Listing teardown · Ecommerce
Empire Flippers listing #96278: Sports ecommerce business teardown
Short answer: a first-pass read of the live listing “$17.0K Per Month Amazon FBA Business in the Sports Niche”, asking $107,152: 2 red, 4 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 | $107,152 |
|---|---|
| Stated multiple | 2.6× annual SDE |
| Average monthly revenue / profit | $16,984 / $3,434 |
| Latest month revenue / profit | $14,173 / $1,595 |
| Payback (ask ÷ monthly profit) | 31.2 months on the average; 50.5 months on the last 3 months |
| Reported margin | 20% |
| Age | about 121 months |
| Monetization | Amazon FBA, eCommerce |
| Owner hours (seller-stated) | 5 a week |
| Top traffic channels | Paid Social 42%, Direct 14%, Cross-network 14% |
Red flags
- Recent profit below the period average (-38%). Last-3-month average profit $2,121 vs 12-month average $3,434. If the lower level persists, payback at the asking price is longer than the 12-month average suggests.
- Marketplace-reported revenue trend -40% (profit trend -38%). The listing's 12-month series does not show the comparison base for this figure: monthly revenue was about $11,300 to $17,900 in Oct to Dec 2025, about $19,000 to $24,200 in Jan to Apr 2026, and about $13,300 to $17,500 from Jun to Sep 2026. Ask for 24 months of monthly P&L to see the year-over-year change.
Yellow flags
- Volatile monthly profit (CV 0.54). Monthly profit ranged from about $340 (Jun 2026) to about $6,900 (Mar 2026), and was about $1,300 to $3,500 a month from Jul to Sep 2026. Ask what drove the June 2026 month and how ad spend changed.
- Platform the listing relies on: Amazon (about 82% of revenue). The listing says about 82% of revenue comes through Amazon FBA and 18% through its WooCommerce store, with WooCommerce orders also fulfilled through Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment, and discloses that higher Amazon ad prices or an FBA account suspension could hurt the business. TikTok Shop is described as an untapped channel. Paid social is about 42% of website users in the attached analytics. Ask about past account health issues and ad spend by channel.
- Customer/revenue concentration not disclosed.
- Generic reason for sale, and two details to confirm. The reason given is "The Seller would like to explore other opportunities." The listing gives 5 hours a week of work in one place and about four in the description, and 30 days of support in one place and 30 to 180 days in the description. Ask the seller to confirm both.
Green flags
- The listing shows connected data providers: Amazon Seller Central, Google Analytics, WooCommerce. These reduce, but do not remove, the need to reconcile figures to bank deposits.
- About 121 months of operating history (first revenue 2016-09, per the listing).
- Seller states about 5 hours a week of owner time (to confirm against the task list).
- Post-sale support is offered: The seller is happy to provide 30 days of support to ensure a smooth transition for a new owner.
Questions to ask the seller
- What drove the last 3 months below the 12-month average, and what do month-to-date numbers show?
- What is causing the year-over-year decline and what has been tried?
- 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?
- 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)?
- 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: 31.2 months on the stated average profit, 39.0 months if profit is 20% lower, 52.0 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.
- “Launched in 2016, this Amazon FBA business operates in the evergreen baseball and softball training niche, offering specialized training products designed to help players improve their hitting and pitching mechanics.”
- “Key strengths include an established presence, a streamlined fulfillment setup, healthy margins, and a low owner workload of approximately five hours per week.”
- “Growth opportunities include expanding the product range introducing additional padding as a premium product option, and further developing the business's premium positioning.”
- “Further growth channels such as leveraging TikTok Shop, social media expansion, outbound sales, and other distribution methods remain untapped.”
Risks the listing itself discloses: An increase in Amazon ad pricing could make the ads unprofitable. Amazon can suspend or cancel your FBA account due to a breach of its terms of service (ToS).
Questions about this listing
What should I ask the seller of Empire Flippers listing #96278?
What drove the last 3 months below the 12-month average, and what do month-to-date numbers show? What is causing the year-over-year decline and what has been tried? 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? 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)? Has the business ever had a platform ban, penalty, chargeback spike or security incident?
What flags does Empire Flippers listing #96278 raise?
2 red and 4 yellow flags from FirstPass Memo's 37 published rules, using only the public listing: Recent profit below the period average (-38%); Marketplace-reported revenue trend -40% (profit trend -38%); Volatile monthly profit (CV 0.54); Platform the listing relies on: Amazon (about 82% of revenue); Customer/revenue concentration not disclosed; Generic reason for sale, and two details to confirm.
Is this teardown a recommendation to buy or not to buy?
No. It is informational screening of public listing data. Flags are questions to answer, not findings, and nothing has been verified with the seller.
Sources
- Empire Flippers listing #96278, public listing data read 30 October 2026.
- FirstPass red-flag rules, the 37 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.