I am a Rich Dad, Poor Dad Passive Income guy. I have been real reluctant about purchasing a website. You hear that all these proof screens are fake. Tell me DP, is it real or fake. Will the income disappear in 3 weeks?
Sup fellow Atlantian Be weary of anything you read on making money online. The truth is it ISN'T as easy as it looks. The money doesn't really FLOW like people claim it does, or else they wouldn't be selling the website in the first place. Think about it, if a website is SO easy to run and the income is SO passive, who would sell it at all? Don't buy eBooks, that's another place you'll see a bunch of fake crap. Biggest waste of money ever. Almost any eBook you read is full of fake garbage/bloat. These guys made $20,000 in 6 months!!! You know how? By selling idiots the eBook on how to make $20,000 in 6 months. Just be smart when you buy a website. If your going to buy something for income, buy a GOOD unique website with unique content and GOOD earnings. Not some copy pasta auto-blog that earns $5 on adsense.
It's a hit or miss thing for share. Rich Dad, Poor Dad is a great read btw. However, you should read Paolo Coelho's "The Alchemist" so you'd know that DP is also a "market". And just like any market, there are thieves. Another thing to keep in mind, "Buyer Beware".
Didn't the main character from "The Alchemist" get robbed in Morrocco of his life savings when he trusted the wrong person? Buyer beware indeed.
In many cases the proof screens are not fake , but the earning are based on something that they have done , and will not continue for a long time like that. Ask view access at analytics before buy an expensive website!
You get what you pay for. It its too good to be true, then it's probably is. Always look at ratings and feedbacks. Stay away from autoblogs.
Buy from a site that requires proof and verifies the data that users claim. Don't just trust what people say, ask for many screenshots of payment screens and traffic analytics. None of this is out of the question or inappropriate to ask for. Also, make sure when you purchase a site to check for affiliate links that go to someone else's pocket. If they won't provide these things, move on, and develop a site yourself. Frankly, the perceived value of websites are far above what their actual value is, and you could probably use the funds you'd use to buy that site to develop a better one yourself
If someone wants to sell a site, they should give you access to stats. Sites are rarely "passive income". They require a lot of work. I have owned many sites and sold some major sites that generated millions in revenue. If you want, you can pm me the url and I will give you my opinion. It will only take me a minute to know if it will be worth it for you.
There are more and more scams on flippa these days, you really have to be careful and try and do your homework. Verify all information that you can that's claimed and if you do decide to purchase make sure to use an escrow service. I wouldn't buy any site that's < year old.
nowadays a lot of site pr, alexa, traffic are being manipulated by the people who want sell their site, it's easy to get a lot traffic by using paid traffic.. and get good PR by manipulated fake PR.. you should always beware before you bought a site.. it's more secure to developt a site from zero (starting your own site)
You should buy from a site that verifies the owner ship, ensure you do your research on the seller, check they actually own the site and the domain, and check the content is completely unique!
make sure you check the site with teamviewer with the buyer,also check the pr and ranks by yourself,and always double check!
make sure you check the site with teamviewer with the seller,also check the pr and ranks by yourself,and always double check!
All you have to do is check the keywords the site ranks in, see the global traffic from adword keywords, and check the backlinks and its fairly secure. Just avoid to purchase from anyone who says "Potential".
In the real world, when buying a business you would have your accountant take a look at the books of the business you are considering purchasing. Buying online should be no different. If income can't be verified by a third party, then don't buy. I'd like also to support what 'Laceygirl' says: "don't buy potential". There are a lot of website sellers out there who inflate their prices based on the potential income a site can generate. However, the person who has to realize this potential is you. In effect, they are asking you to pay them for work you are going to have to do yourself. Don't go there.
i add one more thing,if they say the traffic is from social bookmarking only you can be 60-70% sure its just fake traffic
Thanks to everyone for the great responses. I am sure I am not the only benefiting from the great advice.
What I also usually do is using a external seo tool (like seomoz) to verify traffic and adsense data. This can give a good impression.