Microns and Empire Flippers are two of the most popular online marketplaces for buying and selling online businesses. While both platforms do the same thing – connect online business buyers to sellers – and are run by remote teams distributed all over the globe, their services are targeted at different kinds of buyers and sellers.
This guide will reveal the value propositions of both platforms to help you decide if Microns is a great Empire Flippers alternative. So put on your seat belt as we ride on.
Unlike most of the other top marketplaces, Microns is an online platform built for the sale and acquisition of micro-startups (small online businesses) – think Amazon but for small businesses. When you’re looking for low-risk online businesses on sale for as low as $300 to kickstart your entrepreneurial journey, the Microns marketplace is the platform to explore. Sellers can also list and sell their business to skilled business people even if it’s yet to make profits.
Here are some of the top reasons why business owners buy and sell online businesses on Microns;
Many marketplaces support the sale of large businesses, marginalizing smaller developers, software engineers, product designers, etc., who want to sell their small projects. Being a developer, myself, I wanted to give these people a fair chance to exit their companies.
Our platform also allows creators, marketers, non-technical founders, and aspiring entrepreneurs to find micro-SaaS startups, mobile apps, web software, etc., on sale and become tech bosses. We also accept other listings such as eCommerce businesses and directories.
Check: Microns vs MicroAcquire
Empire Flippers was founded in 2013, making it one of the oldest and largest marketplaces to find online businesses on sale. They support the sale of mid to large-sized businesses already making profits, with the minimum listing price valued at $25,000.
Empire Flippers isn’t only a marketplace, they’re also business brokers that offer support in the transfer of businesses. But this comes at a price – you’ll have to pay a commission on the business’s sale. Secondly, businesses listed on Empire Flippers are already profitable as sellers must show proof of a minimum profit of $500/month in the past 6 months.
Unlike most other online business marketplaces, Empire Flippers does due diligence for all listings on its platform - but you’ll still have to vet businesses yourself.
Microns is a platform with a large list of buyers interested in connecting with business owners looking to sell their small online businesses for prices ranging from $300 and $100,000.
Some of the buyers in our community include first-time founders looking to gain experience running tech companies and serial entrepreneurs with multiple acquisitions and exits. You can also find marketers, software engineers, product designers, project managers, ecommerce business owners, creators, and indie makers.
The buyers on Microns believe that buying a small online business and growing it is a low-risk investment. And we give sellers the platform and opportunity to exit their businesses at the right price.
Empire Flippers was built with the idea of giving buyers profitable businesses. Usually, the listing price starts at $25,000 and can cost higher than 8 figures. What makes the businesses profitable is that the business owners must show proof of a minimum of $500/month.
Most times, the buyers on the platform are established, serial business owners/buyers. They’ve got experience running multiple businesses and have access to funding, maybe from previous exits, VC funds, PE funds, and other investment syndicates. On the other hand, the sellers have built great value for their businesses and aren’t looking for an instant exit.
Microns neither charge a fee for sellers to list their businesses, nor charge buyers for their acquisitions. However, for buyers to get access to listings and their information, you’ll have to pay a subscription fee to become a premium member. We’ve got 3 tiers;
1-month subscription = $49
6-month subscription = $159
1-year subscription = $199
Premium buyers get early access to new (and the best) listings even before they get listed on the marketplace – this saves buyers’ time, so they don’t comb through our huge library for profitable businesses. Also, they’re drafted into our paid newsletter where I share business success tips from my businesses and other community members.
First-time sellers on Empire Flippers are required to pay a vetting fee of $297. This enables the vetting team to verify data and metrics such as traffic, revenue, expenses, etc. Also, Empire Flippers, as a brokerage, earns a commission on the sale of business – they don’t charge a commission based on the listing price.
15% charge for listings valued under $700,000
8% charge for listings valued between $700,001 and $4,999,999
2.5% charge for listings over $5,000,000
Also, buyers are required to pay a refundable 5% deposit to gain access to listing information from the platform’s vetting process.
Microns has been credited for its swift deals. One of the perks of buying/selling an online business on Microns is that deals can be completed within 1 to 30 days - with our concierge service, you can close deals a lot faster.
On average, it takes around 48 days to buy/sell an online business on Empire Flippers. This is because Empire Flippers vets each listing for around 1 to 4 weeks. Aside from that, larger acquisitions usually entail loads of back and forth.
Buyers can either purchase a business at its listing price or make a counteroffer. Should the potential buyer make a counter-offer, the platform circulates the offer to other interested buyers who then have 24 hours to make an offer that’s at least 10% higher than the initial offer.
Read: How to buy your first side project
Microns is the first marketplace to check when you’re looking for micro-SaaS startups for sale. Other listings you can find on the Microns marketplace include;
Here are a few of the businesses for sale on Empire Flippers;
Check: Microns vs Flippa
Buying and selling online businesses on Microns come with the following benefits;
There are lots of benefits to trading an online business on Empire Flippers;
Buying and selling on Microns doesn’t come without some disadvantages;
Read: Microns vs Tiny Acquisitions
There are also some cons to buying/selling online businesses on Empire Flippers;
Yes, Microns is a legit marketplace for buying and selling online businesses such as micro-SaaS startups, ecommerce businesses, web and mobile apps, etc.
Empire Flippers is a legit marketplace for buying and selling large online businesses valued at a minimum of $25,000.
Microns is one of the best Empire Flipper’s alternative online marketplaces for buying and selling online businesses. This is because while Empire Flippers supports the acquisition of large businesses costing between $25,000 to 8 figures, Microns supports the sale of micro-startups which costs between $300 to $100,000. So while both marketplaces support the buying and selling of online businesses, they appeal to different kinds of entrepreneurs.
Conclusion
Now you know how both marketplaces differ, you can sign up to gain access to profitable startups. We’ve got lots of sellers waiting to talk to – and support – you and your next business.
Join 5,000+ entrepreneurs and investors looking for their next micro-startup acquisition opportunity.