Listing teardown · Ecommerce
Teardown: $9.7K Per Month eCommerce Business in the Supplements Niche (Empire Flippers #86851)
Short answer: a first-pass read of a live public listing, asking $92,855: 0 red, 7 yellow and 4 green flags from the checker's rules. Every figure comes from the public listing page; nothing here has been verified with the seller.
How to read this. Flags are questions to answer, not findings. A red flag means the listing's own figures or text need an explanation before you spend money on diligence; it does not mean anything is wrong. Sellers often have good answers. Listing details can change after the date above.
Snapshot (as listed)
| Asking price | $92,855 |
|---|---|
| Stated multiple | 1.5× annual SDE |
| Average monthly revenue / profit | $9,727 / $5,159 |
| Latest month revenue / profit | $10,454 / $5,954 |
| Payback (ask ÷ monthly profit) | 18.0 months on the average; 26.7 months on the last 3 months |
| Reported margin | 53% |
| Age | about 49 months |
| Monetization | eCommerce |
| Owner hours (seller-stated) | 10 a week |
| Top traffic channels | Organic Search 87%, Direct 11%, Referral 1% |
Red flags
- None from the listing's public data.
Yellow flags
- Recent profit below the period average (-32%). Last-3-month average profit $3,484 vs 12-month average $5,159. If the lower level persists, payback at the asking price is longer than the 12-month average suggests.
- Volatile monthly profit (CV 0.68). Monthly profit ranged $-1,425–$10,576.
- Organic search ≈87% of users. Exposed to search algorithm updates.
- Platforms the listing relies on or mentions: Google Search. Ask how much revenue and traffic depends on each, and whether there has been any past policy or algorithm impact.
- Traffic up 7.8× within the analytics window. Users/month: first-3 avg 721 → last-3 avg 5,651; latest month led by Organic Search (92%). Revenue did not rise with it.
- Customer/revenue concentration not disclosed.
- Generic reason for sale. The Seller would like to explore other opportunities.
Green flags
- The listing shows connected data providers: BigCommerce, Google Analytics. These reduce, but do not remove, the need to reconcile figures to bank deposits.
- About 49 months of operating history (first revenue 2022-09, per the listing).
- Seller states about 10 hours a week of owner time (to confirm against the task list).
- Post-sale support is offered: The Seller is willing to offer at least 30 of support (including email, call, training, and supplier introductions) to ensure a smooth transition for the Buyer.
Context
- Asking multiple 1.50× is below the typical range. EF for-sale asking multiples (2026-10-06) for eCommerce: p25 2.08×, median 2.5×.
Questions to ask the seller
- What drove the last 3 months below the 12-month average, and what do month-to-date numbers show?
- Explain the low months (refunds, annual-plan timing, one-off costs?).
- Share Search Console clicks/impressions for 16 months and any update-related drops.
- What would happen to revenue if Google Search changed its policy/API tomorrow? Any past incidents?
- What caused the traffic jump (campaign, bot/untagged traffic, new property in the GA view)?
- What share of revenue comes from the top 1 and top 3 customers (or traffic/affiliate partners)?
- Why sell now, and what would you do with the business if it doesn't sell?
- Provide a month-by-month P&L for the last 24 months with every cost line.
- What exactly transfers (domains, code, accounts, trademarks, email lists, contractor relationships)?
What to verify
- Store and payment-processor reports (Shopify/WooCommerce, Stripe, PayPal, marketplaces) reconciled to bank deposits
- Landed cost per SKU, ad spend and refunds month by month, so the margin can be rebuilt
- Inventory on hand, its valuation and whether it is included in the price
- Supplier, 3PL and contractor agreements and whether they are assignable
- Ad-account history (CPA, ROAS) and analytics by channel for the listing's 12 months
- Trademark, domain and marketplace-account transfer requirements
Payback at the asking price: 18.0 months on the stated average profit, 22.5 months if profit is 20% lower, 30.0 months if 40% lower. This is arithmetic on the listing's figures, not a valuation or a bid suggestion.
Seller statements to check against evidence
Quoted from the listing. Each is a reasonable thing for a seller to say and worth confirming with documents.
- “The company boasts strong profit margins, consistently above 30%, and a low reliance on paid advertising, with most traffic driven by organic search and social media.”
- “Approximately one-third of the revenue comes from recurring sales to four different distributors.”
- “The owner's weekly time commitment is minimal, around 10-15 hours, primarily focused on inventory and wholesale customer management.”
Risks the listing itself discloses: Changes in Google and social media algorithms could cause traffic to fluctuate. Regulatory changes may affect the viability of particular products.
Sources
- Empire Flippers listing #86851, public listing data read 13 October 2026.
- FirstPass red-flag rules, the 33 published rules used for the flags above.
Related
FirstPass Memo is independent and buyer-paid. Not affiliated with, paid by or endorsed by Empire Flippers or the seller. Informational screening only, not investment, legal, tax or valuation advice, and not an audit. Figures are the seller's and marketplace's, as listed on the date above. If you are the seller or broker and something here is out of date, email hello@firstpassmemo.com and we will correct it.