Listing teardown · Ecommerce
Teardown: $21.2K Per Month DropShipping Site in the Home Niche (Empire Flippers #97662)
Short answer: a first-pass read of a live public listing, asking $164,026: 0 red, 6 yellow and 5 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 | $164,026 |
|---|---|
| Stated multiple | 2.8× annual SDE |
| Average monthly revenue / profit | $21,238 / $4,882 |
| Latest month revenue / profit | $17,249 / $4,849 |
| Payback (ask ÷ monthly profit) | 33.6 months on the average; 39.9 months on the last 3 months |
| Reported margin | 23% |
| Age | about 57 months |
| Monetization | DropShipping, eCommerce |
| Owner hours (seller-stated) | 10 a week |
| Top traffic channels | n/a |
Red flags
- None from the listing's public data.
Yellow flags
- Volatile monthly profit (CV 0.55). Monthly profit ranged $970–$9,772.
- Asking multiple 2.80× is above the typical range. EF for-sale asking multiples (2026-10-06) for DropShipping: p25 1.5×, median 2.33×, p75 2.7× (n=7, thin sample).
- 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.
- No website traffic data shown in the listing. Ask for analytics covering the same 12 months as the financials.
- 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: Shopify. These reduce, but do not remove, the need to reconcile figures to bank deposits.
- About 57 months of operating history (first revenue 2022-01, per the listing).
- Marketplace-reported revenue trend +5% (profit trend +6%).
- 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 provide 30 days of email and phone support after completion of the sale, assisting with the transition of the Shopify store, website, suppliers, product sourcing, fulfilment, SEO, social media, software, apps, and day-to-day operations.
Questions to ask the seller
- Explain the low months (refunds, annual-plan timing, one-off costs?).
- What justifies pricing above comparable listings (growth, verified retention, moat)?
- What would happen to revenue if Google Search changed its policy/API tomorrow? Any past incidents?
- Share 12–24 months of analytics and Search Console.
- 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: 33.6 months on the stated average profit, 42.0 months if profit is 20% lower, 56.0 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.
- “SEO is an important part of this business' organic traffic strategy - with an external SEO company working with them to build links via blogger outreach.”
Risks the listing itself discloses: Dropshipping businesses can be negatively impacted by an increase in cost of goods (COGS) from the manufacturer. Supplier/factory changing terms of agreement or unable to produce product to meet demand
Sources
- Empire Flippers listing #97662, 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.