Listing teardown · Ecommerce
Teardown: $34.3K Per Month eCommerce Business in the Hobbies Niche (Empire Flippers #95163)
Short answer: a first-pass read of a live public listing, asking $94,142: 1 red, 4 yellow and 6 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 | $94,142 |
|---|---|
| Stated multiple | 2.0× annual SDE |
| Average monthly revenue / profit | $34,345 / $3,923 |
| Latest month revenue / profit | $34,059 / $5,557 |
| Payback (ask ÷ monthly profit) | 24.0 months on the average; 20.3 months on the last 3 months |
| Reported margin | 11% |
| Age | about 160 months |
| Monetization | eCommerce |
| Owner hours (seller-stated) | 1 a week |
| Top traffic channels | Direct 50%, Organic Search 18%, Organic Social 8% |
Red flags
- To verify: organic search share differs between the listing text and its analytics. The listing text says organic search is 31% of traffic; the analytics attached to the listing show organic search at about 18% of users. Reconcile which period and metric each figure uses.
Yellow flags
- Volatile monthly profit (CV 0.85). Monthly profit ranged $-319–$10,138.
- Platforms the listing relies on or mentions: Amazon. Ask how much revenue and traffic depends on each, and whether there has been any past policy or algorithm impact.
- To verify: low owner hours rely on paid staff or contractors. Day-to-day activities are handled by two virtual assistants, comprising an operations manager and a junior VA, who manage customer support and other routine ope
- Customer/revenue concentration not disclosed.
Green flags
- The listing shows connected data providers: Google Analytics, Stripe, PayPal. These reduce, but do not remove, the need to reconcile figures to bank deposits.
- About 160 months of operating history (first revenue 2013-06, per the listing).
- Last-3-month average profit $4,634 is 18% above the 12-month average.
- Marketplace-reported revenue trend +2% (profit trend +30%).
- Seller states about 1 hours a week of owner time (to confirm against the task list).
- Post-sale support is offered: The seller is willing to provide 30 days of email and phone support, capped at 2 hours per week (calls by appointment) including introductions to suppliers, the 3PL, the VA, and SEO agency.
Context
- Asking multiple 2.00× 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
- Show Search Console clicks and signup attribution by channel; which channel actually produces paying customers?
- Explain the low months (refunds, annual-plan timing, one-off costs?).
- What would happen to revenue if Amazon changed its policy/API tomorrow? Any past incidents?
- List each contractor, monthly cost, whether it is in the P&L, and whether they will stay.
- What share of revenue comes from the top 1 and top 3 customers (or traffic/affiliate partners)?
- 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)?
- Has the business ever had a platform ban, penalty, chargeback spike or security incident?
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: 24.0 months on the stated average profit, 30.0 months if profit is 20% lower, 40.0 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.
- “This listing is for a highly specialized WooCommerce DTC business established in 2013.”
- “The business benefits from strong organic search visibility across high-volume informational and commercial-intent keywords within its niche.”
- “Around 75% of traffic is unpaid: direct visits (32%), organic search (31%), email (7%) and organic social (6%), reflecting strong brand recognition built over more than a decade.”
- “The business is highly passive, with the Seller dedicating less than one hour per week to operations.”
Risks the listing itself discloses: An increase in Paid Traffic pricing could affect the economics of the business. Supplier changes in prices could affect company profit margins. The .com.au domain requires an Australian entity or ABN to hold, which overseas buyers will need to arrange.
Sources
- Empire Flippers listing #95163, 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.