Found/Closed Christian Forum For Sale

[CrazyTech]

This has been my baby and it will turn 10 next year. Because of the advent of children and new employment, I am simply running out of time to properly run the place and serve our members in the right manner. I feel like it needs to be in the hands of someone who has the time to devote to make it bigger and better.

URL: http://www.christianityboard.com

It generally pulls in about $30-$50 in revenue with the occasional bit more from time to time. According to Analytics, we're averaging around 8-9k uniques a month, which is down slightly from the older days with around 10k+. I will be happy to provide any screenshots or further details to back it up. I am not here to hide anything.

Other than that, it comes with the old 50-person Google account which I use for email.

It needs some TLC, but I will just do whatever we need to do to get the IPB license in your hands. I think someone who could devote the necessary time and effort could increase the monetization of the site without alienating members and maybe work on building better links. We've fallen off a bit due to my limited SEO knowledge, but we're still a front page listing.

I don't know enough about valuing forums to put up a precise amount, but I'm thinking offers in the $x,xxx ballpark are reasonable. I would be interested in staying on as a Moderator or just member to provide my approval and any help that I can do in the transition.

Please shoot me a PM or reply here if you have any questions.

Thanks.

 

[Adam H]

Looks like a nice little project for someone, Good luck with the sale. If this was a couple of months down the line I might have bitten and taken a punt. A couple of my friends are "born again"............... if they thought i had brought a Christian forum they might have thought their quest to convert the "devils right hand man" as they put it was wearing off

 

[CrazyTech]

Thank you, yes, it's a bit of a niche product.

 

[PoetJC]

I just had a client sale a bigboard for 2.5 MILLION dollars!!!
Looks like you've got a lot of great content and plenty of activity CrazyTech -- The domain name is quite nice too. I'd expect you to make a pretty penny on the sale. Here's wishing you the best of luck with it!

J.

 

[geebee]

This has been my baby and it will turn 10 next year. Because of the advent of children and new employment, I am simply running out of time to properly run the place and serve our members in the right manner. I feel like it needs to be in the hands of someone who has the time to devote to make it bigger and better.

URL: http://www.christianityboard.com

It generally pulls in about $30-$50 in revenue with the occasional bit more from time to time.

Is that dollars per month or thousands per year?

 

[CrazyTech]

Sorry, that's per month.

 

[geebee]

Thanks. I'll start the bidding at $650. I think you'll probably get more, but here's my reasoning: 12 months x average declared income $480 (I'm assuming Google Adsense verifiable?). Software $100 (price for second hand IPB) and $70 goodwill. The site doesn't have too many posts considering its age. Also, Alexa is in the millions rather than hundreds of thousands.

Other than that, I'm a practising Christian and it looks like an interesting project.

 

[PoetJC]

Thanks. I'll start the bidding at $650. I think you'll probably get more, but here's my reasoning: 12 months x average declared income $480 (I'm assuming Google Adsense verifiable?). Software $100 (price for second hand IPB) and $70 goodwill. The site doesn't have too many posts considering its age. Also, Alexa is in the millions rather than hundreds of thousands.

Other than that, I'm a practising Christian and it looks like an interesting project.

I was thinking more - but you've posted some interesting figures.
Best of luck to you

J.

 

[geebee]

Me too JC. Still, a low-ball offer never hurt anyone. I'm also factoring in having to ditch IPB and convert to XF too which Will cost a few hundred with add-ons. Either way, it opens negotiations.

 

[PoetJC]

Me too JC. Still, a low-ball offer never hurt anyone. I'm also factoring in having to ditch IPB and convert to XF too which Will cost a few hundred with add-ons. Either way, it opens negotiations.

I played baseball with the boys this one season - waaaaaay back when. And I was a bit chunky - so the position I inherited was catcher.
Longstory = short ==> Ain't nothing wrong with a low-ball figure. Swing batta batta. Swing!! Well- if the batter swings and knocks it out the park... Then we've a baseball game folks LOL. I'm being ridiculous, although most certainly serious about the catcher position though. But you know what? You're absolutely right about one thing:

Either way, it opens negotiations.

Yep

J.

 

[geebee]

You always put a smile on my face JC

 

[CrazyTech]

Thank you kindly JC! It's my baby so I have to avoid sentimentality!

Thanks for the offer geebee, I certainly don't find it insulting and if a site is purely valued on revenue it makes sense, but I have to decline. At that price I can sit on it and take the ad revenue after I spent some time learning more.

 

[geebee]

No problem

 

[Drastic]

It's not really a lowball offer. Most web property sales base a good amount of the sales quote on the revenue. Other factors include daily traffic, source of traffic, how much unique content is posted, amounts of backlinks. When selling a forum, the amount of posts/threads is also helps add a bit of value, but those threads/posts have to be current.

You have a site that's well into the millions of Alexa, which means very low traffic and low income, so realistically, it wasn't that bad of an offer. I would've actually offered less, but that's only because I know I can build the same thing and have just as many posts in probably 1-2 weeks. It would take a few bucks, but I feel I could get it done in less than $650

If you get a good offer, and you know for certain you won't be working on this site any longer, then go with the sale. If you hold on to it too long, and the site becomes inactive, then you won't be able to sell it for much. Don't lose value on a sale just because of sentiment.

And remember - sentimental value and "potential" add zero value to a site sale. Buyers work with strictly numbers.

In my opinion, you have a cool site, you should keep it. But if you really have no interest in it, do an auction and cash in while you can!

 

[Adam H]

Ignore Drastic, stick to what your happy with letting it go for and if the situation changes and you wish or need to accept less then address it when the time comes. Revenue multiples only work with some niches, site types and business models... forums isnt one of them and more often than not they go for more than what they actually earn because they are notorious for being poor earners in comparison.

Gee's offer is reasonable and he knows $650 is a pinch of a price which he rightly outlined, its a price which he knows he could spend and potentially write off if it didnt work out which is a sensible game to play, to the right buyer with a plan it would easily get 4 figures and it would be a worthy investment for a motivated buyer. A move to xenforo, some promotional work with it just sitting in the second half of the top 10 for many desirable key phrases and it would be a nice little long term project.

Drastic If you can build a forum with 250k of mostly "quality" unique posts, around 300 unqiues a day and a loyal member base and which are not going to disappear in a month for less than $650 then crack on, ill happily pay you every 2 weeks to establish a forum and move on to the next. Ive got about 40 forum related domains for you to work through ill pay at the end of each successful reach of those targets...............I'm sure a man of your calibre and confidence would have no problem with that..................deal ? Utter rubbish.

 

[Strength101]

It's not really a lowball offer. Most web property sales base a good amount of the sales quote on the revenue. Other factors include daily traffic, source of traffic, how much unique content is posted, amounts of backlinks. When selling a forum, the amount of posts/threads is also helps add a bit of value, but those threads/posts have to be current.

You have a site that's well into the millions of Alexa, which means very low traffic and low income, so realistically, it wasn't that bad of an offer. I would've actually offered less, but that's only because I know I can build the same thing and have just as many posts in probably 1-2 weeks. It would take a few bucks, but I feel I could get it done in less than $650

If you get a good offer, and you know for certain you won't be working on this site any longer, then go with the sale. If you hold on to it too long, and the site becomes inactive, then you won't be able to sell it for much. Don't lose value on a sale just because of sentiment.

And remember - sentimental value and "potential" add zero value to a site sale. Buyers work with strictly numbers.

In my opinion, you have a cool site, you should keep it. But if you really have no interest in it, do an auction and cash in while you can!

How many new websites get 250k posts in 2 weeks? :O Teach me, master!

 

[Drastic]

oh....I didn't realize you had 250k posts/threads. Well that definitely adds value above the $650. I totally missed that 250k stat. Maybe put that info in your first post, that's a seller right there!!

Theoretically, if we paid enough of those forum post services and magically went viral, we MIGHT be able to get 250k in a few weeks, but won't be high quality (probably not even medium quality!) and you'll have money shaped holes in every pocket, even on pants you're not wearing.

Definitely ignore my previous post about $650.

 

[GTB]

Thanks. I'll start the bidding at $650. I think you'll probably get more, but here's my reasoning: 12 months x average declared income $480 (I'm assuming Google Adsense verifiable?). Software $100 (price for second hand IPB) and $70 goodwill. The site doesn't have too many posts considering its age. Also, Alexa is in the millions rather than hundreds of thousands.

Other than that, I'm a practising Christian and it looks like an interesting project.

Don't think your offer was that bad actually. The forum has just over 200k post, which isn't a massive amount really by other large forum standards. It isn't pulling in a fortune from adsense each month with $30-40. Activity isn't fantastic either, looking now you have 5 users online and if the forum was sold, then that is rather low number that could quickly turn to no members online if those active members left, or became less active due to new ownership (which can happen).

I am curious though, why not advertise the site on Flippa

Don't think your going to get over a $1000 with 200+ k posts and low online figures seen. Not really worth that much, plus you pointed out online figures have dropped over last 10 years. So the forum is suffering rather than it growing. A 10 year old forum with 200k posts, hmmm...that is very low, it must never have been that active really, I'd expect to see well over 200k posts for a 10 year old board that's been getting used reasonably.

 

[doubt]

Thanks for the offer geebee, I certainly don't find it insulting...

...then take the money and run with it.

 

[geebee]

To be honest, I followed a wrestling forum auction on Flippa a few months ago. To the best of my memory, it was approaching the 1.5 million post mark, had a decent aged domain and front page Google listing. It was also very active and in a very popular niche. I believe the final price was something like $1300. So yeah, not a million miles away for this one. Obviously in my opinion