Table Of Contents
Can You Buy An E-commerce Store?
Yes, you can buy an established e-commerce store. You can easily find these businesses listed on marketplaces like Flippa, Empire Flippers, FE International, and Shopify Exchange.
The listings feature real data on traffic, revenue, and profit of the businesses on sale.
This allows you to review monthly visitors, expenses, and seller history so you can decide whether to buy the business or not.
Some listings even include screenshots or links to verified financial data (of course, you have to sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) to view the verified data of the business.
You don’t need to guess whether a business is doing well. You can review its history, how much it earns per month, and how much work it takes to run.
Many listings also include the seller’s reason for leaving, which gives more context.
Some stores are fully automated and need very little day-to-day work. Others might need customer service or ad management.
Either way, you can choose a store that matches your time and skill level. Buying a proven store can help you cut months or even years off your journey to $100K.
Just make sure you do proper due diligence. Look at the traffic sources, customer reviews, profit consistency, and any risks. Ask questions.
A smart buy can be your launchpad to fast growth!
We Help You Buy / Build, Manage and Scale E-commerce Brands for an EXIT
E-commerce Simplified for Busy Individuals – We handle the buying, building, and scaling, so you can focus on what matters.
Growth-Focused Strategies – From sourcing to marketing, we drive growth and prepare you for a profitable exit.
Expertly Managed Exits – We build a high-value brand designed for a Lucrative exit.
Is Buying An E-commerce Store Worth It?
Yes, buying a store is worth it compared to starting an e-commerce business from scratch.
Instead of building everything yourself, you take over a business that already works.
According to FE International, most e-commerce businesses sell for 4 to 6x their annual profit.
This means a store earning $50,000 a year might cost you between $200,000 and $300,000.
While this price tag might sound steep, you’re not just buying a store… you’re buying cash flow, traffic, and a working foundation.
Buying an already established e-commerce brand lets you skip the painful early stage: testing products, learning ads, tweaking your store, and guessing what works.
From day one, you’re focused on improving and growing what’s already there. That’s a huge edge.
Investors are starting to treat online businesses like digital real estate. As demand rises, quality stores with clean books and loyal buyers keep gaining value.
If you find the right store, it can become your main income source or a fast path to flipping it later for a profit.
Related: Why Cash-Flowing Online Businesses Are Quietly Replacing Dividend Stocks in Smart Portfolios
How Much Does An E-commerce Store Cost?
The cost of buying an e-commerce store varies widely. It ranges from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands (or even millions!).
The price depends on key factors like revenue, profit, and the growth potential of the store.
On Flippa marketplaces, you’ll find that around 30% of listings fall between $10,000 and $50,000, while about 11% are priced between $50,000 and $100,000.
Stores under $10,000 usually need more work—they might lack strong marketing, consistent traffic, or a clear product-market fit.
On the higher end, well-run stores with steady profit and growth can sell for $250,000 or more. These premium listings often include solid customer bases, optimized ads, and clean operations.
Keep in mind: most marketplaces charge buyer fees or success fees. These can range from 3% to 10% of the sale price, depending on the platform.
Buying an e-commerce store isn't just about the listing price—it’s about finding the right balance of performance, effort, and potential.
Are E-commerce Stores Profitable?
Yes, many e-commerce stores are profitable, but it depends on the niche and how well the business is run.
On average, online stores earn around 10% net profit margin after covering all costs. Some ecommerce business models, like subscriptions or digital products, can reach 30% or more.
Well-managed, larger stores often maintain 15% to 20% net margins. It starts with a strong gross margin—usually between 50% and 70%—which is your revenue minus the cost of goods.
From there, you subtract expenses like ad spend, hosting, and shipping to get your net margin.
The more efficient your operations and the better your marketing, the higher your profit potential.
What Are Some Of The Best Places To Buy An E-commerce Business?
When it comes to finding the perfect e-commerce brand for sale, there are two main options to consider: You either go for the open marketplaces or use brokered platforms.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the most popular options to consider:
Flippa: This is one of the biggest marketplaces for finding online businesses for sale, including e-commerce businesses. Here, you’ll find everything from dropshipping stores to niche brands. You can find stores that fit every budget, but you’ll need to do your own due diligence.
Empire Flippers and FE International also present you with vetted, profitable e-commerce stores for sale. They cost more but include deep financial and operational vetting.
Shopify Exchange is Shopify’s own marketplace that lists stores already built on Shopify. It’s ideal if you want a ready-to-run Shopify site.
When choosing the best marketplaces to buy from, we advise you to compare platform fees, support, and listing quality. This will help ensure you find the best deals.
ALTERNATIVELY, you can buy ecommerce businesses through us. Our marketplace features ONLY fully vetted, profitable businesses with strong growth potential. This gives you a trusted space to make successful deals.
We Help You Buy / Build, Manage and Scale E-commerce Brands for an EXIT
E-commerce Simplified for Busy Individuals – We handle the buying, building, and scaling, so you can focus on what matters.
Growth-Focused Strategies – From sourcing to marketing, we drive growth and prepare you for a profitable exit.
Expertly Managed Exits – We build a high-value brand designed for a Lucrative exit.
Should You Go For E-commerce Business For Sale Under $10K?
Yes, if you're on a tight budget and ready to put in work, you should definitely consider an e-commerce business for sale under $10K.
Stores under $10,000 usually earn between $500 and $2,000 per month in profit.
They often need a lot of input to push them up. This includes improvements in ads, SEO, or even working with reliable suppliers.
While the upfront cost for these types of stores is low, the risk is higher if traffic drops or operations break.
Still, for hands-on buyers willing to learn, these stores can grow into steady side income streams.
Should You Get An E-commerce Business For Sale Under $1000?
At this price, you're mostly buying starter sites or aged domains with little to no traffic.
It’s like buying raw land; the potential is there, but you’ll need to build everything from scratch.
In this case, you should expect to invest time in adding products, writing content, and running marketing before you can start seeing any returns.
It’s a good option if you want full control and don’t mind starting from the ground up.
What Are The Potential Returns and Risks Of Buying Ecommerce Stores?
If you pick a profitable, established e-commerce store with strong growth potential, you can grow quickly after you acquire it.
Many buyers have successfully boosted profits for their acquired store by performing simple tweaks like improving product titles, speeding up the website, launching better ads, or adding new products.
Consider an example where you increase the monthly profit of your store from $5,000 to $8,000. In this case, you could earn back your entire investment in under two years.
But buying ecommerce businesses comes with real risks too.
For instance, traffic can drop due to algorithm updates. Suppliers may disappear or raise prices. Ad costs can rise, refund rates can spike, and SEO trends can shift fast.
That’s why as a smart buyer, we advise you to track every number, including marketing spend, delivery times, and customer reviews.
Some buyers also use earnouts. This means they pay part of the purchase price later, based on how the store performs.
This reduces risk and creates more trust between buyer and seller.
Buying An E-commerce Business FAQs:
Here are some frequently asked questions about buying an e-commerce business as the perfect investment to hit millionaire status:
Do e-commerce stores actually make money?
Yes, ecommerce stores do make money. Well-run stores typically earn net profits of around 10% after expenses. Some even go higher, depending on the niche and operations. On the flip side, poorly managed stores can lose money or barely break even.
Is it worth it to buy an e-commerce store?
Buying an e-commerce store can be worth it, especially if you want to skip the messy startup phase. When you buy an established store, you’re getting a business with real customers, proven products, and sales history. Just make sure you do proper due diligence, understand the numbers, and have a plan to run and grow it.
Can you become a millionaire with e-commerce?
Yes, you can become a millionaire with an e-commerce business. Many people build wealth by buying, improving, and scaling multiple e-commerce businesses. If each one earns consistent profit, the returns add up. Over time, it’s possible to reach six- or even seven-figure outcomes through smart acquisitions and operations.
Related: How This $25.7M ‘Acquire-to-Flip’ Concept is Disrupting E-Commerce Acquisitions
Take Action Now
Buying an e-commerce store gives you a shortcut to owning a profitable online business. You skip the hard work of setting up a site, finding products, and testing ads. The cost for these stores starts under $1,000 for starter stores and runs into six figures for established brands. Profit margins average around 10% net, with top niches hitting 20% or more. Platforms like Flippa, Empire Flippers, and Shopify Exchange offer plenty of options. If you research well and manage operations tightly, buying a store can be your new path to printing real profits.
Ready to own your first ecommerce business? At Trend Hijacking, we’ll guide you every step of the way, from finding the right deal and handling due diligence to closing and growing your store. After the purchase, we stay hands-on to help scale your business fast and smart (up to 2 - 4x) with a clear path to a strong exit if that’s your goal. Check out ourAcquisition Partnership program to see how we can help you build real wealth through ecommerce.
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