Flippa has long marketed itself as a trusted platform for buying and selling online businesses. But beneath this image lies a series of troubling events that raise serious questions about how the company is run and how its CEO, Blake Hutchison, handles internal misconduct. This article sheds light on Flippa’s double standards, questionable staff behavior, and their CEO’s failure to uphold true marketplace integrity.

It’s a serious accusation, but the evidence speaks for itself: Flippa, a leading marketplace for buying and selling online businesses, appears to be shielding shady practices internally while silencing those who dare to question them. At the center of this controversy is CEO Blake Hutchison, who seems more interested in protecting staff than in safeguarding marketplace integrity.

The Illusion of Integrity

When users are banned from a platform, the expectation is that they have violated serious policies. But what if the banning stems from questioning staff behavior or reporting policy violations? That’s exactly what happened to me. Despite conducting over 500 successful transactions and maintaining Flippa’s standards, I was permanently banned. After I began raising concerns about staff bias and unethical sellers.

Exposing the Real Issue : Flippa Staff Backing Bad Actors?

Flippa has long positioned itself as a trusted platform, but behind the scenes, some sellers have been openly violating policies. One of the most glaring examples involves a seller named Leon from Spain, who has sold 152 websites. More than 95% of which are based on nulled (pirated) Codecanyon scripts, which are unauthorized and often illegal.. These listings violated Flippa’s marketplace integrity rules. Despite clear violations of Flippa’s marketplace rules, Leon continues to operate on the platform. I personally reported his listing (ID: 11707063) and even contacted the original developer of one script he was selling. The developer confirmed that Leon was not licensed to use or sell the script in question. I provided a screenshot as evidence and submitted it to Flippa.

Three months later, I finally received a reply. The support team said:

“We have looked into this further and asked for confirmation from the seller. Sorry about the delay here.”

What was Flippa’s response? Silence for three months. Eventually, one support member, Chris (who has not working anymore with Flippa), confirmed that the specific listing I reported was removed. However, Leon was not banned. He continues to list and sell similar websites using unlicensed scripts, visible even today: Leon’s Listings(https://flippa.com/users/3182762/listings).

Screenshot #1: Email from Codecanyon Developer Confirming Unauthorized Use

Screenshot #2: Screenshot of Listing 11707063 Before Removal

Screenshot #3: Support Ticket Conversation Showing Delay in Action

Screenshot #4: Blake Hutchison’s Email Quoting Removal of bad actor

Screenshot #5: The Seller who has already subsquently removed still operating in the platform(just to make sure it’s not old dated screenshot I have opened another tab with today date on Google), because ultimately the profile lies on Flippa they might make it disappear overnight and saying that I’m using old dated image.

How Blake Hutchison Responded : The CEO’s Empty Words

After my account was banned without a valid reason, I reached out to CEO Blake Hutchison. Instead of investigating the matter independently, he blindly backed his staff. His exact words:

“Thank you for your emails. I have conducted a thorough investigation, and the reasons for your account ban include, but are not limited to, misleading information and defamatory content. Your false accusations have caused damage to Flippa and personal distress to our staff. We don’t condone this behaviour and it remains a breach of Flippa terms. “

Blake’s quoted message is a clear example of manipulating the situation to protect internal failures while turning justified concerns into supposed violations.

“I have conducted a thorough investigation…”

This “investigation” seems to have only listened to one side of the story — the staff. None of my evidence-backed concerns about sellers breaching marketplace policies were genuinely addressed. If they were, the offending sellers wouldn’t still be active. So, the investigation either wasn’t thorough, or it was willfully blind.

“…misleading information and defamatory content.”

This is the most twisted part. What exactly was “defamatory”? At no point did I make personal attacks. I flagged real issues — backed by screenshots, responses from script developers, and proof of seller misconduct. Even saying “I will report this to Blake” was labeled as an act of blackmail. How is telling someone that you intend to escalate an issue defamation?

Think about that: expressing the intent to report a staff member’s questionable actions to the CEO was used against me. If the team was innocent and acting in good faith, they should have welcomed that escalation — not feared it.

“Your false accusations have caused damage to Flippa and personal distress to our staff.”

Here Blake completely flips the narrative. He doesn’t address how their marketplace allowed sellers to distribute illegal, unlicensed digital goods. Instead, he portrays the staff as the victims — not the buyers who were misled or the whistleblower who tried to raise the alarm. He makes no mention of the distress caused by wrongful bans, ignored reports, or the protection of shady actors.

“We don’t condone this behaviour and it remains a breach of Flippa terms.”

So raising questions, asking for transparency, and pointing out policy violations is now considered a “breach of terms”? This is a dangerous precedent that silences users who speak up and rewards those who stay quiet — no matter how broken the system becomes.

Moving forward I have explained everything that what happened, in detail along with continued support of Scammers and banning and removing of legit sellers like us, he replied as below,

“You have raised concerns about certain sellers and listings. Our team thoroughly reviews such reports, including the example you cited on January 30th (11707063), which was investigated and subsequently removed from the platform. We take marketplace integrity seriously.”
– Reference Screenshot #4

This is misleading.

Yes, the listing was removed, but the seller was not. The fraudulent activity clearly breached marketplace integrity, yet the seller continues to operate.

Flippa made the listing disappear (https://flippa.com/11707063) instead of taking actual action. Then Blake demanded “substantial proof”. While knowing full well that the evidence was on their platform, which they had now removed.

How convenient.

I realize that the CEO didn’t do any thorough investigation. That scam listing link now shows an empty page saying, but seller still selling.

“Unfortunately this business is not yet live.” 

You may refer Screenshot Evidence #2 for the listing.

This means the listing was hidden, not addressed transparently. Meanwhile, Leon’s other listings remain live and unchallenged. Flippa’s team can hide violations to eliminate evidence. Then claim no wrongdoing occurred.

Hypocrisy and Retaliation :

Double Standards and Selective Enforcement

What’s disturbing is that Flippa applies rules selectively. After couple of months of reporting Leon, I requested the removal of a feedback comment from one of my own buyers, which was irrelevant to the listing. That’s when things shifted. Support member Rachel O., under the direction of Ian McFaul, started questioning my listing with unusual scrutiny, despite all details being transparently listed. It became evident they were preparing to remove me.

When I challenged this behavior and said I would escalate it to CEO Blake Hutchison, I was banned—accused of “blackmail.”

Let that sink in.

I didn’t blackmail anyone. I stated my right to escalate misconduct. If the staff were honest, they should have welcomed an internal review. Instead, they silenced me.

Following my efforts to report this misconduct, I faced increasing resistance. After asking to remove a buyer’s feedback (which was unrelated to the listing), Flippa’s staff—now led by Ian McFaul and newly joined support member Rachel O. Began enforcing new rules that had never applied to other sellers.

When I expressed that I would escalate this issue to Blake, my account was trying to abruptly banned. I was accused of blackmail simply for saying I would report misconduct to the CEO. If that’s blackmail, then Flippa’s leadership sees any accountability as a threat.

Screenshot #6: My Conversation with Support Mentioning CEO Escalation

Screenshot #7: Ban Notification Email

The Protest Campaign

After being banned, I launched a protest campaign to bring these issues into the public eye. Initially, there was no response. Then, Blake responded—not with concern or a genuine willingness to investigate, but with a legal threat. He accused me of defamation without addressing the substantial evidence I presented.

Let it be clear: my complaints were made through internal channels first. Only after being ignored and mistreated did I go public.

The Bigger Picture

This entire saga is not just about one banned user. It’s about how Flippa is failing its user base by protecting shady sellers and staff misconduct.

If marketplace integrity mattered, sellers using pirated scripts would be removed. If customer protection mattered, staff would be held accountable. Instead, whistleblowers like myself are punished.

The Final Word

This article marks the beginning of a broader awareness campaign. Many families, including my team and service providers, rely on platforms like Flippa to make a living. When integrity is compromised at the top, the ripple effect damages livelihoods.

We are not backing down. The protest campaign will intensify, exposing every detail we uncover. Flippa may hide listings, but they can’t hide the truth.

It’s possible that Flippa’s CEO, Blake Hutchison, truly believes he has taken action — perhaps relying on staff who reassured him that issues were addressed. But if that’s the case, it raises an even more serious concern: Has the CEO been misled by his own team?

We demand accountability, not just promises. We seek transparency, not hidden agendas. And we urge Blake Hutchison to stop shielding bad actors and start safeguarding the very users who built Flippa’s reputation.

Stay tuned.