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BuyingStrategy

Why Buy a Side Project Instead of Building From Scratch?

VibePath Team••5 min read

The Build vs. Buy Decision

Every developer has felt the pull to build everything from scratch. But sometimes, the smarter move is to buy.

The True Cost of Building

Let's be honest about what "building from scratch" really means:

Time Investment:

  • A basic SaaS MVP: 100-300 hours
  • User authentication, payments, admin panel: 50-100 hours
  • Testing, debugging, polish: 30-50% additional time

    • Opportunity Cost:

  • Those hours could be spent on marketing, sales, or your core business
  • The market might change while you're building
  • You might lose motivation halfway through

    • Why Buying Makes Sense

    1. Immediate Validation

    When you buy a project with existing users or revenue, you're buying proof that the idea works. According to CB Insights, 42% of startups fail because there's no market need. Buying reduces this risk.

    2. Faster Time to Market

    A project that took someone 200 hours to build might cost you $500-2,000 to buy. If your time is worth $100/hour, that's a potential 10x return on investment.

    3. Learn From Someone Else's Work

    Buying a codebase gives you:

  • Architecture decisions already made and tested
  • Common pitfalls already solved
  • Real-world code patterns to learn from

    • 4. Foundation to Customize

    You're not locked into someone else's vision. Buy the foundation, then customize:

  • Add features specific to your use case
  • Rebrand and reposition for your market
  • Integrate with your existing tools

    • What to Look for When Buying

    Technical Factors:

  • Clean, readable code
  • Modern tech stack you're comfortable with
  • Good documentation
  • No major security issues

    • Business Factors:

  • Clear value proposition
  • Existing users or revenue (if applicable)
  • Reasonable asking price
  • Seller responsiveness

    • When Building Still Wins

    Buying isn't always the answer. Build from scratch when:

  • Your idea is truly novel
  • You need 100% control over architecture
  • The learning experience is the goal
  • Available projects don't match your needs

    • The VibePath Approach

    We focus on projects under $5,000 because this is the sweet spot where:

  • Individual developers can afford to buy
  • Projects are small enough to understand quickly
  • The risk of a bad purchase is manageable

    • Browse our marketplace to find your next project foundation. Every listing is reviewed for quality, and you can browse without creating an account.

    Ready to buy or sell?

    Browse projects or join the waitlist to start selling

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