Selling your online store... sometimes, after much deliberation, you're finally ready. You've poured your heart and soul into your business for years, spending hours researching new products, building collections, and shipping orders. And now it's all over. Time for a new phase, a new challenge, a new plan, or simply: rest.
The first question that might cross your mind is: "What is my online store worth?" Unfortunately, there's no one-size-fits-all answer, and it depends on many factors. Moreover, there are many different ways to determine a webshop's value. You'll find more information below.
Do you want to buy a webshop?
Then you've come to the right place. Looking for a great business to jump into, a well-thought-out concept with potential, or a fresh webshop with plenty of potential? We're often the first to hear from webshop owners about their sales plans. Check out our blog or simply get in touch . Who knows!
Do you want to sell a webshop?
👉 Click here for our Webshop Sales service
What should you consider when selling? To determine a fair value, you need to consider the following:
- number of unique visitors per month
- number of active customers
- average number of orders per month
- average spending per order
- annual turnover (average over 3 years)
- profit before taxes (3-year average)
- any available stock
- registered domain names
- registered trademarks such as the logo
- the webshop software used
- investments that have been made
- social media reach (followers)
- social media vanity URLs
- newsletter file
- branding/corporate identity
Webshop valuation and a formula
It's often recommended to use 2 to 3 times the annual profit (average of the last 3 years) as a guideline. This can be used as a rough initial estimate, but it's a bit of a stretch.
This is one of the many formulas to calculate the approximate value of your webshop:
2 x profit (3-year average)
+
0.8/1.2 times turnover (3-year average)
= subtotal : 2 = result
There are more factors to consider. For example, a good image and a strong domain name have "brand value" that can be priced accordingly. Consider these variables:
- How much does it even cost to build a new shop from scratch?
- ranking (how much does it cost to get close?)
- Is there a Google AdWords campaign behind it? What does it cost to set it up with the same 'history'?
- brand awareness, that's the most important thing!
To give a more concrete answer: roughly speaking, it's best to use 2 to 3 times the annual profit (averaged over the past 3 years) as a guideline. Ultimately, profit is what matters most when running a business.
Ready to sell?
If you're planning to sell your webshop, SYSO offers a great network. In our own search for a partner to sell our own webshop, Applepiepieces (in 2018), we didn't find what we were looking for. Often, we ended up with a meager and anonymous listing where you're a number missing in a confusing anonymous list, or companies charging between €5,000 and €10,000 for their services, plus a percentage of the sales price.
Selling your webshop: get started!
Are you, for whatever reason, ready to sell your online store to a reputable, genuinely interested new owner? Are you looking for a place where your carefully built business can thrive and won't be drowned out by hundreds of other offers? Then you've come to the right place . Many have (successfully) done so before you.
