This week's listing roast: three new Empire Flippers listings through the 33-rule checker

Roast 1 of 3 · Empire Flippers #97628

$870K supplement subscription: revenue down 36%, priced above the range

Checker result: 1 high, 3 medium, 2 low flags. Payback 36.0 months, 3.00× annual profit.

What the reviewer noticed

• Empire Flippers' own trend figures show revenue down 36% and profit down 33% over 12 months.
• Payback is 36.0 months on the 12-month average profit ($24,161), but 41.4 months on the last three months' average ($20,988).
• The listing says a mid-2026 inventory gap followed changes to Amazon's services and has since been resolved. Most inventory is kept in a home office and local self-storage, and inventory is not normally included in the price. Ask what moves at handover and what the stock costs.

Flags from the 33 rules

• High Revenue trend -36%

  The listing reports a decline of this size. Declines tend to continue after a sale unless the cause is known and fixable.

  Ask the seller: What is causing the decline, what has been tried, and what do the last three months look like?

  Needs the full-figures link.

• Medium Depends on Amazon

  The listing relies on a platform the buyer does not control. A policy, fee, algorithm or account change there can cut revenue quickly.

  Ask the seller: Has the Amazon account ever had a suspension, listing removal or policy warning, and what share of revenue would stop if it did?

  Needs the full-figures link.

• Medium Asking multiple 3.00× is above the typical range

  Comparable listings ask 2.06×–2.85× annual profit (middle half, n=14). A higher price can be fair, but only with evidence such as growth or proven retention.

  Ask the seller: What justifies pricing above comparable listings: growth, verified retention, or something else you can document?

  Shows in the quick link too.

• Medium Seller reports 25 hours a week

  That time either becomes your job or a cost you pay someone else, which lowers the real profit.

  Ask the seller: Which tasks take the time, and what would it cost to hand them to a contractor?

  Shows in the quick link too.

• Low Concentration not disclosed

  The listing does not say how much revenue comes from the largest customer, affiliate program or traffic partner.

  Ask the seller: What share of revenue comes from the top 1 and top 3 customers or partners?

  Shows in the quick link too.

• Low Generic reason for sale

  A vague reason is common, but worth a direct question.

  Ask the seller: Why sell now, and what would you do with the business if it does not sell?

  Needs the full-figures link.

The quick link also shows “No connected data source mentioned”, because a link made of numbers cannot say that the listing has connected data (Amazon Seller Central, Shopify, Stripe). The full-figures link includes it, so that flag drops out there.

Rerun the quick check Rerun with every figure above

Quick link: firstpassmemo.com/checker/?ask=869781&profit=24161&revenue=44799&age=88&hours=25&type=subscription&churn=3.82&via=roast-live. Source: Empire Flippers #97628, public listing first listed Oct 16, 2026; figures read from the Empire Flippers public API on 18 Oct 2026 (CT).

Roast 2 of 3 · Empire Flippers #98059

$155K auto-parts brand: the listing disagrees with itself on age and hours

Checker result: 0 high, 1 medium, 2 low flags. Payback 28.8 months, 2.40× annual profit.

What the reviewer noticed

• The summary says the business was “first monetized in November 2021”; the listing's data field says Nov 2023. The checker uses the data field (35 months). Ask which is right; it changes how many seasons the numbers cover.
• The summary says the seller works “approximately 7-8 hours a month”; the data field says 8 hours a week. Ask for a task-by-task time log.
• Amazon is “approximately over a third” of revenue and four eBay accounts about 25%. The listing's own disclaimer says eBay forbids account transfers and the buyer carries that risk.
• The 12-month average profit is $5,389; the last three months averaged $4,346 (35.7 months' payback, against 28.8 stated).

Flags from the 33 rules

• Medium Depends on Amazon

  The listing relies on a platform the buyer does not control. A policy, fee, algorithm or account change there can cut revenue quickly.

  Ask the seller: Has the Amazon account ever had a suspension, listing removal or policy warning, and what share of revenue would stop if it did?

  Shows in the quick link too.

• Low Concentration not disclosed

  The listing does not say how much revenue comes from the largest customer, affiliate program or traffic partner.

  Ask the seller: What share of revenue comes from the top 1 and top 3 customers or partners?

  Shows in the quick link too.

• Low Generic reason for sale

  A vague reason is common, but worth a direct question.

  Ask the seller: Why sell now, and what would you do with the business if it does not sell?

  Needs the full-figures link.

The quick link also shows “No connected data source mentioned”, because a link made of numbers cannot say that the listing has connected data (Amazon Seller Central, Shopify, Google Analytics). The full-figures link includes it, so that flag drops out there.

Rerun the quick check Rerun with every figure above

Quick link: firstpassmemo.com/checker/?ask=155196&profit=5389&revenue=21280&age=35&hours=8&type=fba&via=roast-live. Source: Empire Flippers #98059, public listing first listed Oct 16, 2026; figures read from the Empire Flippers public API on 18 Oct 2026 (CT). Read the full teardown.

Roast 3 of 3 · Empire Flippers #97550

$241K dropshipping wholesaler at 1.5×: cheap, with very uneven months

Checker result: 1 high, 2 medium, 2 low flags. Payback 18.0 months, 1.50× annual profit.

What the reviewer noticed

• Monthly profit in the listing ranges from $3,023 (Jun 2026) to $42,008 (Oct 2025).
• The price is set on the 12-month average of $13,380. The last six months averaged $6,252, which puts payback at 38.5 months instead of 18.0.
• The seller also sells individual brands; the listing says brand-sale proceeds are excluded from the valuation. Ask how many brands were sold in the last 12 months and what revenue left with them.
• No connected data sources are listed for this one, so every figure is seller-reported until you see the accounts.

Flags from the 33 rules

• High Last month's profit is 52% below the average

  Last month $6,380 against an average of $13,380. A price set on the average overstates what the business earns now.

  Ask the seller: What pushed last month below the average, and is it a one-off or a trend?

  Needs the full-figures link.

• Medium Seller reports 12 hours a week

  That time either becomes your job or a cost you pay someone else, which lowers the real profit.

  Ask the seller: Which tasks take the time, and what would it cost to hand them to a contractor?

  Shows in the quick link too.

• Medium No connected data source mentioned

  The figures appear to be typed in by the seller. Nothing in the text says revenue or traffic is connected from Stripe, PayPal, analytics or a marketplace check.

  Ask the seller: Can you give read-only access to the payment processor and analytics, or exports that match the P&L?

  Shows in the quick link too.

• Low Concentration not disclosed

  The listing does not say how much revenue comes from the largest customer, affiliate program or traffic partner.

  Ask the seller: What share of revenue comes from the top 1 and top 3 customers or partners?

  Shows in the quick link too.

• Low Generic reason for sale

  A vague reason is common, but worth a direct question.

  Ask the seller: Why sell now, and what would you do with the business if it does not sell?

  Needs the full-figures link.

• Info Asking multiple 1.50× is below the typical range

  Below the middle half of comparable listings. Cheap can be good, or it can price in a problem.

  Shows in the quick link too.

Rerun the quick check Rerun with every figure above

Quick link: firstpassmemo.com/checker/?ask=240834&profit=13380&revenue=29246&age=25&hours=12&type=ecommerce&via=roast-live. Source: Empire Flippers #97550, public listing first listed Oct 16, 2026; figures read from the Empire Flippers public API on 18 Oct 2026 (CT). Read the full teardown.