Listing teardown · Ecommerce
Empire Flippers listing #97550: Business ecommerce business teardown
Short answer: a first-pass read of the live listing “$29.2K Per Month eCommerce Business in the Business Niche”, asking $240,834: 1 red, 5 yellow and 1 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 | $240,834 |
|---|---|
| Stated multiple | 1.5× annual SDE |
| Average monthly revenue / profit | $29,246 / $13,380 |
| Latest month revenue / profit | $16,672 / $6,380 |
| Payback (ask ÷ monthly profit) | 18.0 months on the average; 52.6 months on the last 3 months |
| Reported margin | 46% |
| Age | about 25 months |
| Monetization | eCommerce, DropShipping |
| Owner hours (seller-stated) | 12 a week |
| Top traffic channels | n/a |
Red flags
- Recent profit below the period average (-66%). Last-3-month average profit $4,575 vs 12-month average $13,380. If the lower level persists, payback at the asking price is longer than the 12-month average suggests.
Yellow flags
- Volatile monthly profit (CV 0.96). Monthly profit ranged $3,023–$42,008.
- No connected financial data source shown. Figures appear seller-reported; ask for read-only access to payment and bank records.
- Seller reports 12 hrs/week. Above the checker's default limit of 10 hours a week.
- Customer/revenue concentration not disclosed.
- Generic reason for sale. The Seller would like to explore other opportunities.
Green flags
- Post-sale support is offered: The seller is willing to offer 60 days of email and call support, with flexibility to extend.
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?).
- Grant read-only Stripe/PayPal/ad-network access or provide exports matching the P&L.
- 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: 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.
- “Key strengths include established marketplace relationships, a broad and diversified product portfolio, and a no-inventory model that allows new brands and products to be launched without significant upfront capital.”
- “The seller spends approximately 12.5 hours per week on the business, with around 2.5 hours required for ongoing maintenance and the remaining time focused on growth activities such as pitching products to marketplace buyers, sourcing products, communicating with suppliers, and launching new brands.”
- “Growth opportunities include onboarding additional marketplaces, increasing the number of products offered to existing retail partners, expanding paid and organic marketing for the D2C stores, and continuing to launch new brands using the documented SOPs included in the sale.”
Risks the listing itself discloses: An increase in Paid Traffic pricing could make the ads unprofitable. Supplier increasing prices
Questions about this listing
What should I ask the seller of Empire Flippers listing #97550?
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?). Grant read-only Stripe/PayPal/ad-network access or provide exports matching the P&L. 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 #97550 raise?
1 red and 5 yellow flags from FirstPass Memo's 33 published rules, using only the public listing: Recent profit below the period average (-66%); Volatile monthly profit (CV 0.96); No connected financial data source shown; Seller reports 12 hrs/week; Customer/revenue concentration not disclosed; Generic reason for sale.
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 #97550, public listing data read 16 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.