How a deal closes here
Seven steps, three templates, and one decision about escrow. We charge nothing at closing and we never hold the money — so this is a guide, not a service, and every step below is one you run yourselves.
What we are, exactly
A listing venue. We are not a party to your transaction, not a broker, not an agent for either side, and not your lawyer. We do not vet buyers or sellers, and no money from a sale passes through us. The listing fee is the only thing we ever charge, and it is charged before the deal, not out of it.
The sequence
- 01
The buyer emails the seller
There is no messaging layer here, on purpose: a buyer contacts a founder directly from their profile. Contacting sellers is free, and we never see the conversation. A first message that names a number and says why tends to get answered; one that says "is this still available" tends not to.
- 02
Optional: a mutual NDA
Either side can propose it. Worth it once diligence means handing over customer data or source code; overkill for a $1,500 side project whose whole story is already on a public profile.
- 03
A letter of intent
Price, what is included, how the money moves, how long diligence runs, and whether the seller stops talking to other buyers. Mostly non-binding, which is the point — it turns a conversation into terms before anyone pays a lawyer.
- 04
The buyer does diligence
Alone. We are not involved, and we do not vet buyers or sellers. Verified MRR on a listing is a figure synced read-only from the seller's payment provider at the time of the last sync — a strong starting point, not an audit. Ask to see it inside their dashboard, live.
- 05
Both sides sign the purchase agreement
The document that actually transfers the assets, with an itemised schedule attached. If it is not on the schedule, it is not being sold.
- 06
The money goes into escrow — or doesn't
Above roughly $2,000, open an Escrow.com transaction and attach the signed agreement. Below it, the escrow minimum costs more than the risk it removes, and direct settlement is the honest recommendation. Either way the money moves between the two of you. It never passes through us.
- 07
The seller transfers, the buyer confirms, the funds release
Domain, repository, database, hosting, brand, socials, app-store listings. Payment provider accounts almost never transfer — plan a migration and expect a visible gap in the revenue curve around the handover.
Templates
Outlines rather than fill-in-the-blank contracts, and they are not legal advice. They have not been reviewed by a lawyer yet; when they have, this page will say so. Use them to know what a document has to settle, then have someone qualified in your jurisdiction draft or check the real thing.
Escrow, and when to skip it
Escrow.com is a licensed escrow company, open to anyone, with no exclusive arrangement with any marketplace including this one. Either side can open a transaction; the fee is payable by the buyer, the seller, or split, and you agree which in the LOI.
- 1.One side opens a transaction and names the other by email.
- 2.Both agree the terms: price, what is being transferred, and the inspection period.
- 3.The buyer funds it. Escrow.com holds the money — nobody else does.
- 4.The seller transfers the assets, with the purchase agreement as the checklist.
- 5.The buyer confirms receipt within the inspection period.
- 6.Escrow.com releases the funds to the seller.
| Deal size | Fee |
|---|---|
| Under $5,000 | 2.6%$50 minimum |
| $5,000 – $50,000 | 2.4% |
| $50,000 – $200,000 | 1.9% |
| $200,000 – $500,000 | 1.5% |
| $500,000 – $1M | 1.2% |
The $50 minimum is what decides it. On a $1,000 sale escrow costs 5% of the price, which is more than the exposure it removes for most buyers. Below roughly $2,000, settle directly: transfer the domain first, take payment, then hand over the rest, and keep the whole exchange in writing. Above it, use escrow — the fee is small and the failure mode it prevents is total.
Transfer checklist
- Domain and registrar account
- Source repository, and every account that hosts it
- Database and backups
- Customer list — with a lawful basis for transferring it
- Payment provider: usually a migration to the buyer's own account, not a transfer
- Hosting, DNS, email, analytics, error tracking
- Brand assets, trademarks, and the source files
- Social handles, app-store listings, newsletter and its provider
- Documentation, and any third-party licences that travel with the code
Nothing on this page is legal, tax or financial advice. Verified MRR means metrics read from a seller’s payment provider at the time of the last sync; we do not audit them. Asking prices, margins and descriptions are seller-reported. See the Terms for the full position, and the marketplace for what is currently for sale.