Guides / Buying a YouTube channel
Buying a YouTube channel
YouTube channels sell for a median of 25 months of profit, or 2.1x a year's profit. 284 are for sale today.
Median profit
$1.7k
a month
Sold for
25 months
of profit, median
Live data from 5 marketplaces · Updated 10 Nov 2026
In short
- Buying a channel is allowed. Brand Account ownership can be handed to a new owner.
- That's from 54 real sales listed since 2023.
- Half sold for 20 months to 30 months of profit.
- Faceless channels are the safest buy. A channel built on one person's face rarely survives a sale.
- Always pay through escrow, and only release it once you're the primary owner.
Is buying a YouTube channel worth it?
It can be. You skip the slow years of growing from zero. But you also take on risks you can't see.
Worth it when
- Steady views from many videos, not one viral hit.
- Faceless content a new owner can keep making.
- Sponsors and affiliate income on top of ads.
- An audience in high-paying countries.
Not worth it when
- The creator's face or voice is the channel.
- Views falling month after month.
- Strikes or copyright claims.
- Income only from YouTube ads.
Where to buy a YouTube channel
- Flippa: the most channels, and the most risk. Check everything.
- Motion Invest: smaller, cheaper channels.
- Empire Flippers: bigger channels, vetted before listing.
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What to check before you buy
- Ask for a screen recording of YouTube Studio analytics.
- Check views and revenue for the last 12 months.
- Find out who makes the videos and what it costs.
- Check the channel has no strikes.
- Ask how the channel will be transferred safely.
- See where views come from: search and suggested are steadier than one viral hit.
- Check which countries watch. US, UK and Canada viewers pay more per view.
- Ask for AdSense payout history, not just Studio estimates.
Red flags
- Subscribers jumped overnight, but views didn't. Often bought or swapped subs.
- Views from countries that don't match the channel's language.
- Reused or compiled clips. YouTube can demonetize these.
- The seller won't do a live screen share of YouTube Studio.
- Income is all from one sponsor who may leave with the seller.
How the handover works
- Agree the price and put the money in escrow.
- The seller adds you to the channel's Brand Account.
- After Google's waiting period, the seller makes you primary owner.
- You remove the seller and connect your own AdSense.
- Move any email list, sponsors, editors and files.
- Release escrow once everything is in your name.
YouTube channels for sale now
Questions
Can you buy a YouTube channel?
Yes. Channels on a Brand Account can be handed over by making the buyer the owner. Marketplaces like Flippa, Empire Flippers and Motion Invest list them. 284 are for sale today.
How much does a YouTube channel cost?
A median of 25 months of profit, from 54 sales. The median channel for sale asks $25k.
Is buying a YouTube channel worth it?
It can be, for faceless channels with steady views from many videos. Channels built on one person's face or voice rarely keep their audience after a sale.
Is buying a YouTube channel allowed?
Moving a Brand Account's ownership is a normal YouTube feature. Fake views, subscriber swaps or reused content can still get a channel demonetized after you buy it.
How do I pay safely?
Use escrow. Release the money only once you are the primary owner and the AdSense account is yours.