If you’re a SitePoint troll (like me) I’m sure you would’ve noticed that the marketplace has an abundance of sites that are just pure fluff no matter what angle you perceive them from.
Proxies, imagehosts and URL shorteners are 3 types of sites that are getting so annoyingly common that it’s not even funny. No matter where you go, SitePoint or DigitalPoint, you’ll surely find at least 1 (if not more) of these sites on the frontpage.
You ask, what exactly is wrong with selling these type of sites if they sell well?
Small correction… They don’t really sell well, at least not any longer. Like all other marketplaces even these marketplaces are governed by basic principles like the demand and supply principle which basically states that as the supply increases, the demand automatically decreases.
I’ve never really liked economics, but come to think of it, isn’t this common sense? Let me present to you an example:
A decides to open a pizza parlor in District Z. Now, District Z has never had a pizza parlor before, so everyone flocks to the shop and A gets tons of business. Now, B and C, notice A’s success and open up their respective pizza parlors as well. The people in District Z now have a choice between 3 pizza parlors. They will obviously go to the parlor which offers the most quality and the best value for money. So, because supply increased, the demand and the prices both decreased. Now, do you see where this is going?
So, what kind of unique sites can you build?
Just the other day SuiteJ listed a site on SitePoint and it just plain stunned a lot of us site flippers. Guess the niche of the site? Ants, yes that’s right, Ants. Those tiny creatures that scuttle about all day are actually important enough to have an entire site dedicated to them.
He discovered a niche that wasn’t overly competitive and built up a w=perfect domination tool. What’s more, the site looked amazing (check it out : AntSwers) and not surprisingly, it sold for the original BIN price of $327.
Now, that’s just one example of a unique niche Jay found and buy! it certainly wasn’t a waste of his time. $327 for 3-4 hours of work (I think he even wrote the articles himself) is certainly not bad at all. It comes out to be approximately $80 per hour which is nearly 7 times the average hourly wage ($13)
You can take this a step further. Find a niche which is relatively untapped and build an entire network about the niche. A blog, a content site, forums, chatroom and the works. It could turn out to be hugely profitable in the long-run as people who are passionate about these niches are literally starving for good sources of information about their passion.
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September 2nd, 2008 at 7:08 am
I haven’t really gotten into site-flipping although there is absolutely tons of money to be made in that area. I guess it just isn’t my thing, maybe in the future I will try it
Interesting story about the square that did nothing though.
Scots last blog post..$100 A Day With Adsense #1
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:03 pm
It’s so true, especially now that everyone is trying their hand at “site flipping” by throwing up 5-10 articles on a generic theme.
I’ve tried a few different things, but nothing way off course yet. I will though, because I enjoy flipping sites, and soon, I think you’ll HAVE to be unqiue and stand out if you want to make any profit.
I’d like to see the “square site” too. I guess I could investigate/search for it. Add the link if you have it.
Cheers!
Jay
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:35 am
Yeh I have just been doing the same old same old when it comes to site flips. I think it is time for me to get out of the box…
that is hilarious how that website sold. Some people will honestly buy anything if someone is trying to sell it.
Are you a site flipper? Have you flipped any sites?
Ryan McLeans last blog post..Finding The Confidence in Yourself
September 4th, 2008 at 10:24 am
I agree with you. I have been flipping sites since before and if you don’t have something unique (e.g., a WordPress blog using the Kubrick theme with a bunch of PLR articles), you shouldn’t expect a good amount of money — even if you worked hard posting the PLR stuff.
October 29th, 2008 at 4:46 am
Thanks a lot for the tips, I will try this out
November 6th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Yeah Ryan. Give site flipping a go and you will be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is.