What is your experience on selling website templates?

[Farris]

Hello webmasters,

I have been trying to make money by selling php and mysql scripts. I am not amazing at design, but I like to think that I am good.
I have been building websites for a long time and I would like to sell my work but platforms such as CodeGrape and Codester have little sales.
The most popular script was sold les than 50 times, which is low for something popular.
How do these guys make money? Their prices are ranging from $10 to $100
Regular folks can't even sell more than 5 scripts over there.

What do you guys think? Is it a good business?

 

[hipcat]

Its a hard sell when so many free website template sites are available. All you can really do is put the work in promoting your stuff on every webmaster forum you can find. It's not something you'll get rich doing.

Another avenue is to build some turnkey sites around your own original designs and list them on Flippa. I had some success there and other people make good money from it, as you can charge way more for a full site with the benefit of listing the template as being unique.

Good luck!

 

[Farris]

Farris

I tried selling websites on Flippa but I can't catch a break. I have listed more than 3 times but people don't bid on my listing. I don't know if the website design is poor or I haven't found the perfect buyer. I don't want to sound spammy but can you check my work and tell me if I am any good? Here is a website I listed: beermoola.com

 

[hipcat]

Best answer

hipcat

I like the domain name, and as an experienced owner of over 200 websites over the past 20 years, I can see the potential and would probably make money from it myself, but that's because I could funnel it properly through my own network to get the most from it.

However, on Flippa you are dealing with 2 kinds of buyers. The ones with good financial resources who will only buy good earning established websites for $XXXX+ and complete newbies with $XX to spend who wouldn't have a clue what your site even does.

They would look at it and just see a plain looking template with some words and links. You need to create something around a niche they will understand and then make it visually appealing, so they know exactly what it does and how they will make money from it.

A few years back there were all kinds of turnkey PTC sites selling because that's where most of the newbies started themselves clicking on some PTC site for pennies, so they understood the concept, and the thought of owning their very own PTC website was appealing. Of course they failed, but the people making and selling the sites did well.

Look around at what people buy on Flippa and then make a better, unique looking, version of the same thing. Build what people want and they will come...

 

[Farris]

Farris

Thank you very much for this awesome reply. I will do exactly what you said