What to consider when buying a YouTube channel?

Buying a YouTube channel may never have crossed your mind as a way to make money online. However, it can be a lucrative venture if you are choosy and do your due diligence.

You probably have many questions, such as:

• How does selling YouTube channels work?
• Is it legal to buy a YouTube channel?
• How much does it cost to buy a YouTube channel?
• Is there any risk in buying a YouTube channel?

This blog will address these questions and more to inform you about buying and selling YouTube channels.

Can I buy a YouTube channel?

The short answer is yes, you can legally buy YouTube channels and find dedicated YouTube channel buying and selling websites 

Why buy a YouTube channel?

Before you get into the finer points of buying, consider the incentives for buying a YouTube account or channel.

The benefits of buying a YouTube channel include:

1. You can earn residual income from the videos already published on the channel.
2. You can benefit from the advertising and affiliate income from these videos for years to come.
3. By buying a channel with a fixed subscriber base, you can build on the basis of the original owner’s content.
4. YouTube’s algorithm favours videos with a higher number of views. Therefore, it is much easier to build on the channel owner’s active subscribers than to start from scratch.

There are many things to consider before deciding on a channel and making a secure transaction.

Buying a YouTube channel saves you a lot of time and effort associated with building a channel with lots of YouTube subscribers and original content. A ‘ready-made channel’ means that the channel offers a higher potential for monthly revenue. 

What to consider when buying a YouTube channel?

Before you buy a channel, there are a few things you should ask the main owner. The answers to these questions will affect the current and potential value of the channel in the future.

1. Monetisation of the channel

Is the channel monetised? The channel might already have thousands of subscribers. However, if the channel’s owners have not enabled monetisation, the channel will not be able to generate revenue through a Google Adsense account and promote affiliate links.

If a channel has many subscribers and is not monetised, there may be reasons why the channel has not passed YouTube’s monetisation approval process. For example, does the channel have any strikes or copyright issues that mean it is not suitable for monetisation?

An already monetised YouTube channel earns money from advertising revenue. Channels with monetisation enabled are therefore more profitable. They can also make money from advertising affiliate links, adding to the overall revenue. This dynamic is why most buyers want to buy monetised YouTube channels. You should know the monthly revenue of the channel to determine its value.

If the account is not a monetisable YouTube channel, you want the original owner to initiate the monetisation process.

2. How old is the channel?

Older channels have often built more authority and trust with their audience. This can make these older accounts more attractive as they are guaranteed to have a regular audience.

But the reverse is also possible. If an older channel has not posted anything in a long time, their audience may have become jaded. They may no longer be receptive to new content.

3. How many subscribers does the channel have?

Does the channel have 100,000 followers or does it only have 1,000 subscribers? The most important factor affecting the overall value of the channel is the number of subscribers. To profit from this business, it is important to know this information.

4. How many videos does the channel have?

You should consider the quality and quantity of the channel’s videos as an asset, i.e. a channel with two videos produced is probably not worth the same as one with 200.

5. Is there a personality? 

Do the original videos on the channel depend on a real YouTube personality for their success? If so, a loyal audience could become disinterested in your new content on the channel without the pull of that personality.

All these questions will determine the value of the YouTube channel. But even before you negotiate the price, you should be aware of the risks.

6. Is there a risk involved in buying a YouTube channel? 

Selling a YouTube channel is against YouTube’s guidelines. However, there is no legal barrier to doing so, and there are many verified sellers like Flippa that facilitate this process.

If YouTube finds out that a channel has changed hands, a YouTube account could be suspended – but so far there has not been a case where an account has been suspended because a content creator has sold their channel.

We can guide you through the process to protect you from this outcome. For example, your IP address may indicate if you are suddenly hosting a channel from a different location. 

People buy YouTube channels for very different reasons. They usually see it as a way to either add value to an existing business or to grow a channel and create a profitable business.

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