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Selling a website; what do I need to know?

P

p0intblank

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Sep 20, 2005
2,548
2
New Jersey
I am looking to sell my website (showoffyourmac.com) due to lack of time and resources. Already receiving a good amount of replies concerning the sale, I need to prep myself for this. How exactly would this go about? Do I sell the domain along with all necessary files? My site uses Gallery 2.3 so I would obviously have to export all image files and extensions. Is it as easy as copy and pasting the files into one folder? Or would I hand over the FTP access information for the buyer to log in with?

Any help is much appreciated. Thank you!
 
p0intblank said:
I am looking to sell my website (showoffyourmac.com) due to lack of time and resources. Already receiving a good amount of replies concerning the sale, I need to prep myself for this. How exactly would this go about? Do I sell the domain along with all necessary files? My site uses Gallery 2.3 so I would obviously have to export all image files and extensions. Is it as easy as copy and pasting the files into one folder? Or would I hand over the FTP access information for the buyer to log in with?

Any help is much appreciated. Thank you!
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that's why
 
Re:

I don't see much of the resources you have or time you invested, and domain name is not realy unique, SO, I don't know what to say. good luck
 
Whether you give the files of the site along with the sale is up to you. You could get more money for the web site if they got the domain name plus the site design. Otherwise, if it's just the domain name, then you would strip the files before the transfer is done.

You don't necessarily need to hand over FTP accounts. You can do a transfer from the domain registrar that would give them the domain name and nothing else. You can keep your web space if you want to. It's really up to you how you do it all and what you'll include. Just make sure the buyer knows what you will be including.

I can't give any specific details of the transfer as I haven't gone through it myself, but there should be plenty of resources out there as you definitely aren't the first person to go through this and have questions.

geekindisguise said:
But what are the resources?
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Time and money are likely the biggest resources. Hosting cost money, renewing domain names, etc. all cost money.
 
overcast said:
If this isn't the cheesiest attempt at fishing I don't know what is. The domain was just registered on 9/27/08.
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So quick to judge, and so wrong.

First off, the OP has been registered here on MacRumors since 2005 and has over 2400 posts, averaging 2 per day. Not a newbie. On top of that, the domain name was mentioned in parenthesis making the OP's intent far from nefarious since gaining hits or seeking promotion without an easy to follow hyperlink is hardly sensible. Plus, the questions that were asked were legitimate, and such questions usually arise after 3-4 months of running a web site - just enough online time for a web developer to predict how many resources could be allocated over a longer haul. Making this realization after only a few months is actually more common than you think - people lose interest, get better jobs, whatever, and move on sometimes, often in days, not months. And in scams where domains are bought only to be sold or used for nefarious purposes, we're talking minutes and seconds in some cases. None of that going on here.

And last but not least, fishing is an activity to catch fish, as in the type the swims in water. PHISHING, on the other hand, alludes to "baits" (E-Mail, IM's) used to "catch" financial information and passwords (social engineering intended fool users to reveal such information).

I looked at the site in question and it's legit, not asking for sensitive information, not trying to push ads in my face, etc.

So what the heck made you say that??? The whois date alone? Consider this reply of mine an attempt to show you CONTEXT, i.e. in the future if you put on your detective hat and aim to acuse someone of intentful wrongdoing on this forum - look at ALL the facts. You have nearly 800 posts - you should know better by now!

-jim
 
SrWebDeveloper said:
So quick to judge, and so wrong.

First off, the OP has been registered here on MacRumors since 2005 and has over 2400 posts, averaging 2 per day. Not a newbie. On top of that, the domain name was mentioned in parenthesis making the OP's intent far from nefarious since gaining hits or seeking promotion without an easy to follow hyperlink is hardly sensible. Plus, the questions that were asked were legitimate, and such questions usually arise after 3-4 months of running a web site - just enough online time for a web developer to predict how many resources could be allocated over a longer haul. Making this realization after only a few months is actually more common than you think - people lose interest, get better jobs, whatever, and move on sometimes, often in days, not months. And in scams where domains are bought only to be sold or used for nefarious purposes, we're talking minutes and seconds in some cases. None of that going on here.

And last but not least, fishing is an activity to catch fish, as in the type the swims in water. PHISHING, on the other hand, alludes to "baits" (E-Mail, IM's) used to "catch" financial information and passwords (social engineering intended fool users to reveal such information).

I looked at the site in question and it's legit, not asking for sensitive information, not trying to push ads in my face, etc.

So what the heck made you say that??? The whois date alone? Consider this reply of mine an attempt to show you CONTEXT, i.e. in the future if you put on your detective hat and aim to acuse someone of intentful wrongdoing on this forum - look at ALL the facts. You have nearly 800 posts - you should know better by now!

-jim
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Oh be quiet will you. It's fishing, NOT phishing. They are attempting to seek traffic in an indirect way. I never said anything about duping people into obtaining personal account information which is "phishing". The site may be legit, but it's poor at best, and the reason someone is looking to either dump it or get traffic. A mac related website, posted on a mac related website ...HMMMMMMM.


v. fished, fish·ing, fish·es

v. intr.

1. To catch or try to catch fish.
2. To look for something by feeling one's way; grope: fished in both pockets for a coin.
3. To seek something in a sly or indirect way: fish for compliments.
 
I would think that the value of the domain wouldn't be your creative product, but would be your domain name that you have registered. I think you should offer the files to your purchaser, but that it may not be required as an element of the sale. You and the buyer should have a meeting of the minds to determine what is wanted/needed so you don't go creating more work for yourself. Good luck!
 
@Overcast:

Here's a quiet thought. Let's push the bar a little higher in terms of the evidence before accusing someone? I backed up my opinion with sensible facts that you dismissed without comment, but all I see from you is a WHOIS date and Mac based content. Maybe, just probably, the OP sought advice here because this is a Mac site with Mac users! Jeeeeeesh.

@OP:

I agree with petermcphee - I'll add it's all about good communcation so expectations become clauses in an agreed upon simple contract (i.e. E-Mail) when it's all said and done.

-jim
 
SrWebDeveloper said:
@Overcast:

Here's a quiet thought. Let's push the bar a little higher in terms of the evidence before accusing someone? I backed up my opinion with sensible facts that you dismissed without comment, but all I see from you is a WHOIS date and Mac based content. Maybe, just probably, the OP sought advice here because this is a Mac site with Mac users! Jeeeeeesh.

@OP:

I agree with petermcphee - I'll add it's all about good communcation so expectations become clauses in an agreed upon simple contract (i.e. E-Mail) when it's all said and done.

-jim
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Maybe , just probably, the OP should have sought out proper channels and forums. I wouldn't exactly refer to macrumors as a hub for intelligent discussion on web related business transactions. What do mac users have to do with anything?
 
overcast said:
3. To seek something in a sly or indirect way: fish for compliments.
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Even if this were the case, how does the OP's post make it cheesy, as you said? There's nothing wrong in asking for guidance on a topic you're unfamiliar with. You should leave the immature attitude out of posts.
 
overcast said:
...It's fishing, .... They are attempting to seek traffic in an indirect way.
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I agree with overcast, its fishing. FWIW I can't image that site is worth anything...esp since there is not much you can do to a mac - I can see the same pictures at apple.com

Still, I'm sure he/she got the traffic spike they were looking for, so everyones happy :D


Here is an earlier thread, for the cynics / believers out there, another fishing attempt! :)

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/570856/
 
Wow, I didn't expect to get this many replies. First off, let me just say this to overcast: this is NOT an advertisement for my site. As of right now I am not looking for traffic. I am looking to sell my site. Why would I want to drive more traffic if I am struggling to pay for the site as it is? Please think before you accuse.

Secondly, a big thank you goes to user SrWebDeveloper. I am far from a newbie and have been registered here for years now. The reason I posted my question here is because a) I'm comfortable posting here and b) there is a web design and development category for a reason. So thank you for trusting me. I'm a college student trying to run a website, nothing more.

Anyway back on topic... I've transferred the domain to HostGator, that way hosting and domain are with the same vendor. However I'm not sure if I should either hand over my hosting account and have the buyer register their information or backup the entire site and send the files. This is my first time selling a website, so what's your best recommendation? I have less than a month of hosting left with this service, so I need to act on this very soon.

Thanks again to the users nice enough to help me with this. I appreciate your honesty.
 
You might talk to HostGator and see if they have a process set up for that, in which case they might be able to sort of moderate the transaction for you.

Oh, and sorry about everyone jumping on you, some people just don't really care about little things like facts and jumping to conclusions.

jW
 
To transfer the files all you need to do is make a database dump to get the database info (use phpmyadmin if your host provides it or use the command line if you have access) and zip up the files in your online folder (this is the gallery2.3 files and theme). Those 2 things are all you need to transfer to move the entire site. Since the site software is just gallery2.3 and there is no theme to speak of you are mostly just selling the userbase, but there is nothing wrong with that.
 
AmbitiousLemon said:
you are mostly just selling the userbase, but there is nothing wrong with that.
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I was just thinking the same thing. The buyer most likely wants your users (and their contact information) - probably cares less about the site. You may want to give your user's a heads up that you are selling the site - since I don't see a privacy policy.
 
I think the question you should be asking yourself, and what we need to know to answer your question properly, is, "What is the site worth"? Only then will you know if you even can sell it. Beyond the value of the domain and the hosting, the only other items of value are the user-base and traffic.

If all the value is in the name, and that is all someone is really interested in, well that is all you need to sell.

But if someone is looking for a turnkey solution, they might want the files and hosting to go with it. If I was buying a turnkey solution I would expect all the source files, hosting and domain.

Without knowing your user-base details and traffic(ignoring the ongoing traffic argument above), hard to say what you should bundle and what you should keep. And as with every sale, it is only worth what someone is willing to pay, and every buyer might have a different agenda as to what they are going to do with it, and therefor a different idea of value.
 
Thanks for all the information. It's really helping me out. I'm still confused about one main thing: how do I transfer the domain and hosting to the buyer? Is it as easy as changing my password to their desired one and having them log in? I already have the traffic stats and everything typed up. It's only a matter of making this public now.
 
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