Where to find businesses for sale in Melbourne

There is no Melbourne-only marketplace worth relying on: Melbourne listings sit inside national listing sets, and you reach them by filtering to Victoria and then to the part of Greater Melbourne you would actually travel to. The rest of the supply moves through licensed estate agents who broker businesses, through franchisors and through accountants. Victoria adds one rule you will not meet in New South Wales: for a small business sold at a price up to $450,000, the seller must give you a section 52 statement setting out two years of financial performance, and if it is not provided the contract can be voided.

By the bizflip team · Published 3 September 2026 · Facts checked 3 September 2026 · Sources listed below

If you are looking for a business to buy in Greater Melbourne, the honest answer is the same as for any Australian capital: the city does not have its own market. Supply is advertised nationally, and you reach the Melbourne slice by filtering. On this site that means opening the Australian listing set and narrowing it to Victoria, then to the part of Melbourne you would genuinely travel to each day. bizflip publishes this page, so the other national portals are named below with what their Victorian pages showed on the day this was written. The rest of the supply never reaches a public search box at all — it moves through licensed agents, franchise systems and private introductions.

What the national portals showed on 3 September 2026

Every Australian business-for-sale portal lets you filter to Victoria. Here is what they displayed when their Victorian listing pages were fetched on 3 September 2026 — the method was to request each page and read the count in its results header. Treat the numbers as an order of magnitude only: the same business is often advertised on several portals at once, and franchise recruitment advertisements sit inside the counts.

Bsale's Victoria page showed 3,835 businesses for sale in its results header. The same page's market summary quoted 4,216 listings across Victoria, with the Melbourne region accounting for 3,119 — two different totals on one page, which tells you how loosely these counts are maintained.
AnyBusiness's Victoria page showed 7,389 businesses for sale in Victoria.
SEEK Business's Victoria page displayed a single count of 16,510 businesses for sale, and its Queensland page showed the identical figure, so it appears to be a national total. No Victorian count could be read from it.

Why the listing will not name the business

Australian business listings are commonly anonymous, and Melbourne is no exception. Owners rarely want staff, customers, suppliers or the landlord to learn the business is on the market before contracts are signed, so the public listing carries the industry, the region, an earnings figure, an asking price and a reason for sale — but not the trading name or the street address. Those are released after you sign a confidentiality agreement; our guide to signing an NDA before seeing financials covers what a reasonable one looks like. Read the listing for whether the earnings figure is stated on a defined basis — PEBITDA or SDE, and what has been added back — and whether the lease term is disclosed; a headline turnover on its own is an advertisement, not a listing.

The other places Melbourne businesses surface

Licensed estate agents who broker businesses. Business broking is regulated state by state, and in Victoria it sits under the Estate Agents Act 1980 — the same Act that licenses estate agents and that contains the section 52 disclosure below. The Australian Institute of Business Brokers lists the Victorian estate agent's licence as the state licence course for business brokers, and Consumer Affairs Victoria's advice is to confirm that any agent you deal with is licensed.
Franchise systems, which often handle resales of existing outlets through their own recruitment pages rather than the open market.
Specialist brokers in sectors such as pharmacy, childcare, medical practice and transport, which rarely reach the general portals.
Accountants and lawyers, who hear about sales before they are listed and often match a buyer to a seller without a listing ever appearing.

Before you deal with an agent, check the licence. Consumer Affairs Victoria runs a free online public register of licensed estate agents and agents' representatives; it is a partial extract, and a full extract with a licensee's history is available from the Business Licensing Authority for a fee.

The Victorian rule that decides what you get to see: the section 52 statement

Victoria has a disclosure rule for small business sales that New South Wales does not. Under section 52 of the Estate Agents Act 1980, a seller of a small business at a price up to $450,000 must give the buyer a vendor's statement, usually completed by the seller and their accountant on the form prescribed under the Estate Agents (General, Accounts and Audit) Regulations 2018. It sets out the financial performance of the business over the last two years and, since 20 May 2018, the current financial year up to the most recent quarter. If the statement is not provided, the contract can be voided. The agent is not responsible for preparing it but should make sure one is provided.

Business Victoria's checklist for buyers puts it alongside the contract of sale and a copy of the lease as documents the seller must give you when the business costs less than $450,000. If you are looking at a Melbourne café or salon in that range and nobody has mentioned a section 52, ask why. Above $450,000 there is no prescribed statement, so the two years of financials become something you and your accountant assemble — our guide to due diligence before buying a business lists what to ask for.

"Melbourne" covers a lot of ground

A listing labelled Melbourne could be in Dandenong, Werribee, Frankston or Fitzroy — places well over an hour apart in traffic — and for an owner-operated business the commute is part of the job you are buying, so filter by region rather than by the city name. For scale: the Australian Bureau of Statistics counted 2,814,778 actively trading businesses in Australia at 30 June 2026, and Victoria added 19,581 businesses in 2025-26, behind only New South Wales among the state figures the ABS highlighted. Only the small share whose owners have decided to sell and advertise ever appears in a search result, so a thin result page is normal.

Checks worth running before you spend a weekend on a listing

ABN Lookup, the free public view of the Australian Business Register, shows whether an ABN is active or cancelled, the business type and GST status. Confirm the entity you are being told about is the entity that trades.
ASIC's registers show whether a company is registered or under external administration and who holds a registered business name; Business Victoria's checklist tells you to verify the right to the business name there.
The Personal Property Securities Register shows whether a security interest is registered over the plant, vehicles or stock in the sale. business.gov.au's due-diligence checklist includes debts owing on registered assets, and tells you to check the past three to five years of financials yourself — a section 52 statement covers two years and is a floor, not the whole job.
Staff. On a transfer of business under the Fair Work Act, the new employer has to recognise employees' service for most entitlements, but might not have to recognise redundancy, annual leave, long service leave, unfair dismissal or notice of termination. Ask what the accrued entitlements are and who pays for them.

Three things that decide whether a Melbourne deal actually works

The lease. If the premises are retail premises under the Retail Leases Act 2003, the lease is transferred by assignment and Part 7 of the Act governs how. Before seeking the landlord's consent the current tenant must give you a copy of the disclosure statement they received when they took the lease, and any changes they know of; failing to do so is an offence. The request must be in writing with information about your financial resources and business experience. The landlord can withhold consent only on listed grounds — a use the lease does not permit, insufficient financial resources or experience, non-compliance with the lease's assignment procedure, or, where an ongoing business is being sold, the tenant not having given you the last three years of business records — and is taken to have consented if no written answer arrives within 28 days of a compliant request.

The liquor licence. A Victorian liquor licence does not travel with the business; the person taking over applies to Liquor Control Victoria to transfer it, at least eight weeks before the change is wanted. The application fee is $259.10 and non-refundable, Victoria Police has a month to object, and a decision typically takes five to seven weeks. You must not supply alcohol until the transfer is granted and you have the legal right to occupy the venue, so make settlement conditional on the outcome.

Duty. The State Revenue Office's guidance is built around land. If the freehold changes hands with the business, duty is paid on the combined value of the land and fixtures, and goods used in connection with the business sold under the same arrangement — other than stock-in-trade and similar — also become dutiable. For a leasehold business, fixtures transferred with the assignment of a non-dutiable lease attract no duty where their total unencumbered value is $2 million or less. Have your solicitor confirm the position for the specific deal.

Anything an agent tells you about earnings is a starting point, not a finding. Australian practice separates a market appraisal — the free, indicative estimate — from a business valuation, the formal engagement an accountant performs under APES 225. If a number is going to support finance, a partner buyout or a dispute, commission the formal one.

A shortlist is where the real work starts. Run the numbers with the Australian market appraisal tool, read how to buy a small business in Australia, and keep the filtered Australian listing set open with an alert set. If Sydney is also in range, the Sydney guide covers the New South Wales differences.

Sources

Every load-bearing claim in this guide, and where it comes from:

A section 52 statement is required for the sale of a small business at a price up to $450,000; it is usually completed by the seller and their accountant on the form prescribed under the Estate Agents (General, Accounts and Audit) Regulations 2018; it sets out financial performance over the last two years and, from 20 May 2018, the current financial year to the most recent quarter; if not provided the contract can be voided; an agent is not responsible for preparing it but should ensure one is provided; the seller's disclosure obligations cannot be removed through a contract term. — Consumer Affairs Victoria
When buying a business in Victoria the seller must provide the contract of sale, a copy of the lease and a vendor's statement or section 52 statement if the business costs less than $450,000; buyers should verify the right to the business name on ASIC's business name register. — Business Victoria
Consumer Affairs Victoria advises always confirming an estate agent is licensed; its online public register gives public access to information about licensed estate agents and agents' representatives, is a partial extract, and full extracts including historical information are available from the Business Licensing Authority for a fee. — Consumer Affairs Victoria
The business broking industry is regulated by the state governments; the Victorian legislation listed is the Estate Agents Act 1980. — Australian Institute of Business Brokers
The AIBB lists the VIC Estate Agent Licence (CPP51119) as the Victorian state licence course available to those wishing to become a business broker. — Australian Institute of Business Brokers
Fetched 3 September 2026: Bsale's Victoria listing page showed 3,835 businesses for sale in its results header, while its market summary on the same page quoted 4,216 businesses for sale across Victoria with the Melbourne region accounting for 3,119 listings. — Bsale
Fetched 3 September 2026: AnyBusiness's Victoria listing page showed 7,389 businesses for sale in Victoria. — AnyBusiness
Fetched 3 September 2026: SEEK Business's Victoria listing page displayed a count of 16,510 businesses for sale. — SEEK Business
Fetched 3 September 2026: SEEK Business's Queensland listing page displayed the same count of 16,510 businesses for sale, indicating the figure is not state-specific. — SEEK Business
At 30 June 2026 there were 2,814,778 actively trading businesses in Australia; in 2025-26 there was a 26,057 increase in New South Wales, the largest net increase in any state or territory, and a 19,581 increase in Victoria. — Australian Bureau of Statistics
ABN Lookup gives free access to public ABN information from the Australian Business Register, including whether an ABN is active or cancelled, the business type and GST status, and historical trading names where available. — Australian Business Register
ASIC's companies register can be searched to check whether a company is registered and whether it is under external administration; ASIC also maintains business names and banned and disqualified registers. — ASIC
The Personal Property Securities Register can be searched by organisation, individual, vehicle or registration number to find security interests registered over personal property, and describes how the register protects buyers. — Australian Financial Security Authority (PPSR)
Due diligence when buying an existing business should include independently collecting and checking the past three to five years of financials — tax returns, business activity statements, records of accounts receivable and payable, balance sheets, profit and loss and cash flow — and checking for debts owing on assets registered on the Personal Property Securities Register. — business.gov.au (Australian Government)
On a transfer of business a new employer has to recognise an employee's service with the old employer for most entitlements, including sick and carer's leave, flexible working requests and parental leave; entitlements the new employer might not have to recognise include redundancy, annual leave, long service leave, unfair dismissal and notice of termination. — Fair Work Ombudsman
Under the Retail Leases Act 2003 (Vic) Part 7, before seeking the landlord's consent to a transfer the current tenant must give the proposed tenant a copy of the disclosure statement they received and disclose known changes (failure is an offence); the request must be in writing with information on the proposed tenant's financial resources and business experience; the landlord can withhold consent only on listed grounds including a non-permitted use, insufficient financial resources or business experience, non-compliance with the lease's assignment provisions, or, where the assignment involves the sale of an ongoing business, the tenant not having provided the last three years of business records; the landlord is taken to have consented if it has not given written notice within 28 days of a compliant request. — Victorian Small Business Commission
A Victorian liquor licence or permit can be transferred into a new person's name, usually when a business with a licence is bought; apply at least 8 weeks before the change; the non-refundable application fee is $259.10; Victoria Police has a month to object; a decision can take about 5 to 7 weeks; alcohol must not be supplied until the transfer is granted and the applicant has the legal right to occupy the venue. — Liquor Control Victoria (vic.gov.au)
In Victoria, fixtures acquired with a business together with the assignment of a non-dutiable lease may attract duty if of significant value, but no duty applies where the total unencumbered value of the fixtures is $2 million or less; where the freehold is transferred with the business, duty is paid on the combined value of the land and fixtures. — State Revenue Office Victoria
Where a dutiable transaction over an interest in land includes the transfer of goods used in connection with a business carried on on the land, the goods also form dutiable property, other than stock-in-trade, materials held for use in manufacture, goods under manufacture, primary production goods and livestock. — State Revenue Office Victoria
APES 225 Valuation Services applies to all members who provide an estimate of value for a business or business ownership interest and defines valuation services to include valuation engagements, limited scope valuation engagements and calculation engagements. — APESB

Ready for your own number? The valuation calculator is free and ungated, and its methodology is public.