Originally published on ExitBid — the full version includes the complete fee table and the "what actually transfers" checklist.
If you google "where to sell my Shopify store" in 2026, you'll land on advice that points to dead ends. I went through the top results and most of them still recommend options that no longer exist — or quote fees that changed years ago.
The two big obituaries first:
- Shopify Exchange — Shopify's own marketplace — closed on November 1, 2022. Nothing official ever replaced it.
- OpenStore — the "we'll buy your store instantly" aggregator — paused new acquisitions in 2024 and wound down nearly all of its 40+ acquired stores by August 2025 (CNBC covered the collapse; valuation went from $1B to a reported ~$50M).
So where do stores actually sell now? I verified every platform's live pricing this July. Highlights:
The current map (fees verified July 2026)
Flippa — the default. $49–$499 listing fee + 5–10% success fee + ~3.25% escrow. Biggest buyer pool, zero curation, your listing competes with thousands. Works best for starter/dropship stores under $50K.
Acquire.com — heads up, the "free for sellers" era is over: it's now $25–$100/month while listed + a 6–8% closing fee (8% under $250K, 7% to $1M, 6% above). Escrow is free. Tech/DTC tilt, verified financials expected.
Empire Flippers — 15% commission on the first $700K, and they'll reject you below ~$2K/month net profit. Great outcomes if you get in; most Exchange-era sellers won't.
Brokers (Quiet Light, FE International) — 10–15%, realistically for $500K+ exits. The awkward truth about most "where to sell" articles in the SERP: they're written by brokers recommending themselves.
ExitBid (disclosure: I built it) — $199 flat, 0% commission, 5-day auction. Built for the segment everyone above ignores: digital-first stores in the $1K–$50K range, including pre-revenue. Honest limits: younger platform, smaller buyer pool than Flippa, escrow is optional via Escrow.com rather than built-in, and inventory-heavy $500K brands are not our format — that's broker territory.
The pattern nobody says out loud
Every platform above has a rejection filter, and the filters stack against small sellers: EF wants $2K/month profit, brokers want $500K+ deals, Acquire wants verified SaaS-style financials. The sub-$50K store — the exact audience Shopify Exchange served — is the segment with the fewest good homes. That mismatch is why "Exchange alternative" searches still spike four years after it died.
Before you list anywhere
Three transfer gotchas from Shopify's own docs that no listicle mentions: your Shopify Payments balance/history doesn't transfer to the buyer's setup, and outstanding Shopify Capital / Balance obligations block store transfer until cleared. Check the current rules in Shopify's official transfer documentation before you promise a buyer a handover date — these details change.
Full comparison with the who-rejects-whom table: Shopify Exchange Alternatives in 2026. Valuation math for stores specifically: how to sell a Shopify store.
If you've sold a store recently on any of these platforms, I'd genuinely like to hear how the fees matched reality — I keep the table updated.
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