Frequently asked questions

Sign up for free, then go to /pubblica-annuncio and fill out the form with category, location, asking price and a description of the business. Choose a publication plan (from €37 + VAT, one-off payment) and submit the listing: after review it goes live on the /vendita-attivita-aziende marketplace. You can manage and edit the listing at any time from your personal area.

You need a business with an active VAT number (sole proprietor or company) and you must be its owner, or act under the owner's mandate if you are a broker. You also need a registered account with a valid email address, which you will use to manage the listing and the messages. No notarial document is required to publish: that is only needed when signing the actual transfer.

Photos increase inquiries considerably: choose bright images of premises, equipment and storefront, leaving out the sign and recognizable details if you want to stay confidential. Have the key figures ready for serious buyers: revenue for the last 2-3 years, EBITDA, rent and remaining term of the lease, list of equipment. Buyers who find clear numbers straight away negotiate more willingly and faster: see also the /vendere-azienda page.

With a well-made listing (photos, realistic price, clear financials) the first inquiries usually arrive within a few days or weeks. Closing the sale typically takes 2-6 months, between viewings, negotiation, buyer checks and the notarial deed. A price in line with the market is what shortens the process the most: you can estimate it for free with the /valuta-azienda tool.

Every listing goes through an editorial review before publication, to check that it is complete and complies with the site rules. Approval normally arrives within 24-48 working hours and you get a notification when the listing is online. If something is missing we get in touch so you can complete it, at no extra cost.

Yes: from your personal area you can edit text, photos and price at any time, even once the listing is published. When the plan expires the listing goes offline but is not deleted: you can renew it by choosing a new plan on the /pricing page. If you have sold in the meantime, you can close the listing with one click.

Real estate agencies, M&A advisors and brokers can publish their clients' listings with a dedicated broker profile, visible in the /intermediari section. Every listing stays as confidential as a private one: the client's registered company name is never shown publicly. It is one more channel for qualified inquiries, with no sale commission charged by Attivita24.

After free registration you can write to the seller through the internal messaging directly from the listing page, at no cost. The negotiation is direct between you and the seller: no compulsory intermediation and no commission to pay to Attivita24. Phone numbers and emails are exchanged only when both parties decide to.

On the /vendita-attivita-aziende marketplace you can filter by category (for example bars, restaurants, e-commerce) and by region (for example Lombardia). Define budget, area and the sector you have experience in first: narrowing the field gets you to the negotiating table better prepared. You will find an overview of the buying journey on /compra-attivita-commerciale.

Before signing, always check: financial statements and tax returns for the last 2-3 years, debts to suppliers, banks and tax authorities, the lease (term, rent, transfer clauses), licenses and permits, employee and supplier contracts. Get an accountant to go through the numbers and a lawyer through the contracts. The full checklist is in the /guide/due-diligence-acquisto-azienda guide.

The most common routes in Italy are: a bank loan backed by the SME guarantee fund (Fondo di garanzia PMI), microcredit for amounts up to about €75,000, deferred payment or earn-out agreed with the seller (part of the price paid over time or linked to results) and, for younger buyers, self-employment incentives. Banks normally ask for 20-30% of the amount in own capital. Options and requirements are covered in the /guide/finanziare-acquisto-azienda guide.

An established business comes with customers, verifiable operating history and goodwill already built; a franchise offers a proven format but involves entry fees, royalties and the franchisor's constraints. The choice depends on experience, budget and appetite for risk: buying an existing business starts from real numbers, opening a franchise from projections. The point-by-point comparison is in the /guide/franchising-o-attivita-avviata guide.

Yes, and it is strongly recommended: arrange a site visit with the seller, often outside opening hours to stay confidential toward staff and customers. Look at the condition of the premises and equipment, foot traffic in the area and the state of the property. Only after the visit and a check of the numbers does it make sense to formalize an offer or a preliminary agreement.

Publication starts at €37 + VAT with a one-off payment: no subscription and no automatic renewal. The listing stays online for all the months included in the plan you choose, with photos and messaging included. Plans and visibility options are on the /pricing page.

No, zero commission: you only pay to publish the listing (from €37 + VAT, one-off) and the entire sale price stays with you. The negotiation happens directly between seller and buyer, with no intermediation percentages. That is the main difference from a traditional agency, which in Italy typically charges 3-10% of the sale price.

For buyers Attivita24 is free: searching the /vendita-attivita-aziende marketplace, registering and contacting sellers through the internal messaging cost nothing. There are no subscriptions and no fees to unlock listings. Only those who publish a listing pay.

Every plan includes the listing online for its full duration, the photo gallery, the internal messaging to receive buyer inquiries and full management from your personal area (unlimited changes to text, photos and price). Higher plans add more visibility, for example a featured position in the lists. Up-to-date details are on /pricing, and how the platform works on /come-funziona.

When the plan expires the listing is no longer visible to the public, but it stays saved in your personal area with all its content. You can put it back online in a few clicks by choosing a new plan on /pricing, always with a one-off payment and no automatic renewals. Messages you have already received remain available.

The most common method for Italian SMEs is the EBITDA multiple: usually 3-6 times normalized EBITDA, depending on sector, growth and dependence on the owner. Smaller retail and hospitality businesses are often valued on revenue multiples typical of the sector, adjusted for location, lease and condition of the equipment. You can get an indicative estimate in a few minutes with the free /valuta-azienda tool; for more depth there is the /guide/quanto-vale-la-mia-azienda guide.

Goodwill (avviamento) is the intangible value of the business: loyal customers, location, reputation, contracts in place and the ability to generate income beyond the value of the physical assets. It is why an established bar is worth more than the sum of its counter, machines and license. In a transfer, goodwill also affects the registration tax (imposta di registro), so it should be estimated carefully: methods and examples are in the /guide/avviamento-commerciale guide.

Ranges vary a lot: bars, restaurants and stores are often valued as a percentage of annual revenue or at 2-4x the owner's earnings; structured SMEs use the 3-6x EBITDA multiple; for e-commerce, margin and dependence on sales channels matter, with typical multiples of 2-4x earnings. These are starting points, not prices: the lease, staff and revenue trend can move the value by 30-50%. Compare your estimate with the /valuta-azienda tool and with similar listings on /vendita-attivita-aziende.

An e-commerce business is valued mainly on the owner's net earnings (typically 2-4x), traffic quality (organic vs paid advertising), customer repeat rate and how easily accounts, suppliers and inventory can be transferred. A store that depends on a single channel or on the founder is worth less for the same numbers. The /guide/come-valutare-un-ecommerce guide explains the method step by step.

Usually not: most businesses are sold with rented premises, so what counts is the lease (rent, remaining term, right of transfer), not the value of the property. If you are selling the premises too, property and business should be valued and negotiated separately, often with two distinct deeds and different taxation. An above-market rent or a lease close to expiry noticeably reduce the value of the goodwill.

Yes: on /valuta-azienda you enter sector, revenue and a few other figures and get a free indicative estimate of your business value, useful for setting a realistic starting price. It is an automatic estimate based on market multiples, not a formal appraisal: for larger deals, check it with an accountant or an advisor.

No: the registered company name is never shown publicly, neither in the listing nor in search results. The listing shows only the title and the information you choose to publish; you decide what to share and with whom, directly in the messages with interested buyers. It is the standard way to sell without alarming staff, customers and suppliers.

It is a listing published without identifying details: no business name, no exact address (only town or area), no recognizable photos. The buyer sees category, figures and features, and receives identifying details only after a first contact, when you decide to share them. It is the recommended format for businesses with employees or long-standing customers.

Share information gradually: summary figures in the listing first, detailed numbers with serious contacts, and financial statements and contracts only with those who show concrete interest. Before handing over confidential documents it is good practice to have a written confidentiality undertaking signed by both parties. Avoid sending batches of documents containing customer or supplier data in the early stages.

No: phone number and email do not appear in the listing. Buyers write to you through Attivita24's internal messaging and you decide if and when to move to a phone call or a meeting in person. This filters out the merely curious and keeps a record of contacts in your personal area.

Yes: every listing goes through an editorial review before going online, checking completeness, consistency and compliance with the site rules. This reduces duplicate listings, misleading content and clearly unrealistic claims. The review does not replace your own checks though: before making an offer, always run due diligence on the actual documents.

If a listing looks fake, duplicated or contains implausible figures, use the Report this listing link at the bottom of the listing and choose the reason. We check it and, if needed, remove it from the site. As a rule, be wary of anyone asking for advance payments outside the platform or refusing visits and documents: those are the most common warning signs.

Yes: the transfer of a business requires a public deed or a private agreement authenticated by a notary (art. 2556 c.c.), to be filed with the Companies Register within 30 days. Typical notary costs for a small to medium transfer range from €1,000 to €3,000, plus registration tax and fees. The preliminary agreement, on the other hand, can be signed by the parties without a notary: see the /guide/preliminare-cessione-azienda guide.

The seller pays tax on the capital gain (the difference between price and the tax value of the business): IRPEF for sole proprietors, IRES for companies. If you have owned the business for more than 5 years you can opt for separate taxation (art. 17 TUIR), often cheaper than the marginal rate. The buyer pays the registration tax (imposta di registro), generally 3% of the value of the business. Details and examples are in the /guide/tasse-vendita-azienda guide; for your own case, check with an accountant.

With a share sale the buyer acquires the whole company, with all its relationships, contracts and debts; the deed is subject to a flat registration tax (€200). With a business transfer (or transfer of a branch) the assets and relationships of the business move across, with proportional registration tax, generally 3%, and the protections of artt. 2556-2560 c.c. The choice changes risks, taxes and liabilities: the full comparison is in the /guide/cessione-quote-o-ramo-azienda guide.

With a business lease (affitto d'azienda) the operator runs the business paying a periodic rent, while ownership stays with the grantor; the contract must be drawn up by a notary and registered. It is often used as a bridge to a purchase: the buyer tests the business for 1-2 years, sometimes with an option or an agreement for a future sale. Rules, typical clauses and taxation are in the /guide/affitto-azienda guide.

The preliminary transfer agreement locks in the deal before the deed: it fixes price, timing, conditions precedent (for example obtaining financing) and what is included in the transfer. On signing, a confirmatory deposit of 10-20% of the price is usually paid: if the buyer walks away they lose it, if the seller walks away they must return double (art. 1385 c.c.). A template and the clauses not to forget are in the /guide/preliminare-cessione-azienda guide.

On transfer the employment relationship continues automatically with the new owner (art. 2112 c.c.): employees keep their seniority, pay and accrued rights, and the transfer is not in itself grounds for dismissal. Seller and buyer remain jointly liable for what the employee was owed at the time of the transfer. Businesses with more than 15 employees must also follow the prior union information procedure.

Not automatically: most commercial activities require a transfer via SCIA or notification to the municipality (SUAP), which presupposes the buyer's personal requirements (for example the professional requirements for food and drink service). Some activities have special regimes: tobacco shops need clearance from the Customs and Monopolies Agency, pharmacies have their own rules. Timings, forms and special cases are in the /guide/licenze-volture-subentro guide.

Under art. 2560 c.c. the buyer is liable, jointly with the seller, for the debts recorded in the mandatory accounting books; for tax debts there is a specific liability (art. 14 D.lgs. 472/1997), which can be limited by asking the Italian Revenue Agency for the certificate of pending charges (certificato dei carichi pendenti). That is why checking debts is at the heart of due diligence: see /guide/due-diligence-acquisto-azienda. In a share sale, by contrast, the debts all stay with the company being bought.