sales-flippa

What this skill does

# Flippa Platform Help

Helps the user with Flippa marketplace questions — from picking a listing package and understanding the tiered fee structure through running due diligence on a listing or responding to scam signals.

## Step 1 — Gather context

If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge.

Ask the user:

1. **What do you need help with?**
   - A) Listing a business for sale — package selection, fees, asset category
   - B) Buying a business — due diligence, verification, avoiding scams
   - C) Understanding fees — listing fees, success fees, add-ons, buyer costs
   - D) Deal process — offers, escrow, FlippaPay, transfer
   - E) Comparing Flippa to Acquire.com, Empire Flippers, or FE International
   - F) Something else

2. **If seller — what's your asset?**
   - A) SaaS / app
   - B) Content site / blog
   - C) Ecommerce (Shopify, Amazon FBA, dropship)
   - D) Domain
   - E) Newsletter / social account
   - F) Multiple / bundle

3. **What's the asking price range?**
   - A) Under $10K
   - B) $10K–$50K
   - C) $50K–$250K
   - D) $250K–$1M
   - E) $1M+

**If the user's prompt already provides enough context, skip directly to the relevant step.** Lead with your best-effort answer and ask only the most critical 1-2 clarifying questions.

## Step 2 — Route or answer directly

If the request maps to another skill, route with an explicit command:

| User's problem | Route to |
|---|---|
| Choosing which marketplace to list on | `/sales-side-project-valuation {user's question}` |
| Valuing the business (revenue multiples, pricing strategy) | `/sales-side-project-valuation {user's question}` |
| Selling a SaaS and deciding between Flippa and Acquire.com | `/sales-acquire {user's question}` — compare Acquire.com side, then come back here for Flippa |
| Showcasing a side project for free (no sale yet) | `/sales-sideprojectors {user's question}` |

Otherwise, answer from platform knowledge below.

## Step 3 — Flippa platform reference

**Read `references/platform-guide.md`** for the full platform reference — listing packages, tiered success fees, add-ons, brokered service, buyer costs, verification, FlippaPay/Escrow integration, and typical timelines.

Answer the user's question using only the relevant section — don't dump the whole reference.

## Step 4 — Actionable guidance

You no longer need the platform guide — focus on the user's specific situation.

- **Pre-listing**: Pick the listing package that fits your asking price and visibility needs. Entry ($29) is for <$10K listings; higher tiers add featured placement, priority, and longer runway. Calculate total cost as listing fee + success fee + any add-ons.
- **Listing**: Connect Stripe/Google Analytics/Shopify/Amazon via OAuth — verified listings above $50K get a "Verified" badge that materially improves inquiry quality. Below $50K, buyers assume self-reported data and discount accordingly.
- **Buyer side**: Never trust screenshots. Insist on live screenshare of payment dashboards and Google Analytics before signing LOI or moving to escrow. Use FlippaPay or Escrow.com — never wire directly.
- **During escrow**: Fund releases can be slow. Keep written records of every communication and escalate via support tickets (not email) for fastest response.

If you discover a gotcha, workaround, or tip not covered in `references/learnings.md`, append it there with today's date.

## Gotchas

*Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and current pricing.*

- **Verification is conditional.** Flippa auto-verifies revenue and traffic **only for listings priced above $50K**. Below that threshold, revenue/traffic is self-reported and frequently inflated. Buyers must do their own verification.
- **Open marketplace = high noise.** Anyone can list. Expect tire-kickers, low-quality listings, and the occasional outright scam. Budget time for filtering.
- **Tiered success fees reward big deals.** 10% on sub-$50K drops to 3% above $10M. For micro-deals, Flippa is expensive relative to 0%-commission marketplaces like Microns or SideProjectors. For $1M+ deals, it's competitive with Empire Flippers (tiered 2-15%).
- **Listing fees are upfront and non-refundable.** If your listing doesn't sell, you don't get the $29-$699 back. Factor this into cross-listing strategy.
- **The $999 brokered service requires $100K+ asking price.** 9-month term, non-refundable if it doesn't sell. You still pay the success fee on top if it does sell.
- **Screenshots and revenue dashboards can be edited.** Chrome DevTools lets anyone alter displayed numbers. Always demand live screenshare or OAuth-connected verification.
- **Buyer Premium ($49/mo) is optional but unlocks saved searches, alerts, and off-market deal access.** Serious buyers usually pay; tire-kickers don't.
- **FlippaPay and Escrow.com are integrated but not free.** Fees scale with transaction size (typically 0.89%-3.25% of the deal). Compare against the Acquire.com-integrated-free-Escrow.com model.
- **Fund releases can be slow and support is frequently criticized.** If your deal is in escrow and something stalls, escalate via support ticket (not email), keep written records, and prepare to push.

## Related skills

- `/sales-side-project-valuation` — Side project valuation strategy — pricing, revenue multiples, deal structuring, and comparing Flippa against Acquire.com, Empire Flippers, FE International, SideProjectors, 1Kprojects, Microns, Little Exits
- `/sales-acquire` — Acquire.com platform help (curated SaaS marketplace, NDA-gated listings, Escrow.com integration included)
- `/sales-trustmrr` — TrustMRR platform help (verified-revenue marketplace with live payment-provider API verification, APA-only lump-sum deals)
- `/sales-sideprojectors` — SideProjectors platform help (free peer-to-peer showcase, DR69 backlink)
- `/sales-do` — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install:
  `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do`

## Examples

### Example 1: Pick a listing package for a $25K SaaS
**User says**: "I'm listing a SaaS at around $25K on Flippa. Which package should I pick?"
**Skill does**:
1. Notes Entry ($29) is restricted to <$10K listings — not eligible here
2. Recommends Standard ($59-$99) as baseline; Premium ($299-$599) adds featured placement worth it if the category is crowded
3. Calculates total seller cost: listing fee + 10% success fee (under $50K band) = $2,500 success fee at $25K sale, plus listing fee
4. Notes OAuth verification via Stripe is critical — $50K threshold for auto-verification doesn't apply at $25K, but connecting Stripe anyway gives buyers a "verified" signal
5. Suggests cross-listing on Acquire.com (SaaS-specialized, 8% closing at this tier) to compare buyer quality before committing
**Result**: Package recommendation with total-cost math and a cross-listing suggestion.

### Example 2: Run due diligence on a Flippa listing
**User says**: "I'm looking at a content site on Flippa claiming $3K/mo AdSense revenue. How do I verify?"
**Skill does**:
1. Warns: under $50K, Flippa doesn't auto-verify — self-reported data
2. Lists must-do verification steps: live screenshare of AdSense dashboard (not screenshots), Google Analytics read access, Ahrefs/SEMrush traffic cross-check, 12 months of historical data
3. Flags red flags: revenue spike in last 3 months, refusal to screenshare, "I'll share after LOI" objections
4. Recommends insisting on FlippaPay or Escrow.com for payment — never wire directly
5. Notes content site churn = algorithm-risk — ask about recent Google updates and organic traffic trends
**Result**: Verification checklist tuned to AdSense-specific red flags.

### Example 3: Compare Flippa vs Acquire.com fees for $300K SaaS
**User says**: "My SaaS is at ~$300K valuation. Is Flippa or Acquire.com cheaper?"
**Skill does**:
1. Flippa at $300K: 7% success fee = $21,000, plus listing fee (~$99-$599), plus optiona