How the Empire Flippers commission is calculated
The schedule below was last verified against a third-party review updated in April 2026. Empire Flippers does not print one fixed table everywhere, so treat it as a planning assumption.
| Part of the sale price | Reported commission |
|---|---|
| Up to 700,000 USD | 15% |
| 700,000 to 5,000,000 USD | 8% |
| Above 5,000,000 USD | 2.5% |
The brackets are marginal, as described in the review, so a 1,000,000 USD sale pays 15% on the first 700,000 and 8% on the remaining 300,000. Ask whether any minimum fee applies and how deferred or earnout payments are treated.
Empire Flippers minimums and what it does not take
There is no listing fee, but there is a vetting gate. The platform reportedly wants about 2,000 USD in monthly net profit, a track record of roughly a year and clean books. It rejects many applicants, and a rejection costs you weeks.
That floor shuts out a lot of AI products. A tool with 6,000 USD MRR but heavy model and compute bills may show little profit. A pre-profit agent or app will not qualify at all. If you are in that group, a marketplace with no profit floor is the realistic route. See the full Empire Flippers alternative comparison.
Net proceeds at three sale prices
Examples assume monthly billing and six months on the market for the self-serve rows. Escrow provider charges are separate everywhere.
| Sale price, USD | Empire Flippers commission | Net after Empire Flippers | Acquisitions Featured, escrow route (6 × 149 + 1.5%) | Net after Acquisitions Featured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150,000 | 22,500 | 127,500 | 3,144 | 146,856 |
| 400,000 | 60,000 | 340,000 | 6,894 | 393,106 |
| 1,000,000 | 108,000 | 892,000 | 15,894 | 984,106 |
At 150,000 USD the difference is about 19,000 USD. At 1,000,000 USD it is about 92,000 USD. Part of that pays for vetting, a professionally written listing, buyer access and negotiation help. If those lift the price by more than the fee gap, the commission is worth paying. For a clean AI SaaS where you can answer buyer questions, it often is not.
When paying Empire Flippers makes sense
- Your business is profitable, stable and well documented, and you want a vetted marketplace to put it in front of serious online-business buyers.
- You do not want to field buyer calls or manage diligence.
- The business is not AI-specific and benefits from a broad pool.
If you are choosing between several platforms, our roundup of the best marketplaces to sell a SaaS business lines up the options on one page, and the SaaS business brokers guide covers what a paid adviser should do.
What to check in the agreement before you sign
Read the engagement terms as a contract, not a price list. Look for:
- the exact commission brackets and whether they apply to the whole price or to bands
- exclusivity length and any tail clause on buyers introduced during the term
- treatment of earnouts, seller notes and equity rollover
- who pays for escrow and what happens if the buyer walks
- how you can end the engagement early
Keeping every version of the agreement in a searchable place helps when terms or dates matter later, and a contract management tool such as AgreementSoftware is built for exactly that.
FAQ
Empire Flippers charges no listing fee and takes a success commission. It is reported at 15% on the sale price up to 700,000 USD, 8% from 700,000 to 5,000,000 USD and 2.5% above. On a 400,000 USD sale that is about 60,000 USD. Confirm current terms in writing.
Empire Flippers reportedly requires about 2,000 USD in monthly net profit, with roughly a year of history. Businesses below that, including pre-profit AI products, usually do not qualify. Marketplaces such as Acquisitions and Acquire.com have no such profit floor.
No. Reviews report no upfront listing fee. You pay the commission only when the sale closes. You may still face separate escrow or transfer costs, so ask for a written estimate covering every charge between listing and payout.
It can be, if the SaaS is profitable and you want a vetted marketplace to run the sale. For a small or pre-profit AI product the 15% commission and profit floor often make a self-serve marketplace the better choice. Compare net proceeds at your expected price.
Self-serve marketplaces cost the least. Acquire.com charges 25 to 100 USD a month plus a 6% to 8% closing fee. Acquisitions charges 49 to 399 USD a month with a 3%, 1.5% or no success fee on the escrow route. Brokers like FE International are typically more expensive.
Keep more of the sale price
Get an indicative value, compare the commission on your own number and list with metrics buyers can verify.
