Deal of the century.

[Colt McCoy]

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Risk of myspace changing their CAPTCHA system.

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This isn't a "risk". It's a certainty. They've already been continually updating it.

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This one is interesting because the time frame is much shorter. 4 months ago the risks for this business were the same, but the owner has made 60k since then.

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The risks weren't the same. Myspace's security has recently become much better and they've become much more focused on it. It took the guy weeks to figure out how to bypass the current CAPTCHA, and it'll only get tougher. That's why he's selling.

Also, Myspace has recently been taking a much harsher legal stance on some of this stuff.

Before you do anything, go to some of the forums like Wickedfire and Earner's Forum, and even the forum at the adderrobot site and read what people are saying.

[MrBlue]

Max, it's not that the CAPTCHAs that get changed. As far as I know, CAPTCHAs have not been solved programmatically for all cases. I have seen people brag that they've solved CAPTCHAs and used in their own programs but I have not seen a solution published.

What all these programs do is exploit bugs in MySpace and bypass the CAPTCHAs. Since MySpace has been at this game for years, they've plugged up a lot of holes already. Even the seller says he does not know how many holes are left, no one does.

My guess is that the seller is a programmer. He also hangs out in a lot of blackhat / underground sites where people share information on how to 'hack' -- and I use the word very loosely here -- MySpace.

He also mentions on SP that the programmer is not included w/ the sale so you're on your own.

I thought I saw a post on SP that said the CAPTCHA bypass stopped working again but don't see it anymore so I might just be dreaming stuff up.

IMO, it's trivial for MySpace to just buy a copy of this thing and just run it everyday to see what holes they need to plug up on their end. It's like paying $17 for a full time security expert.

I think the easy money in this particular venture has already been made.

[WarBus]

The reason to buy the site is simple. THe site/software is very profitable and you can potentially recoup the cost quickly.

The problems (in no particular order) and why I would avoid the purchase of the site/software:

MySpace is against all the bots. They do not want their site turning into a spamfest.

Keeping up with MySpace updates may get expensive and/or time consuming. Programming the software may get expensive.

Advertising the software may get more expensive or difficult. What if you are unable to promote with Adwords or Adwords becomes unprofitable? Google is 40% of all sales.

The software is popular. Word of mouth is 35% of sales. But how well liked is it now that it often stops working? Are people still going to recommend it with the constant problems?

Support is a big issue. The software was sold as a one-time fee and not a renewable service. You will have to deal with all the previous customers, but receive no benefit or future earnings.

The purchase is offering potential earnings and possibly a very good return. The purchase is guaranteeing a lot of work and a lot of headaches trying to keep the software current and supporting previous customers.

It makes great sense for him to sell the site/software. He made a great deal of money. If he sells it, he makes quite a bit more and he washes his hands of all the potential problems before they arise.

[maxtower]

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Support is a big issue. The software was sold as a one-time fee and not a renewable service. You will have to deal with all the previous customers, but receive no benefit or future earnings.


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I like all of your last posts. I tend to agree with you guys on all counts. After reading the above, I realized that this could be the worst deal of the century. I am a programmer, so some concerns are alleviated, but I don't want to purchase a full time job either.
It was interesting to at least go through all the angles. I imagine there are a lot of these "flash in the pan" type businesses.
The biggest "tell" is that the current owner is even selling. The software is written and he appears to be making good money. He obviously is going to know a lot more than I could hope to discover. If he feels like its time to sell and only for 4 months revenue, he must know what lies ahead.