Cómo vender una tienda de Shopify: guía para vender tu negocio de dropshipping

En este artículo exploraremos todos los aspectos de la venta de tiendas de dropshipping en Shopify.

Hablaremos de:

• Motivos para vender tu tienda de dropshipping en Shopify
• Consejos para vender tu tienda con éxito
• Qué debes preparar para vender tu tienda de dropshipping
• Las dos mejores plataformas para vender tu tienda de dropshipping

Es importante entender la función de los brókeres de negocios en el proceso de venta, ya que pueden ayudarte a determinar el valor de tu tienda, encontrar posibles compradores y gestionar la operación.

Comprender el valor de tu negocio de comercio electrónico es fundamental al preparar la venta.

Espero que este artículo te ayude a prepararte antes de anunciar tu tienda online en un marketplace. Así tendrás más posibilidades de atraer a un comprador. Empecemos.

Motivos para vender tu tienda de dropshipping en Shopify

Tanto si buscas una buena salida para tu negocio como si quieres cambiar de carrera, existen muchos motivos para vender tu tienda de dropshipping en Shopify. En esta sección veremos algunos de los más habituales.

1. Necesitas dinero en efectivo

A casi todo el mundo le llega un momento en el que necesita dinero. Esperar a que un negocio genere el efectivo necesario puede llevar tiempo, incluso años. Por eso puede ser buena idea venderlo ahora.

¿Por qué podrías necesitar dinero? Estos son algunos buenos motivos:

• Necesitas pagar gastos como una boda, la universidad, etc.
• Quieres comprar una propiedad, como una casa, o un coche nuevo
• Necesitas dinero para una emergencia

En realidad, no hay motivos correctos o incorrectos para necesitar dinero de inmediato. Solo debes asegurarte de vender tu negocio por el precio adecuado, que puedes determinar evaluando el beneficio neto mensual. Esta métrica es fundamental para valorar tu tienda de Shopify porque te ayuda a fijar un precio de venta competitivo y atraer a posibles compradores.

2. Quieres asegurar tus ganancias

Muchas personas quieren hacer dropshipping, pero no saben cómo empezar. Otras lo han intentado sin éxito y prefieren comprar una tienda próspera antes que volver a fracasar. Estas personas son tu mercado objetivo.

Si has creado una tienda de dropshipping de éxito, has generado algo valioso. En ese caso puedes venderla por un precio superior. Los compradores con experiencia suelen buscar negocios de valor y pueden negociar un precio justo.

Como propietario, sabes cuándo tu tienda de dropshipping puede empezar a perder potencial de ventas. Fíjate en este ejemplo:

El interés por los fidget spinners alcanzó su punto máximo de agosto a septiembre de 2022. Si hubieras sido un vendedor de dropshipping perspicaz, habrías vendido el negocio por esas fechas y ganado mucho dinero. Si hubieras esperado, ya nadie se interesaría por comprar tu tienda porque la fiebre de los fidget spinners habría terminado.

También puedes querer vender el negocio mientras funciona bien porque has alcanzado tu máximo potencial. Quizá consideres que tus capacidades ya han llegado al límite.

Esto significa que ya no estás en condiciones de escalar el negocio. En ese caso, conviene ceder el testigo a alguien que pueda llevarlo más lejos.

3. Ya no te interesa

Gestionar un negocio es difícil y algunas personas solo lo descubren cuando dirigen el suyo. Aunque tu empresa funcione bien, quizá ya no quieras centrarte en el dropshipping y prefieras pasar a otro proyecto.

Algunas personas acaban perdiendo el interés por el dropshipping o la motivación. La vida puede plantearnos circunstancias distintas, y eso basta para pasar a otro negocio.

Si te encuentras en esta situación, vender el negocio puede ser una buena idea siempre que aún tenga valor. Puedes utilizar el dinero para iniciar un nuevo proyecto o simplemente disfrutar del fruto de tu trabajo.

4. El negocio está fracasando

No es un buen motivo para vender, pero sigue siendo válido. Puede costarte encontrar compradores. Aun así, dejarás de gastar dinero en un negocio que genera pérdidas.

¿Funcionará? Sí, pero solo si puedes mostrar ventas anteriores y esos datos demuestran que el precio solicitado es razonable. Puedes explicar al posible comprador que dejaste de invertir en marketing y publicidad, y que por eso no hubo ventas en los últimos meses.

También puedes explicar que dejaste de anunciarte porque te centraste en otras tareas. Sea cual sea el motivo, debes presentarlo de forma convincente.

5. Odias el dropshipping

Este motivo no es nada extraño. Algunos actores llegan a odiar su carrera y lo mismo ocurre en el deporte. Es habitual que una persona emprenda una profesión, tenga éxito y después descubra que no era lo que quería en la vida.

Si te sientes así, es mejor vender tu negocio ahora, antes de perder la motivación. De lo contrario, el negocio fracasará y será más difícil venderlo después.

Dos modalidades de venta: subasta y precio fijo

Existen dos formas de vender tu tienda online. Puedes fijar un precio cerrado o puedes iniciar una competición de pujas entre los compradores interesados. Otra alternativa es la venta privada, en la que vendes directamente a un comprador concreto o mediante grupos y comunidades online. Puede ofrecer un precio más alto, pero también implica riesgos relacionados con la confianza y aspectos legales. Los marketplaces de negocios online suelen ser una forma más eficaz de promocionar la empresa ante un público amplio que busca aplicaciones, sitios web y negocios de comercio electrónico. Veamos las ventajas y desventajas de las dos opciones principales.

1. Venta de tu tienda de Shopify mediante subasta o pujas

Flippa es la mejor plataforma para vender tu sitio web mediante subasta. Puedes anunciar tu tienda de dropshipping en Shopify y los posibles compradores harán sus pujas. Las subastas crean un entorno competitivo que puede atraer a más interesados. Gana quien presente la puja más alta.

Estas son las ventajas de vender tu tienda de Shopify mediante subasta:

• Obtienes al menos un 15% más que el precio solicitado
• Como vendedor, puedes aceptar o rechazar la puja
• El sistema rechaza automáticamente la oferta en un plazo de 72 horas

Si aceptas la oferta de un postor, el anuncio se cerrará y tendrás que completar la operación.

En cuanto al precio, el 15% es el mínimo predeterminado. Si quieres vender tu tienda por $10,000, que es el precio solicitado, solo podrán pujar quienes ofrezcan al menos $11,500.

Una desventaja de esta estrategia es que solo atraerás a personas realmente interesadas en tu tienda. Quienes solo estén curioseando no harán una oferta porque pensarán que las pujas les obligarán a pagar más de lo necesario.

La ventaja es que los compradores pueden establecer una puja máxima que los demás postores no verán. El sistema aumentará las ofertas por incrementos. Gracias a este proceso automático, es muy posible que obtengas más dinero.

2. Venta de tu tienda de Shopify a precio fijo

La forma más habitual de vender un sitio web es establecer un precio fijo. En la venta de negocios online, este tipo de oferta es muy común. Plataformas como Flippa y Shopify Exchange Marketplace facilitan la venta de empresas, incluidas las tiendas de Shopify, porque permiten anunciarlas con un precio claro. Aun así, un comprador puede ofrecer menos que el precio solicitado, igual que ocurre en una compraventa de vivienda.

Estas son las ventajas de vender a precio fijo:

• El precio está claro
• Puedes calcular con facilidad el valor del negocio y utilizarlo como precio de venta
• No tienes que depender de marketplaces

También puedes anunciar tu tienda en redes sociales. La única desventaja es que recibirás muchas consultas molestas de personas sin intención real de comprar que solo sienten curiosidad.

Las ofertas a precio fijo también conllevan una comisión fija si vendes mediante Flippa o sitios similares. Esta comisión suele estar entre el 0% y el 14%.

Ninguna de estas dos opciones es correcta o incorrecta. En general, una subasta es mejor si crees que existe una gran demanda por tu tienda. Solo tiene sentido vender mediante subasta si sabes que muchas personas quieren lo que ofreces. De lo contrario, el precio fijo es la mejor estrategia.

How Much Should You Sell Your Store For?

Your store’s fair market value is a complicated thing to calculate. All people who sell their businesses will naturally charge money for their effort and time. However, buyers do not think along the same lines. An online business, especially a Shopify store, is easy to build.

Since it is easy to build, you cannot compare an online store with a physical asset like a building. The hours you spent building your store may not justify your price.

So, how do you price your store? The best way to do it is by a process called business valuation. How? There are many ways to calculate the price of a business.

Here are some methods:

• Market Valuation – only applies to publicly traded companies
• Times Revenue Method – your revenue over some time is applied to a multiplier; the multiplier depends on the industry
• Earnings Multiplier – the value is based on the profit, not just the revenue
• Discounted Cash Flow Method – this method depends on the future projections of cash flow
• Book Value – this value depends on the assets and liabilities of the company

These methods are too complicated, and you may need an accountant to do the calculation for you. The easiest method is the Book Value because you only need to subtract the liabilities from your assets.

However, it is not the best, and we do not recommend it, because online store assets are not that big. After all, a Shopify store alone is only worth the money the theme was worth.

Our recommended way of valuing your Shopify store for sale is to multiply your average monthly profit by 15 to 30 times. This is the bare minimum.

So, here is an example (the dollar is profit)

• Jan – $1,942
• Feb – $1,657
• Mar – $2,345
• Apr – $1,224
• May – $3,213
• Jun – $1,456
• Jul – $4,316
• Aug – $3,123
• Sep – $1,578
• Oct – $1,842
• Nov – $1,883
• Dec – $2,953

The average monthly profit for this year is $2,294. If we multiply that by 15, we get the value of $34,415, so we will sell the store for that amount.

It is up to you to decide if you want to use a 15x multiplier or greater than that. Of course, you also have to factor in the goodwill or the prominence of your brand.

However, goodwill has no pricing standard. If you think about it, you really cannot put a price tag on Nike, Coca-Cola, or Disney. These names are household names that cost billions, not just in assets, but in goodwill or brand popularity.

Another method is to sell the business for 3x the annual profit. So, in this case, the total profit for the year is $27,532. If you sell it for 3x that amount, you can sell the store for $82,596. Of course, you can also expect the buyers to haggle, so be prepared for that.

Important note: sell the Shopify dropshipping store based on the profit, not the revenue.

How to Transfer Assets

Once the buyer has completed the payment, it is time to transfer the assets. How do you do it? Essentially, you have to give the buyer an owner status or owner account access.

First, you have to add their email address to the Shopify admin panel and mark them as Staff Members. From here, they must complete the staff account setup from their end.

Once that is completed, you can now change their status to owner. Once you do this, you will no longer have admin access to the store. You can still be a collaborator or a staff member, but the admin privileges and rights now belong to the buyer.

To do this, you have to go to Stores > Actions > Transfer Ownership > Transfer Store. Once done, the new owner will receive an email, and they have to follow the instructions. These instructions include adding a credit card and either maintaining the Shopify plan or upgrading.

If the buyer does not complete this process, the entire transfer will be put on hold.

One thing you should never do is to transfer the ownership BEFORE you are paid for the store. It is best to give the buyer a staff member account only, but never ownership.

Once the transfer is complete, you can now give the buyer other information, such as the credentials for the admin log-in page. In addition, you also need to transfer the ownership of the following:

• Domain name
• Apps you bought for your Shopify store
• Point-of-sale or POS credentials (if applicable)
• Facebook account credentials or other social media credentials

The more complicated your store is, the longer it will take you to complete the transfer of ownership. Please take note that the process of transferring other assets is different from Shopify. Just because you transferred the Shopify store does not mean that every app associated with it will also get transferred automatically.

Top Two Marketplaces To Sell Your Shopify Dropshipping Store

Currently, the only two trusted and reliable places where you can sell your Shopify business are Empire Flippers and Flippa. Choosing the right marketplace is crucial for maximizing the value and efficiency of the sale process. Selling a Shopify online store through these platforms is often more efficient compared to others. Let us take a look at both:

1. Empire Flippers

Empire Flippers has been around since 2011. Today, the platform has sold over $100 million worth of online businesses, including Shopify dropshipping stores. Overall, the success rate when selling a website here is 94%.

Empire Flippers Features

• Valuation Tool – you no longer need to rack your brain to calculate how much your business is worth. The company offers many calculators for different types of business. For example, they have separate valuation calculators for affiliate websites, Amazon FBA stores, and dropshipping stores.
• Filtering Buyers – they have a system that handles the communication between you and the buyer. You will not have any worries dealing with scammers and non-serious buyers.
• Broker Service – if you are not a savvy seller, you can work with their business broker to “massage” the buyer and get you a better business deal.

Finally, Empire Flippers has a migration service. You do not even have to transfer the property to your buyer if you find it too complicated. They have a team that will take care of this for you for a fee.

It is important to note that your business must at least have a net profit of $2,000 per month to even qualify to be listed on the platform. Your business must also have Google Analytics attached to it for at least the last three months.

You cannot worm your way in here. Empire Flippers has a team of people who will check your business data—not only based on what you said but based on actual records.

2. Flippa Marketplace

Flippa is not just a marketplace for websites but also apps and other digital businesses. It has been around since 2009, and the company has since sold over $140 million in websites, domains, and apps.

Flippa Features

• Ease of Use – unlike Empire Flippers, Flippa does not require a specific amount of profitability before you can sell your website. It means that you can build a dropshipping store and sell it immediately on the platform for a profit.
• Verification – you have the option as a seller to go through a verification process, which makes your listing more credible.
• Auction – you have the option to sell your business auction-style. In this regard, there is a potential to sell your business at a higher price than what you asked for.
• Escrow – all payments to you can be made through an escrow service. It means that you can enjoy a type of protection where the money sits with Flippa’s escrow partner, so the buyer cannot scam you.

Flippa only asks that you have the right to sell your property. It means that you must be able to prove that you own the website. In addition, should you choose to use an auction, you must not list your website or dropshipping store anywhere else.

So, should you use Empire Flippers or Flippa? If your store is making over $2,000 monthly in net profits, use Empire Flippers as this is where you can find buyers who are willing to spend some cash on profitable businesses. Otherwise, your only option is Flippa.

Tips To Succeed In Selling Your Shopify Dropshipping Store

Shopify store owners need to prepare several things before they can start selling their store, and it is all a matter of presentation. Like anything else, the store has to be “inviting.” The thing is that Shopify store selling has more nuances than selling a product. Proper preparation is crucial, including understanding the profitability, value, and process of selling a Shopify store. Allow me to provide you with tips on how to sell your Shopify dropshipping store.

1. Understand Your Buyer

The first thing you need to think about is your buyer. People who buy businesses are different from your typical consumer. Your target here is a person who is looking to be profitable.

Here is a sample list of your buyer’s characteristics:

• The buyer wants to make a profit
• The buyer does not want to go through building a store
• The buyer wants to buy a business at the lowest possible cost

Given this information, you want to position your store in a way that attracts this kind of buyer. We are not saying that you have to sell yourself short. It’s just that you have to price your store so the buyer sees its profit potential.

2. Create A Financial Report

A financial report may sound scary, but it is easy to do. One of the best things you can do is to post a screenshot of your monthly revenue, which you can take from your Shopify dashboard.

In addition, you can create a PDF report for your financial report. Do not offer this immediately—make it a point that buyers must ask you for this information.

At the very least, your PDF financial report must contain these things:

• Income statement – this is a report that has your revenue, net income, business expenses, and other financial details of the business.
• Balance sheet – this tells the reader the status of the business. It has data on the assets, liabilities, and equity of the business.
• Cash flow statement – this report is the summary of how much money came in and out of the business over a period.

You can also add a financial dashboard to your report. The dashboard comprises graphs and charts that showcase the financial performance of your business.

3. Leverage Your Store’s Advantages

To succeed in selling your business, you have to present to target buyers why your business is worth their money.

Here are some things that can inspire you:

• Applications – make it a point to show the buyer that your store already has apps that will help them continue the success of the dropshipping store, like shipping apps, email subscription apps, etc.
• Email List – if you have an email list of either subscribers or customers, you can use it as a selling point. Anyone who has operated a website/store before knows that it is difficult to build an email list.
• YouTube Channel – if you have invested in building your social media presence, you can use this to your advantage. Show the number of YouTube subscribers, Facebook or Instagram followers, etc. There is value in social media clout, and you have to leverage this to sell your store at a higher price.
• Social Media Accounts – ensure that all social media accounts related to the site have been transferred over to the new owner. These accounts are valuable assets that can help maintain and grow the store’s customer base.

You can add more to this list. What matters is that you emphasize the fact that the buyer is not just buying a store—that they are buying more assets than a website.

FAQ: Selling A Shopify Dropshipping Store

How much can I sell my Shopify store for?

There is no single price point by which you can sell your Shopify store. If your Shopify dropshipping store already has sales, you need to use the principles of valuation.

Can I sell my Shopify shop?

Yes, you can sell your Shopify store either by using an auction or a lump-sum pricing strategy. There are two marketplaces we recommend where you can post your Shopify store for sale.

Is selling Shopify stores profitable?

Yes, they are profitable, but only if your store has a proven brand strength or if your store is selling. It is rare for people to buy Shopify stores that have no sales. They would rather build their store.

Is it worth it to sell on Shopify?

Yes, of course, it is worth it to sell products on Shopify. For only $25 a month, you can build a fully functional Shopify store and make profits from retail.

Final Thoughts

The next step is to visit the two sites mentioned in this article. Look for Shopify stores that belong to the same niche as yours. Explore those stores, take the time to understand their revenue and traffic, and then decide if you can compete against them.