What it costs to buy an online business in Australia

Australian online businesses are listed from $50,000 for a part-time maker brand to $3m for an established product brand, and seven of the 13 priced listings we checked ask $225,000 to $749,000. Brokers price a store at 1.5 to 4.5 times adjusted profit, with stock paid for on top. Verified profit sets the price, not traffic.

An online business is priced on verified profit, not on traffic, followers or how good the site looks. That is why a part-time maker brand can ask $50,000 while a consumables importer with 20 plus years of trading asks $749,000 and a cleaning products brand asks $3m. Profit, how long it has traded, how much of it hangs on one supplier, one ad account or the owner, and whether stock is included move the price. This guide sets out what 14 live listings ask, how brokers value a store, the costs on top, what actually transfers, and how the purchase is funded when there are few hard assets.

What online businesses sell for

Australians spent $82.6 billion online in 2025, up 14 per cent on 2024 (Australia Post). The table surveys live listings on Bsale, AnyBusiness and Flippa on 22 October 2026, lowest asking price first. Figures are the vendor's, indicative market data and not Ventas offers, and they are asking prices, not sale prices. SAV means stock at valuation, paid on top. WIWO means walk in, walk out.

Four things stand out. The number that sets the price is often missing. Only six of the 14 listings show profit. Trading history is priced inconsistently. The pet store asks $499,000 after under a year of trading with no revenue shown, while the doll brand asks $225,000 plus stock on $47,027 of net profit. The cheapest listings are start-up kits. Bsale held 177 website and online business listings that day, and many at about $3,000 to $10,500 are start-up apps and supply stores with no turnover disclosed. Hard assets are thin. Few come with equipment: the event hire business has racking and a van, and the homewares maker has workshop gear the owner values at about $23,000. The rest is brand, domain, customer list, supplier terms and sometimes stock.

How online businesses are valued

Sellers quote revenue and traffic. Brokers price off adjusted profit: net profit with one working owner's wage, personal expenses and one-off costs added back. Australian brokers call it PEBITDA, and overseas marketplaces call it seller's discretionary earnings (SDE). Benchmark Business Sales warns that overseas multiples rarely apply in Australia.

Where a listing shows both price and revenue, asking prices sit at about 0.3 to 0.9 times annual revenue (our arithmetic), but Benchmark warns that revenue multiples overvalue stores with thin margins. The doll brand's 4.8 times profit is above Benchmark's top band for a store trading since January 2024, and it is an asking price. Flippa's averages come from its own marketplace, do not say whether profit is annual or monthly, and have no Australian breakdown, so use them as a cross-check.

What moves the multiple. Flippa's sold-deal analysis finds higher multiples for sales spread across channels, an owner who is not essential, documented procedures and a clean payments history of 12 months or more. It finds lower multiples for dependence on one supplier, a brand tied to the owner and heavy reliance on paid advertising. Benchmark calls reliance on one marketplace or ad account a single point of failure.

What you pay on top of the price

The asking price is rarely the cheque. These costs sit on top, and a lender will want to see them.

Transfer duty depends on the state, and online businesses are mostly goodwill and intellectual property. New South Wales does not charge duty on goodwill, intellectual property including trade marks and domain names, or stock (Revenue NSW). Queensland does charge it on goodwill, intellectual property and trading stock, at general rates on the greater of asset value or price: about $11,025 on $360,000 of assets ($1,050 plus $3.50 per $100 over $75,000, our arithmetic). Western Australia charges on goodwill, and on intellectual property sold with other business assets. Other states differ, so confirm with your accountant.

GST. A going concern sale is GST-free if it is for payment, the buyer is registered or required to be, both sides agree in writing, and the seller supplies everything needed to keep operating and trades to the day of supply (ATO). For a store, that means domain, store, brand, customer list and supplier terms all sit in the deal. Otherwise 10 per cent GST applies, $30,000 on a $300,000 price.

What transfers, and what to check before you sign

An online business is a bundle of accounts and rights, and each has its own transfer rule. List every one in the sale contract.

Red flags we found in the 14 listings:

• Price against history. $499,000 after under a year of trading, no revenue shown (AnyBusiness 3456209).
• Figures that disagree. One $98,500 dropship listing quotes turnover in euros and a net margin of both 20% and 25% (Bsale 680477). The subscription store is $390,000 plus about $100,000 stock on AnyBusiness, and a $490,000 headline or $440,000 plus about $150,000 stock on Bsale (same broker reference, BUY2675).
• Promises instead of numbers. A $50,000 Queensland listing promises "ZERO daily management" and a money-back guarantee but gives revenue only as "$6+ figures per month" and no inclusions list (Bsale 662940).
• Unchecked summaries. Seven of the eight Bsale listings in the table mark their key features as AI generated and tell buyers to confirm with the seller.

Ask for two to three years of records that reconcile to BAS, bank statements and payment processor payouts, and a seller handover of 30 to 90 days (Flippa).

Financing an online business purchase

Expect a harder conversation than for a cafe or a dental practice. Most lenders will not lend against goodwill alone, and an online business is mostly goodwill: a brand, a domain, a customer list and supplier terms. There is often no lease, little equipment and stock that sells at a discount if the business fails, and sales depend on platforms the buyer does not control. Bentleys notes that lenders often want more than the business's cash flow, such as property security and director guarantees. Ventas is a finance broker, not a lender, so we do not quote rates here. They change with the lender, the security and the file.

What does work:

• A property-backed loan. The lender relies on a property you own, not the store, which puts that property at risk. See property-backed business lending.
• Vendor finance and earn-outs. The seller is paid part of the price over time, or only if profit hits agreed targets, often over 12 to 36 months (Sprintlaw). One Melbourne listing above mentions vendor finance (Bsale 679138). See finance on an earn-out purchase.
• Stock finance. A facility secured on the stock and repaid as it sells. See financing stock or inventory.
• An acquisition loan with proven cash flow. Two to three years of reconciled profit plus security can qualify. Start at business acquisition finance.

Illustrative only, subject to lender assessment. A realistic purchase at a $300,000 asking price:

And how it is typically funded across lender types:

Debt here is 63 per cent of the cash needed (our arithmetic), and only the stock facility is secured on the business. A vendor who finances part of the price usually takes security, often a PPSR registration and a guarantee (LegalVision), and a bank will want to see how that ranks against its own.

What makes an online business deal fundable:

• Verified profit. Financials that reconcile to BAS, bank statements and payment payouts.
• Security. Property, stock or cash you can put in.
• Spread. Sales and supply that do not hang on one ad account, marketplace or supplier.
• Clean ownership. Domain, trade marks, store and accounts in the seller's name and listed in the contract.
• Handover. The seller stays involved and holds some of the price over time.

To get a number from Ventas, send the listing and asking price, the seller's inclusions list, two to three years of financials with BAS and platform reports, stock at valuation, and the property or other security you can offer. You can also test a repayment on the secured business loan calculator. Finance is subject to lender assessment and approval.

This is general information only and not financial, credit, or tax advice. Figures are indicative market data from the sources listed, not Ventas offers, and move with the market. Consider your own circumstances and speak to a professional. All finance is subject to lender assessment and approval.

This article is general information only and not financial, credit, or tax advice. Ventas Asset Lending is a finance broker, not a lender. Approvals are subject to lender assessment. Consider your own circumstances and speak to a qualified professional, including your accountant for any tax questions.