Ecommerce businesses for sale

An online shop is rarely worth more than the customers it can acquire at a sensible cost. Start with traffic: how much comes from paid ads, organic search, email and direct visits? A store that depends on Google and Meta ads can lose its margin as soon as ad costs rise. Strong organic traffic and a loyal customer base make a business far more resilient.

Next, work out the contribution margin per order: price minus cost of goods, shipping, payment fees, returns and marketing. High revenue on thin margins is a common trap. Ask how many hours a week the seller puts in — those are the hours you are taking over.

Smaller online shops are usually priced on profit. Sitavo’s indicative range is 2–4 times annual profit (SDE: profit plus the owner’s own salary and one-off items), cross-checked against 0.5–1.5 times annual revenue. Steady growth, several traffic sources and own brands push the price up; reliance on one supplier, one ad channel or the owner’s personal network pulls it down. These are general market ranges, not a guarantee — use Sitavo’s price estimate to see where a specific shop lands.

• Revenue and profit for at least the last 12–24 months, ideally month by month.
• Gross margin and contribution margin after shipping, fees and ads.
• Repeat purchases: the share of revenue from returning customers.
• Ad spend relative to revenue (ROAS) per channel.
• Stock value, which is often settled separately on top of the price for the shop itself.

• Access to (or screenshots of) the order history, payment provider and bookkeeping — and that the numbers match.
• Analytics and ad accounts, so you can verify traffic sources and ad spend yourself.
• Supplier agreements: can they be transferred, and are there exclusivity terms or minimum orders?
• Rights to the brand name, product photos and copy.
• The email list: was consent collected in a way that lets a new owner use it under EU rules (GDPR)?
• Return rates, complaints and reviews on platforms such as Trustpilot.

Sellers can share documents in a data room behind an NDA, so you can review the numbers before you make an offer. See also the pre-purchase checklist.

In an asset purchase you normally take over the domain, the shop platform and code, product data and images, the customer database and email list, social media accounts, stock and the agreements with suppliers and carriers. Domain transfers go through the registrar, and payment agreements (card acquiring, MobilePay, Klarna and similar) usually have to be set up again in your name. Agree a transition period in which the seller helps with operations and supplier contacts. If you buy the company itself (a share purchase), contracts and liabilities stay with the company, which calls for a more thorough review. Buying from abroad is possible, but a Danish company or a local adviser often makes payment set-ups, VAT and supplier relations easier.

Smaller shops are often bought with own funds, while larger deals may combine a bank loan, vendor financing or an earn-out where part of the price depends on future revenue. Messaging sellers and making offers on Sitavo is free. You agree price and terms in the deal workflow, which keeps the purchase agreement and handover in one place. The purchase price is paid directly from buyer to seller — Sitavo never holds the money. Read how payment works, and set up a search alert if the right shop is not listed yet.