You should disclose everything you can about the site, including the tecnological aspects.
That said there may be items that you feel are your "secret sauce" then let users know that if they want that information, they need to DM you or you will tell them what you do generally and then tell them you will provide all the details/contacts etc. post sale.
I sold 5 sites on Sitepoint (name before it changed to flippa) same format, essentially the same site.
I provided complete transparency, with regards to reports, traffic, what I used for Adwords campaigns, monthly revenues and exact expenses. I also provided information on how I built/got content for all the sites. I answered all questions as they came in and even created secondary admin accounts so users could see statistics etc. in real time. (only if they requested by DM)
My lowest selling site was $800 and my most was $18,500 the user that bought that site re-skinned it and flipped it 6 months later for $72k, with less traffic and sales then what I had .. clearly I didn't know what I was selling, these were "fun" projects for me, that I got bored quickly, i find the fun in coming up and executing and once it get's to maintenance, I find I lose some interested. There are perfectly legit sites out there, you just have to dig and do your research.
for buying, I bought 3 sites, 2 of which were under $500. one site I bought for $2k was a total scam! The user falsified all the data and I fell for it. I was able to get my money back through google payments though.
one of the users on here recommended using Escrow, I'd agree.
If your selling a legitimate site and can document all the elements of the business for users, you should be able to get good value for it. Just be careful! There are a lot of scammers on the site.
Fabulous feedback rksprst, thank you! Couple of comments on your feedback:
- Currently you can only compare 2 items. (love the idea of more though)
- You can set your Swayables as private so they don't go for public voting, so you can send it to just 1 person or share on your social networks.
- Regarding items that don't have pictures - You can use any website or search any term to find an image, it's all automated, so if you do want to create a Swayable for "Africa or China" just enter those terms into our search box for Africa, then the other item for china and we'll show you image results.
- Agree with the natural and easy, working through a new revision now to make this more intuitive and better looking. The iPhone app is coming soon as well, so you can create Swayables on the go.
- Captcha, thanks for the feedback on this one.
- Thank you for the ajax tip as well.
Totally appreciate you taking the time to provide such constructive feedback, and for checking out the site...
Great tip! I am actually in phase 2 development now and updating that exact feature ;) making it more random and being able to sort by category. The iPhone app launches next month, along with a new site design :) Thanks for checking out the site and for your feedback!
I 1000% agree with you (this is the author of the article btw). I am constantly in search of a techincal co-founder and I will give equity to the right person, but that takes time. I feel outsourcing can get me to a place to keep the project going until I find the right person. In no way do I see outsourcing as the end all solution :) I have the upmost respect for developers and truly hope that I can find the right fit eventually for Swayable. Thanks for your insight!
well GTd methodology is great, but following it to a "t" is a bit much, I have a little Nugget from GTD that works for me- it's the process of "categorizing" your life and actions.
I basically structure my inbox with categories (like categorizing tasks but doing it with email) and send myself emails of individual action items that get categorized.
Then I can filter by category and focus on 1 project at a time.. been working great for me for several years and I feel insanely more productive!