8 Ecommerce Reselling Business Success Stories [2024]

Updated: November 19th, 2023
Start An Ecommerce Reselling Business

An eCommerce reseller purchases services or goods for resale rather than consumption. Becoming an eCommerce reseller is a great way to launch an online business without worrying about production costs.

To start an eCommerce reseller business, you do not need a website immediately! You can focus on a social media-based reseller business and create a website later as your business grows.

Here are some real life success stories of starting a ecommerce reselling business:

1. Dropout SRL ($1.68M/year)

Kola Tytler, the founder of dropout, came up with the idea for his business after learning about the underground sneaker resale market and self-teaching himself to code a sneaker bot. He later teamed up with others to create software that collected data and ran statistical analysis, which led to the creation of HypeAnalyzer. Frustrated with university, Kola decided to bring the ultimate sneaker shopping experience to Italy, leading to the birth of dropout.

How much they make: $1.68M/year
How much did it cost to start: $120K
Current team size: 8

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How I Started A $840K/Year Business Selling Limited Edition Sneakers [Italy]

Founder Kola Tytler managed to build a profitable business, Dropout, worth over $2.5 million by selling limited edition sneakers and streetwear, despite having no prior experience and juggling medical school; the company saw over 50,000 in-store visitors and over $100k in sales in December 2021 alone and raised €750k via equity crowdfunding in 6 days.

About
Kola started Dropout SRL over 5 years ago
Revenue
Kola grew the business to $140K/month
Costs
It cost Kola $120000 to start the business
Read by 3,592 founders

2. BitsForDigits ($72K/year)

Laurits and Jan-Philipp came up with the idea for BitsForDigits after witnessing the founders of Basecamp sell a portion of their business to Jeff Bezos, realizing the demand for partial acquisitions. With their backgrounds in finance and tech, they built an MVP using NoCode tools like Webflow and MemberStack, and launched on Product Hunt, gaining over 300 users and steady growth. They have now bootstrapped the venture to $6,000/month in revenue and plan to expand their product offering to meet the liquidity needs of founders.

How much they make: $72K/year
How much did it cost to start: $300
Current team size: 2

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How We Bootstrapped A $72K/Year Online Acquisition Marketplace [With A $0 Marketing Budget]

BitsForDigits is an acquisition marketplace for internet startups and online businesses looking to exit, with steady growth in the number of signups and making $6,000 per month, attracting customers organically with zero marketing spend.

About
Laurits started BitsForDigits over 2 years ago
Revenue
Laurits grew the business to $6K/month
Costs
It cost Laurits $300 to start the business
Read by 3,341 founders

So... can you actually make money with a ecommerce reselling business?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

3. Second Time Sellers ($204K/year)

How much they make: $204K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50
Current team size:

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$17K in the Last 30 Days: Building a Reselling Business from Scratch

Case study: These founders are flipping used items for up to 10 times their original cost, with their first acquisition being purchased for $50 and sold for $450, and have set a target of making $250,000 in the upcoming 12 months through their eBay store specializing in professional car care supplies and electrical and tools.

About
They started Second Time Sellers over 3 years ago
Revenue
They grew the business to $17K/month
Costs
It cost $50 to start the business
Read by 784 founders

4. Empyre Off-Road ($1.2M/year)

Greg Shuey came up with the idea for Empyre Off-Road after purchasing his first Toyota Tacoma and realizing how expensive the aftermarket parts and accessories were. Through research and validation on Tacoma forums, he identified a gap in the market and decided to manufacture and sell his own aluminum grille inserts at a significantly cheaper price than competitors. By utilizing his marketing expertise, Greg was able to grow his business to generate an impressive $100,000 a month in revenue, attracting customers through content marketing strategies and building a strong online presence.

How much they make: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size: 2

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My Side Hustle Makes $1.2M/Year Selling Car Accessories

Empyre Off-Road, an e-commerce business founded by Greg Shuey which sells aftermarket parts for Toyota Tacomas, Tundras, and 4Runners, generated approximately $100,000 a month in revenue and was able to expand its product offering, focusing on content marketing, email marketing campaigns, and organic social media to attract and retain customers.

About
Greg started Empyre Off-Road over 6 years ago
Revenue
Greg grew the business to $100K/month
Costs
It cost Greg $4998 to start the business
Read by 6,376 founders

So... can you actually make money with a ecommerce reselling business?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

5. BuildFBA ($1.2M/year)

Samrudha, the founder of a 6-figure Amazon e-commerce business, came up with the idea after being heavily impacted by the pandemic and looking for a touchless business model. Starting with dropshipping and then transitioning to Amazon arbitrage, Samrudha eventually decided to develop a unique product, a bike wall stand, due to high demand in the biking niche. With a bare minimum capital of $5,000, the business has now achieved over $1 million in sales in just 2 years' time.

How much they make: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
Current team size: 3

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How A $5K Investment Turned Into A Million-Dollar Ecommerce Business

This case study follows the journey of a founder who built a 6-figure Amazon e-commerce business from scratch, with initial capital of $5k USD, and achieved more than $1M in sales in just 2 years, focusing on a unique niche in sports and outdoors products through influencer marketing and quality products.

About
Samrudha started BuildFBA about 5 years ago
Revenue
Samrudha grew the business to $100K/month
Costs
It cost Samrudha $10000 to start the business
Read by 3,162 founders