — Tue, 01 May 2007 21:48:22 +0000

I absolutely agree that one should always think about potential when selling a website. Just buying and selling without regards to thinking about the future doesn’t make much sense. However, the fact is there are tons of web site out there that have potential like the one you describe here:

“I bought a site last June for $500 from someone who was looking to flip. I’ve now made over $7000 off that site.”

Why not buy them, make money, decide whether you want to keep them or not? The thing is, if you keep buying, are you going to be able to keep all the sites growing and up to date? If so, keep them. Some however like the idea of buying at a low price, makeing money, selling for more and repeating the process.

So I don’t think flipping is a bad idea. Is selling real estate a bad idea? After all, most real estate has long term potential. Some however, don’t want to deal with the managing of the properties.

Tim

By: Flipping Websites Versus Building Your Internet Empire at FreshBlogger

Flipping Websites Versus Building Your Internet Empire at FreshBlogger — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 07:05:10 +0000

[...] With all this said, I don’t think I’ll be flipping websites much. Ryan at College Startup has posted an article about why he now thinks flipping websites is a bad idea. Basically, his points are the same reasons you might buy a website in the first place. The main reason he advocates not selling the websites, though, is because of the potential value. [...]