Guides / Buying a Shopify store
Buying a Shopify store
Ecommerce stores sell for a median of 28 months of profit, or 2.3x a year's profit. 2,414 are for sale today.
Median profit
$1.8k
a month
Sold for
28 months
of profit, median
Live data from 5 marketplaces · Updated 10 Nov 2026
In short
- Buying a store skips the hardest part: finding products that sell.
- Half of stores sold for 24 months to 32 months of profit, from 55 sales.
- Most cheap stores are dropshipping shops. Few have real repeat customers.
- The number that matters: profit after ads, shipping and refunds.
- Shopify lets an owner hand the store to a new owner from the admin.
Is buying a Shopify store worth it?
Worth it when
- Repeat customers and an email list.
- Own products, not easy-to-copy dropshipping.
- Traffic from many sources, not just paid ads.
- Simple operations a new owner can run.
Not worth it when
- All sales from Facebook or Google ads.
- Dropshipping with long delivery times.
- Thin margins after ads, shipping and returns.
- Seasonal sales passed off as steady.
What stores cost
Median multiple of sold ecommerce stores, by price.
| Price | Sales | Median multiple | Median profit/mo |
|---|
| $25k to $100k | 25 | 24 months | $2.5k |
| $100k to $500k | 26 | 30 months | $6.1k |
Stores for sale now, by asking price.
Ecommerce valuation data → Value a store →
Dropshipping vs own products
| Model | Sales | Median multiple | Median sale |
|---|
| eCommerce | 37 | 28 months | $103k |
| DropShipping | 26 | 28 months | $117k |
Dropshipping stores are easy to copy. Buyers pay the most for own-brand products with loyal customers.
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What to check before you buy
- Ask for Shopify (or store) reports and bank statements.
- Work out profit after ad spend, shipping and refunds.
- Check how much of revenue comes from returning buyers.
- Ask who the suppliers are and if they'll stay.
- Look at sales month by month for a full year.
- Look at the store's reviews and chargebacks.
- Check stock: is it included in the price, and how much is there?
- List every app and its monthly cost.
Red flags
- Sales only started a few months ago.
- Profit shown before ad spend.
- One winning product, with copycats already selling it.
- Ad accounts or payment accounts that can't be moved.
- Long delivery times and lots of refunds.
How the handover works
- Put the money in escrow.
- The seller transfers store ownership to you in Shopify.
- Move the domain, email list, social accounts and supplier contacts.
- Connect your own payments and ad accounts.
- Release escrow once everything works in your name.
Questions
Is buying a Shopify store worth it?
It can be, if the store has repeat buyers and profit after ad costs. Many cheap stores are dropshipping shops with no real customers.
How much does a Shopify store cost?
Ecommerce stores sell for a median of 28 months of profit. The median store for sale asks $31.8k.
Where can I buy a Shopify store?
Flippa has the most. Empire Flippers and Investors Club list vetted, bigger stores.
Can you transfer a Shopify store?
Yes. Shopify lets an owner transfer the store to a new owner from the admin. Domains, apps and supplier accounts move separately.
What should I check first?
Profit after ad spend, shipping and refunds. Then how much revenue comes from returning customers.