1. Learn
  2. Wholesale & eBay Forum
  3. Selling Products Online & Marketing

Good day,

I was following Salehoo's sound advice and researching markets etc., especially on eBay, when accidentally, (not sure what I clicked) I came across a section that had Websites for Sale. These were Auction items and had ridiculously low reserve prices. They included things like

Jokes and Cartoons Website, with free domain name,

Book Website Business for Sale with free domain name,

Gift shop Webiste for sale, with free domain name.

Now my curiosity has gotten the better of me. How on earth do these things work? How could you possibly purchase a website for e.g. $30 and how would new owners make any money from it?

Are these things legit?

My interest and curiosity is well and truly piqued. Others too might be interested in the true story behind this (if there is one)

cheers

Olga

Hi Olga,

I think the catch will be on hosting. You will have a website with a domain name but you will need to subscribe to a hosting service. :) I've also seen a lot being offered at eBay. :)

People make money with their websites! For more info, please visit Link hidden: Login to view .

Cheers!

Golly you are quick with a reply Irene.... and you had all that information at your fingertips.

My Salehoo subscription are really paying off big time ....

cheers

An edited ps. In your learned experience, is this a worthwhile venture - assuming of course that the site is something about which you are passionate and interested and could devote tons of time (which I have) to its running.

Do you then own the website?

How much would the hosting cost per year (rough ball park figures....)

Could you incorporate blogs in these types of websites?

What other costs might be invoved?

This is an example of the website I saw advertised.

Link hidden: Login to view

So, where does the stock come from (the toys that are for sale)? Who selects them for the site? Are they drop shipped? (I'm getting a better idea of how that works now).

thanks again....

Hi Olga,

Thank you for your kind words. :) I’ve just seen the eBay listing you were referring to and learned that they are turnkey websites.

The other way to earn from sites/blog would be through affiliate marketing, that’s why I suggested you to check out the Affilorama.com. Just want to make sure I am not confusing you. :)

Now let’s go back to your discovery. :)

Turnkey websites are sold as fully operating, functional business sites. They are provided with hosting and are pre-installed with interactive scripts for shopping carts, forms, complete with product images, descriptions & prices, and even affiliate programs. All you need to do is to 'turn the key' and the site will be ready to do business.

I’ve heard that the retail prices for "true" (which means complete) turnkey web sites having above average quality are offered at around $300. On the average, the rates will come around $600, including several months of hosting fees.

My understanding is that these websites are created with an affiliate store account from eBay or from Amazon. The affiliate store with the products are embed into the website. And if you know how affiliate stores work, basically you get a percentage when products get sold. The person who creates these turnkey websites lists them at eBay or other auction sites. Once the website sells, the ownership of the domain name, of the affiliate account, and any other features included in the website will be TRANSFERRED to the buyer. Once bought the seller will email the buyer with a username and password that will enable him/her to access the Web hosting control panel. Sometimes there is a content management system, where the new rightful owner will be provided with a username and a password to be able to administer the site as well. Other things you cannot do, the seller will have a way to help you, all for a fee. :)

And finally, what you’ve been wanting to know. I am not in authority for these sites but I think it will work for those who have a marketing/promotion strategy on plan, and they will probably succeed. Looking at the eBay profile, this business is legitimate, otherwise the seller would be taken down by eBay. They have a feedback score of 1145 and a 100% rating. Here's a reality check though, once you bought and you go back to the eBay listing, there will be another site for sale, with the same line of products, in a different template. Do you get the picture? So it’s basically all competition. :)

Hope this helps.