14 Best Online Directories To Find A Business For Sale
Finding a business for sale
Finding a lucrative business for sale can be very difficult if you don’t know where to look. Unless you have an extensive network of business brokers and business owners, you may miss out on many opportunities to buy a good business.
Luckily, the rise of online marketplaces to find businesses for sale allows you to find successful businesses that are for sale by owners. These directories generally provide much more data than brokers or other in-person resources. This will allow you to expand your buying opportunities and help you make the best buying decision possible.
I’ve compiled the best online directories to find both physical and online businesses that are for sale. These are websites with tens of thousands of buyers and sellers and most of these sites have excellent customer support. Check out the resources below to find the most lucrative deals.
1. BizBuySell
BizBuySell is the largest online directory to buy and sell a business. With over 100,000 business sales, BizBuySell has the largest pool of sellers and this provides the most opportunity for buyers. BizBuySell offers a comprehensive resource for everything you need to buy a business; this includes sellers, brokers and more.
You can search for both businesses and franchises for sale. Since there are tens of thousands of businesses for sale, you should narrow down your choices by location and the industry of the business to find your most suitable option.
BizBuySell allows you to set alerts for keywords, so when new buying opportunities arise, you get an email sent directly to you. The vast majority of businesses for sale on BizBuySell are physical brick and mortar stores, there are a few online businesses listed in each city. If you want to start with any site to look to buy a business, BizBuySell is likely your best bet to find the most opportunities.
You can check out the businesses for sale on BizBuySell here.
2. LoopNet
LoopNet is well-known for its commercial real estate listings, but it also has an area on their website to see businesses for sale. In fact, there are over 1,500 business listings on LoopNet covering a variety of industries.
The businesses for sale on LoopNet provide you with the asking price, cash flow and all of the details needed to make a buying decision. Once you find a suitable business, you can call or email the business owner directly on LoopNet.
The vast majority of businesses for sale on LoopNet are brick and mortar businesses. They include businesses like restaurants, parking services, trucking, manufacturing and more. It’s free for buyers and here’s a direct link for you to check out businesses for sale on LoopNet.
3. BizQuest
BizQuest is one of the oldest online resources to find a business for sale. What makes BizQuest different from other sites is that they help connect business brokers with buyers and sellers. If you’re interested in a business on BizQuest, you can contact the seller or broker directly.
BizQuest has over 1,500 businesses for sale across a variety of industries. The vast majority of the businesses for sale on BizQuest are brick and mortar businesses; there are some assets that produce cashflow like farms and real estate on there.
You can check out all of the businesses for sale on BizQuest here for free.
4. LINK
LINK is one of the most trusted business brokerages and they help connect buyers and sellers across several countries. There are currently over 581 listings for businesses on LINK. Since LINK is a large brokerage, you will often see larger businesses for sale on their site. This includes entire businesses and franchises that are worth millions and tens of millions of dollars.
There are a lot of unconventional businesses listed on LINK. These include preschools, limousine companies and more. Although the majority of businesses listed on LINK are brick and mortar businesses, there are a handful of online SaaS businesses for sale.
You can check out the business listings on LINK here.
5. Sunbelt
Sunbelt is a business brokerage that lists businesses for sellers. Although it’s primarily a site built for sellers, it’s a great resource to see businesses for sale in your area. It currently has over 1,800 listings and you can contact a broker directly if you’re interested in a given business. They have businesses for sale in the U.S. and nearly 10 international locations.
On Sunbelt, you can check the price for the business, cash flow, revenue and location of the business. The site allows you to create an alert for businesses in your industry, so you can get an email when a new business is for sale. You can check out all of Sunbelt’s listings here.
6. Franchise Gator
Franchise Gator is a website that primarily focuses on buying and selling franchises. With hundreds of franchises for sale in each state, it’s a great resource to explore if you’re looking to start a franchise. You can filter out the type of franchise you’re looking for by investment amount, location and more.
You can also see which franchises are being bought by buyers, so you can purchase one in your location. There are hundreds of franchising opportunities on Franchise Gator that are require less than $100,000 in cash.
This is a great opportunity for a first business buyer and anyone who’s interested in franchising. You can explore the franchising opportunities on Franchise Gator here.
7. Bizsale
BizSale is one of the few sites where it’s only buyers and sellers with no intermediary. It’s one of the oldest directories of businesses that are for sale by owners (FSBO). You can filter out the businesses for sale by price range, location and the industry of the business.
When you’re interested in a business on BizSale, you fill a form out that’s reviewed. BizSale ensures that both the buyer and the seller are legitimate business people prior to giving out contact information. Once that is done, you can proceed with negotiations and ultimately the sale of the business.
You can check out the businesses for sale on BizSale here.
8. Calhoun Companies
Calhoun Companies is a brokerage that has experience buying and selling business for over 100 years. They have a dynamic directory of business listings and they specialize in helping buy and sell companies in the Midwest.
They offer some of the most profitable brick and mortar businesses in the Midwest. What’s great about Calhoun Companies is that you can contact a broker and build a relationship. They can send you emails and leads whenever a new business that’s in your interest emerges.
It’s free for buyers to use and you can check out Calhoun Companies’ recent business sales here.
9. BusinessBroker.net
BusinessBroker.net is an online brokerage that helps connect buyers and sellers. It’s one of the larger business brokerages and there are thousands of businesses for sale on BusinessBroker.net. You can filter down by location, price, cash flow and more.
In addition to single businesses, there are many franchising opportunities listed on the site. If you find a business or franchise of interest, you can decide to contact the seller directly on the BusinessBroker.net.
You can sign up for BusinessBroker.net’s email list and get notified on business and franchising opportunities in your desired range and industry. Here’s a direct link to the businesses for sale on BusinessBroker.net.
10. MicroAcquire
MicroAcquire is a unique business directory because it focuses primarily on buying startup companies. With MicroAcquire, there are no middlemen, brokers, etc. There are tens of thousands of buyers and sellers on the site and it’s free to use. This is a great website to check out if you’re looking for online businesses like SaaS companies, eCommerce businesses and more. The majority of the businesses on MicroAcquire are under $500,000 in annual revenue.
As a buyer, you will get access to key business metrics to help you make the most informed buying decision. This is vastly different from other business listings because you won’t get business details. MicroAcquire provides access to data like customer acquisition cost, monthly recurring revenue and more.
You can filter out businesses by revenue, keywords, asking price and other metrics. You can sign up for free here and check out the different online business listings available. It’s a great resource to use to find new leads if you’re looking to buy an online business.
11. Empire Flippers
Empire Flippers is a directory that helps connect buyers and sellers of online businesses. Since it’s establishment Empire Flippers has helped sell over $200 million worth of online businesses. This is a great website to checkout if you’re looking to buy online businesses like website, ecommerce stores and more.
On a listing, you will see the asking price for the business and all of the assets included. This includes assets like email lists, apps, code, social media accounts and more. Although it’s free to browse listings, you will have to sign up to see the important analytics and features of the business.
Empire Flippers is designed to help you purchase an online business. They have a watchlist and other search intelligence features that send you updates any time an online business in your area of interest is for sale. You can check out all of the online businesses for sale on Empire Flippers here.
12. BusinessesForSale.com
BusinessesForSale.com is a large directory that connects business buyers and sellers. On BusinessesForSale.com, you can check out national and international businesses for sale along with franchising opportunities. There are over 17,000 businesses listed on the site, so it’s important to filter down to find the best opportunities for you.
On a given listing, you can find the asking price, location, cash flow along with the technical details of the business. Sellers of the businesses write how much support the buyer will need directly on the listing to ensure a seamless transition. You can also create alerts for keywords to get emails when new business opportunities arise.
This is a great resource if you’re looking for mid-market businesses. You can check out the listings on BusinessesForSale.com here.
13. Exchange Marketplace
Exchange Marketplace is Shopify’s platform for buying and selling online stores. Shopify stores in particular are some of the most lucrative online businesses to buy. Since Exchange Marketplace is run by Shopify, sellers cannot alter any data and buyers can receive the most up to date information to make a buying decision. When you buy a business on Exchange Marketplace, the transition for ownership is easy and you can start making sales immediately with your business.
Exchange Marketplace is one of the safest ways to buy an online business. On other listings, you’ll have to do a lot of administrative work to ensure the seller is legitimate and avoid any fraud. With Shopify’s support, you can escalate any disagreement and Shopify will protect you and your capital in case anything occurs.
Shopify helps ensure all of the technical logistics are seamless and they offer a free and secure migration to your ownership. On Exchange Marketplace, you can explore the different businesses for sale and ask the sellers any questions related to their business. Once you decide to purchase a business, all of the data and systems will be migrated to you easily by Shopify.
You can start exploring some of the different ecommerce business for sale on Exchange Marketplace here.
14. BusinessExits
BusinessExits is a great resource to check out for higher price point businesses. This website specializes in helping sell businesses that generate anywhere between $2 million and $50 million in revenue. They only work with high quality businesses and they have closed on 98% of all listings on their site.
Typically the businesses listed on BusinessExits are larger established small businesses with several physical locations. On a given listing, you can see the asking price, revenue and cash flow of the business. Many listings offer to include all inventory along with the sale of the business. BusinessExits allows you to sign up for their email list to get notified on deals in your industry.
You can check out all of the listings on BusinessExits here.