Should You Buy An Existing Drop Shipping Store or Start from Scratch?

There are many turnkey dropship websites for sale. 

You can buy them on marketplaces like Flippa and Shopify Exchange.

A lot of people have asked me in the past if they should buy an existing drop shipping business.

The question makes sense, especially for beginners who want to take some years off their learning curve and get quick results But my answer has been the same in 100% of cases:

Don’t do it.

Let me explain why.

You’re Probably Coming From the Wrong Mindset

Most e-commerce newbies want to buy a drop shipping store for the wrong reasons. This is a bitter pill to swallow, but it’s likely that your desire to buy an existing drop shipping store stems from past disappointments or a flaw in work ethic and entrepreneurial mindset.

Here’s the main reasons people want to buy existing stores:

• Desperation
• Laziness

If you’re currently thinking of buying a drop shipping store it’s very important to do a reality check. It’s uncomfortable. But you have to take a step back and seriously ask yourself why you want to buy a drop shipping store. You should never make emotional decisions in business.

So let’s look at some of the underlying reasons why you might want to buy a store.

Is it Because You’re Desperate Or Lazy?

If you’ve been trying your luck with e-commerce and drop shipping in the past but haven’t seen any results, you might start feeling a little discouraged and desperate.

Buying a drop shipping store is tempting.

Acquiring a turnkey drop shipping business that’s already making sales seems like the perfect way out of this desperation. You would finally have a store that’s generating revenue and profit. And more importantly, you could instantly eliminate your feelings of disappointment.

You wouldn’t have to feel like a failure anymore.

Maybe you’ve seen the results others are getting with drop shipping and and now you want to prove yourself, your friends or your family that you can do it too. Or maybe you’ve invested some money already and giving up is not an option. You’ve spent so much already, spending a few thousand or even tens of thousands of dollars to acquire a store, doesn’t make a big difference as long as you end up with a drop shipping store that works.

This is known as the sunk cost fallacy in psychology and economics.

Here’s what I would tell you.

If you really want a successful drop shipping store you have to work harder and be patient. Florian, one of my followers spent seven months testing products before making $60,000 in two weeks. Most of your problems can be solved with hard work and relentless persistence.

I don’t know a single successful drop shipper who got successful by acquiring turnkey dropship websites for sale on sites like Flippa and Shopify Exchange. Quite the opposite actually.

Without exception, every successful drop shipper I know has built a successful drop shipping business with tremendous amounts of hard work and persistence. It’s not uncommon for the most successful drop shippers to test between thirty to sixty products before turning any considerable profit. And once their stores stall or stop generating revenue, they sell them.

And they’re selling their stores to people like you, who didn’t have the mental toughness to go through what they went. So they’re cashing in twice. Once for going through the pain of building a successful store and making six figures or seven figures with it. And secondly for selling it.

They are the ones winning here and not you.

Drop shipping stores have a relatively short life span.

A successful drop shipping store will usually generate profit for a few months or a few years. There’s nothing wrong with this. You can make a lot of money in a short period of time.

After a few months or several years usually one of two things happen: Either the drop shipper gets bored of the store and decides to move on to a new project. Or the store starts staling and getting less sales. In both cases, any smart drop shipper will attempt to sell his store.

Don’t be that person.

Instead, be the person building the successful store and selling it.

If you’re serious about drop shipping you have to do what they’re doing. You have to persist in the face of adversity and failure, keep testing products and continue learning until you succeed. And one day you will be the one selling the store, rather than the one buying it.

Never buy a store out of desperation or laziness, because you’ll be on the losing end.

When It’s Okay To Buy A Store

In some cases browsing sites like Flippa and Shopify Exchange to find turnkey dropship websites for sale and acquiring an established business can be a good idea.

However, I only recommend doing this for the right reasons.

When it’s okay to buy an existing store:

• As an investment

If you already have a lot of experience with e-commerce and drop shipping and you think you can acquire an existing store and double, triple or even 10X the revenue with your knowledge and expertise, then go for it. In this case you’re buying a store not out of laziness or desperation, but as a business investment. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But it will require some skills.

First of all, you need the marketing skills to maintain and grow the store you’re acquiring. Even if you buy a successful store, if you don’t know how to drive traffic and sales, you’ll run your store into the ground in a heartbeat. Maintaining a successful drop shipping store can be just as tough as building it. And that’s another reason beginners shouldn’t buy a store.

Secondly, if you’re looking for turnkey dropship websites for sale and planning to acquire a store, you need to be able to determine which stores are actually still successful.

Of course, you’ll be presented with revenue numbers during the acquisition. However, always ask yourself: “If the store is going so well, why is this person selling it?” You have to do your due diligence to make sure it’s a good deal for you, and not just for the person selling the store.

That being said.

Where Can You Find Turnkey Dropship Websites for Sale?

I’ve given you all the information you need to make a rational decision.

That being said, let me share some different resources and marketplaces where you can find turnkey dropship websites for sale. I’ve already mentioned Flippa and Shopify Exchange. But there’s a few other sites where you can find and acquire existing drop shipping stores.

Marketplaces with turnkey drop ship websites for sale:

• Flippa
• Shopify Exchange
• Turnkey Nation
• The Warrior Forum
• Empire Flippers

For most people I recommend Flippa or Shopify Exchange. Check these sites regularly for good deals. If you find something worth acquiring, do your due diligence and go for it.