What we'll cover this week

• Dream Business - A potential undervalued gem

• Don’t Buy - A site with an unsustainable traffic spike?

• Redesigns - Why they’re not a magic bullet

This Week’s Pro Tip

Vet the Seller First

Before you even think about buying a business, vet the seller.

That means:

• Web calls with their camera on – non-negotiable.

• ID verification on seller platforms.

• LinkedIn check – If they have a profile, message them there.

The #1 reason investors lose money isn’t a failing business—it’s getting scammed. Do your homework before making any deal.

Short Disclaimer

Online Acquisition Weekly is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or legal advice. We do not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of third-party listings. Always conduct your own due diligence or consult a professional before making any investment decisions.

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This Week’s Dream Business

If you’re into cars and want to make a living without getting your hands dirty, this one’s worth a look—Good Car Bad Car is up for auction on Flippa (listing).

This 17-year-old site has a 99% profit margin, pulling in $3,555/month on average. But here’s the kicker: while it’s currently on auction (currently no bids), I doubt it’ll hit the reserve price. That could open up a negotiation opportunity toward the end of the auction.

Overall, it looks like a great one-person business for steady income—with plenty of room for improvement.

TL:DR

• Auction is live, but likely won’t hit the $145K reserve price, creating room for negotiation.

• Pros: Strong traffic, newsletter list, steady ad revenue.

• Cons: Poor membership conversions, site crashes, weak monetization.

• Worth it? Only if the recent revenue spike is sustainable. Best bet: wait and negotiate.

Why This Listing Stands Out

• Massive traffic - 263K visits/month is a solid foundation.

• Strong content library - Years of evergreen articles keep traffic flowing.

• Newsletter audience - ~11,500 subscribers. If engaged, this could be a powerful asset.

• Existing membership program - It’s underperforming, but at least the structure is there.

• Stable ad revenue - Ads aren’t flashy, but they bring in consistent income.

• Untapped potential - The owner is leaving a ton of money on the table. They know how to get traffic, but their monetization skills? Not so much.

What Could Be Improved

Monetization & Traffic Usage

• 33 paid members. Out of 3.2 million yearly visits, that’s horrendously low.

• No funnel in place. No pop-ups, no CTAs, nothing guiding visitors to the newsletter or membership. A proper funnel could drastically improve conversions.

Technical Issues

• Site crashes frequently. Likely a graphics plugin issue. The owner calls the tech stack “simple,” but maybe it’s too simple.

• Rendering problems. Some pages don’t load properly, which hurts retention. If traffic is high but users bounce immediately, it means nothing.

I would definitely tackle that problem first before doing anything. You don’t want to see this error message from a browser. Ever.

Sales Page is Weak

• No clear reason to join the membership. The perks aren’t compelling.

• "Ad-free access" isn’t a hook. People have ad blockers. They need a real incentive.

• Needs a complete overhaul—focus on: "Make buying your next car easier."

Bad Subscription Capture Form

• Their current pop-up appears mid-article, which doesn’t work.

• A better approach?

  • "This content goes public in X weeks. Premium members get early access and an edge when buying their next car."

  • "Sign up for our newsletter and get a 24-hour free trial."

What to Watch Out For

• Income spike between August and December - Revenue jumped but is now reverting. Was it a one-time boost (like a failed membership launch), or something sustainable?

• Who’s actually running the site? - Are they paying writers? If so, those costs might not be disclosed, affecting actual profit margins.

• Traffic stagnation - 263K visits is impressive, but where’s the traffic coming from? Is it spread out or concentrated on a few evergreen posts? If new content isn’t ranking, SEO may be an issue.

• Membership churn rate - If most members cancel after a month, the long-term value is weak.

Due Diligence Checklist

Before making any moves, verify everything:

• Revenue spike - Where did the extra income come from? There was no traffic increase, so something else caused it.

• Newsletter engagement - Open & click rates? Are subscribers converting into paid members?

• Membership longevity - How long do members actually stick around?

• Revenue verification - Get on a video call and check Stripe & PayPal transactions for the past 30 days.

• Traffic quality - Ask for Google Search Console access to confirm organic traffic legitimacy.

• Tech stack complexity - Can a non-technical person run this site without headaches?

What’s a Fair Price?

Right now, the reserve price is $145K (40x monthly profit)—which feels way too high. Even the starting bid of $92K (26x multiple) is decent but not a steal.

Personally, I’d cap my bid at $100K max, but ideally aim for $85-90K. That’s assuming the revenue bump was repeatable—otherwise, you’re paying a premium for inflated earnings.

Best Strategy

Wait until the auction is close to ending, then reach out to the seller with a lower offer. If the auction doesn’t meet reserve, you might land a great deal by simply matching the starting bid in a direct negotiation.

Don’t Buy and Why

This is where we look at listings that aren’t worth your money—but still offer valuable lessons about online businesses.

Evercleaner

This is a textbook case of a traffic and revenue spike that wasn’t sustainable—and now the seller is trying to cash out.

One red flag? The seller (a verified M&A broker) is only disclosing annual revenue without providing a monthly breakdown. That’s unusual—especially since Flippa’s listing process encourages monthly data transparency.

On the surface, the product is solid, and key metrics—like a high repeat customer rate—look great. But something feels off about this listing. Either dig deep into the numbers or just walk away.

Banking on Redesigns

Most inexperienced website buyers overrate how much a redesign impacts performance. They assume that if they just fix an ugly website, revenue and profit will skyrocket. That’s a fallacy.

Why Design Doesn’t Matter (that much)

If a site with bad design is making money, that’s a testament to the product. People want it anyway—which means a “prettier” redesign won’t magically make them want it more.

In fact, I’ve seen redesigns hurt conversions when the new look doesn’t match the product’s positioning. If a site sells a cheap product, wrapping it in a luxury aesthetic can create mismatch confusion—and people hesitate to buy.

The worst part: Banking on a redesign for extra revenue wastes time and money when that effort could’ve gone into fixing the actual sales funnel. And when the redesign doesn’t deliver, many business owners lose faith—after sinking time, money, and hope into the wrong fix.

What To Do Instead

Only redesign if it’s part of a larger funnel strategy.

I get the urge to make a site feel like your own, but unless you understand conversion-focused design, you’re likely just burning cash for vanity.

Instead, focus on:
A strong funnel - Lead visitors to a newsletter + lead magnet
A conversion system - Use email sequences to drive sales
Upsells & repeat purchases - Make customers come back for more

These strategic changes will naturally require design tweaks, but they’ll actually serve a purpose beyond “looking great.”

Final Verdict

I’ve been there. I’ve spent too much time and money chasing the “perfect” design. It wasn’t worth it.

Yes, redesigns can work, but they’re not the magic bullet people think they are. If you want real business growth, forget the new paint job—focus on product, service, and a better customer funnel.

Final Words

That’s it for this week. This dream business has a few strings attached, but with the right due diligence, it could be an undervalued gem.

Got something on your mind? Hit reply and let me know—I’ll get back to you ASAP.

See you next time,
Tim