Brokers typically take 10–15% of the sale price. On a $30,000 site that's $3,000–$4,500 — worth keeping if you're willing to run the process yourself. Here's how to sell a website without a broker and still close safely.
Most website brokers charge 10–15% commission, sometimes with a minimum fee that hits small deals hardest. On sub-$50k sales that minimum can be a brutal effective rate — which is exactly where DIY makes the most sense.
Don't guess. Use the SDE multiple method and sanity-check against what a site at your profit level actually sells for. A defensible price with clean proof sells faster than a wish number.
Marketplaces (Flippa and similar) let you list directly for a listing/success fee far below a full broker commission. You can also sell in niche communities or by direct outreach to buyers who own similar sites. Present verifiable numbers, not "six-figure potential."
Confirm funds and intent before you hand over analytics, source access, or vendor logins. Give read-only Analytics/Search Console access for verification, but hold back credentials and anything sensitive until escrow is funded.
This is the part people fear, and it's the easy part: run the close through Escrow.com. Buyer funds escrow, you transfer the domain and accounts, buyer confirms, escrow pays you. No broker required to do this safely.