Buying guide
Buying a website, an app, a template or a turnkey business.
Four different things are sold under almost the same words. One is a design. One is an asset. One arrives complete and already trading. Here is what each actually gets you, before you spend anything.
Buying a website
A finished site: design, pages, copy and hosting. It is an asset, not a trading operation — you still supply the product, the traffic and the brand.
£1,500–£15,000 for a custom build
Buying an app
Either an app business (users, subscriptions, store listings and its revenue) or app code you build on. Code is a head start; the business is what earns.
£5,000–£50,000 to build; app businesses sell on revenue
Buying a template
A design shell sold to many buyers. No domain of its own, no brand, no customers, no trading history. Everything that makes it a business is yours to build.
£20–£200 for the files
Buying a turnkey online business
A complete trading operation: domain, brand, storefront, supplier pipeline and the accounts with their history. You take over and keep trading from day one.
£450–£2,400 on BuyABuild
Side by side
Costs are indicative ranges for the UK market and move with scope. The column that decides most purchases is the last two: what you own afterwards, and what evidence you can inspect before paying.
| Template | Website build | App build | Turnkey business | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you receive | Design files or a licence to a theme | A finished site, built to a brief | App code, or an app business with its users and revenue | A whole business: domain, brand, storefront, supplier pipeline, accounts |
| Time to first sale | Weeks to months of your own work | Weeks after launch, once traffic arrives | Weeks after launch, once users arrive | Day one — it is already trading |
| Who does the work | You | You, after handover | You, after handover | You inherit a working operation |
| What you own afterwards | A licence, or the files | The site and its code | The code, or the app business | Domain, brand, creative assets, mailbox, socials, analytics |
| Evidence you can inspect | A demo link | The site you commissioned | The app you commissioned | Trading history, traffic evidence and asset inventory in a data room |
| Typical buyer | Someone testing an idea cheaply | A business that needs a site | A founder who wants a head start | Someone who wants to own and run a trading business |
The difference that matters
A template is a design. A website is an asset. A turnkey business is a trading operation — with a brand, a domain, customers, supplier relationships and a history you can check. The first two need everything else built around them. The third arrives complete, which is why it costs more than a licence and less than a brokerage deal.
What BuyABuild sells, and what it does not
Being clear about this saves everyone a conversation. If what you want is a template or a site build, we are honestly not the shop for it.
Sell complete, already-trading storefronts — one buyer per business
Publish masked listings: sector, headline numbers, what is included, price band
Verify every buyer by hand, from four written answers
Open a 72-hour data room for a £25 deposit that is refunded if you do not proceed
Hand over the domain, brand, accounts, media library and supplier pipeline
Build one commissioned storefront a month
Sell templates, themes or design licences
Sell websites or apps as a standalone build service outside commission
Broker other people's businesses — we are the seller of every listing
Publish a domain or brand name before a buyer is verified
Guarantee revenue, traffic or future trading
FAQ
Buying, in questions
Is buying a website the same as buying an online business?+
No. A website is an asset: pages, design and hosting. An online business also has a brand, a domain, customers, transaction history and the accounts that run it. You can buy a good website and still have no business, and you can buy a small business whose site is unremarkable.
Can I buy a template and turn it into a business?+
Yes, and for many people that is the right start. You are then supplying the niche research, the domain, the brand, the products, the supplier relationships and the marketing yourself. A template removes the design step, not the business step.
Is buying an app different from buying the business behind it?+
They are separate purchases. Buying app code gives you something to build on. Buying an app business means acquiring its users, subscription revenue and store listings, and taking over the accounts that keep it running.
What does turnkey actually mean?+
That the operation arrives complete. On BuyABuild that is the domain, brand and creative assets, the live storefront, a mailbox with order history, the social channels, Google Analytics and Search Console, and the supplier enquiry pipeline — all transferred in one handover pack.
How much does a ready-built online business cost?+
On BuyABuild, typically £450 to £2,400 per business, with a £25 due-diligence deposit that is refunded if a verified buyer does not proceed. Brokerage marketplaces generally start in the five figures and rise from there.
Do I need to be verified before I can see what is for sale?+
You can see the masked listing without an account. The domain, brand, screenshots and trading history are released only after manual verification and a refundable deposit, for 72 hours at a time.