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Making $200-$300 a day ebay dropshipping, how do I scale?

by jeffduhon
18 replies
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So the title kind of says it. I have worked my ass off and am now seeing the results. Making 15-20 sales a day on ebay and constantly looking at new products to list/sell.

The "problem" is that I am getting overwhelmed. On one hand I want to list 10x what I currently am. On the other hand I can see that I will need help expanding. Looking for advice on how any of you have expanded their current dropshipping business.
#$200$300 #day #dropshipping #ebay #making #scale
  • Profile picture of the author Auctiondebteliminator
    You need an employee.

    Maybe.

    It depends on what the margins are.


    If you've adopted the 'high volume, low margin' model, you might not be in the position to hire an employee - it's much harder to do at that point.

    There are other ways to automate - do you have a store? What's your status?

    But, if you've adopted the 'sell fewer items for high margins' then hiring of an employee and setting up systems in place to replace you become a LOT more attractive.


    Scaling your business from there is a lot easier and desirable.

    200-300 dollars a day in net profit? Or gross profit?

    Consistently? Are they seasonal items? Do you know the behavior of the items you will list?

    What's to stop your employee from doing this on their own and competing with you?
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    • Profile picture of the author DSGDSG
      What else are you doing? Im having a difficult time seeing how someone could fall behind relaying shipping addresses and products ordered to someone else for 20 orders a day. Is there some other aspect of your dropshipping business that is keeping you tied up elsewhere?
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      • Profile picture of the author cebrg1
        I'd hire a VA to place all your orders and have your friends and family help you sell even more items.
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    • Profile picture of the author Joe Stewart
      Originally Posted by Auctiondebteliminator View Post


      What's to stop your employee from doing this on their own and competing with you?
      This would be my concern as well, especially if there's enough margin for them to undercut your prices.

      Do your suppliers deal directly with end users or dealers/distributors only? Do they have a minimum order for drop shipping? If they're NOT dealing with end users (they could steal your customers if they are) and they don't have a minimum order, you could drop ship everything.

      By the way, I'm NOT an Ebay expert, so Auctiondebteliminator is your guy where that's concerned, but I do drop ship stuff 5 days a week. I also stock certain items for the reasons listed above.
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      • Profile picture of the author kjamesnv
        What's to stop your employee from doing this on their own and competing with you?
        Originally Posted by Joe Stewart View Post

        This would be my concern as well, especially if there's enough margin for them to undercut your prices.
        We have every new hire sign 2 documents:

        1. A Non Compete agreement
        2. A Non Disclosure Agreement

        Every employee (even part time shipping clerks) signs these and we explain that we will enforce the agreements aggressively if they try to steal our ideas or complete with us. In many years of business this has worked very well.

        I am not big on spending $$ on lawyers but this is a VERY important area once you hire employees. Its worth it to have a good lawyer draw up these agreements and they must be specific to your state if you are in the US.

        Also be sure to have your lawyer include a clause for "Injunctive relief". This means that is a former employee starts a competing business you can have their business legally shut down while a court figures out if there has been a contract violation. Very powerful and will discourage people from stealing your ideas.

        1 more important tip. Do not keep the original signed documents where an employee has access to them. Keep them at home or someplace safe not accessible to employees who might walk off with them.
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        • Profile picture of the author Joe Stewart
          Originally Posted by kjamesnv View Post

          What's to stop your employee from doing this on their own and competing with you?

          We have every new hire sign 2 documents:

          1. A Non Compete agreement
          2. A Non Disclosure Agreement
          Actually, I've been to court for violating a Non Disclosure Agreement and can say from experience that they won't hold up most of the time. If the information you're making them agree not to share could be gotten anywhere else, or if any part of it was public knowledge, even the most basic thing that wasn't somehow exclusive to you, it won't hold up. I squashed a lawsuit against me for $40k when I jumped from one company to another a few years ago.

          Though different to an extent, A Non Compete agreement almost always must have a time limit, a regional limit or both. Also, in some cases I've heard of individuals requiring compensation to not conduct business after a certain time frame. I've personally signed A Non Compete agreement years ago that said I agreed that the company that hired me would train me how to perform certain tasks and compensate me for doing those tasks. In exchange, I had to agree not to take those skills and compete against them within 50 miles for a period of one year after ending my employment with them.

          The bottom line is that most courts feel that by keeping an individual from conducting business in a trade, you're hindering their ability to make a living - even if you taught them everything they know.

          Since my former co-workers and I won that case years ago, I know that several others in that industry have started their own business, including me.

          They're a deterrent, but anyone that does their homework will soon learn the truth.

          Of course, I'm not an Attorney and the legal interpretation of these documents could be different from state to state and could be based on the trade you're in or the position you hold at a company, so I recommend that anyone who's considering "striking out on their own" after signing one or both of these documents get legal advice before doing so.
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          • Profile picture of the author kjamesnv
            Originally Posted by Joe Stewart View Post


            The bottom line is that most courts feel that by keeping an individual from conducting business in a trade, you're hindering their ability to make a living - even if you taught them everything they know.
            No always true. Each state is different.Some states protect businesses more an some protect workers more.
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            • Profile picture of the author Joe Stewart
              Originally Posted by kjamesnv View Post

              No always true. Each state is different.Some states protect businesses more an some protect workers more.
              That's what I said here.

              Originally Posted by Joe Stewart View Post

              Of course, I'm not an Attorney and the legal interpretation of these documents could be different from state to state and could be based on the trade you're in or the position you hold at a company, so I recommend that anyone who's considering "striking out on their own" after signing one or both of these documents get legal advice before doing so.
              I still doubt that either agreement will hold up in court, at least not for an extended period of time. I'd continue to use them as a deterrent, but I'd definitely get legal advice before trying to take someone to court if they break an agreement. As I stated, I've been sued for a Non Disclosure Agreement and won.

              Do some research online, offline, etc of other cases like this (including your own state) and you'll see what I mean. I've been thinking of doing some hiring and using them recently for my own business as a deterrent, because most people don't know any better, but in most cases they're simply not legally binding for long periods of time.

              Good luck.
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              • Profile picture of the author kjamesnv
                Originally Posted by Joe Stewart View Post

                That's what I said here.

                I still doubt that either agreement will hold up in court, at least not for an extended period of time. I'd continue to use them as a deterrent, but I'd definitely get legal advice before trying to take someone to court if they break an agreement. As I stated, I've been sued for a Non Disclosure Agreement and won.

                Good luck.
                You are mistaken. NDA's and Non competes are enforced EVERY DAY. Just because you happened to win a case does not mean they are not enforceable. Quite the contrary.

                All major companies use these tools to protect their secrets because THEY WORK. However they are not fool proof and they have to be done properly - with the correct time and geographic limitations etc.
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                • Profile picture of the author Joe Stewart
                  Originally Posted by kjamesnv View Post

                  You are mistaken. NDA's and Non competes are enforced EVERY DAY. Just because you happened to win a case does not mean they are not enforceable. Quite the contrary.

                  All major companies use these tools to protect their secrets because THEY WORK. However they are not fool proof and they have to be done properly - with the correct time and geographic limitations etc.

                  Okay, you can be right if you want. I know what I know. In addition to my own experience, I've also done extensive research on the subject matter over the past few months because I've considered hiring people, but I have these same concerns.

                  To be completely honest, I don't care what anyone else does.

                  Once again, good luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author kjamesnv
    I have been in this situation myself. If you want to grow beyond this stage you need to learn to delegate some day-to-day tasks so you can focus on growing your business.

    Hire a part time employee to do some of the mundane tasks. However you have to keep the expenses in line to your profit.
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  • Profile picture of the author masonnz
    That's a great problem to have How did you find your dropshipper?
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  • Profile picture of the author sweetcrabhoney18
    It seems like every piece of advice people share with you ; you're putting down for some reason or another. The best advice would be to either deal with the struggle or to get the help that you know you need. Every business /solution has it's risk It's up to you if you're willing to take that risk. Every piece of advice above is great advice . Maybe you should listen to it?
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    keep moving forward

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  • Profile picture of the author el mehdi azhar
    How did you acheive this results ??,I do dropshipping on ebay as well and I have made 500$ in sales,and I want to grow this busibess model and make good income and scale it. What should I do??,list so many items everyday??,or there is an other strategy to scale this??And how to find good itemd to list??Do you use a software to track the price and stock changes??,waiting for your reply,I really need it!!
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    • Profile picture of the author DWolfe
      Originally Posted by el mehdi azhar View Post

      How did you acheive this results ??,,waiting for your reply,I really need it!!
      The Originial poster has not been active on this forum since July of 2016 and this thread is 3 years old. Do not count on him replying anytime soon.
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  • Profile picture of the author airjixe
    a lot of people here suggesting hiring an assistant but how do you prevent a situation where your assistant figures out the whole concept and goes on to steal your resources/ customers?
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  • Profile picture of the author SEOMastery
    My first suggestion is to get a better niche that is really exclusive but have good amount of monthly sales on eBay. Then try to get more & more variety on your niche & different listings with a specific micro niche. It will help eBay search engine to determine that your eBay Store is based on that specific niche & you will get most of the organic traffic through better ranking on eBay ranking.

    I agree that the more listings, you will have the more possiblity you will get to rank on eBay & get organic sales. Just take care on your listings inbound SEO health. If your listing has good inbound SEO, you will easily get ranked on eBay & you will see your daily sales will increase based sales & other matrics.

    Moreover, if you can get a good OTO for your clients, you an advertise your store on Facebook targeting the exactly interested people & get obvious sales!

    Wishing you All the Best!
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  • Profile picture of the author James_w
    are you earning that in net or gross? after fees etc feebay was great once..
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