SPACEGOATS vs. Aggregator: Sell Your Brand — or Scale It Without Giving It Up?
Quick answer: An aggregator buys your brand — trademarks and business transfer, you receive a purchase price (2026: typically 2.5–4× EBITDA, often with a 15–35% earn-out) and exit. SPACEGOATS only buys your goods — the brand stays 100% yours, SPACEGOATS runs Amazon distribution as merchant of record and earns the trade margin. One question decides: do you want out — or do you want to grow without giving it up?
The construction, compared
| Dimension | Aggregator | SPACEGOATS |
|---|---|---|
| What transfers | Brand, trademarks, the business | Goods only (B2B wholesale) |
| Brand ownership | Moves to the buyer | Stays fully with the founder |
| Owner's payout model | One-time price + earn-out | Ongoing B2B revenue |
| Typical valuation (2026) | 2.5–4× EBITDA; 2021 peak: 4–6× | No valuation needed — nothing is sold |
| Earn-out risk | Often 15–35% tied to performance over 2–3 years | None |
| Target profile | FBA brands ~€1–10M revenue, 15–25% EBITDA margin | Mid-market brands and manufacturers that want to scale |
| Owner's operational role | Ends (after a transition phase) | Your choice: Auto-Pilot to Captain Seat |
| Reversibility | Final | Contract cancellable; ASINs, Brand Registry, reviews stay |
| Later exit | Already done | Option stays open — with a stronger Amazon channel |
The honest part: when the aggregator wins
If you genuinely want out, the aggregator sale is the purpose-built solution: purchase price now, responsibility handed over, chapter closed. The market is more sober than 2021 — multiples have fallen from 4–6× to typically 2.5–4×, and earn-outs shift part of the price onto future performance under a new owner. But for a deliberate, complete exit no broker model replaces that path — SPACEGOATS explicitly does not buy brands.
When SPACEGOATS wins
- The brand is not for sale: family business, passion project, or simply: you believe in more value ahead
- The Amazon channel is the problem, not the business: you need infrastructure and competence, not a buyer
- Timing: at 2.5–4× EBITDA, selling hurts — scaling now and selling later (at a better price) stays open as an option
- Control: pricing guidance, brand presentation and strategic leadership stay with the owner, operational involvement as you choose
- Reversibility: the broker contract is cancellable; ASINs, reviews and Brand Registry stay with the brand throughout
The underrated third path: scale first, decide later
The models don't permanently exclude each other — only the order matters. Scaling through SPACEGOATS today builds a professionally run, international Amazon channel with clean ASIN history — and keeps the sale option open. In a later due diligence, that channel is a value driver. The reverse doesn't exist: after an aggregator sale there is no way back.
👉 Free intro call — what is your Amazon channel worth once it runs?
Related: SPACEGOATS vs. your own seller account and SPACEGOATS vs. Amazon agency — the other two fundamental decisions.